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Elinor stood in front of the four open caskets, the Royal Court present as dawn began to break over the horizon.  She wasn’t sure this would work, but it was worth the experimentation, and just as Tiffany’s rituals required precision, she went over each detail with Butter.

Her sister had searched for a family that had the stench of death engraved into their bones.  Carlos had no clue who they had been in life, and their caskets were from an older time yet of high quality.

There was a different vibe from the more modern spirits she’d raised from the human settlement; these four had been far more brutal in life.  If she had chosen the Equipable Feat that allowed her to communicate with spirits, then perhaps she could learn more, but she had a mold already in mind.

The horses they had were limited, and the few humans that were awake at this hour kept their distance due to the stench that came from the eight corpses lying before her.  Tiffany and her father stood nearby, waiting to see what would happen in raising their first and, hopefully, their last Reapers.

Emerald fire licked up Elinor’s left arm as Butter channeled the power she was given, directing the three butterflies to the humans beside each corpse.  This was meant to be a union of the pair rather than a singular resurrection; the humans would be tied to the corpses of their horses.

Death Energy rushed out of Elinor’s reserve, surprising her as each human body erupted in flames before it transferred to their steeds.  Each one cost fifteen Death Orbs, bringing her current pool to eight after the grinding her sister had done throughout the night.

The first to rise was the middle-left sibling, her half-rotten horse taking on a white luster with what remained of its figure that twinkled like the stars.  Yet, while her female horse shone with her spotted coat of sleek fur and luscious mane, the rider was devoid of flesh.

She rose to her feet, the Reaper and her steed bowing their heads to Their Empress.  Second, came the blood-red horse and his rider, then the night-black pushed herself up to join her mount, and lastly, the pale rider straightened to run his hand along the decayed, gray skin of his beast.  Elinor’s teeth flashed in the nearby flickering torchlight of the ri’bot camp.

Success.

 

[The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Raised]

[Union of the Reapers] Available.

 

[White - Poor F-tier - Conquest - Female - Level 1]

[Red - Poor F-tier - War - Male - Level 1]

[Black - Poor F-tier - Famine - Female - Level 1]

[Ash - Poor F-tier - Death - Male - Level 1]

 

Elinor could sense instinctively that these weren’t the spirits that originally occupied their bodies; it was more like they had been used as vessels to bring together something she didn’t fully understand yet.

It was a conceptual theme that was brought into form, but she could not pull things from nowhere.  There had to be a base, and whatever had been drawn out of her and these spirits had been able to satisfy those conditions.

Unlike her other Poor-Grade undead, these didn’t have green flames but colors that matched their horses.  Not just that, but they’d cost more than even an Unintelligent Rare-Grade undead—sixty in total—and had started out at the lowest possible Grade, despite the sacrifice.

The first Reaper raised her head to address her through the Nexus, her strong, feminine voice a sharp blade.  “Mistress, we are here to serve your needs.  I only know myself as White.  My purpose is to bring you strength through conquest.  Your Horsemen are at your command.”

Elinor was excited to see how this unorthodox resurrection would progress in the long run.  Staring into the woman’s flickering alabaster eyes, she nodded.

Will you need appropriate equipment that suits your taste and needs?

Ash shook his head, and his gray flames flared slightly as he turned his eyeless gaze to the jungle.  The man’s voice was soft, low, and deadly.  “As we serve your needs, Mistress, our needs will be met by your providence.”

“Is there a direction you wish for us to ride to bring souls into your embrace?”  Black questioned.  Elinor could feel her desire to roam; unlike the humans she rose from the dead, these were spirits of complete focus and desire to prove their worth.  “I shall monitor my brothers and sister so that they do not deplete your lands of life.”

Excellent, Elinor chuckled.  However, I am concerned about your low Grade and Levels.  Start smaller and near the settlement.  I will need a healthy amount of souls within the next hour.  Show me what you are capable of.

Red jumped onto the back of his undead animal, its head tilting toward the jungle border to their east without prompt as the horseman spoke; his voice held aggressive laughter, ready for the taste of battle.  “It will be done, Mistress.”

White and Ash were already on their own horses, competitive words passing between them to see who would get more kills; it mirrored the relationship of the siblings’ corpses they’d taken for their own.

“Ash and I shall draw the first soul, Sisters!”

“Perhaps on our worst day, Brother,” White scoffed.  “We ride!”

In a trail of flames and the ethereal, neighing horses, they leaned into the necks of their steeds, breaking into a sprint for the dense foliage.

