Dynasty: The Glorious Strategist (Dynasty Saga Book 3) (20 page)

“If she was really so powerful,” one of the guards asked. “Then how were you able-”

“I am the Heavenly Fox!” Lymee declared cutting the woman off. “I am a gift from The Heavens themselves, sent to help this land and its people.” Lymee decided that since she was going to lay it on she might as well lay it on as thick as possible. “While my powers were enough to vanquish the sorcerous even I am not all powerful.”

The guards lowered their heads in both understanding and reverence to Lymee. Gea and Haru just stood there slack jawed and wide eyed as they stared at Lymee utterly dumbfounded. They could not fathom what they were hearing. And if she was being honest with herself neither could Lymee.

“Please,” Lymee continued. “With the Empress dead there is no longer a reason to fight. I beg of you. Go and tell your comrades to stand down. Let us stop this needless violence.”

With actual tears in their eyes the four women nodded in agreement as they turned and ran out of the Throne Room. As soon as they were gone Lymee let out a breath relaxing her shoulders.

“Mind telling us what that was about?” Gea asked. “My lord,” she added after a bit of a pause.

“General Gea,” Lymee said turning to face the still in shock woman. She was still holding the girl in her arms. She had done well so far and hoped that the little girl would continue acting for just a little while longer. “I need you to go help them. Tell everyone that the Empress is dead and that I killed her. You can omit the rest.”

“My lord are you…” Gea’s question died in the air as she was unwilling or unable to fully voice it.

“A bit of showmanship for our friends,” Lymee assured. “She really was being controlled by a sorceress but I had no easy way of explain to them everything else.”

Gea let out a relieved sigh as her shoulders noticeably relaxed. “As you say, my lord,” she quickly bowed her head her long ponytail falling beside her face as she did so.

Haru bowed her head as well though she did not seem to have as big of a reaction as Gea had to Lymee assurances. They both turned and started to head towards the door when Lymee called out.

“General Haru.” Both Generals stopped and looked back wanting to know what Lymee wanted. “I believe I said I would talk to you about your punishment for disobeying my orders when all this was over. It’s over now so let’s talk.” Haru tensed up a little at Lymee’s words. Gea gave Haru a smug smile as she continued to walk on leaving Haru to her fate.

Haru bowed her head as she started to move back towards Lymee.

As soon as Lymee was sure that Gea was gone Lymee dropped the act she had been giving, letting her face soften and her expression became natural. “You can stop sleeping now,” Lymee said as she set the little girl down.

Haru’s stride was broken a bit when she saw the dead girl giggle and squirm as Lymee set her down on her feet. “My lord?” Haru asked as she continued to approach.

“I couldn’t kill a little girl,” Lymee stated begging for her to understand. “But everyone has to think she is dead.”

“That was fun,” the girl said tugging on Lymee’s pant leg. “We tricked them good.”

“Yes we did,” Lymee smiled crouching down and patting the girl on the head. Still crouching she looked up at Haru with a pleading look in her eyes. “I need your help.”

“My help?” Haru gasped in shock. “Why me?”

Lymee pressed her lips together as she let out a breath through her nose as she rose to her feet taking the little girl’s hand. “You are the only one I can trust with this. General Gea and Sai are far to duty bound. They would have to report this to Alia if not kill the Empress themselves. I can’t let that happen.”

“And I’m not?” Haru asked sounding almost offended.

“No, you’re not,” Lymee shot back glaring at the woman. “You are first and foremost a mercenary and a wanderer. You live by your own rules and your own morals. If you think it right to do something you do it. If you think it wrong you don’t. You serve me and Alia at your own discretion.”

Haru did not say anything but her silence was confirmation enough that Lymee was right.

“If anyone outside this room learns that this girl is still alive then we will never have peace,” Lymee stated.

“All the more reason to,” Haru started but as she looked down at the little girl clutching Lymee’s hand her words died off and she clenched her fist. She averted her gaze unable to look at either the girl or Lymee.

