Be Thou My Brilliant E-Book

Joseph Marcia

• Herausgeber: Podium Publishing
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: The Devil's Foundry
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 503

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

An Earthling villain must learn to embrace her inner bureaucrat in the second volume of this inventive series mixing humor, cyberpunk, and fantasy.   Via, aka "Empress," used to be a Supervillain—powerful, cunning, manipulative, cruel—until one of her technological innovations glitched and stranded her and her nemesis, the Hero Electra, in an alternate realm. Now, despite her best world-dominating intentions, Via finds herself in a position she never thought she'd be in: local politician.   With her attention divided among building up her city's defenses, using her high-tech prowess to create amazing industrial inventions, and helping her citizens with their never-ending litany of requests and concerns, Via hasn't had much time for scheming or wickedness. So when a lesser Vecorvian royal lands on her doorstep seeking asylum and assistance in battling the manipulative Seneschal who's taken over the city of Silverwall, it's time to let her villainy shine. Only, the more she plans her attack, the more she realizes that if she has any hope of success, she'll need to learn to work with others and even make *gulp* friends . . .   A wise-cracking, fast-moving, action-packed isekai, Be Thou My Brilliant is an irresistible continuation of the series that blends the best of superhero stories, LitRPG, and character-driven urban fantasy.   The second volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than one million views on Royal Road—now available on Audible and wherever ebooks are sold!

Leseprobe

BE THOU

MY BRILLIANT

The Devil’s Foundry • Book 2

JOSEPH MARCIA

AKA ARGENTORUM

To Felisa and Oscar, who knew I was an author before I did

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission from Podium Publishing.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 Joseph Marcia

Cover design by Podium Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-0394-3323-6

Published in 2023 by Podium Publishing, ULC

www.podiumaudio.com

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 Once More, with Feeling

CHAPTER 2 Ah Yes, the Plot

CHAPTER 3 The Princess and the Proles

CHAPTER 4 Meat Cute, Meeting Cute, Mote Cute?

CHAPTER 5 Hope for the Best

CHAPTER 6 Prepare for the Worst

CHAPTER 7 The Best Defense

CHAPTER 8 Shell Game

CHAPTER 9 Good Offense

CHAPTER 10 Lady’s Port

CHAPTER 11 Shadowed Wings

CHAPTER 12 Level Up!

CHAPTER 13 The Lady and the Lacky

CHAPTER 14 Here There Be Monsters

CHAPTER 15 Here There Be Men

CHAPTER 16 Relationships 1

CHAPTER 17 Relationships 2

CHAPTER 18 Backfoot

CHAPTER 19 Grave Import

CHAPTER 20 Eyes Turned Skyward

CHAPTER 21 The Hearse Right Here

CHAPTER 22 Just Business

CHAPTER 23 Call Me Maybe

CHAPTER 24 Say My Name

CHAPTER 25 Dig Yourself a Hole

CHAPTER 26 Spawn Camping

CHAPTER 27 Falcon and Falconer

CHAPTER 28 Pieces and Players

CHAPTER 29 Do Unto Others

CHAPTER 30 Relegate

CHAPTER 31 Cross Purposes

CHAPTER 32 The Best-Laid Plans

CHAPTER 33 Rain Parade

CHAPTER 34 Deals in the Dark

CHAPTER 35 A Call Away

CHAPTER 36 Reliant

CHAPTER 37 Back and There Again

CHAPTER 38 Rel Look

CHAPTER 39 Friends Like These

CHAPTER 40 Rise of the Wretched Mole People

CHAPTER 41 Riot Out of Luck

CHAPTER 42 Onwards and Upwards

CHAPTER 43 Don’t Knock It Till You Try It

CHAPTER 44 Power Trip

CHAPTER 45 Rel Aid

CHAPTER 46 At What Cost

EPILOGUE Not Done Yet

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER 1

Once More, with Feeling

Over there!” I pointed, voice almost lost in the din of the construction site. “No, over there, dammit.”

I shook my head as the two men stumbled, almost spilling the pallet of metal onto the ground. We were working with spools mostly, so it was no great loss, but winding them all again would be such a fucking chore. Still, even having metal wire would be a massive boon, we had the infrastructure in place to do something with it.

I pinched my nose, trying to suppress the headache growing behind my eyes. “Where’s my fucking coffee?” Joke’s on me, there’s no such thing as coffee in this world! Think, Via. Think! Why would you invent electricity before the French press?

“Get the carts back to the dock.” I sighed. “We’re running out of daylight.”

“Yeah, boss.”

I waved him off. I hadn’t asked to be called boss, but it had kinda stuck. Well, more like my gang was all calling me that, and the local villagers didn’t want to offend the new petty tyrant too much. At the very least, commanding demons to help build so many houses provided a steady stream of experience pushing me towards my second class.

Well, maybe bringing in food and money to a growing village of refugees had something to do with all of that as well, especially when I told my boys (and girls) to keep their hands to themselves or so help me god.

“Lady Via.”

I let out a long breath, smiling slightly as Rel pressed an earthenware cup of something herbal into my hands. “Thanks, Rel. You’re a lifesaver.”

The young woman ducked her head, tugging on the rim of her fedora. “It’s nothing, my lady.”

And yes, I did invent fedoras before I invented coffee. Cursing my own demented genius, I threw back the tea. “What’s the progress at the dock?”

I started walking, and Rel fell in step beside me. “It’s proceeding within accepted limits. I’m not a shipwright, nor was anyone else that came with us … but we’re making do.”

We had a few people who knew how to hammer a pier together if nothing else, she meant. But really, that was all I needed.

“And the village?”

She paused, looking off to the side. “… Still tense.” Rel shrugged. “But less than they were the first week? You’ve been good on your word, Lady Via. That means a lot.”

I nodded. “I keep my promises.” Till all my debts were paid. I’d been racking up a fair few of those the last few months on this world.

