Dorian held his hands together, squeezing them tightly to give him control over the pure excitement that rushed through him at the sight arrayed in front of him. He’d backed the right leaders this time, and overwhelming force was the motto of the day.

  The rebels wouldn’t know what hit them. The cities they’d taken would fall like dominoes before the gathered might the empire had fielded this time.

  From his perch on the roof of his family’s war wagon, Dorian looked out at the troops and wagons ahead and behind him. They filled the road leading away from the capital for as far as he could see. A dust cloud in the far distance let him know where the head of the column was.

  Logistic officers around the empire had funneled troops and supplies into Salman for the last week. Once they’d reached a critical mass, the largest expedition in empire history had embarked.

  And it would only grow as they gathered more troops from the cities they passed. Even more would join them as they continued their march. They could have waited longer, but none of the ruling families wanted to give the rebels extra time to become entrenched, or Vitur forbid, take another city.

  “Please tell me you brought something to keep us from dying of boredom on this trip.” Inquisitor Lilith Graves’ voice held that familiar blend of exasperation and challenge as she looked at Dorian with an expectant arch of her brow.

  Lilith was a striking figure, even amidst the seasoned warriors and powerful mages in their expedition. Her raven-black hair, cut just above the shoulders, framed a sharp, angular face. Eyes like cold steel, unforgiving and constantly assessing, gave her an air of perpetual scrutiny, fitting for her role as an Inquisitor.

  Even seated, she exuded an eerie grace, as if each motion was deliberate, calculated. The deep crimson of her long, high-collared coat was the only concession to vanity she allowed herself, the rest of her appearance the traditional Inquisitor black and white. Dorian knew she also had twin black-glass daggers secreted somewhere on her person, her weapon of choice in case magic failed her.

  He smiled thinly. “Boredom? We’re on the largest military campaign the empire has undertaken. I can’t imagine even you could find this dull.”

  Lilith arched an eyebrow and gave him a knowing smirk. “You forget, Dorian, I’ve seen the aftermath of a hundred such campaigns, albeit much smaller and targeted toward eradicating nests of insurgents. But the waiting, the politicking, it’s rarely as thrilling as the stories.”

  Before Dorian could reply, General Helena Vane’s voice broke the silence. “As long as we strike swiftly, there won’t be much waiting.” She glanced at Lilith with a hardened expression. Vane, seated to Dorian’s right, spoke with the confidence of someone who had a meticulous plan for exactly how they’d achieve victory.

  Senior Mage Cyrus Fenn, ever the observer, shifted in his seat. His attention remained forward, eyes on the horizon, calculating. “It’s more important that we plan how to stage things in Brightgate and how we’ll take back the rebel cities. Which one will we take first? How big a force will we need?”

  General Vane nodded, eyes thoughtful. “Speed is essential if we’re going to get our troops back to the city walls they’ve left undermanned. Retaking rebel cities won’t do us much good if we lose just as many of ours to the beasts. But we can’t make the same mistake our predecessors made at Quarrybrook. Dividing our forces and sending out multiple smaller forces from Brightgate might gain us victory faster, but it could just as easily result in multiple disasters.”

  “Then what do you recommend?” Dorian was curious to see if Vane’s plans were anything similar to his.

  She met his gaze, eyes hard. “Once we get everyone to Brightgate, we choose the strongest rebel city and send every last fighter we can spare to wipe it out completely without hesitation.”

  Inquisitor Graves nodded, the predatory gleam in her eye matching Vanes. “That’ll send a message to make the rest of the rebels, and the populations that support them, quake in their boots. They’ll desert in droves, and then we can divide our troops to clean up the rest of the cities without issue.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Exactly.” Vane gave Graves a satisfied nod.

  Graves had a half smile on her face until she looked out at the slow-moving column again. “We just have to survive the next few weeks trudging across the Wilds without going insane.”

  “I’ve got my usual supplies of delicacies to treat our palates, along with my chef and her elite kitchen staff. A few games of Hexrune can always help pass the time.”

  Lilith let out a huff of displeasure that made Dorian want to scowl at her. He controlled himself with the practice of long experience. “I take it you’ve brought your own methods of amusement, then?”

