Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
This was a territory that had been fragmented for centuries. Some of its people were fiercely loyal to the archangel who’d watched over them in years past, while others were excited to be part of a territory under the control of a new archangel; still others were scared about the same.
Vivek was already making up lists of senior people who could be trusted, and others who had a question mark over them. Anyone associated with Aegaeon, Illium had asked to leave the territory as soon as he arrived. Well aware of the tension between father and son, none had argued, and he’d been sorry to see a number of them go—they were good people.
But even if Aegaeon was a shit father, he was a good archangel overall, and there was too high a risk that his people would continue to be loyal to him. No doubt Aegaeon’s spymaster had sleepers embedded in the territory, but that was to be expected. Dulce had already seen signs of other loyalties in people applying for positions in Illium’s court.
On the flip side, Illium wasn’t exactly blind when it came to knowledge about the other territories, either.
“I’ve already started creating our own spy network,” Vivek had said smugly soon after his arrival. “Jason and I made a deal to pass on anything useful to each other as long as it doesn’t affect the security of our archangels—Raphael knows about it, too. Since I’ve always had my own contacts quite apart from Jason’s, it works. Plus, Kat’s network is vast and labyrinthine—and she likes you.”
The latter was a coup indeed. Lady Katrina was a law unto herself, but from what Illium had seen over the centuries, while she might choose to live in the gray, she’d never once backed anyone who chose to do evil. He also had the feeling that Vivek didn’t grasp the depth of his influence on his lover—because Katrina looked at him the same way he looked at her.
Having decided to set up his temporary base in a tall silver spire that overlooked a sprawling and green city, Illium had acceded to Vivek’s request to take over the basement. “You sure you don’t want more light?”
“No, this is perfect for when I’m in the Spire. I’ll be traveling a lot as part of my duties.” The hunter, lithely muscled as a result of his Guild training, still had sharp facial bones, but was no longer rail thin as he’d been for so many years.
Not only had he put on muscle, but he’d been able to exercise his hunter-born instincts after his spine healed to the fullest extent. “I no longer have to use half my mental strength to contain the urge to hunt,” he’d told Illium at the time. “I never realized how hard I was always working to not give in to the urge—if I had given in while paralyzed, I’d have gone insane. The freedom is dizzying.”
Before Vivek took on the travel duties that were a natural part of a spymaster’s role, however, he had to set up his complex technological network. “We each have our strengths. Tech is mine.”
While Vivek got down to that, and Aodhan juggled myriad duties, Illium had undertaken a flight across his territory. His aim had been to take the pulse of the region, discover its strengths and weaknesses, judge the current state of the population—and let them see that they were now under Illium’s wing.
It had been a long and intensive task.
At last, he stood once again at the top of the Spire—as everyone had taken to calling it—and considered his next move. Situated on a hill, the Spire dominated the landscape. But more importantly, it gave him and his team a clear line of sight in every direction.
He’d learned the value of that in the war against Lijuan, would never forget it.
As it was, the more time he spent in the Spire, the more he liked it. It fit him far better than any of the castles or citadels or palaces in the region. He’d grown into adulthood in a time of considerable change, had helped Raphael’s Tower become the most state-of-the-art court of any in the Cadre. Now, he intended to take that crown for himself.
Already, he had a team working on a system that would create a sonic shield around the Spire in case of attack.
As for aesthetics, the building was sleek and aerodynamic, with the required balconies set into the building itself rather than jutting out. Any railings on the higher floors had already been removed. Cosmetic changes could be made later. First, they had to get the basics right. Not only in the building but in personnel.
Smiling as he saw a clear bullet of a vehicle hover to a stop above the entrance path to the Spire, he flared out his wings and stepped off the edge of the roof.