I stepped to the side as a group of children rushed down the street, giggling playfully. One of the boys sketched a little bow, and I waved him off—more gently than I’d sent the workmen going. I always had a soft spot for kids.

“This school system …”

“I won’t budge on it,” I said. “If nothing else, universal education, universal opportunity to excel is a human right as far as I’m concerned.”

Rel nodded.

“Look at me, preaching to the choir.” I sighed. “You had it even worse than I did.”

It really drove home how, despite the flaws I’d battled against for years, Earth was a post-scarcity society in so many ways compared to this world. But then, if I were unwilling to kill the good to save the perfect, I never would have become a villain in the first place.

“Tell the people worried about it that we will speak on the subject at the next town hall meeting.”

“It will be added to the list of topics for your next audience,” Rel said.

I growled. “Now that I thought we’d talked about already.”

Rel smiled. It was a sly one that she’d picked up from Electra no doubt, the kind of half-smirk that said ‘I know more than you nenernernener.’ “Yes, my lady, we’ve talked about it.”

“And there’s a reason we’re calling them town halls, dammit. There has to be a velvet glove to go with the iron fist here, Rel.”

Relia shrugged. “You told me to, ah, focus group it? My lady.” She shrugged. “People responded best to public audiences.”

I grumbled, finishing off my tea. “Never should have called myself Empress.”

Rel blinked. “What else would you be?”

“Oh, I had a bunch of ideas.” I waved my hand in the air. Around us, the once-small village of Ineir bustled with activity. I’d had plans, I’d had money, and, most importantly, I’d had food enough to see us all through the winter, and so people got to work. “Black Cipher, Mechaness, the Techno Qu—” I pulled up short, just before a cart rolled across the intersection in front of us. “Gotta get those stupid traffic lights installed, and the roads paved before it snows.”

I groaned, pressing a hand to my face. “This is why I don’t do minions.” I spun, pointing at my ever-reliable right hand. “You did this to me.”

Rel simply bowed. “I am yours to command.”

“You’re such a sap.” I clapped her on the shoulder. “Now come on. We have places to be tonight.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“And I told you not to call me that.”

“Of course, Mistress.”

I held back another groan.

“You reward a girl for going above and beyond the call of duty one time …” I pretended not to notice Rel preening at my side, her fingers ghosting over the ornate silver bracelet I’d given her.

Some would call it a waste of silver. Me? I called it an investment into the most valuable coin of all.

Still, no matter how much I griped about the workload, there was something … captivating about watching the city spin to my will. Around me, there were work crews—mostly women, as the men were still needed to tend to the fields as winter approached—digging holes, putting up posts, and, as ever, running more and more wire through the air.

Let me tell you, finding something to use for insulation had been a bitch and a half, but luckily there was this demon with some strangely useful intestinal physiology—and no, I didn’t just cut up my demons for parts. That wouldn’t be economical.

At last, we made it to the river. The village, now quickly growing into the town of Ineir if I had anything to say about it, boasted a single river that ran along its southern border. Honestly, the river was probably the sole reason for its survival, cutting off the thick jungle and putting them on a trade route between Silverwall to the north and the capital city of Corvandyr on the opposite side of the island’s isthmus.

Of course, just because it was a source of fish and irrigation for the city didn’t mean it couldn’t be used for so much more. Hell, they’d already had a water wheel when I got here.

“It’s come a long way.” Rel looked up at the much larger wheelhouse. The newly installed overshot wheel spun round merrily as the river gushed out to sea.

“Not hard.” I shrugged. “It was practically falling apart when we got here.” Really, reforming this entire village in less than a month would have looked like an impossible task, but many hands made light work.

Two Slythids, snakelike demons that loved nothing more than to lounge next to warm stones, opened the doors for us as we approached. I smiled.

I had the most hands of all.

Inside, of course, the water wheel couldn’t have looked more different. Gone was the millstone (though we’d set it up elsewhere for the time being), along with the half rotted supports and drafty wooden walls.

In their place were stone walls, with masonry. The floor was tiled and leveled. The beams were varnished, and their connections sheathed in strong steel.

And of course, the pièce de résistance, a massive spool of wire in the middle of the room, set around the world’s first, greatest, and grandest artificial magnet.

If we were being honest, this is what had taken most of my time.

“Okay, flip the connection!”

Luckily, I hadn’t been alone on this either.

Electra grinned from one of the catwalks, uncaring of the bare wire she held in her hand as two burly men manually spun a series of gears leading to a smaller ‘backup’ generator.

She lit up like a livewire, before diverting the current to another series of wires. I felt myself smile as another series of crude lightbulbs began to glow.

Electra, for all her flaws as a person, did possess at least a rudimentary understanding of electricity, even if it was only because the PR team had forced her to take classes after she blew out an entire skyscraper’s power grid that one time.

I cupped my hands around my mouth. “We ready up there?”

Electra leaned against the railing as the generator whirred to a stop. “Empress! Yeah, we’re about done!” She looked back over her shoulder. “Whaddaya think, guys?”

“Looks good to me, ma’am.” The workman shifted. “Er, uh, yer majesty.”

I held back the urge to snap at him.

They’ll think it was because he didn’t address you properly, Via. And then they’ll all be calling you ‘your majesty,’ and that would be even worse than ‘boss.’

“Hay que pena,” I muttered.

Rel leaned forward. “What was that, my lady?”

“Nothing.” I straightened with a grin. “Good work! Why don’t you join us up on the balcony?”

“Er, uh.” The first man glanced at his friend as Rel and I made our way up the stairs. “We couldn’t im-impose like—”

“Hey, don’t sweat it!” Electra put one of them in a playful headlock. “Now c’mon, don’t you want to see what all the big fuss was about?”

The two looked torn, but it was clear they were curious. I’d only given basic explanations of what I was doing, after all. Enough to show its value, but still, to see it in person?

