I felt nothing that I thought I might as she rode away. My mother surely did not have long left alive and yet I felt cold about that idea. It had hurt more than I had anticipated to discover that she had no real remorse for what had happened, only a selfish drive to be forgiven before the end. I likely would have conceded to helping her if during the night she had made a begging apology and showed deep regret, but the morning had come with nothing.

“It's better this way,” Mari said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“I suppose so,” I said. I had some small aching doubts in the bottom of my heart. I hated them.

“She never really cared about you, otherwise she would have never done what she had.”

I nodded in agreement and shrugged my shoulders. “What's done is done.”

“She will perhaps make it back in time to die among the people she loved more than you.”

Mari meant well, but the statement boiled rage inside me. I didn't think she understood exactly what it meant to be directly betrayed. She had lead a relatively charmed life getting whatever she wanted with no desires for much more. While she was sympathetic to my plight, she could never fully understand.

“Regardless, Rafe demands an audience today, I believe he wants to discuss with you how he plans to go about building your army.”

“So soon?” It had been barely more than a day, surely things could not be moving so quickly.

Mari let out a short, airy laugh. “He is a bit paranoid sometimes, especially when it comes to the Great Church.”

Mari and I turned from the window to begin the walk back to the great hall.

“Is it really something for him to fear?” I asked. “It always seemed like something people appeased out of a sense of duty rather than passion.”

“I don't think it's their current political or military strength that scares him,” she answered. “I believe that he worries about what they are capable of in the long term since they are brainwashed to be so passionately against anything they deem to be 'evil.'”

“Is that what they think we are: evil?”

“Many would say so,” she grinned. “You quite literally share a bed with a demon.”

“Half-demon,” I corrected.

Lips curling into an amused expression she shook her head. “Joking aside, yes, we are on the side of so-called 'evil.' There's no twisting the facts that could make that not true, but hopefully I've shown you along the way that 'good' isn't exactly a great way to go.”

“Oh don't worry, I don't care about being good or evil, I only care about getting what is rightfully mine.”

“And that, my dear, is what makes you 'evil,'” she chuckled.

With a shrug I took my rightful place upon the throne and sighed. I did not care for labels or titles, just the idea that people would care if something was evil or good was a tiring premise. Who really had the energy to concern themselves with such things? Surely others were also concerned with their own personal advancement. Perhaps there was something in the realm of “good” that allowed for self-advancement that I simply couldn't see.

Unceremoniously, Rafe let himself into the great hall, a look of determination upon his face. Though he had been a bit testy after learning that key information had been kept from him, there was a glint in his eye that he secretly enjoyed being spurred into action.

“Toria,” he greeted, “I have a task for you, if you agree to it.”

He plopped himself into one of the nearby chairs and motioned for Mari to be seated as well. Rafe did not enjoy having others around him standing if he was seated, it made him feel like they were planning something.

“Of course, what is it?” I asked, intrigued.

“To combat that damnable Church, we're going to need magical might beyond just what my demon kin can provide. I've had suspicions for quite a while that they have been working on methods that are meant to be potent against demons,” he explained, spitting out the last part like it created a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Magic users beyond what we already have?” Mari asked with astonishment. “How would we even go about starting that? It is mostly our pact that gives us the strength that we possess.”

“Surely you do not think that you are so special that magic cannot work for others,” he scoffed with a wave of his hand. “There is enough power to go around if we can find bodies able to handle the influx.”

“Of course I am not so naive,” she shot back with a disapproving glare, “but where are we to find so many of these able-bodied specimens? You of course know that our kingdom is rather small and lacking a large pool for talent.”

I leaned back in my throne and considered the predicament. It seemed like there had to be a simple solution to the problem.

“That's for you guys to figure out how to get around,” he said. “You're resourceful ladies, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.”

“What if we used my father's peasants?” I interrupted, striking upon an idea.

“That brings up a whole other set of problems, like your father's reaction to stealing peasants.”

“I didn't say we'd steal them, quite the contrary, actually.” A smile blossomed across my features, the plan in my head seemed almost too perfect. “Girls are often, unfortunately, seen as mostly annoyances that require time, effort, and money to marry off once they come of age. What if we offered to take them off their hands?”

“Just like that?” Mari said with a blink. “Do you think people will just hand over their children?”

“If they think they will be going to better place or at least they will no longer be their problem, yes,” I assured. “People are inherently selfish.”

Rafe let out a deep laugh and leaned forward in his chair. “You realize that this is a deliciously dastardly idea? This is something even I may hesitate executing.”

“It solves the problem,” I insisted, “especially if we send a magic-user to screen girls to know which families to bother approaching. Mari would be perfect.”

“While I wouldn't love to execute something like this, do you expect your father to have no reaction?” Mari interjected. “This kind of thing could be considered something worthy of retaliation.”

“I do not think he would,” I said, “he would likely not even notice. He never seemed to be very in tune with the servants or the peasants. I'm sure we could have our very own army of little girls before he ever took notice. Or if it does, would he be willing to attack his own 'little girl?'”

“She has a fair point, even I would have a hard time attacking my own daughter,” Rafe admitted. “And I'm almost entirely morally bankrupt.”

Mari breathed in deeply, then let it out as a long sigh. “I'll go and I'll do it, I just think it might be a risk.”

“Do we have any better ideas?” I waited a moment for either of them to start speaking, but both answered with shrugs.

“Then I think it's settled.” I turned to Mari who had a wary smile on her face. “Go ahead and prepare to travel to my father's kingdom under the guise of recruiting girls for a place in another faraway kingdom where they will hold a place higher than a peasant. It's not entirely untrue and will be an offer beyond what any of them could hope for.”

“That's all well and good, but how do you propose I get the girls back? March them like an army?”

“Well, that is what they will be, so I see no reason not to.”

Rafe's face transformed into a devilish grin and he stood from his seat. “Then I suppose that matter has been resolved for now. You work quickly, Toria, I am glad that you were decided on as heir, we will accomplish much in our time together.”

“May it be long and fruitful,” I echoed.

“Well,” Mari began once Rafe had left, “I did not expect to get a mission today.”

“I hope that you do not mind too much, it rather sounds fun to me.”

“Does it now? I suppose it might be, especially since I'll finally be building the defenses I always wanted. I never thought I would do so by essentialy kidnapping little girls, but things never turn out exactly the way you imagine.”