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Blent waved an uncaring hand in the air. "That was to be
expected."
Expected, yes. Lannis controlled her expression. It hurt to
breathe. Yet she'd hoped, guided Rakia even, to avoid that
outcome. The other eagles weren't half as broken enough to
control as well. Rakia had been her best assassin. Mystic
Symer would have to give up another of his precious
Eaglekins to rectify that and give her another eagle she could
control as forcefully. Another would have to be near totally
drained of their reyn and completely lost in their eagle for
Lannis to have that same control of the eagle's will. Like that
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young girl had been. It was a necessary waste. She'd have to
find some way to make Symer realize that and give up one of
his prizes.
Blent adjusted the sleeves of his blue uniform. The vivid
color made the top of his bald head somehow shine violet.
"Was that before or after?"
"After." Lannis seethed at the insult to her skill. "General
Niel is dead."
"You're certain?"
"Quite. Though I've little doubt you'll have it confirmed
when your reports trickle through."
"Indeed." His dark eyes raked over her like a man who was
disgusted by the whole business yet had his duties to fulfill.
Fool. He had no idea of the untapped power she could claim.
Of how much danger he stood in at this precise moment. All
she had to do was send one of her eagles after him. He
nodded curtly. "I'll inform the queen."
With that he strode arrogantly from the room. Shred the
man! No, he wasn't important. Lannis reeled her anger in.
That had been one disconcerting effect from trying to contain
so much reyn at once. Her emotions, before so easy for her to
control, now seemed to run rampant, wild and dangerous.
She'd have to command better restraint.
Captain Blent was of no consequence anyway. He was
merely a means to her rise to power, an annoyance she must
put up with for a short time. Soon enough the royal kings and
queens of not only Irrean, but Pagona, Lionsmarch and
Kalonmer would grovel at her feet in their bids to have access
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to her unique assassins. She could rule them in fear, have
ruling nations at one another's throats if she so desired.
Not that the trappings of mankind's power held any allure
for Lannis. She was an Eaglekin after all. Obtaining wealth
and prominence and having people preen for her did not
interest her in the least. That was not her purpose. It was the
enhanced reyn that fueled her, that incredible delectable
surge of strength assailing every one of her senses
simultaneously, where she dominated the eagle's will, where
she was master.
Lannis accepted the fact that her position was tenuous at
best. She knew too well that she alone among the imprisoned
Eaglekins had been strong enough to consume another
Eaglekin's reyn without losing herself, her mind inside her
bird. The Mystic had tried giving it to others but each of them
had gone mad, lost within the reyn. That, too, had been
Rakia's young true-bonded's fate. Though Lannis had always
been among the strongest in her eyrie, she knew it would
only be a matter of time before another Eaglekin with a will
strong enough to rule the assassin birds would be captured.
If such were found, Lannis would take measures to ensure
the Eaglekin was disposed of before Symer realized what he
had. Just like she had done with that latest captive. Lannis
had felt the strength of that girl's reyn and had taken
immediate issue with the dangerous situation. It was
regrettable that the little strumpet's eagle had perished in the
commotion. The bird would have made a powerful assassin.
But having the girl around wasn't worth the risk to Lannis's
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own position. She was glad she'd escaped, though she would
have loved to have sampled her reyn first.
Her teeth clicked together like a sharp metallic-bright
beak. Even now the craving for more reyn assaulted her,
leaving her light-headed and feverish. A headache was
building behind her eyes. The doses Mystic Symer gave her
were no longer enough to sustain Lannis. She needed more,
ever more. If he would have given her what she required,
Rakia would never have been able to hold Lannis as long as
she did at the end. She had to have more. Her stomach was
clenching with terrible need.
But she could not reveal that to the Mystic. As far as
Symer knew, Lannis was the only Eaglekin capable of
controlling the eagles. She was not about to let him find out
otherwise.
For now, she would send eagles out as assassins. She
wasn't concerned about who she would direct them to prey
upon. Mankind's squabbles were irrelevant. Queen Eleina's
little vindictive war was self-serving and pointless, except to
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