I waved them after me. “It’s a special occasion, after all.”

We emerged onto the stone balcony overlooking the village of Ineir just as the sun began to sink below the horizon. On this, the western shores of the island republic of Vecorvia, the sunset painted the ocean in brilliant chromas of purple and scarlet.

Below, the shadows had begun to lengthen, the air just now starting to cool. I picked out Dee and Dum at the edge of the town square, herding people into it. I quirked my lip when I saw that more or less the entire village had turned out to the mill.

“I said it wasn’t mandatory.”

“Gimme a break, Em’.” Electra socked me in the shoulder. “Everyone wants to see what’s up with this giant brick house you built instead of a palace.”

“Who needs a palace?” I tilted my head back. “Too many rooms.”

Electra just laughed.

I waited for the rest of the crowd to filter in, and they waited below, a sea of upturned faces waiting in the growing twilight.

Waiting for me to change the world.

“Everything ready below?” I asked.

“Yep!” Electra popped her lips. “We just did the last batch of tests, and General Tock was in charge of getting the wires together after.”

I smiled. “And my little robot is nothing if not punctual.”

“Yep.”

I nodded once, taking a deep breath. Usually, for occasions like this, I would go out of my way to prepare a speech. But this time, in this place, I decided that actions would speak far louder than words.

I turned to look at the two workmen who had accompanied us. Evandr and … Merz, if I remembered correctly. “Would you two like to do the honors?”

They shared a glance, and I waved at the sturdy wooden lever just inside the door of the balcony. “Well, go on.” I smiled. “Let’s not keep everyone waiting.”

With one last nervous glance, they pulled the lever. A massive clunk echoed up through the soles of my feet. The great gears behind me strained, taking up slack, before slowly, ponderously, beginning to turn. A whirr filled the air, something that you felt more as a prickling on your skin than heard. It grew louder and louder, into a hum that seemed to sing of a future we’d long since forgotten.

And then the night turned back into day.

The wires, the streetlamps, simple crude lightbulbs sitting on simple crude wooden poles … they were electrified.

First the square lit up, as voices started rising through the air. The darkness of the main road was peeled back by a wave of gentle golden light. Even though it was only one square and one road, it bathed the entire village in warmth.

The sun set on Vecorvia, but in the tiny village of Ineir, a new day had only just dawned.

CHAPTER 2

Ah Yes, the Plot

Now that’s a sight.”

I smiled at Electra’s words. “It’s a start.”

She huffed. “Never satisfied, are you?”

“No.” My smile grew. “I will never be satisfied.”

She gave me a complicated glance before shrugging. “I mean, better than settling, I guess.”

The two workmen were a bit more shocked by the way I’d lit up the night, of course. This was … still just something small for me and Electra. Practically more a proof of concept than an actual electric grid. But to people who were used to living by candlelight, suddenly having morning in the middle of the night was sure to be a surprise.

There were mage lights of course, but as I’d learned from my enchanter back in Silverwall, such things were the domain of the rich.

“It’s beautiful, my lady.”

I looked over at Rel. She had her hands pressed to her chest, eyes sparkling.

“Oh?”

She nodded. “It’s like a sea of light.”

I tilted my head, remembering how on our first outing together, Rel had never been afraid of the waves, only the monsters on shore. It was a distant memory, but it sparked a connection. “Do you like the ocean, Relia?”

Rel gave a little start, glancing over at me in surprise. Then her features softened into a smile of her own. “Yes. My mother … she was a ship captain.” Rel turned back to the lights below. “She would tell me stories of her voyages when I was a little girl.”

I blinked. “The compass. Rel, you didn’t have to—”

“I know I didn’t.” She ducked her head. “But you needed it more than I did, and …” She reached into her vest, pulling out the compass I’d retooled into an elaborate pocket watch. “… I think my mother would have liked what you did with it.”

I gave a quiet laugh. “I’ll show you more oceans than this,” I said, in lieu of anything else. “This is just a puddle in comparison to what I have planned.” I smiled, both at my minion and at the people below. “Ineir will be so much more.”

“I believe you.”

Of course, that was when the eastern palisade exploded.

My head snapped up, tracking the fireball that erupted from beyond the outer wall. With the streetlights, I could just make out a scorched section, where logs were sagging inward.

Well, it was about time to tear down the ad-hoc thing anyway.

“Empress.”

I nodded at Electra. “Go.”

She sank into a crouch before leaping from the balcony, arcs of electricity streaming from her heels. Her newest skill.

I hadn’t been idle either, though.

I waved a hand, and a winged demon, shaped like a long blue pterodactyl, formed at my side. He was twice the size of Blue and, before, would have been far beyond my ability to sustain with my mana pool. But now, that was much less of a problem.

I leapt onto his back, raising a fist for the people below to see as I took off into the air. At the last second, Rel jumped up behind me, holding on to my shoulder with one hand.

A cheer went up, starting with my own men, before swelling to encompass everyone in the village.

System Message

Your skill Crowd Sourcing has increased to level 5.

I huffed. It made things too easy sometimes. Granted, I’d learned how to play a crowd from the best of them.

I tore through the night on Pterry’s back. She was a good girl, easily my favorite of the flying demons I’d contracted, and even with Electra’s head start, we found the source of the explosion at the same time.

There was a group of bandits on the road, pursuing a fleeing caravan.

I frowned, leaning over. Rel’s hand on my back kept me steady on my perch.

No, not just bandits. I huffed. “Another group of guildies.”

Rel’s grip tightened. “You would think they would all be gone by now.”

I shrugged. “Yeah, well, they all got kicked out of Silverwall, so of course they’d all end up here eventually.” I was sure it was Arlo just making more trouble for me after I ditched. My fellow gang leader was spiteful and pragmatic like that.

