Dynasty: The Glorious Strategist (Dynasty Saga Book 3) (6 page)

“Well,” Voss crossed his arms leaning back in his seat as he thought it over for a second. “There was no mobilization order along with the message. That implies that there is no immediate threat to the Dynasty.”

“Maybe they are simply waiting to confer with me before doing anything,” Lymee suggested with a shrug.

“Doubtful,” Voss shook his head. “Mobilizing tens of thousands of soldiers takes time. Even if they wanted your input on any decision first, there is still no harm in starting the mobilization process.”

“Implying this is more of a political reason,” Yoni stated. “Bringing us back to the worrying possibility that Lord Hanna is slowly losing her mind.”

“Is that
really
the only possibility?” Lymee asked, cocking her eyebrow at them.

Yoni thought it over for a moment. “Marriage perhaps,” she suggested. “I doubt it’s yours, as you would never agree to marry someone you have not even met.”

“True,” Lymee nodded in agreement. She had no intention of marrying any man ever, regardless of having met them or not.

“Then that would suggest hers,” Yoni continued never taking her eyes off of Lymee, trying to read her reactions to better gauge if she was on the right track. “That would explain why you would chose to leave so hastily.”

“Lovers quarrel,” Voss nodded in agreement.

“Plain jealousy is more like it,” Yoni corrected.

Lymee just rolled her eyes. At one time she had been madly in love with Alia, but had refused to enter into any kind of sexual relationship with her due to Alia’s many lovers. But after Alia’s handling of Bengui Dynasty coupled with her impending death and Lymee’s growing relationship with Rin, Lymee’s feelings for Alia had subsided over time. She still felt a strong attachment towards the woman and she would always be Lymee’s first love as well as her first kiss, but Lymee had successfully put her feelings for Alia to bed. Or at least she had thought she had.

Once she had received that summons all those feelings seemed to rise to the surface once more as if they were never gone to begin with. And even right then all Lymee wanted to do was rush to Alia’s side and hold her close as if she had never left in the first place. Lymee wondered if that was even an option now.

“But that does not explain the sudden summons,” Yoni continued breaking Lymee’s thoughts. “If there was to be a wedding then you would no doubt have received an invitation along with a royal announcement.”

“You are completely correct,” Lymee nodded leaning back in her seat stroking Kitsune on her lap. She had already known that it would not be a wedding. Alia had given up on that idea of ever getting married after she saved Lymee from the poison arrow. The use of her spirit in such a way shortened her time enough that she knew that she would never live long enough to bear a child. “So if it’s not war, and it is not marriage then what other options are there?”

The two genuinely thought it over and Lymee saw that Yunna was also deep in thought. While she may not be voicing her opinions she was still trying her best to figure it out.

“An envoy,” Voss suggested suddenly.

Lymee perked up a bit at the suggestion. She had not thought of that possibility.

“You’re right,” Lymee nodded. “It is possible that someone from another Dynasty is here and they wish to speak to the Heavenly Fox. Or simply Lord Alia, Hanna,” Lymee corrected still having trouble as to when to use what name for people. “Wants me to be present.”

“Well, we shall soon find out,” Yoni stated having turned in her seat so she could look out the window behind her. “We are only a few minutes away from Su City.” She let the curtain fall down as she turned back around.

Lymee gazed out the window that was behind Yoni and Voss. It was nearing late afternoon the following day after they had departed. They were not making as good of time as they had the first time Lymee had ridden a carriage from Hu City to Su City as now it was late autumn and the days were become increasingly shorter making it harder to press on for as long. Not to mention the first paved road was being constructed between Su City and Hu City forcing them to either move around the construction or at times to divert completely.

Lymee sighed as she realized that even in this world she still had to deal with road construction.

***     

“Welcome back, Lord Lymee,” Keo bowed her head as Lymee climbed out of the carriage. Lymee let out a stiff grown as she worked out her joints.