“Know that I am not asking you to help me as your lord,” Lymee said. “I am not even asking you to help me as your friend. I am simply asking you to help.”

Haru was silent for a long while as she thought it over. Still unable to look at Lymee she said, “What would you have me do?”

Lymee smiled slightly still holding on to the little girl’s hand she walked over to Haru. “Find a change of clothes for her,” Lymee said. “Say she is a servant’s child and her parents were killed tonight and you rescued her.”

“You wish me to find a family that will look after her?” Haru asked.

Lymee winced slightly. She wished it would be that easy, but the simple fact of the matter was that this girl knew too much. She could not just be left in a vacuum. She had to be watched over by people who knew her true identity. And right now the only two people who knew were her and Haru and Lymee intended to keep it that way.

“No,” Lymee shook her head. “I fear that what I ask is much worse than that.” Haru looked at Lymee a look of concern and worry growing in her eyes. “I need you,” Lymee said slowly. “To look after this child, indefinitely.”

Haru froze as the words cut her to the bone. “Are you asking me to step down as a General?” she asked.

“No,” Lymee shook her head. “However, I do fear that I am asking you to forever give up on ever becoming a wanderer again someday. You will have to become this girl’s parent. You will have to watch over her even long after she comes of age. And if someone finds out who she is, you may very well have to protect her from them however that may entail.”

Haru shook her head not liking any of this. “Ask me to do this as my lord and I will do it,” Haru said.

“No,” Lymee said instantly.

“Then ask me as a friend,” she pleaded.

“No,” Lymee said again. “This has to be your choice. The decision has to be yours.”

“How is it my choice when I have no other option?” Haru nearly shouted.

“You do,” Lymee said looking her square in the eye. “You can turn and walk out of here. I won’t stop you. You can tell everyone what I did and who she is. I won’t hold it against you. You could kill her right here, right now. I would probably thank you if you did. You have lots of options. You just have to choose the one you can live with.”

Silence fell between them. Even the little girl grew quite seeming to feel the tension even if she did not actually understand.

“Do you have any idea what you are asking of me?” Haru finally spoke up.

“I do,” Lymee said. “And know that I do not ask this of you lightly.”

“I’m not cut out to be a mother,” Haru stated.

“No one is,” Lymee assured. “Not until they have a child of their own anyway. Then they learn.”

“I may never forgive you for this.”

“I understand,” Lymee nodded. “And I will never ask you to.”

Haru glared Lymee down for a long moment and Lymee met her gaze never looking away. Then without a word she reached out and took the little girl’s hand. “I will take a servants entrance out of here,” she stated leading the girl off to the side. “From there I should be able to make my way to the servant’s wing easy enough and find her a change of clothes.”

Lymee opened her mouth to thank her but Haru cut her off before she could speak.

“Do not thank me,” she said glaring at Lymee. “Whatever you do, never thank me for this.” With that she took the girl's hand and was off.

As soon as Haru was gone Lymee let out the breath that she had been holding relaxing her shoulders. Suddenly she felt exhausted like all the fatigue of the day had suddenly caught up with her. Lymee staggered back a few steps pressing her back on a wooden support column. Her knees gave out then as she slid down the column burying her face in her hands as she took deep breaths. Kitsune stirred from her sleep letting out a slight growl seemingly annoyed with Lymee disturbing her rest.

“Sorry,” Lymee whispered lifting the fox off her shoulders and cradling her in her arms holding her close to her chest as she nuzzled the top of Kitsune’s head with her cheek. In a manner of seconds Kitsune was out once more her tail wrapped around Lymee’s arm.

The large door that was only slightly ajar suddenly swung open the rest of the way, snapping Lymee’s attention away from Kitsune.

“Lord Sun,” Niimu called out as she briskly walked inside unstrapping her helmet and tucking it under her arm as she walked. She was flanked by several other soldiers as well as her daughter. Niimu looked a little haggard but she seemed otherwise unharmed.