“There’s still an Adventurer’s Guild in Silverwall,” Rel reminded me.

I snorted. We’d heard the same rumors after all. “A gutted corpse completely under the control of the City Guard.”

This is where the rest of the surviving guildies had turned.

As I watched, one of the men in the back hurled another fireball. The first one had missed the caravan, but they were closing distance.

A spear of lightning tore through the knight, shattering the other’s skull. Electra slid to a stop next to the caravan, waving them onward to Ineir. The group of raiders-cum-adventurers slowed. I counted seven, half mounted, the rest on foot. No doubt they’d laid the ambush for the caravan.

My eyes flicked to them, noting the arrows sticking out of the wood and the way the horses heaved from where they’d sprinted down the road.

I said caravan, but really, it was just two carts. If they’d had someone give them a warning, they could have outrun the initial attack. Well, for a bit at least.

It looked like the group of bandits wasn’t going to wait on Electra forever, though. So I kicked my heels into Pterry’s flanks and we dived.

Even in this world, people rarely looked up.

Rel and I landed behind the group in a gust of wind. Rel slid off my demon, slinking into the shadows. She was no rogue, but she was the next best thing.

Meanwhile, I pressed my hands together into a single fist, and the wrist-mounted laser lit up with a whine. Without a power core, I had enough juice for two shots, and then I’d be walking home in a tin can.

Fortunately, so far, I’d never needed more than one.

“And who the hell are you people?” My voice rang across the road. The group shifted slightly, pinned between two people of a higher level. No one here was above level 10. Meanwhile, Electra and I were nearing in on our tier-two classes.

And, you know, there was also a giant flying lizard, grinning at them toothily.

Unsurprisingly, none of them were willing to step forward.

I aimed my wrist laser. “Well, if none of you are willing to talk.”

“Scatter!” the mage shouted.

I clicked my tongue, holding my shot as the rogue tossed a handful of smoke bombs to the ground. Actual, factual smoke bombs. Were we in one of Electra’s anime or something?

At my mental command, Pterry took off again, pushing off the ground with a massive beat of her wings. It cleared the smoke as well, revealing the fleeing figures in the fading light. I dove after one.

The figure in leather armor must have heard the whistling of the wind; he dove to the side just as we cut through the air behind him. I let out a hiss of frustration as they vanished into the jungle.

From the air, I was in a commanding position, but the canopy was thick, and with the sun fully beyond the horizon now, there was no way I could pick out anything.

I circled for a moment more before returning to the road.

Electra and Rel likewise returned empty-handed.

“I’m sorry, my lady.” Rel gave a bow. “I was too far away when they ran.”

I waved her off, raising an eyebrow at Electra. She was fast enough to take them down with her new Lightning Sprint ability.

“I stayed to make sure no one went after the caravan.” She shrugged. “Figured we can probably get the story from them just as easy.”

I sighed. “You’re probably right. Still, it would have been nice to handle the problem before it can crop up again.”

Electra ran a hand through her hair. She had it pulled back into a ponytail now, but even that couldn’t contain its inherent spikiness. “We’ve already taken care of all the dumb ones. Makes sense only the smart guys are left.”

I rolled my eyes. “This is why I prefer to have a monopoly.”

Electra snorted. “What, on intelligence?”

“Well, why do you think I never tried to flip you?”

“Rude.” She sniffed, turning away. “See if I help you when we get back to Earth.”

I rolled my eyes, noting how Rel stiffened slightly at my side. “Whatever. Let’s go deal with the people showing up at our door.” I gave a small frown. “Last I checked, we hadn’t sent anyone to Silverwall in the past week.”

“Nope.” Electra started walking, with Pterry padding after her. My girl wasn’t the fastest on the ground, but she was certainly the most eye-catching. Too bad Blue wasn’t big enough to ride. “Everyone’s been heading south to Corvandyr.”

“How odd.”

We made it back to Ineir quickly enough. There were a few people standing around the new palisade, more specifically the newer hole in it, and Electra waved them off. It was late enough, and today had been busy for everyone, putting the finishing touches on the streetlights.

Now how was I going to sell running them all underground? Maybe if I made something that could dig trenches for the wires first.

I shook my head.

Dee and Dum had the two wagons stopped next to what was generously called the gate. Really, it was just an opening in the palisade that we could drag another section of wall in front of if we needed to. I took in the people riding with it in a glance.

They were the same as my people.

Tired and hungry, young and old. There was a weariness in their eyes, so tired that no one even flinched as Pterry came to a stop in front of them. But there was a spark of hope as well, one that had not yet been extinguished.

And that’s what made them my people.

“Why have you come to Ineir?” I asked. My voice carried, and at that the travelers shifted. Finally, an old woman came forward, slipping off the first cart.

She was stooped, wrapped in rough homespun. I tried to ignore how she’d still be taller than me if I was standing on the ground. “Heard things were good out here.” She gave a slow shrug, her voice low and raspy. “Better than in Silverwall.”

Electra tilted her head. “What’s happening in Silverwall?”

“Nothing good.” The old woman bobbed her head. “Guilds’ve been driving up the price o’ everything, guard won’t do anything ‘bout it. No work either, less you sign up with one of the guilds now. Went and drove everyone else out of business.”

I sighed. “Rank protectionism.” I turned to Electra. “What do you think?”

She gave me a look. Yes, yes, I knew what she was going to say. I just wanted her to be the one to say it. “We can always use more hands. Lots of new things that need doing ’round here.” She grinned. “If you’re all willing to learn.”

The woman nodded, the tension easing from her shoulders.

“We have communal dormitories for the work crews,” I said. “We’ll get you settled there for the night and figure out more permanent residence in the morning. Any news from Silverwall would be appreciated.” I paused. “And also, we will need to know why you were ambushed.”

The crowd shifted again at that, muttering.

