Chapter 3

Time is perceived in many ways.

And in this one spec of time within the vast sea of it, I have come to understand that even with every second of the ticking clock that has passed, people, creatures, never change.

My perception of time is endless. There will never be an end for me and in times like these I simply wish it to pass.

Should I have to wait a thousand years it will of no matter. I have nothing, no one, to make time matter to me.

Only grief to make me wish I had less of it.

To a mortal I am sure the conception of time is very different. I am sure they try to make every second count, because in this vast timeline it is not without great struggle and effort that we are able to make an impression in our histories.

And through all of this, I can now understand that other people will never be as intelligent as an infinite being. For immortal minds know no bounds.

Childlike as I can be, I am still much smarter than most give me credit for.

I was in seventeen meetings this morning and no one has had any reports put together.

No numbers.

No army counts.

No plans.

They call me stupid, but still look to me for all the answers.

The council that is supposed to become a group of assets to me, it seems, has ultimately no use to me nor to this world.

Or perhaps this is just another ploy. Another plot in the never ending games of Varsillian life.

What is lucky however, is that the network of elite spies I had formed before my imprisonment is still running and they still see me as their leader. As do the Houses of Wright, Hawthorn, Atkinsons and Night.

In fact I was meeting with one of my Spector now.

O0oo0O

"Val. What do we have?"

She stays silent for a moment. I suppose the news should be rather grim, then.

"The Vakeshians have amassed near a billion forces. We, of course, have our six hundred thousand Spectors, but we can not beat them. I could draw Spector forces from other worlds, but that would take more time than we have. Mass transports like we would need, would take months."

I waved a hand for her to continue when she paused, "And?"

Another hesitation before she answers, "Varsillia doesn't have the forces either. The armies aren't what they used to be in the time of your foremothers. They are not receiving the level of training required to win this one. Things have been really relaxed since you were imprisoned."

I lifted my chin just a touch higher, "I've pulled off crazier things with less time."

A shake of the head, "I have faith in you. As do the Spectors."

"For that I am gladdened. But Val, I need you to start drawing forces from other worlds anyway. You never know how long these kinds of wars will go on."

I have another meeting to be in. Another place to be. I need to conclude this quickly.

She sees as much and nods her head in understanding and in a gesture of goodbye, "Te visurum."

"Te visurum."

O0oo0O

Rallying forces will be a task, that's for sure, but I had done more with less time when I had pulled the Coalition of worlds apart.

The houses that aren't allied with the Aculiacs will be slightly harder to sway, but if my Spector did their jobs properly, I'll have enough blackmail to get them on my side.

Allies and forces.

We'll be under siege before the year is out.

I'll need to find a way to stop the in-house fighting, Varsillia is weak at the moment because of those not so subtle fights.

Is has never been public knowledge that our houses fight so much. The people had once depended upon the houses to fight with unity, together as one.

But at least I am making progress in one of my fields of inquiry.

The man who brought me top world goes by the name of Lucas Wright, son of William and Lyra. I had later learned this information after slipping into his mind quickly as soon as he had taken those flame awful chains off.

I had also chosen to hide myself away as I had reconnected with my familiar over the past few days. It had been so freeing to spend time with my onyx black dragon with piercing, blue, eyes.

And now I am being sucked into suffocating meetings all day long.

And I have had to be going to lessons, administered by Lucas wright, to update me on current affairs.

My issue with the situation is that there really is no need to since my spies have already caught me fully up to date. The lesson's, however, do placate the Varsillian council of the state of war, otherwise known as the council of nine's.

And honestly, any heat off my back, is a blessing.

Since I have been freed, I have been staying at the palace that was once wholly under my control, Moonstone.

My private estate though, Riverside, is located in an in-between realm of my creation. This realm is known simply as the in-between and it is the space between the realms of the living and the realms of the dead. Since I am the very gatekeeper between life and death it is easy for me to access the in-between and by extension, Riverside.

On this evening I find myself on a walk to cool off after a particularly heated fight with Draven, the consul of state.

The conversation had started out with Draven yelling at me, Some Queen you are, forsaking your people, I had then fired back a quick, You are projecting your anger onto the wrong person, Draven, the statement hadn't been received well.

After those initial heated comments things had gotten worse from there. Draven and I simply didn't mesh well.

We're toxic to each other, much like me and Varsillia.

I wasn't well received in my place of birth and I had come to slowly accept that fact. I would never be loved as my foremothers were. I would never be one of the great queens.

As I walk past the willow trees that I had once loved with a passion, I start to see flashes of the very day I had introduced my cousin to them.

I had been so excited that day. If only that day hadn't ended so grimly. I don't think anything has been the same after that day,

"Eve, where are you."

I try to pull myself out of the self-laothing that comes with this memory. I can't succumb to the past. I cannot prove Aries right.

But my attempts are futile.

"Eve, come on"

"It's diner time."

"Go away Gavrin, I'm busy."

I shake my head. No.

My cousin Gavrin was sent to get me, I cannot believe this, I am eleven, I think I can handle walking back to the palace by myself.

And by myself, I mean with the four guards that remain by my side always, never giving me peace or privacy.

That is, when I didn't find a way to ditch them.

This is one of those times. And strangely enough they hadn't found me yet.

"Eve, where are you."

I walk out of the trees and grab my cousin's hand.

"Let's go Gav."

"I see how you want play in Eve, princess of the willows." He says in an overly dramatic voice.

I drag him through the near silent willows as I lead him to my spot.

"Look what I found a few days back"

"Wow."

Suddenly a scream breaks through the trees and I run to find out what, who, it came from, but Gavrin reaches out a hand, stopping me.

"Stay here, I'll go see."

I don't want to, a natural death has never occurred in my family, I don't want him to get hurt.

But I wouldn't mind if Aries did. He deserves to die.

I crouch down in the wispy trees as he runs off.

Silence

More silence.

Where was he?

The words of my mother play through my head natural deaths never occur in this family, be wary my child.

I have to get to my cousin.

No matter the cost.

I crawl up to my feet and creep in the direction the scream came from, in the direction my cousin went in.

Another scream breaks out.

This one my own.

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