Shivers passed between the humans that saw the unearthly four brought to life, yet she saw smiles and thoughtful gossip soon follow.  

Butter, their father, and Tiffany broke into a private discussion regarding the odd resurrection that cost such a high number of Death Orbs.  Elinor provided some context into the strange feeling she had when raising them when they started getting very off the mark; it wasn’t important about the cost but the desire she had in forging them.

It likely only worked due to the strong theme in her mind, its base was already in culture, and many known and hidden elements were in place to make it happen.  If she tried to make some twelve-armed and three-sibling goat family, she highly doubted it would have the same results.

Still, the interesting part about the four was what she learned while questioning them on their path of death through the jungle; they were close enough to communicate through the Nexus.

If there was a leader, it was White, but none of them were above or below each other overall; they each had their own unique attributes that they respected.  Each of them would obtain their own style of weapon, in time, probably near the middle of Common Grade.

Their purpose wasn’t only for Death Energy gathering, either.  Her Reapers were an entire military core to themselves.  Unlike most of her units that had their max potential limited by the Grade they were raised to, the Reapers were unique in that their strength was only hampered by their total number.

Black was the moderator, who kept things balanced.  She could be hot or cold, depending on the situation, and would obtain scales as her weapon.  As a bringer of famine, she check her brothers and sister’s thirst for battle.

When it came to Black’s sister, White was the first to initiate conflict; she was the harbinger that directed the horsemen and brought war, her brother.  Always pushing to be the best, she would hold a bow as her weapon and bring salvation to allies and despair to enemies.

War was the most aggressive and brutal of his siblings, causing panic, confusion, and bloodlust in the creatures he was near, driving them into a frenzy, or making the weak-willed flee in terror.  Eventually, he would wield a greatsword, carving his way through souls to reap energy for his mistress and paving the way for Ash.

Death was the last of his siblings, and the slowest, as some might call his trot through the battlefield, yet at his back crawled the restless dead.

She could sense his affinity to odd weapons—a large scythe and two sickles—which fit his theme: Ash was her first Necromancer that could raise the corpses of those he passed.  Of course, this wasn’t like Elinor’s resurrection; these zombies left in the wake of his siblings’ slaughter were lifeless animated bodies, burning with the desire to rip the Horsemen’s enemies to pieces.

Elinor’s eyes drifted to the hundreds of ri’bot lying across the mud of the river as the soldiers stirred; the dim glow of morning drew the toads out of their slumber.

It would still be some time before the humans awoke, but she’d had the message circle their ranks that they’d earned a late rise.  After five weeks of travel through the grueling, alien jungle, morale was low and needed to be recovered.

Their path had been burdened with the constant barrage of illness, venom, poison, allergic reactions, fatigue, clanless attacks, and many other troubling discoveries.

It had delayed their progress by quite a margin.  The setback made Tiffany and Luisina work overtime to keep her citizens alive; it was about time they had a rest.  That being said, the witch had been thrilled at every new trouble since she could learn from their suffering.  It told highly of Tiffany and the good doctor’s expertise, even if the latter’s frail body caused the woman to pass out from time to time; that no one had managed to die yet was a feat and miracle in itself.

Even after being restored to life, the prime of her youth, and bolstered by her System, Luisina’s constitution was still extremely low.  She was indomitable in her determination to heal the sick, though.

Elinor went to the shoreline to wait for Valdar after he awoke,  He greeted her before promptly jumping into the river with a few of the early risers to get breakfast.  Now that he was up, it wouldn’t be long until they were ready to head out.

She was a tad distracted, however, by the levels and increased ranks her horsemen were gaining.  Due to them operating in unity and as a group, it was completely synchronized.

 

[Horsemen - Advanced to Level  2]

[Horsemen - Advanced to Level  3]

 

[Horsemen - Advanced to E-tier]

[Horsemen - Advanced to D-tier]

 

Calling for her horsemen to return, every undead stopped what they were doing to listen as she spoke across the whole Nexus.  Elinor sent her orders on who would be joining her; only a few maids would be able to keep up, and those that couldn’t were required to stay behind to fulfill other duties.  Sighing at her sister’s frivolity, she chose what Butter called her Battle Maids.

Angélica, Adoncia, you two will accompany me to the Delthax camp to serve me.  Load the packs Emelina has put together for our travel.  Quin, Garu, you will be joining me as my escort.  Everyone else, my sister is now in full command over your tasks.

