Page 62 of Fate of Draga

Adelina reapplied her makeup, hiding how tired she was. The day was still young and she had much to do yet.

Voices from the main living space reached her. Her mates had agreed to leave her alone for the hour she needed – but they’d refused to go far. It made her smile slightly as she heard Varan and Nash argue about the best sauce for the meat Kaiden was cooking.

How all three knew how to prepare a meal was beyond her.

“I told you the chili honey would go best,” Nash argued, his voice growing louder in indignation. “Because of the breading Kaiden’s putting on the fowl.”

“That’s far too sweet. My winterberry sauce is tart enough to offset the savory meat,” Varan said with a snort. “Are you trying to rot all our teeth out?”

“Why are you so insistent about your damn winterberries?”

A cupboard slammed and glass thunked. Adelina assumed Varan had gotten out his stash of liquor which sounded divine just then. “Because mate, it goes with the liquor in ways your barbarian tongue could never understand.”

Adelina could practically feel Nash roll his eyes. Then Kaiden’s wings made a snapping sound in irritation. “If both of you can’t shut your traps and fix the vegetables I’m kicking you out.”

Nash and Varan grumbled but then she heard sounds of preparation and her heart felt full.

She had truly doubted they would ever reach this point. Nash had been so resistant, but now he was making up for it in spades. It may take him a long time to make a decision but once he did, he was completely dedicated.

War sped up the timeline of things that may have taken months or cycles in peacetime. It was the sense of urgency, the knowledge that this could all end at any moment and therefore they had to enjoy what they could right now, or suffer the consequences.

Adelina trailed her fingers over the crown in the still open case, one of the sets Ian had brought from the Official Collection of Draga Royal Jewels. A queen who’d ruled alone for two centuries of peace, a thousand cycles before her own reign, had it commissioned.

Ian knew her better than it might appear to outsiders.

Then Sozav and Asher had contacted the more reclusive Neprijat rebels. The ones who lived in secret on hidden outposts, ships traveling aimlessly through space, or moons and planets that were mostly abandoned. That was where the strong females were sent, where they lived like their ancestors had – with females leading them, teaching the warriors to have honor and mercy…

Adelina had a to-do list meters long for when she finally had a moment to settle down and deal with all that she’d learned and collected since starting this journey.

She wanted to speak with the Unchanged for longer than a meeting meant to cow them into obedience. She wanted to visit the two planets they ruled.

Perhaps she could visit the other Drakesthai planets while the physicians worked on improving their fertility.

Then the Neprijat. What could she learn about them? Adelina wanted to sit down with their females and ask millions of questions. Perhaps she could visit their system and help them rebuild.

And then there was the embarrassment of her forefathers – Brogna. The tiny system of only three planets with a sun so small it didn’t even have a proper name. The system and its people had been mostly ignored for the last five hundred cycles. As long as they paid their taxes on time kings had been content to ignore them.

Nothing had been done to help those people either, and at some point they’d amassed a small army they were not supposed to have.

Adelina hadn’t asked too many details about that when she’d met with the male who called himself Chancellor. He was the unofficial ruler of Brogna and had come to her aid when she’d practically begged on the recording she’d sent off weeks ago. A messenger on the smallest, fastest ship she could spare had managed to give them the chance to fight another day.

Despite how his people had been treated the chancellor had been extremely easygoing, accepting her thanks for saving what remained of the Draga Royal Army and its armada with a shrug and a low bow.

She owed their system much. Adelina would not forget them when this was over. They would be at the top of her list along with the promises she’d made to the Drakesthai. A visit to Brogna would help her decide what they needed to have access to the best opportunities.

Adelina wanted her people happy. All of them.

But only after they won this war.

The Neprijat rebels would be at the coordinates Asher had sent soon, thankfully. Their tech was far better than anything Khara, Draga, or Hai possessed.

But they had to go around the Khara System, on the other side of Draga to keep from being detected. Some were going under, but really it was all a risk. At any moment a loyal Neprijat patrol could see them and then report it to those in charge.

Sozav had explained how the ranking went for the Neprijat to Asher, but she’d tuned it out once everything had been set into motion. Adelina could only do so much. And once orders had been given, they didn’t need her until the beacon was lit.

Once the Neprijat arrived she would speak with them if they had the time, but the task of dealing with them had been delegated to Asher.

After the war…there was so much she had to do after the war.

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