The next morning, we headed up river in a pair of outriggers. Gano and I sat in the middle of the lead outrigger, protected by a canopy. My men followed in a second outrigger, paddling it themselves. As soon as we started our journey, I closed my eyes and pictured Supreme General Tronzo in my mind. The man in charge of the Sorean Army. According to Gano, he was a short, muscular man with a shaved head, pale blue eyes, and bushy white eyebrows. A second later, I saw him.
He wore the garb of a soldier, polished black riding boots, black woolen breeches, and a black tunic topped by a silver breastplate. He wore his broadsword strapped across his back, the hilt of the blade sticking up over his right shoulder. He was walking through the forest, but it wasn't the tropical jungle we were in, it was the Dark Forest found on the Adah--Sorea border. A forest made up of twisted oaks that were hundreds of years old.
I allowed my image to appear alongside Supreme General Tronzo. He didn't jump when my image appeared, but he did take a second look at me.
"I was about to call you, Sester," he said, referring to my aunt. "Then I realized that I am too far away for Sester to contact me. Plus, she is not so vain that she would make herself look twenty years younger than she really is."
"I'm Lila Marie Haran," I said. "Heir to the throne of Sorea. Heir Hopeful to the throne of Adah. First Consummate of Landish. Queen of Dunre. Queen of Vassa."
"Supreme General Thoris Tronzo. Commander of the Army of Sorea. Can you tell me the size of your sister's army?"
"Rumors circulating around Adah place it at twenty-thousand men."
General Tronzo let out a low whistle. "That's twice as many men as I have."
"How many men do you have?"
"Eight thousand men are camped here in the Dark Forest."
"That will be enough for what I need."
"Which is?" General Tronzo said.
"A show of force."
"Eight thousand men will not scare twenty thousand, Your Majesty."
"I don't need to scare Bedonna's army. I just need to make sure they don't interfere when I confront Bedonna. The presence of your army will keep Bedonna's men from interfering in my personal business with my sister."
"You intend to challenge your sister to a duel?"
"I intend to give her a choice. Be content with the throne of Adah, or die."
"Are you capable of killing your sister?" General Tronzo asked.
A year ago, the answer to that question would've been no, but a lot had happened since then.
"Yes," I said. "I'm capable of killing my sister."