Butter gasped as she swooped out of the sky to join her, thrilled to see what the horsemen had been able to collect within an hour’s time.  “You called me ‘sister’ in public!  I’m… I’m going to cry.  Do you really think we are family?”

Elinor didn’t feed into her emotional sniffles; it was hard to determine if her twin was actually teary-eyed or playing it up for attention.  Do you remember the list I gave you, Sis?

“Every word!”  she sang, happy as a bee as she did a flip in the air.  “I found the best diamonds in the pile, too.  New phylacteries.  I’m excited to see a second home.”

If it works…  Have whoever is close by bring it to the tent.  We need to act fast before the Delthax are ready for our run through the jungle since we’re now in safe territory.

“Already in progress,” Butter said, puffing up her tiny chest as she landed on her shoulder.  Eerily, the returning horsemen were now as silent as the dead upon their approach, and her twin’s head continued to get bigger the closer they got in their race over the lake rather than around it, pulling quite the stares from those who were awake.

“My record is twenty in an hour, Priss.  Hmm-hmm.  I was so efficient, weaving around trees and swooping in on unsuspecting birds like a Caspias that digs her claws into the soft squishy thing I can’t remember the name of!  Wait, they can water walk?  Humph.  Showoffs.  I can fly.”

Someone’s defensive, Elinor mused.  How about a bet?  How many do you suppose they collected?

Butter’s thoughtful hum rumbled through their private connection as she studied their swift passage across the choppy surface, an invisible force pushing the water out in a v-formation.  “For it being their first time and new to the empire, mmm… twelve.”

Oh.  Higher than I thought you’d go, Elinor whispered.

“Well, they are built to be Reapers, where I am not.”

Fair.  I’m guessing thirty.

Butter choked, tiny butterfly frame trembling as she tried to recover from the whiplash.  “You’re joking!  Thirty?!  Do you know how hard I had to try to get twenty?  I had the squad running like a well-oiled platypus!  What?  I did!”

Elinor’s brow creased in confusion as she looked down at her shoulder.  Platypus?

“Yes!  Platypus.  The mechanical whirring thingy-ma-bobs Dad and everyone talks about that has a strange thirst for oil.”

No… yeah.  Platypus.  Mhm.  How silly of me.  All engines have little wheels in them with platypi running for dear life.

Elinor snickered and returned her focus to the horsemen as they stopped in front of them; her twin’s leery gaze was on her, knowing she was mocking her, yet all of that came crashing down when Ash opened his bony fingers to reveal a bright sphere of Death Energy.  

“Our first offering, Mistress.”

Reaching out her hand, she took the eerie ball.  A dense pulse of green light illuminated her veins as they traveled to her ear to be absorbed into her phylactery; it made her undead heart quicken from the rush of power that momentarily enhanced her artificial body.  Butter practically collapsed on her shoulder.

“T-Thirty-five?!  In an hour?!  I’m done.”

Elinor’s chest shook with silent laughter.  Well done.  You will be joining me on my travels to keep my Pool capped to maintain the empire.  And, to be fair, Ms. Platypus, you are only a few tiny butterflies.

“Attack my whole identity, Sis!”  Butter grumbled while flying toward the tent to wait for her.  “And no, I don’t like that I’m a butterfly.  Get me a body!  Please…  Thirty-five, my butt!  I could do it.”

I’m sure, Elinor sighed, knowing she really did try her hardest to collect Death Energy for her to have her accomplishments dunked on by a couple of Poor-F undead when she was the esteemed High Monarch of the Evening Star.  We’ll find a way to get you a body, Sister.  Remember, we still have my old corpse.

“I’ll believe it when it happens.  I’m losing faith, though.  Fifteen levels, and I’m still an insect…  This is embarrassing to you, too, Priss!  Your High Monarch and poor little sister is an insect!  I want something sweet to eat and a good dance…  Why must I be punished?”

Feeling a tad bad for her sister, Elinor directed her apologetic horsemen to the west to continue their hunt and went to the tent.  Theresa had the two diamond rings Butter picked out on a velvet cloth, holding them up for her to inspect as the butterfly pouted on the motherly maid’s head.

Elinor reached out to take both of them in the opposite hand, Butter fluttering down onto the left one to glare up at her; at least, it felt like a glare through the Nexus.  She activated the Feat.  Unfortunately, they were due for some bad news.

 

[Phylactery Creation Failed: Incompatible Medium]

 

Butter’s wings shook at the message.  “What is that supposed to, ugh…  It has to be cut from the same gemstone.  Doesn’t it?”

