Wielder

Chapter 34 - Revenge

Commander Roger Sole strode through the halls of the summer palace in Ebony Wastes. He had meant what he'd said when he'd promised to kill the Wielder. She would pay for what she had stolen from him. She would bleed and scream and beg for mercy with the things he planned to do to her. And he would delight in her torture.

He would delight even more in her death.

The only reason he hadn't killed her right then was because of the amount of magic that had built up around her. He wasn't an idiot. If the emperor couldn't defeat her when she had access to that much power, then he didn't stand a chance. But, in time, the magic would fade. It was when she was defenseless that he would strike.

He was not a foolhardy man that required immediate retribution. He could be patient. Disastrously patient. Perhaps she had slipped away for now, but it would not be that way for long.

He pushed aside thoughts of revenge as he rounded a corner toward the empress's private entertaining rooms. Before he could crush the Wielder, he had the duty to inform the royal family of the emperor's unfortunate demise.

Unwilling to trust Emperor Tokala's body with anyone in the palace, Roger had personally carried the corpse back to his excellency's bedchambers. There, he had sealed the rooms with his power, so that no one could enter until he returned. Once the royal family had been informed of the emperor's death, funeral preparations could be arranged. Until then, he wanted to ensure that nothing would be done to the man who had loved him as if he were his own son.

Roger was not looking forward to this meeting. Empress Sienna was a stuck-up, self-centered terror who was not above throwing tantrums when she didn't get her way. The emperor's sister, Zia, was much more refined, though she possessed an authoritative attitude that made her seem more entitled than a true leader. And then, there was the heir, Princess Tyla, who wasn't dangerous for her power, but for her cunning. The only royal that Roger had actually liked, was the emperor.

And Helene, of course. He had loved her with every fiber of his being.

He shook thoughts of his lost love off his shoulders as he reached the empress's sitting rooms. He couldn't afford the weight of sorrow that pulled at his chest at the knowledge that he had now truly lost her. He had to be alert. He had to focus. The Sykora women could smell weakness better than a bloodhound could sniff out a fox from a burrow. He could not allow himself even the slightest vulnerability.

With a resigned sigh, he pushed open the large door.

The ladies in question all sat around the room on large, plush chairs, sipping afternoon tea with their ladies in waiting. His unannounced arrival caused a murmur to ripple through the room. Several women fluttered their eyelashes at him. It was no secret that they admired him. They had been trying to capture his attention for years. As always, he ignored them completely, which made them exceedingly grumpy.

Empress Sienna let out a scoff as she realized that he had entered the room. With an exaggerated huff, she set down her tea and slapped a black silk glove upon her knee. "Damn you, Roger," she scolded, rising to her feet. "Can't it wait?"

"No," he stated firmly, using a tone he normally reserved for his soldiers. "Dismiss the ladies."

Empress Sienna's too-thin brows rose high on her makeup-caked forehead. "How dare you tell me what to do!"

"Dismiss. The ladies," he growled again. Honestly, he didn't have the patience for this. But, as the highest ranking official at the palace, and as the one who had personally witnessed the emperor's death, he had no other choice.

To her credit, the emperor's sister seemed to sense his distress. She frowned at him, but carefully set down her tea. "Do as he says, Sienna," she advised, her deep, silky voice also leaving no room for argument.