I continued. “That was hardly some random group of bandits. Guild Remnants, this far south? They looked like they were doing well for themselves, too. Hardly the type of living you can afford off of knocking over starving caravans.”

I looked them over, face firm.

To be clear, I wasn’t going to turn them away. Even if we didn’t need more hands, more eyes, more everything, Electra and Rel would have gutted me in my sleep if I’d sent them packing.

But I liked to get out in front of my problems when I could. Which, in case you haven’t been keeping track, was always.

We stayed there in silence for a handful of moments, then the crowd shifted again, parting to let a younger woman to the front. She wore a headscarf and kept her head bowed, but even at first glance I could tell that her clothing was nicer than that of the people surrounding her.

She came to a stop in front of Pterry, hands rising up to her shawl. “It’s me.” She lowered the wrappings, revealing silver hair and golden eyes that seemed to glisten in the lights of Ineir. Beside me, Rel sucked in a sharp gasp. “They are after me.”

I stared at her for a long moment. God, I hated missing the context. That shit was for other people.

Then I sighed. “Might as well get you all inside then. It’s been a long night.”

And it wasn’t over yet.

CHAPTER 3

The Princess and the Proles

So, you’re the heir to the throne?”

The young woman in front of me tried to hide a wince. “Seventeenth in the line of succession, yes.” She gripped her teacup with a fragile decorum, raising the simple brew to her lips. “This is quite fresh. My compliments to the chef.”

Electra put a hand to her mouth, holding back a giddy laugh. She was getting off on this whole thing.

“I shall ensure he knows.” Rel removed the teacup as … Princess Ishanti set it back down. Somehow, she was doing better in this whole meeting than I was.

I blamed her stupid skills. I wasn’t specced to deal with people of higher social status than me, in this life or the last one.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. We were in the house I’d commandeered for the three of us. Well, I say commandeered—the thing had been abandoned for more than a season, and it was close to the docks. Getting it back into livable condition was an ongoing project.

At least we’d fixed all the leaks.

“Ostensibly, the Adventurer’s Guild works for you.” We didn’t have many spies in Silverwall. I couldn’t afford to have too many magic mirrors floating around yet, so at the moment I was working off of woefully outdated information. “There’s no reason for them to be chasing you.”

Ishanti shook her head, silvery hair glinting in the overhead lamp.

Okay, so maybe I abused my authority a bit to get interior lighting installed here. It’s not like anyone else wanted it at first. Fortunately, that meant we could have meetings after dark, and I could impress people with the value of electric lighting.

But back to the matter at hand.

“The Adventurer’s Guild,” Ishanti said, “or what remains of it, now works for Seneschal Hawkwright, as do the guard and other ancillary institutions of Silverwall. My aunt, the Duchess Ivey, has limited control over the household staff and her own personal retainers, which is how I managed to escape the city to begin with.”

“Wait, wait, hold up.” Electra waved her hands. “So, what, you were just a prisoner inside your palace?”

The woman hesitated, glancing off to the side slightly, before nodding. “It was nothing odious, for the most part … but my freedoms, and that of any member of the royal family in Silverwall, are severely diminished.” She folded her hands in her lap. “In the capital city of Corvandyr things are different, but even there, the influence of the monarch is fiercely curtailed.”

I rested my chin on the back of my hands. “Well, that’s a surprise. You’d think the king and queen would have something to say about it.”

“Queen of Vecorvia is a ceremonial position that exercises little in the way of outright power.” Ishanti recited that little tidbit as if she were reading from a book. “We are a republic, after all.”

“Coulda fooled me.” I leaned back, turning to look at Rel. “Did you know anything about that?”

Rel shrugged. “I wasn’t really educated, Mistress.” She scratched her cheek. “I believe I occasionally heard about the Senate during one of my apprenticeships?”

Ishanti nodded. “The Royal Senate is the de facto and de jure governing body of Vecorvia. Though, likewise, they allow most of the cities to attend to their own affairs.”

“Well, aren’t you a delightful little info dump,” I muttered. “So. What does this Seneschal … Hawkwright of yours keep you and your aunt locked up in that ivory tower for? What was so important that he’d pay good money to hunt you down and drag you back?”

The princess’s eyes tightened. “I … do not know.”

I blinked. “Really? That’s what you’re going with?”

“It is the truth.” Ishanti looked at me, gold eyes flashing for a moment, before she glanced back down at her lap. “There is … a procedure.”

Electra tilted her head. “A what now?”

“A procedure.” Ishanti tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I have not witnessed it myself, nor have I been made privy to the details. But my aunt undergoes it over the course of a moon’s turn. I know that it wears on her, leaving her listless and feverish by the end. A month of rest is prescribed by the royal physicians, before she is required to submit to the procedure again.”

“Required to?” I raised an eyebrow. “So that’s just one more thing that you don’t have any control over.”

“I have surmised it is the reason that Vecorvia still has a royal family at all,” Ishanti said.

“Well, that’s not ominous,” I said.

She glanced up warily at my words. I waved a hand. “Relax, I’m not about to dump you at Hawkwright’s feet or anything. Silverwall hasn’t done anything to endear itself to me.”

Ishanti’s eyes fluttered with relief. “They will … continue attempting to retrieve me, you are aware?”

This time, Electra did laugh. “Girl, you have no idea how to bargain, do ya?”

Ishanti looked away. “Barter is crass trade of the lower classes.”

I rolled my eyes. “And I wonder why the Vecorvians would want to do away with their royalty.”

“Honestly, I’m kind of surprised they still have any at all.” Electra rubbed the back of her head. “Don’t most of these sorts of revolution things end up with people beheaded or shot, or something awful like that?”

“Don’t be an idiot, Electra.” I leaned back in my chair. “You can hardly apply Earth history to a world with magic. Really, it’s somewhat surprising that they still have monarchies at all, but I guess the addition of magic wouldn’t really change feudalism, would it?” I gave a wry grin. “Just the definition of who has the biggest stick.”