There’s always a condition, and that’s my guess.  It looks like [Soul Transport] won’t be an option for a bit longer.  Look for other things we can try to use instead of jewels.  I doubt they will last long since the process puts stress on the phylactery, but it is worth a shot.

“Okay…”

And, Butter…

“What else, Priss?”  she grunted, hovering nearby as Theresa opened the flap to allow her to exit.

Expression softening, she held up her finger to allow her twin to land on it.  We will get you a body to call your own and to be proud of.  I promise.

“Haaa.  Thank you, Sister.  Is… that the reason you’ve refused to eat anything yet?  You’re waiting until we can enjoy it together?”

Pfft!  No.  Don’t be silly.  I’ve been waiting for Antonietta’s cooking level to increase and for better ingredients to be found.  Plus, I’ve had other things on my mind.  But… now that you’ve mentioned it, I will hold off on eating until we can get you a body to share the experience with me.  

Butter’s increased agitation dissipated as she hugged her finger and held back tears.  “You do care, Priss!”

Letting her go.  Elinor exited the tent and left her empire in Butter and her Royal Court’s hands.  Naturally, her father wanted to come, but want and need were two different things, and he recognized his presence with the Wixum was required.

Quin and Garu were swiftly by her side, and she saw Valdar had resurfaced with some extra fish he was handing out to a group of children, who were watching the soldiers get ready for their journey.

Adoncia was rousing her brother to inform him she would be going on a long trip, but, just like Angélica, there seemed to be problems at home with her hardworking maid.

Theresa was comforting the big sister, telling her that whatever he said was only the product of him acting out and that he would come and apologize when she returned.  Most likely, he was hitting a wall with his training with Edmon and was more agitated at himself than her.  He wanted to be strong, and she seemed to get very strong in such a short amount of time.

Elinor sat on Quin’s hand as the young quen’talrat lifted her up.  Closing her eyes, she entered her inner world to look at some of her units that would be joining her.  They’d made a lot of progress over the six weeks since they’d been in this world; one for the storm and five in travel.

 

Quin’Alse: Army Core - Uncommon-S - Elite Warrior - Fire Brawler - Lv. 7

Garu: Secret Core - Uncommon-S - Hunter - Mist Stalker - Lv. 14

Angélica Tesoro: Serving Court - Common-S - Maid/Hunter - Sniper - Lv. 7

Adoncia Vences: Serving Court - Common-A - Maid/Warrior - Ogress - Lv. 12

Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Reaper Core - Poor-D - N/A - N/A - Lv. 3

 

Garu was extremely active, and the only unit she had that beat him in levels was Mika.  Yet she had been hard stuck on level 15 for a week.

Quin had the challenge of always being beside Elinor, plus Garu could get to any opponent before her, so it made the giant ape’s level progress quite a bit slower compared to the others.  Yet, she’d been the first to reach Uncommon-S on her own, and by a large margin compared to Garu, showing greater potential.

Tiffany and her father were roughly the same levels since their duties provided them with a wealth of experience in many areas; although, her mother made a point to rub her head start in the Death Knight’s face since she always reached the level before him.  Carlos was possibly close to Level 14 now, but there was a pattern.

Levels were gained through activity in their roles in the Serving Court as combat was for the Military Court, yet Grades were an oddity.  It almost came about at random, and some of her undead were stuck at Poor-S while others lapped them, such as Theresa, who was now working her way up the Uncommon Grade.

Poor couldn’t go beyond Level 10.  Common appeared locked to 15, due to Mika’s struggle against the wall that divided Common-S from Uncommon-F.  If that was the case, then some of the other higher Grade undead would be out-leveling her soon, such as Garu, and Mika was very self-conscious of that.  She wanted to keep ahead of the pack.

Exiting her inner world, she saw the Delthax doing final preparations as the sky became somewhat brighter.  Valdar stood nearby, leaning against his stick; his sharp eyes darted to her the moment hers opened.

“Are you ready to be on our way, Empress?”

Spotting her small escort waiting beside her and the curtsying maids, relinquishing their duties to their two seniors, she nodded.  “Lead the way.  Quin will keep me stable, so go as swiftly as your warriors can manage.  I’d like to reach your home as quickly as possible.”

The wrinkled blue toad rubbed his chin and looked at the High Warriors around him.  “Do ya hear that?  Let’s see if we can outpace a tongue-biting undead quen’talrat.  Move out!”