“Thank you,” Lymee smiled letting her hands drop slapping her sides. “Sorry it took so long. We came as fast as we could.” Then her face grew dark as she glared at Keo lowering her voice slightly. “What’s this about?” She was sure that her unspoken question got through to her.

“There is an Envoy from Gon Dynasty,” Keo stated in the most reassuring tone she could get away with.

“Yes,” Voss cheered clinching his fist in victory. Keo looked over Lymee’s shoulder at the man in confusion. Seeing her stare Voss let his hands drop as he hung his head. “Excuse me, Lady Keo.”

“Sorry,” Lymee let out a breath, a giant weight lifting from her shoulders. “He won a bet.” Lymee smiled as she reached up scratching Kitsune who was in her usual position wrapped around the back of her neck. 

Keo nodded as if she understood perfectly. “I know you must be tired from your journey but your sister wishes to speak to you immediately. If you could please follow me.”

“Of course.” Lymee looked over her shoulder at the others signaling to them to go about their business. They nodded back in understanding and began to unload.

Lymee then followed Keo as she led her into the palace toward Alia’s office.

“This really has nothing to do with Alia?” Lymee asked in a hushed tone once she was sure they were out of earshot of anyone.

“No, my lord,” Keo assured her hands resting inside the sleeves of her red and silver kimono. “Her disease continues to spread but it is, as of yet, not life threatening.”

There was a bit of coldness in her tone, and it had not escaped Lymee’s notice that Keo had referred to Alia as Lymee’s sister earlier. While not an inappropriate way to refer to Alia, it was definitely at the bottom of common things to say list.

Was Keo trying to tell her something subtly that she could not actually say out loud? If she was Lymee wished she would be a little less subtle about it. Lymee detested when people would not simply come out and say what they meant and instead hid their true feelings behind flowery words. But she did realize this was an extenuating circumstance, and Keo more than most people was often bound to silence in certain matters.

“So then what did this envoy want?” Lymee asked deciding to just go with it.

“Lord Alia will want to discuss the details with you herself,” Keo said as she continued to lead Lymee through the Palace.     

“I’m not marrying anyone,” Lymee stated adamantly.

“No, I imagine you wouldn’t.” For the first time Lymee saw a smile creep onto the corner of Keo’s mouth. It was gone in an instant but it was still good to see all the same.

Lymee looked down at Kitsune and the fox looked back up at her. Both of them just seemed to shrug as they continued to make their way through the Palace’s halls.

When they arrived at the study there was the expected guard standing outside the doorway. Lymee could not tell if she recognized him for he had a thick cloth with a rune drawn on it, covering his face. The rune was a kind of memory erasing spell or something. When it was activated the person wearing it forgot everything that happened once it was deactivated.

By his relaxed posture it seemed that the rune was not activated, but the fact that he was wearing one was telling in and of itself. Normally only guards in the throne room or inside rooms where meetings were being held wore them as a way to keep them from telling about the things that they heard. Not random door guards.

Keo slid open the door and stepped inside. She moved out of the way giving Lymee plenty of room so she could walk past.

Alia was sitting in her wheelchair facing the door her legs covered by the table she was sitting at. Sai was standing at the end of the table her fist resting on the surface as she leaned forward. Both of them looked tired but otherwise seemed the same as always.

“My lord,” Sai straightened her back upon see Lymee enter. She rose to her full height, which was only about 5’8 and even that was considered extremely tall in this world, and nodded her head in greetings. Sai’s long black hair was tied into a high ponytail that hung down to her hips. She was dressed in her uniform only lacking the armor, her sword resting on her hip.

“Hello,” Lymee smiled as she looked at her. “Sorry I’m late.”

“You are right on time,” Alia said warmly. She smiled at Lymee and Lymee’s heart fluttered a little. She had missed that smile. She had not realized just how much she had missed it until right then.