“It is true then.” Ishanti leaned forward. “The two of you are, indeed, outworlders?”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Do we look like we’re from around here?”

She sat back in her chair, looking relieved. My other eyebrow rose to join the first. “Is there something special about us being outworlders?”

She demurred, looking down as her cheeks grew a light red. Christ, even her blushes were delicate. “Merely that they don’t follow the same logic as the people of this world. In truth, I scarcely believed you would shelter me otherwise.”

Even still, wasn’t she way too trusting?

I wouldn’t have had an issue selling her back to Hawkwright, but I knew how these sorts of deals went down. First, he would play all nice, and then the moment he had the girl back in his clutches, all of the loose ends would just start to … disappear. The whole situation reeked of a coverup, after all. Whatever the true rulers of this tiny island kingdom—excuse me, republic—did with their ‘royalty,’ they didn’t want the common people to know.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them.

I sighed. “What a mess you’ve dumped on our lap.”

“My sincerest apologies. If I had anything that could ease your burden, were it simply in my power to offer it—”

“You know writing and arithmetic, don’t you?” I asked.

Ishanti blinked once at my interruption. “They were both a … part of my tutelage, yes.”

“Well, in fact there is something you can do then.” I smiled. “We need more accountants. I’ve tried to teach the people here how to read and write, but it’s slow going.” I waved a hand. “Whatever translation magic that’s on us doesn’t help.”

“You want me to … notate documents for you?” Her mouth pursed slightly. “As if I were some sort of barrister?”

“It’s either that or schoolmarm.” I grinned. “Somehow, you don’t strike me as great with kids.”

“I see.” She nodded once. “And if I were to say that such things were … beyond my capabilities?”

“Well, first off, you might have had more luck with that before you told me you’d gotten an actual education.”

She gave a faint grimace. “And second?”

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. “It’ll cost me less to carry you back to Silverwall than to carry your ass here.”

“There is no need to be crass.” The young woman sniffed, turning her head. “Very well, you drive a hard bargain, but I see no other option. I shall serve as your personal notary, provided that I am not tasked with unnecessary trivialities.”

“How generous.” I waved a hand. “Dee, go show her the guest room. Knew I had it installed for a reason.”

Dee nodded. “Yeah, boss.” He stepped away from the wall. “Thissa way, princess.”

“My thanks, good sir.”

He chuckled. “I’m not a sir, lady.” Still, he didn’t protest as she laid her hand on his beefy arm to lead her up the stairs.

And people said that chivalry was dead.

Electra perched on the table next to my shoulder. It was a roughly lacquered thing cut into a rectangle. It was large enough that I could meet with various family heads over a meal, and much less ostentatious than the ‘audience hall’ that Rel had set up in the water mill.

I felt like I was in a bad drama, with the massive stone chair and the gears turning over my head …

Ugh, you had to be there to really appreciate it. I’m sure I’d be suitably annoyed with it later on. For now, I had more than enough trouble on my plate without borrowing more.

“So.”

I glanced up at Electra, raising an eyebrow.

“You weren’t really gonna kick her out, were you?”

I chuckled. “Would you rather wait on her hand and foot yourself? I have enough work to do.”

Electra opened her mouth, then paused, tapping her chin. “Well, maybe for a day?”

“Oh, my god, is this another novel thing?”

She blushed. “No!”

I rested my head in my hands with a groan. “If you show up to work in a maid uniform, I’ll ship you back to Silverwall.”

“Puh-lease.” Electra leaned back on her palms. “You need me here. No one else can do any of the wiring work at all.”

“Yes, well, I apparently have a personal secretary now, so maybe I’ll have more free time to handle that myself.” I glared up at her. “Or do you think you can handle that as well?”

“Mistress …”

We paused, glancing over at Rel.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Why is … that woman your secretary?”

I paused for a moment as Rel shifted awkwardly in front of me. I sighed, getting to my feet and walking over to my minion. “Rel, you’d be wasted on a desk job like that.”

“Still, my lady, I could do it.”

“Rel.” I reached up, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I need you exactly where you are, trouble shooting for the rest of the town.” I sighed. “A secretary is useful, but you’re the one who lets me handle two projects at once. All of this would be impossible otherwise.”

She eyed me suspiciously, but for once it was nothing but the truth. While I couldn’t assign her any technological work—what little of it there currently was—Rel was the only person I could put in charge of a work crew and know that she’d oversee them to my every specification, often without me even needing to specify.

And when setting up a power grid, a port, an iron refinery, and literally everything else I needed in about half the time it would normally take, that sort of skill was worth its weight in gold.

She sighed. “I understand.”

I gave a laugh. “I don’t know what you’re so upset over, Rel.” I shook my head. “Just because this Princess Ishanti is going to be my ‘notary’ doesn’t mean we’ll get along.”

Rel tilted her head, but Electra just snorted.

“Oh, you’ll get along.” She grinned. “Like a house on fire.”

I sighed. “You can already tell, can’t you?”

“You bet I can.”

CHAPTER 4

Meat Cute, Meeting Cute, Mote Cute?

The reward for good work was always more work.

“I have the census data compiled, Lady Via.”

And that was only more true now that I’d unveiled the ‘miracle’ of electricity.

“Thanks.” I took the sheaf of papers from Ishanti. “Christ, I’ve had these numbers for days and haven’t had a chance to compile them.” The woman dipped into a smooth curtsy at my words, accepting the compliment.

We were in my office, a small room in the water mill. The mill itself was the biggest building in town, even after all the machinery had been installed. Really, though, I’d set up here because I was too used to the sound of my inventions lumbering along in the background to get any work done anywhere else.

“I fear that the numbering of households may already be outdated.” Ishanti folded her hands in front of her, smoothing out the fabric of her plain dress. “There has been an influx of new families from several nearby villages.”