Elinor sat against Quin’s muscular chest, feeling the powerful shifts against her back as the quen’talrat held her protectively.  They’d discovered the best position so that they could dispense with the makeshift harness.

She kept careful track of her unit placement, leaving behind all of her Unintelligent undead to be used for labor.  If she needed more, she could create them while they could not.

It was interesting to note Angélica and Adoncia’s struggles.  In comparison, the trained military sniper had more experience in traversing the terrain, but Adoncia’s superior physical stats, Class, and stamina more than made up for it and allowed her to outpace the sniper.

Still, it was hard for either of them to keep up with the High Warriors, and she suspected they were holding back.  Comparing the Delthax to the Roxim High Warriors made her aware of the latter’s failing in warfare and combat; the battle-hardened and veteran Delthax had been protecting not only their own, but the Wixum’s lands for generations.

Garu was on a whole different level, though.  Valdar commented that he could probably take on a 1st Rank Xaria at this point.  He’d been able to rival some attributes of the 1st Rank Komath Xaria, but the elder said in a straight brawl, he would lose, which was saying something for a newly promoted, 2nd Rank Scout of the Ethereal.

It told Elinor she should probably allow him to discover what happened to his clan if she could obtain soldiers of such a high caliber.  If everything worked out with Valdar’s grandson, perhaps that could be Garu’s next destination.

For two days, they traveled up steep terrain and dense jungle foliage, her Horsemen staying close enough to be within the Delthax warrior net so that their patrols wouldn’t attack them on sight.  A runner had been sent long ahead to warn of their coming and another a day before they left to provide an updated timeline for the Delthax Chief.

On the third morning, they came to a gigantic river, but a bridge had been constructed across it, mainly used to transport goods from the Wixum that needed to be dry.  Her giant ape mount’s weight wouldn’t be supported, so she had to swim across, not that she particularly minded a dip in the swift-moving river.

It was here that Elinor got her first look at the sheer cliffs that rose over 1,500 meters from the base of the river to overlook the vast valley.  The funny part was that the top of it was only the base of far more colossal mountains that marked the western limit of the valley.

Across the channel was a northwest-rising slope lined with wooden defensive positions and dirt mounds that acted as walls.  Much of it appeared to have seen some damage from the hurricane, yet it was under repair.  It was a good time to attack the valley ri’bot, it seemed, but all the clans were already too battered from the storm themselves to make use of the opportunity.

By the end of the third day, they’d made it beyond the barriers and to the Delthax outer settlements; Valdar opted to push on through the night in order to reach their main living area.

Her undead drew a lot of attention, especially Quin and her Horsemen, who had managed to break into Common-F and Level 8 on their journey, maxing her current Death Pool.  The sad part was that Butter wasn’t here to feast on the excess; perhaps she should have invited her little sister to tag along and put someone else in charge, but she couldn’t change things now.

By first light, they made it to the Delthax primary settlement.  They didn’t name them other than directional terms and the main living area of the Chief, which was a bit annoying.  It was something she could work on with them.

Elinor had Quin set her down and accompany her to what appeared to be a diving platform that dropped 1,500 meters to the river at its bottom.  It gave a breathtaking view of the valley with its rises and falls.

She had no clue what insane person would do such a thing, but, according to the High Warriors that kept them company to explain their presence to the locals, it was one of the many trials for a 3rd Rank Xaria.  They had to be able to respond to any area at the quickest of speeds, and that meant the ability to survive a 1,500-meter dip into a river that was somewhat challenging for Quin to cross, due to its speed.

None of the Delthax Xaria had made their presence known, but Garu was on the lookout for anyone that he felt was a threat.  Still, all was quiet in front of the Chief’s hut behind her.

The structure was crafted in a square pyramid shape and composed of an uncommon wood in the valley named dark wood.  Its structure was fastened to the stony earth in a way that not even the hurricane had been able to topple, which impressed her; her father would likely want more details regarding the components used to make it.

Ignoring their curiosity, she turned her gaze to her primary item of interest: the black fortress that boggled her mind, now that she had a full view of its size.  They were practically on the same level on the shelf, but from this angle, she could see its many towers and a more distant scale of the spire that pierced the heavens.  One day, that would be hers.

On the southern part of the valley snaked a vast river that was possibly a few kilometers wide if some of the lakes she saw were put to scale.

A High Warrior kept her company while Valdar explained things to his grandson.  He pointed to various areas that she inquired of, such as the ruined black keep on the southwestern edge of the valley, adjacent to the river that led to the Nalvean Empire and their Great Ruby Lakes.

