Season of Sacrifice (Blood of Azure Book 1) by Jonathan Michael (ereader that reads to you txt) 📗

expression. She looks stunning. She looks beautiful. She looks cunning, confident, disciplined, seductive… She looks… ready.

“You look fierce.” Elder jumps from the bed to move closer. He ogles her up and down.

I place my hand on her jaw and turn her attention to me. I give her a nod. “But you’re not.” I put it simply. “You’re going to die. This is the Taoiseach, Jaymes. You’re not ready.”

“I am ready to face death.”

“And what is your plan?” I ask. “Do you plan to knock down his door, walk right up to him, and pierce his heart?”

Her eyes narrow, and her features look heartless in the shadow of her hood. “Yes. And I plan to kill anyone who gets in my way.”

Elder steps back. She holds her glare on me for some time before turning and exiting the chamber.

She attempts to kill death himself. She knows not what she’s doing. And she has vital knowledge on Harris and Carib, maybe the Seasonal Sciences as well. She cannot walk to her death and keep that information to herself. I must stop her. But the only way would be to kill her…maybe amputate her legs. I shake my head at the ridiculous thought. Stone. Her brother may be able to help persuade her.

Life will flourish with faith and fact carrying equal weight. That is the scientific theory. The crimson shadows brought on by The People’s War are receding into the soils. It may be generations before peace brings the return of the seasons and healing of the land. I will do what is necessary to keep man under control. Balance, a force that governs them all.

51 Harris

“G

entlemen, I have some great news… I witnessed something new today in the garden of gloom. A colony of ants behaving in a social anomaly. It was splendid.” The men of Parliament obediently sit attentive, tolerating my passion for knowledge. “The ant is an extremely social creature, you know, with a hierarchy unlike any other…even man. This hierarchy is unchallenged and untainted. It is natural law. Yet today, I witnessed the queen being attacked by soldiers of her own colony. She was out for a jaunt amongst her lowers, and she was attacked by those she trusts. It was complete anarchy. I must add…I doused her with a pheromone from another colony, but that is all it took. She was the same queen, simply with a different scent, and her own colony lost sight. It was complete anarchy when the queen was slain. Ants chaotically scrambling, unsure of their purpose. Devastating, how easily the balance is disturbed.”

The men sit patiently, some rapping their fingers on the large oak slab they sit at. They are all so naïve to what is important in this world.

“Now…on to business.” I look to Architect Lumen, my delight quickly changing to gloom. “No more excuses. I don’t want to know how long you think it will take or when it is supposed to be done. Just give me the date it will be complete. You are wasting valuable resources that will only be recovered once the trade route is open. When will it be finished?” Honestly, the project is irrelevant. It is the purpose it gives men that is important.

“Due to all the replenishing we must endure to our stores of ironwood, it will be no sooner than the next turn of Cerise,” the Architect replies.

“I’m going to hold you to it,” Nigel Whitewater exclaims.

Being the Magistrate and caretaker of all commerce in the realm, he has genuine concern in the timeline of the completion of this project, so I pardon his rude remark this time.

“Thank you, Magistrate. Now, Architect Lumen, what of this ironwood you’re having to replenish? What is the cause?”

“Thieves, Taoiseach, sir. Entire stockpiles have been disappearing overnight. We have set watch and continue to lose men in the process. Because we are so close to completion, we have decided to double our efforts in acquiring the wood rather than continue to lose men to the bandits that are making leave with it.”

“Bandits would not take wood unless they are building an army,” I reply. “Shogun, your thoughts?”

“Yes, sir?” Shambrock replies dutifully, but he’s obviously not fully attune to the conversation.

“The thieves, you imbecile, making off with our ironwood supplies. Why do you think this is happening?”

“I…uh…I suppose there could be a rebellion in the making, sir.”

“Why are you even in this room if you do not know what is becoming of the lack of security in the realm? Do you not have any communications with your guard? Have you no word of any rebels or possibly some religious undertaking that is trying to gain power? What are the rumors amongst your men, Shambrock? You must know something.” It is Carib Reign who’s responsible. He is the chaos I protect this realm from. He is a thorn now but will grow into a thicket too soon.

“I haven’t heard anything, sir. Aside from the Dihkai that are disappearing all over the realm, I haven’t heard of any unsettling of the peace.”

“Do you believe this ironwood thievery could be related?”

“I’m not sure, sir. I don’t know what missing Dihkai and missing ironwood have in common other than they are missing.”

“Shambrock, your intelligence is so radiant I can hardly sit at the same table as you,” Nigel pipes in.

He looks to me for approval to speak up. I offer a subtle shake of my head in return. Not yet. First, I need to know what Parliament knows.

“Silence, Magistrate,” I lecture him, “or we will ensure you are not at the same table.” He lowers his head. “Your atrocious behavior will not be tolerated, regardless of who it’s directed toward or even if it is rightfully spoken.” I glare at Nigel for a moment before turning my attention back to