Page 158 of The Queen’s Shadow

“Yes and being supplemented with gold from Greed we should be able to swing it.” Dossidian said thoughtfully.

“Will dat be enough?” Conrad asked doubtfully. “Dat sounds like it is enough for di citizens, but what ‘bout de armies? Dossidian, yuh say dat yuh dad’s army is half a million daemons strong. Dat, plus Prince Zayne’s army, Di Court of Pride and maybe even Envy’s navy, we bi a strong force, but not if dem is starving.”

“It is a problem, for sure.” Dossidian said. “We will need to announce an emergency state soon and put our courts on rations to ensure we are able to accommodate our armed forces. Even if Envy agrees to ally with us, and with additional produce imports from Wrath it still might not be enough.”

“What about Sloth?” Conrad asked and Zayne snorted.

“If you’re into mountain yak, sure.”

“We nuh really in di position to be picky here.” Conrad snapped, and I had to agree. Zayne rolled his eyes.

“The Obeah Man is right.” Dossidian said. “Mountain Yak makes great jerky. It would be good for the armies while they travel.”

“Yeah, and don’t yuh say dat Di Court of Sloth is peaceful and neutral? Dey will not likely be swayed by Ash Nevra to cut us off. It would be worth seeing if they would be willing tuh trade.”

“Good point. Okay, so we will go to Wrath first, free my father and see if he will give us access to their library so we may find a solution for our little Flute problem.” Dossidian grabbed the emerald raven and dragged it across the map, dropping it on the Viridian Desert. “It will take us some time to cross the desert, and we will need to ensure we have packed enough food for the trek. Even if Raven flies us, it will likely take two to three weeks before we arrive at Fury’s Point.”

“Two to three weeks?” I hissed, rage licking up my insides. Dossidian nodded gravely. “None of The Courts are particularly easy to travel through, unfortunately. They are set up this way intentionally, to protect the capitals from enemies during wartime, but it will make it challenging for us to gather allies as well.”

I clenched my fists at my sides, staring at the map, trying to think of another way forward. Some way that wouldn’t take two to three weeks. Dossidian picked up the emerald raven and dragged it across the table to drop it on the islands that made up The Court of Envy.

“Then we will head to Envy and speak with Prince Caspian and Princess Niahmara. With Wrath and Greed’s Army, and Envy’s Navy, we will be in a good position to invade Gluttony. From there we will head to Sloth and secure a trade deal to compensate for the food imports we have lost from Gluttony.” He finished, dropping the raven on the mountain range that made up the peaceful court.

“What about Amon?” I finally spoke up from where I was leaning against the wall. I knew food was important, and so was building our army. But I couldn’t wait to go to Wrath, then Envy then Sloth before we figured out how to get him back. I wasn’t going to make it that long. He wasn’t going to make it that long.

The three males looked up at me, as if they had forgotten I was there. Conrad’s eyes softened at the question.

“Mi have some ideas for dat too. Like mi said, mi think wi should try tuh capture either Kieran or Di Siren next time dey try tuh come for us. It might be in Di Court of Wrath, but mi heart tell me Di Siren will likely intercept us on our way tuh Envy.”

He pointed to the Obsidian Sea, which we would need to cross to get to the island court.

“She familiar with di Obsidian Sea, she pirate it fah years before she captured by Ash Nevra.” He said, the muscle in his jaw ticking and a determined look gleaming in his dark eyes. I knew crossing the sea would also take us several days, and I felt the already weak grasp I had on my temper slip.

“We’re running out of time to save him.” I said, my voice darker than I wanted it to be. “I feel like we haven’t made any progress on his rescue at all. We still have no idea where he is, we’ve done nothing.”

Dossidian pursed his lips. “Raven. You discovered a massive reserve of shadowstone, saved Kasha, freed The Court of Greed, and secured The Bone Prince as an ally. That is not nothing.” He said softly, and I clenched my fists and pushed up from the wall.

“But it is not enough.” I snarled. “I want him back. Now.” My blood felt hot and my palms were itching with the need to fire off a quasar. Dossidan and Conrad exchanged a look, but it was Zayne who spoke.

“Yes and having a temper tantrum about it like a human child is surely the way to get him back.” He drawled, sneering down his nose at me.

Conrad looked at Zayne like he was a madman.

“Yuh must have a death wish man, what yuh doin’ provoking har like dat? Look pon har eyes. She ‘bout tuh snap.”

Zayne shrugged. “Someone has to tell her to get a grip, and I don’t see either of you doing it.” He turned to me, face hard and full of contempt. “I’m sure you’re experiencing an unbearable amount of pain being separated from your mate like this, but you need to keep it together, or you really will lose him forever.”

I snarled and took a step forward, power building in my palms.

“What would you know about what it feels like? What I’m going through?” I was losing control of my temper, and I knew it. Conrad and Dossidian both inched away from Zayne, getting out of the line of fire. However, The Bone Prince didn’t flinch. He stood firm and met my gaze head on.

“You think your pain matters? It doesn’t. You are fighting to be Queen of The Dominion. What you want doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is the well being of your people. Your trauma doesn’t make you special. Allowing your pain to control your emotions and actions does make you weak, though. I thought you were stronger than this.”

The room fell so silent, you could have heard a pin drop. Zayne and I stared each other down, and as much as I wanted to blast his fucking head off, I knew he was right. I forced myself to kill the energy that had been building in my palms and took a step back.

“Alright. But, if I don’t have him back by the time we leave Envy, I will start burning entire courts to the ground until I find him. That’s a fucking promise. I’ll be Queen of the goddamned ashes before I lose him.” I snapped.

“Fair enough.” Zayne nodded. “Though that plan will take much longer than getting the information out of Kieran or The Siren.” He gestured to the map on the table.