She vowed she would.
Enemy sorcerers were still in the treetops to rain arrows and fire down to the ground. Vhalla pushed them to their deaths one by one. She bobbled them like toys on the way down, deciding if she wanted to kill them from the fall or tear them apart with her hands.
The heartbeat in her ears would’ve driven her mad if she hadn’t given herself to it. It was physically painful to resist. And it had always been her lifeline in battle.
Vhalla’s hand clamped down on another mouth. What number was this? Too many to count. Too many to count! She stared at the wide eyes, a mad grin curling her cheeks.
A shoulder slammed into Vhalla’s side, destroying her focus before the final blow could be delivered. Vhalla snarled, ready to assault the wretch who had dared interrupt her.
“Vhal, stop!” Fritz shouted over the rain. His hair stuck to his face like a wet mop.
“M-my lady,” the soldier Vhalla had been about to kill stuttered. “The-the ‘X’ . . . I fight for you.”
“Go.” Vhalla didn’t even offer an apology to the ally she had been about to slay. She just grabbed her head with her hands.
“Vhal . . .” Fritz walked forward slowly.
“Fritz, I don’t want you,” she remarked with blisteringly short temper. Even his face annoyed her.
He took another step toward her. “What’s wrong with you?”
“If I told you, what do you think you could do?” she shouted. “You could not even complete your apprenticeship vessel creation!”
Fritz paled. He stared with eyes as hopelessly vast as the ocean. Vhalla panted, her nails digging into her scalp. Her head was beginning to hurt again, and, thanks to Fritz, she hadn’t even been able to assess the field to see if they could afford to be talking.
“Vhal, I . . . I never told you that.”
“Yes, you did,” she muttered trying to recall exactly when.
“No, I didn’t.” He blinked rain from his eyes. “I was embarrassed. I didn’t want you to think your friend was just a screw up.”
“I already knew you were a screw up!”
The look of hurt that crossed her friend’s face was so genuinely raw that it summoned something equally real from deep within her, a woman she once knew. A woman she’d been. Vhalla’s hand rose to her mouth in shock.
“Fritz,” she breathed at his back. “Fritz, wait—”
“Sorry, Lady Empress, I didn’t mean to trouble you with the likes of a screw up like me.” His voice was barely audible over the rain.
“I didn’t mean that!” Her efforts were for nothing as he walked back toward the main host where it regrouped along the road.
Vhalla stared numbly at the battlefield. How many people had she killed? Had any begged for their lives? Had she killed another ally before the one Fritz had saved from her? Vhalla honestly couldn’t say.
She dropped her head, her fingers digging into the blood and mud around her. This was not the Empire she had wanted to build. This was not the Empress she had wanted to be.
This is the Empress you were born to be.
“Lady Empress,” Jax said stiffly, interrupting her from her thoughts. His voice echoed through her ears as though she was trapped underwater. She was drowning, and they all still thought she was breathing. “The majors are meeting to regroup.”
He left her before she could say anything.
The meeting tent had clearly been treated by Waterrunners, as it was perfectly dry within. Flames hovered near every person, both drying and warming. Vhalla took her place at Aldrik’s right hand at the front of the room.
“The swords sustained the majority of the casualties,” a cleric reported.
“Though it is not so substantial that we would need to reform our ranks,” another added.
“If the false king continues to attack by trees, we may want to consider spreading archers through the column for a faster response.”
“It may be a safe thing to do,” another agreed.
“My Emperor, what do you think?” the major deferred the responsibility.
“Let me consult with the Empress,” Aldrik said suddenly.
Vhalla turned, realizing he’d been staring at her the whole time. The majors departed on command. Jax didn’t so much as look at her, whispering hastily to Elecia.
“Vhalla . . .” Aldrik crossed the gap between them. “Are you hurt?”
“No.” She avoided his gaze.
“You fought well.”
She winced at the compliment.
“You are becoming a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.” Aldrik tried leaning forward to catch her eyes. “So, what do you think we should do?”
“Whatever you and the majors think is best.” She sighed heavily. “I am very tired. I trust you.”
“I need your opinion.” He was being relentless.
“Why?”