Elunara followed him out to the camp. This time, everyone was looking more injured and bedraggled than before. While three hundred and twenty three was a more manageable number of orcs, she still had to find some way to scrape them off. He led her to the wagon of gate pieces. She picked through them and nodded. "This is acceptable."
He bowed "I am glad you are pleased."
She picked up a small stone. "Have them broken into pieces about this size. I can turn them into augment stones for my warriors. They will go into their next battle better prepared."
"I wish that you would join me. Command the army by my side." He brushed her fingers across her cheek.
"This army pleases me. Perhaps I will." Pulling out a sheet of paper, she began to sketch. She pushed around some of the stones and set them aside. When she was done, she handed him the sheet. "I want these pieces attached to the skull. I will be able to use it to bolster our troops while they are here."
"Yes, my goddess. It pleases me to hear you call them "our" troops."
She shrugged. "Technicality." She ran her fingers under his chin. "Rest up. I shall be back when it is convenient."
She made her way into Renwa's office and gave her report.
"Impressive."
"I also regret to inform you..." She winced.
"Yes?"
"That Grogek has forgiven his brother."
Renwa and Zelinnia started laughing hysterically at the same time.
Admiral Duchie frowned and looked back and forth. "What's so wrong about that?"
Renwa stopped laughing first. "Elunara here won't be able to bring herself to slit his throat without justifiable cause. It's one thing when she's still pissed off that the asshole took the life of her husband, it's another when said husband forgives the man."
"Am I always that fucking obvious?"
"Yes." Renwa and Zelinnia said at once.
Elunara crossed her arms. "I should kill Grogek for giving me a fucking conscience." She grumbled.
Zelinnia snorted. "You'd keep him alive, if only for the fact you can't function without him."
"Don't make me kill him on principle."
"Don't make me call your bluff." Zelinnia gave her a cat smile.
"I used to be able to intimidate you."
"I didn't know you then." Zelinnia flipped through her papers. "Or the parts of you." She mumbled.
Renwa and Elunara looked at each other. Zelinnia went bright red and pointedly buried her face in her paperwork.
"All of that aside, isn't it a problem when your best operative won't kill her target?"
"The problem is, he has to present me with a reason to kill him. I didn't say I wouldn't. He crosses ANY of the lines I have given him, and I'll gladly turn the bastard into hamburger. However, he is worshipful, modest and does everything I say. It's like having a well bred pet. If the pet turns and bites the hand, it's put down with some measure of mercy for the pet it used to be."
"My information is that you've been having sex with the beast."
"Would you like a list of men that I have killed while still in the bed with them? It's quite lengthy. Hell, Renwa has witnessed a few. On three separate occasions I have snapped a man's neck while he had his tongue in my pussy. I don't give a rat's ass about the men I've fucked for the sake of the mission. I get what I want, and then they die. That's how it works." She gestured out the window. "Right now, I have an army at my disposal and they have done each task I asked of them. Tell me the part where I should dispose of him at this juncture."
She walked down the path and the boys jogged up to her. "Momma! We have a question!"
"Where's Lydia?"
"I'm here!" She huffed and puffed, "I'm here."
Elunara picked her up and put her on her shoulders. "Now, what is your question?"
"Since Charnak is Papa's brother, does that make him our uncle?" Darguni cocked his head to the side.
"He hasn't earned the right to be called your uncle."
"What does that mean?"
"Some time ago, when you were still a baby, Charnak killed your father."
Both boys gasped and put their hands over their mouths.
"In my rage and anger, I unlocked a part of myself that I didn't know existed. I killed... a lot of Orcs, and then I went into the nether and yanked your father's soul away from oblivion. I tried to do the same thing for your father Bradly, but he was brought to me too late. Anyway, bringing Grogek back took a great deal of energy and opened my body to the presence of a dark star, that almost killed me in the process. You saved me." She reached down and scrubbed her hand on Darguni's head.
"As it happens, instead of killing him, like I wanted to... he bowed down and swore allegiance to me. He called me a goddess, and in some ways, I have been. In any event, I decided to release him and track him. He had valuable information on the locations of his kind, people we could route out and take down, or absorb into our ranks. I told him to bring me an army, and he has. So now, each time he does what I say without question, he earns more rights. The other day he came and apologized to your father and swore allegiance to him. Begged him for forgiveness, and even bowed to Jordan, of all things. Your father has forgiven him, and now I must decide what to do about it."
"What rights has he earned?"
"I'm not about to tell you that one. You are definitely not old enough." Elunara snorted.
"Ugh, parents always say that." Lydia groaned.
"Not our Momma."
"She always speaks to us like she would an adult."
"She doesn't believe in kid speak."
"If she doesn't want us to know,"
"It's best not to ask." Both boys nodded at each other.
"Why are we at the healer building?" Lydia frowned.
Elunara took Lydia off her shoulders. "Because I need Ina's help."
"With what?"
Elunara sat Lydia on the front table. "Ina!"
"What?" She stuck her head out of a door.
"I need a favor."
Ina blinked. "You don't ask for favors often. What do you need?"
"Can we get a private room?"
Ina nodded. "I got one upstairs."
Elunara picked Lydia up again and carried her up the stairs.
"Can we come, momma?"
"If Lydia says it's ok."
She looked down at them and blushed. "Yes."