I clicked my tongue. “Long as we have a starting point. Still, I didn’t expect so many new people just because I turned the lights on …”

I’d actually expected people to start clamoring for indoor lighting and do whatever they could to keep the influx of new people out, but that never materialized. No one even understood the possibilities that electricity offered.

Ishanti nodded her head. “I have done my best to rectify the errors, but my efforts were based completely upon hearsay. As such, there are limits to what I have managed to compile.” Did I see a hint of worry on her normally placid face? “The sudden migration stems from the collapse of the Adventurer’s Guild in Silverwall.”

“So, that explains the lack of people controlling the local monster population and the sudden uptick in bandits.” I hummed, fanning the sheaf of papers.

“It is just so.”

“Got it.” I nodded, flicking through the report. “Good work on getting things up to date.” The village of Ineir hadn’t taken a population census in ages. At this point, any numbers were better than no numbers.

At best guess, the village had just over a hundred households, at least a dozen of which were new. An elegant hand made a note in the margin that prior to the influx, the village had been on the verge of splintering into disconnected homesteads and disappearing entirely.

I glanced at Ishanti. “Your own analysis?”

Her shoulders tightened slightly. “Yes, my lady.” She straightened with an effort of will. “… Members of the royal family are expected to be well versed in matters of statecraft.”

“Despite never being expected to actually use it?”

She winced. “It is … just so,” she said again.

I hummed, flicking through the next two pages and looking over her notes. “Seems solid to me.” I was no sociologist or city planner, so hell if I knew about half of this shit. At least someone in this mess knew what they were doing.

I pretended not to notice how Ishanti’s shoulders dipped slightly in relief.

“Anyway,” I said, “if that’s everything—”

“As a matter of course, my lady, it is nearing the appointed hour of your daily audience.”

I paused, before letting out a long sigh as I checked the clock on my wrist panel. Noon on the dot.

“This is why I always fucking work alone …” I huffed, pushing myself up from my desk. “Cook’s all done?”

Ishanti nodded. “The hall is being set as we speak.”

“Alright, alright, you don’t need to drag me.” I combed my fingers through my hair a few times before rising and exiting my office.

Rel was already waiting at the door. “Mistress.”

“Rel.” I rolled my eyes. “I told you I’d do the stupid audience already, didn’t I?”

“You said as much last week as well.” Rel’s lips quirked upwards.

“It was one time!” Still, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as we proceeded to the throne room.

Now, I was a ‘handle your own shit and let me handle mine’ kinda girl. I would have been perfectly fine leaving Ineir to its own system of governance, as long as they didn’t get in my way. Unfortunately, both Rel and Ishanti told me that things didn’t really work that way. Folks were very big on absolute rule here.

The banquet was my own addition, because if a girl was gonna handle all these people’s problems, then at least she was gonna do it over a good meal.

Now, you might wonder how we were getting enough food for everyone, considering that this was a tiny village in the middle of nowhere that was already struggling to feed itself. If you’d been listening closely, you would also have realized that there were a bunch of monsters in the countryside made of delicious, delicious meat, and that I had a shit ton (yes, that is the scientific unit) of demons at my disposal.

What, did you think I started a vegetable garden?

I ran my hand along the slightly more ornate chair at the head of the room. Behind me, the gears and shafts turning the generators hummed in a giant clockwork masterpiece. It was a fitting backdrop for the high table where I and my trusted lieutenants sat. The floors were stone, the walls were bare, and ad-hoc wires and ancillary gears framed my throne like a mechanist’s wet dream.

I should know.

I slipped into the throne, tucking up one leg to hide how the stupid chair left my toes brushing the floor. Rel took her place at my right hand, with Ishanti one seat farther down. Meanwhile, I had chairs for Electra and the boys to my left. I had expected Ishanti to raise a fuss about her spot at the table, but she seemed to realize exactly what kind of position she was in.

Or maybe she just wasn’t another entitled self-important bitch like I was used to dealing with. I’m sure it was possible to be born rich and still possess a moral compass, I’d just yet to meet anyone who did.

My father’s entire family included.

“There’s the lady of the hour!”

I glanced over, giving the cook a smile. “Ma’am.” She was a large woman, and apparently the adoptive mother of Dee and Dum, and dozens of other children besides.

“None of that.” The woman smiled, brushing a strand of gray-blonde hair behind her ear. “I told you to call me Mama—whole city did!”

“Most of the village as well …” I ran a hand through my hair. “How were the ranger eels?” My demons hunted the surrounding jungle and sea both for extra food, and thus far ‘Mama’ had yet to find something she couldn’t cook.

“Oh, those.” She waved a hand, floomphing into the nearest chair. “Elaine is a wonder with that little filleting knife you made, and Ferrio loves seasoning fish.”

“Just soak it in brine!” a cute little black-haired boy called from the kitchen door. He and a few others were carrying out the last two plates of eel and assorted other bits from my larder. At least we had plenty of steelware.

“How are the kids liking their work study?” We didn’t have nearly enough teachers to have everyone at school at the same time, and families still needed hands to work the fields. Never mind that someone had to teach the teachers what to teach, as if that wasn’t confusing enough just to think about.

It looked like I’d be waiting a while to get that college program up and running.

“It’s fine, fine.” Mama waved her hand. “I appreciate it, you know, givin’ these kids a chance to make something better of themselves.”

I bit my lip, looking away. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Well, I think I’ll be the judge of that.”

I shrugged, sitting back in my chair while the rest of the tables were set.

I remained seated as the villagers and my own people, looking more and more like one group with every passing day, started to filter in from their daily tasks. “Just over one hundred families, huh?” I ran my fingers against my chin.

Rel glanced over at me. “What was that, Mistress?”

I shook my head. “I have never in my life been responsible for so many people.”

“But they still call you ‘Empress.’” I could hear the question in Ishanti’s voice.