All he knew was the fortress used to belong to one of the Queens, and Quin claimed he was wrong; it was the Black King’s fortress.  Garu confirmed it, and she could feel his animosity spike upon seeing the ruins.  It was the Black King that had been a thorn in his legendary clan’s side during the Great War.

Valdar exited with his grandson, flanked by two deadly-looking guards that put Garu on edge.

“They must be Delthax Xaria.”

Speaking aloud as they stopped on the building’s deck, Elinor waved her escort away.  “I’m sure the Chief will want to talk to me alone.”

Her maids curtsied, and her guards bowed; it was cute seeing Quin try to mirror the women.  She was trying to learn about human culture from the maids on their journey, and Elinor laughed to herself at the internal image of the giant two-headed gorilla wearing a dress.

Chief Kalix’s purple eyes fixated on her, and he held up his hand, silencing the whispers of a lighter-skinned female Xaria with spotty brown markings that didn’t match the other Delthax.  From what she knew about their culture, it made this woman extremely unattractive since it indicated her ancestors consorted with other clans.  It didn’t help that she had one tooth on one side and two on the other.

Kalix left his guard and passive grandfather to stand beside her on the wide platform, composed of the same dark wood as the man’s hut.  He didn’t waste any time in getting to the point, making the corner of Elinor’s lips curl.

“The Elder Chief has informed me about your accomplishments and desires.  I will be blunt.  Do you have the confidence and power to force the Lethix to submit?  If you do, you’ll have your place and my support, Empress.”

With that, he returned to his hut with his Xaria and left Valdar to join her.  To him, it was an impossible task; he was putting his grandfather’s belief in her to the test.

“What did he ask?”  Valdar whispered, looking at her hands, which were clasped behind her back, before turning his focus to the valley.  “He can be quite demanding.”

“Hmm-hmm.  He’s asked me to go to war,” Elinor sighed, but there was a smile on her lips.

She pointed at the area of land between the area east of the Wixum; it was this large territory that forced them to take a rather tedious and roundabout way northward to reach the Wixum land.  Next, she carved an even larger area to the south that ran all along the cliff to the bottom of the valley, east to a great river that went north to connect to the Lethix’s land.

“The Wixum is a liability for your grandson.  More than 50% of their border is connected to two very hostile lands.  Your clan has the natural defense of this cliff, and the only way up is within Wixum territory.  You have mentioned to me yourself how exposed the Wixum makes you.”

A wicked glint came to her eyes and tone as she showed him what his grandson had left unsaid, possibly as a test or to see if she would be foolish enough to jump in without a second thought.

“The Flex is the strongest clan in this area besides the Delthax, and the Prume, who control the majority of the cliff, are neutral and keep to themselves.  So, you can’t rely on them for any sort of support.  The Lethix is growing bolder, and they’re backed by the Flex.  So, let’s play this out…

“If I attack the Lethix—an unknown, alien force—the Flex will respond swiftly to their cries for aid, leaving them open for the Delthax to swoop in via a river assault and attack all of the northern settlements, cutting their territory in half and preventing further reinforcements for the Lethix.  Even if I fail, it will buy enough time for your grandson to regroup and stamp out the Lethix.”

She turned and flashed her teeth with a short laugh.  “In short.  Hehe.  I’m to be used as a sacrifice or decoy.  It’s perfect!”

“How so?”  Valdar mumbled, shoulders sagging at the sudden talks of open war without a hint of reserve.  His son likely hadn’t given any indication that he was considering it, much less posing it to her.

“You’re already, heh, to use a word I’ve heard you utter, ‘swamped as it is,’ with getting your quota for the Clavex silk tax, setting up your home, and in the not-to-distant future meeting with the Roxim Chief to plan a tournament.”

Elinor turned to study the terrain, her tone unbothered by his concern.  “What’s a little war to spice things up?  Besides, your grandson asked if I could bring the Lethix to their knees and submit.  Hehe.  He didn’t say how.  I need more citizens anyway.”

A sad smile moved the elder’s mouth.  “A miscalculation on his part in underestimating your determination.  I guess you’re returning at once then, to get things in order.”

She laughed and gave him a pat on the shoulder as she turned toward the Chief’s hut.  “Not so fast, Valdar!  There is opportunity afoot.  I do have to politely accept his challenge.  Hmm-hmm.  This is going to be fun.”

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