‘Keep working on the Sextant,’ she said. ‘It is the key to locating the salve world.’
‘I will, your Grace.’
‘And I?’ said Arete, her glance switching from defiant to deferential.
‘Organise relief for the victims of the earthquake,’ said Belinda. ‘The people of Tordue are starving, and many have lost their homes.’
‘Yes, your Grace.’
Belinda kept her eyes on them. ‘I will be in my rooms if you require me.’
She walked from the study, her heart racing. Were they so easily fooled? If they could have read her thoughts, then they would have been able to see through her words, but the combination of Bastion’s appearance and the fact that her mind was shielded, had transformed the two Ascendants. A new feeling surged through her, one that she had never experienced before.
Power.
It felt good. The fear that she had seen in the Ascendants’ eyes had felt so good, that part of her wanted to go back into the room so she could feel it again. They feared her, and because of that, they would do whatever she ordered. The possibilities began to open up before her, and she found herself wondering what would happen if she accepted Edmond’s offer. Together, they would wield power over every known world, and she would be able to use that power for good, and bring an end to injustice. She remembered Silva’s warning – if it were that easy, she would have done it millennia before, but in a way she had done it before, except she had chosen Nathaniel over Edmond. Either way, power was power.
She reached her suite of rooms and glanced at her collection of servants, some of whom seemed to sense the change in her bearing, their bows a little more formal than they had been that morning. She would need to sift through them, discarding any whose allegiances lay with Leksandr and Arete, and surround herself only with those loyal to her, if any could be found. She could interview them one by one, delving into their minds to root out their secrets and weaknesses.
She halted in the centre of her sitting room. ‘Gather round.’
The servants glanced at each other, then began to assemble before her. There were six of them, all demigods from Implacatus who had arrived in Old Alea as part of the retinue of the Sixth and Seventh Ascendants.
‘Lord Bastion was here,’ she said, watching their expressions as they took in the information, ‘and the situation has changed. You will no longer report to the Sixth or Seventh Ascendants; you report to me. What has gone before will not count against you, but if I detect the slightest hint of disloyalty from any one of you, then you will be dismissed from my service and punished.’
A few of them looked confused, and she went into one of their minds, keeping as quiet as she was able. She sensed the demigod’s mixed feelings, and her longing to run and tell Arete what was happening. She looked through some of her memories, and found conversations the demigod had held with the Seventh Ascendant, with Arete instructing her to tell her everything that Belinda said and did. The demigod’s true feelings about Belinda were also evident – she loathed her, and perceived her to be dangerous and a possible traitor. Belinda considered. An example would need to be made.
Get on your knees , Belinda commanded.
The demigod cried out, her eyes widening, then she fell to her knees as if a weight had pushed her down. The other servants gasped as they watched, and Belinda could feel their fear.
Confess, Belinda thundered in the demigod’s mind. Confess your disloyalty to me.
‘I was spying on you for the Seventh Ascendant,’ the demigod said, her voice strained and edged with terror. ‘I was under her Grace’s orders. I was only doing what I was told.’
I am the rightful Queen of Lostwell. Refer to me as ‘your Majesty’ when you address me. Apologise.
‘I’m sorry, your Majesty,’ the demigod cried.
Beg for forgiveness.
The demigod bowed her head. ‘Please forgive me, your Majesty; I am unworthy to serve you.’
‘Yes,’ said Belinda; ‘you are. Now run off to Arete, and explain to her why I have just dismissed you from your position. If you enter my rooms again, I will kill you. Understood?’
‘Yes, your Majesty.’
Thank me for being merciful.
‘Thank you for showing me mercy, your Majesty.’
Belinda released the demigod from the vision grip, and she got up and raced from the room, knocking over a chair in her haste to leave as quickly as possible.
‘Someone pick that up,’ said Belinda.
The servants all hurried to do as she bid, almost fighting to be the one who could obey her first.
‘That is all for now,’ said Belinda. ‘Come back in the morning, and I will determine who among you is fit to serve me. Loyalty will be rewarded, disloyalty punished. Dismissed.’
Within seconds, the room had been emptied, and Belinda stood alone, revelling in her newfound power. For years, since she had awoken in the attic of the Holdfast townhouse, she had served someone else. First Karalyn, then the Empress, then Thorn, and finally Corthie. She had been an able second-in-command, always available to offer support and advice, but she had never wanted to be the one in charge. She wondered why that was. She was the Third Ascendant, the second most powerful being in existence. She had ruled before, many times, and the statues and monuments dedicated to her proved that beyond any doubt. Once, she had been known as the wise old queen, and there was no reason why she couldn’t slip back into that role, no reason at all. What a simple thing it had been; all it had taken was a shift in her attitude. Silva had been right; she was a Queen.
* * *
The gods and demigods who arrived at her rooms that evening to begin their daily vision search were clearly aware of what had occurred, and each one