As Lymee neared the table Kitsune pawed at her shoulder. Lymee obediently stretched out her arm and the fox sprinted down almost like a squirrel. Leaping off her arm she darted across the table, pushing the maps and other papers aside as she did so.

Knowingly, Alia raised her arms giving the fox room as she leapt into her lap. “Why hello there, Kitsune,” Alia’s smile grew as she looked down at the fox and started stroking her head. “Have you been keeping my little sister safe?”

Kitsune let out a little yip flicking her tail and stomping her front paws on Alia’s lap.

“Good to hear,” Alia smiled looking up at Lymee. Their eyes met and for a second Lymee forgot why she had ever wanted to leave her. “I am glad to see that you are well,” she said as Kitsune curled up in her lap.

“Not as glad as I am,” Lymee smiled if not a bit weakly. “Alright, I’m here.” Lymee looked around the room trying to move the conversation along and so she would not get lost in Alia’s beautiful brown eyes. “Mind telling me what was so important that you needed to give me a heart attack in order to get me here.”

Alia looked up and glared at Keo for a moment then let out a breath as she started to talk. “Yesterday morning an envoy from Gon Dynasty arrived here. Do you know of Gon Dynasty?”

“I passed through there during my wanderings,” Lymee nodded. “Large Dynasty, has a bit of a bandit problem.” Lymee instinctively reached for her shoulder where he wounds had once been.

When traveling alone after her birthday celebration she had been attacked by highwaymen and her back had been horribly scarred in the fight. It was thanks to the Sorceress that she had met later that those scars were now gone.

“Their lord was having a bit of a disagreement with the Empress and her policies.” Lymee paused as she remembered the field of dead bodies that littered the roadside that she had passed before she had found Ling a Priestess of The Heavens being abducted by imperial soldiers. “When I left them they were having some problems with how Empress was,” Lymee thought of the proper words to describe the outright tyranny and oppression that was going on, “choosing to use her authority.”

“And it is for that reason that they come to us now,” Alia said with no humor or gloating in her tone like one might expect when people came begging for your help. Alia paused for a second, softly stroking Kitsune’s back with her fingertips.

Whatever this was it was serious and it did not end with Gon Dynasty. This somehow affected the rest of them as well.

“It would seem,” Alia continued. “That the Empress has declared the Lord of Gon Dynasty unfit to rule and has ordered her to immediately relinquish all power and land to the Empress at once.”

Lymee’s eyes shot wide with surprise. “Can she even do that?”

Sai and Keo let out a bit of a grunt as they shifted their weight.

“Officially yes,” Alia nodded. “However, this authority has never been used against a Dynasty Lord in the entire history of the Kingdom. It is meant to be used against minor nobles that have abused their power or is in need of a new noble after the previous one dies without any immediate heirs and the Empress need to intervene personally.”

“I can’t imagine that the Lord of Gon Dynasty would just let that happen.” Lymee chewed on her thumb as she thought it over. Lymee lowered her hand to her side, perking up slightly. “Are they by chance proposing an alliance of some sort?”

Alia actually smiled looking up at Sai and Keo like she had just won a bet between them.

“They are,” Keo nodded. “But not just with us.” Keo moved forward resting her fingertips on a large map of the Kingdom that took up much of the table. “But with
all
the Dynasty Lords.”

Lymee realized that she had stopped breathing and she forced air into her lungs. “Is she proposing a revolution of some kind?”

“Many might call it a rebellion,” Alia stated looking down at the fox in her lap. “Especially if they lose.”

“Oh,” Lymee shrugged like it was no big deal. “That’s and old hat for us.” Su Dynasty was a rebellious Dynasty after all officially not under the rule of the Empress or subject to any of her laws.

“Several lords have already agreed to this alliance,” Alia continued. “Including the Fu and Song Dynasties.”

“The big three,” Lymee said. Including Gon Dynasty those three made up the largest and most powerful Dynasties in the entire Kingdom. “If that’s the case then what do they want from us? Seems like they have all the military power they would ever need.”