“Lord Niimu,” Lymee greeted still sitting with her back to the column Kitsune in her arms.

“Are you unharmed?” Niimu asked as she crossed the room.

Lymee noticed for the first time how outnumbered she was. Niimu had close to ten soldiers with her and Lymee’s spear was still laying on the ground far out of reach. If Niimu decided to do something there would be nothing Lymee could do to stop her. She could not even rely on Kitsune to help given her current state.

“I’m alive at least,” Lymee smiled. “I’ll get back to you tomorrow on the rest after I wake up and see how sore I am.”

“You jest,” Niimu smiled. “That is a good thing.”

Niimu turned and handed her helm to her daughter, whose name had currently slipped Lymee’s mind. Lymee just remembered the other one was prettier. The daughter bowed her head as she took the helmet then turned and led the other soldiers out of the Throne Room. Lymee let out an unintentional sigh of relief.

“I have already heard that the Empress and the Primary Minister of Administration are both dead,” Niimu said as they left.

“That’s right,” Lymee nodded. “The minister is over there,” Lymee lazily pointed in the direction of the charred corpse.

“And the Empress?” Niimu asked after glancing at the smoldering dead body. It would seem she had no desire to check and confirm her identity.

“One of my generals is taking care of her body. As punishment for disobeying my orders I am having her do it alone,” Lymee said. “But you can ask General Gea, and several of the royal guards for confirmation if you like. They saw her body.” Seeming to have found her second wind Lymee pressed her free hand against the column for balance as she slowly got to her feet, cradling Kitsune in her arm as she did so. Niimu only watched her struggle never offering to help but that was not surprising. Only servants were officially allowed to touch another noble without their expressed permission.

“I have already started to hear rumors that the Primary Minister was actually a Sorceress,” Niimu stated. “And that she was controlling the Empress with her Spirit.”

“Both true,” Lymee nodded having finished getting to her feet.

“But one cannot control the will of others with their Spirit,” Niimu stated.

“She had been doing it since the Empress was born,” Lymee stated a little annoyed that Niimu just did not go with it, thus forcing Lymee to be clever. “So in many ways the Empress did not have a will of her own.” It was not a complete lie but it was not the truth either. But Lymee did not think that a little girl deserved to be remembered as a tyrant just because she was too young to understand what she had been doing was wrong.

Lymee looked at Niimu who was staring at the smoldering corpse once more. She was chewing on her lower lip with a look on her face like she wished to ask something. No doubt she assumed that Lymee had done that with her heavenly powers. And in some ways she had. The form that Niimu had come to her in the night claiming to be Lymee had been the one to do that.

“Then it is finally over,” Niimu said finally, looking back at Lymee.

“Not yet,” Lymee whispered also looking at the corpse. “The Minister mentioned that she served someone and she was trying to ready this Kingdome for their conquest.”

“Are you sure?” Niimu asked a look of horror flashing across her face.

“That is what she said anyway,” Lymee gave a single solitary nod. “I fear that whomever she was working for is still out there and it is only a matter of time before they try something again.”

“Then it is imperative that we rebuild our Kingdom quickly,” Niimu stated turning her body so she was fully facing Lymee. “Once word gets out that the Empress is dead the other lords will start fighting one another as they try to either increase their own borders or try to seize the throne for themselves. We need to unite the Kingdom under a single Empress who will command the respect and loyalty of the other Dynasty Lords.”

Here it comes, Lymee thought with a bit of a sigh. Niimu was going to make her pitch to Lymee as to why she herself should become the next Empress. Lymee wondered what kind of position or offer Niimu was going to make to try and convince Lymee to side with her. Niimu would be in for a big surprise if she thought monetary gain would be enough for to sway Lymee.

“We need a woman who can invoke the support of both the lords and the common folk,” Niimu continued to rattle on. “Someone who has proven their abilities beyond a doubt.”