  A glint of mischief sparked in Lilith’s eyes. “I never travel unprepared.” She held out her hand, producing a small, leather-bound notebook from her inventory. “The latest collection of names my sources procured for me. People of interest across the empire and even some of those purported to hold prominent positions among the rebellion. Secrets are a lot more fun than endless games of Hexrune, don’t you think?”

  Dorian had to stop himself from letting his greed show as he gave the notebook an amused glance. He chuckled softly. “And what game are you playing this time, Lilith? Blackmail? Leverage?”

  “Neither. I prefer to call it gathering insurance.” Her smile was as sharp as the blades she carried. “And you never know when someone might need a favor—or a reminder of their place.”

  Helena gave a brief, approving nod, though she said nothing. Even she had to know the value of having an Inquisitor on hand to remind people of their duties, when words failed.

  “Besides, the purpose of us being on location in Brightgate is to preempt the control of those more powerful who are staying back in the capital, correct?” Lilith gave them all an expectant look.

  Mage Fenn nodded, eyes also on her book. “The closer you can hold the reins, the more control you have of the yugrut.”

  Dorian leaned back in his chair with satisfaction. “If we play this right, we’ll not only save the empire from the upstart rebellion, but we’ll fill our coffers with enough coin to provide for ourselves and our descendants for generations to come.”

  “Now that’s what I call real entertainment.”

  Silence settled over them for a moment as the army stretched out before them, columns of soldiers marching toward the inevitable confrontation with the rebels. The rhythmic thud of boots on the dusty road echoed around the war wagon, underscoring the enormity of the forces gathered.

  Fenn, still watching the distant horizon, finally spoke, his voice low and thoughtful. “Power followed by speed will be our greatest allies, but I’d like us to brainstorm ideas for handling anything unexpected. Desperation can breed dangerous enemies.”

  Lilith tapped her notebook lightly against her knee. “I wouldn’t mind a surprise or two. Keeps things interesting.”

  Dorian ignored her flippant response and addressed Fenn’s concern. “What exactly do you think the rebels could come up with that this force can’t address?” He waved a hand at the surrounding troops.

  “I think you should ask Lilith. Surely the Inquisition is the most well-informed about illicit magics infecting the empire, right?”

  The others all turned to her, awaiting her response.

  She sighed. “Yes, we’ve seen plenty of forbidden magic over the years, but it hasn’t been anything too dangerous. Not anything that could counter a force like this. That’s not to say experimental magics couldn’t become dangerous. But that’s why we nip everything in the bud before it can grow.”

  “Yes, but have we ever had multiple cities taken over by rebels where they can do whatever they want with no oversight from Inquisitors? And thousands of people who know their only choices are victory or death?”

  Lilith scowled briefly at the challenge, making Fenn immediately give her an apologetic look. “I’m just pondering the challenges we might face, so they don’t take us by surprise. You have to admit this is unfamiliar territory for all of us, and we can’t predict exactly what we’re going to encounter in the coming months.”

  With the typical arrogance of a top Inquisitor, Lilith looked like she wanted to object. But then she seemed to remember the influence the three people with her could wield. She subsided and gave Fenn a shrug. “You might be right. So, how about you spend this trip coming up with ideas of what we can expect to see? Then run them by the rest of us, and I’ll let you know if the Inquisition has had to deal with anything similar in the past.”

  He gave her a solemn nod. “And just to be clear, I wasn’t impugning the reputation or abilities of the Inquisition. I just want to have plans for any surprises we might see.”

  Lilith looked mollified by his words, and her shoulders relaxed.

  “Well, between the four of us, I’m sure we can plan for anything this campaign might face.” Dorian gave them a confident look. “And when the dust settles, we’ll be the ones left standing, the ones holding all the wealth and power.”

  Lilith leaned back, her eyes drifting over the expanse of soldiers. “I certainly hope so. After all, I didn’t agree to this little venture just to sit around and watch the fat toads back in the capital reap all the benefits.”

  “Neither did I,” Dorian murmured, his gaze narrowing as he studied the road ahead. “But rest assured—this is only the beginning. When this is over and we’ve crushed the rebellion, we’ll head back to Salman with enough power to do whatever we want.”

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