“An empire of steel.” I chuckled, stroking General Tock as he skittered over to his customary place at my side. “Robots are easier. You can just put them back together if they break.”

The princess didn’t seem to know what to say to that.

In any case, the village was still small enough in absolute terms. It didn’t take long for the four long tables that made the rest of the hall to fill up with the men, women, and children under my care.

If there was one good thing about the feudal system, it was that no one else in the damn republic seemed to care that I’d sniped a village out from under their noses. Hell, I hadn’t even seen the taxman yet.

Once everyone was seated, I waved my hand to begin. Rel and Ishanti both made to stand, and I held back a wince. Both women—intentionally or not—seemed to be vying for the position of my herald. Today, it was Rel who won the impromptu stare-down. “The audience hall is now open,” she declared.

Fucking finally. At least I talked them down from me making a speech every single day. I liked to keep my dramatic flair in my back pocket for special occasions.

I picked up my fork and knife, cutting myself a bit of the smoked eel to my left. At that, everyone else began eating as well, a low murmur of casual conversation filling the room. Now, you’d think that since I held audiences every flipping day, I’d be able to eat in peace at least half of the time.

In reality, the first petitioner was lined up before I had finished chewing my first bite.

“Dulhan, boss,” Dum called from the floor. An older farmer came before the high table. Dee was happily munching away on my left, but the boys would switch off about halfway through.

“Dulhan.” I took a sip of the (boiled) water I had at my side. I’d need it. “What would you ask of me?”

“Your ladyship.” Dulhan sketched a messy bow, and for the nth time I had to refrain from telling him that I was not a lady.

Christ, but I’d had enough bowing and scraping for a lifetime.

“It’s about the big old fence you got put around the village.” He tugged on the sleeve of his jerkin. “I know it’s to keep those monsters out, but it makes a mess of getting to the fields in the morning, not leastwise if we need to bring the livestock in or out of that gate. I’m here on behalf of … a few others—and meself o’course—asking for the gate to be widened there summat to make it easier for us to get to our fields.”

I set down my fork, swallowing another morsel of fish. “There are already plans being drafted to push the walls out to enclose the nearest fields, and all of the barns.” I pretended not to notice that the room quieted down as I began to speak. At least this way I don’t have to bang a gong. “If you and any other farmers want to speed that process up, we always need more lumber, or more hands to finish the clear cutting.”

My kingdom for a bulldozer, and this was one place my demons couldn’t help, because I had yet to find one that could chop down trees instead of tearing them apart into unusable splinters.

The man tried to hide his wince. “That’ll be helpful … ladyship.”

I hummed, using the moment to cover for another bite of eel. “How bad is it in the mornings?”

He shrugged nervously. “Betimes it can take an extra bell to get to the fields, ladyship.”

I sighed. What, a whole extra hour then? “I’ll draft a work crew to knock out additional gates in the north and south walls. A bridge over the river will have to wait, but we’ll see what we can do in the meantime. Next!”

The man gave another bow, a happier one this time, as Rel quickly pulled out a map of the village.

I gave a light chuckle as I looked over the walls. Ineir sat only a short way from the sea to the west. The river ran along the village’s northwest flank, with a rough wooden palisade surrounding the rest. I’d had a lone gate put in the east wall, trying to split the difference between the northern and southern fields.

Well, nuts to that. I quickly marked two sections of the wall for work crews to look over and find the best spots for the extra gates.

As Dulhan walked back to his cheerfully waving table, I took a moment to scarf down some more food.

Dum announced the next petitioner all too soon. A severe-looking woman, Carnenn, stepped forward. I despaired at the queue already forming behind her as more and more people finished their meals.

“Your ladyship.” Carnenn folded her arms. “I have a problem with these schools of yours.”

Here we go. I set down my fork again. “Your concern is noted. School attendance is mandatory for children three days a week.”

“Three days!” the woman threw her hands up. “Do you know how hard it is running a home when your children are up and gone near half the week? It’s hard enough to get the crops and animals tended when—”

I cut her off with a slice of my hand. “Schooling is mandatory, and that is final.” Hell, I’d have classes more than every other day if there were enough teachers, but that was just one more thing on the pile. “In the meantime, we are doing all we can to balance out the distribution of labor around the village while the next generation learns the skills and the knowledge that will reshape the—”

“And that’s another thing!” the woman pointed a finger at me. “Forcing this wrongheaded ‘knowledge’ down our children’s throats! Why I—just the other day my own daughter called me a liar! I’m not sure what you’re teaching those kids, but it’s not the gods’ honest truth.” I held back a frown as I saw several other people at the tables nodding along. Oh, goodie, I’d knocked over a protectionist syndicate just in time to butt heads with the PTA.

I took a deep breath. Publicly destroying this woman would defeat the entire point of having these audiences in the first place. Not that I was against striking these meetings from my calendar, but Rel would be disappointed with me.

The things I did for people.

“If you have a problem with what the children are learning, you’re more than welcome to sit in on their lessons to see for yourself,” I said instead. “The freedom to learn is a fundamental right of all people.”

And one I wholeheartedly believed in, for once.

The woman glared at me. “Well, maybe I will! In fact—”

“Good.” I clapped my hands. “Next!”

She sputtered. “Now listen here, I wasn’t …”

… Able to stop Dum as he bodily removed you from the floor? No, I suppose you weren’t.

But the annoyance drained out of me as the next person shouldered past the petitioners to the front of the room. She was a short woman in armor, an axe hanging from her side.

I leaned back idly in my chair. “There’s a line for a reason, you know.”

The short woman gave a smarmy grin. “What, can’t make an exception for an old friend?”

I blinked. “I’m sorry, who are you again?”

She stopped, frowning. “Oi! I’m the one who helped take you down?”

I tilted my head, before glancing out around my throne room with tables full of food and the overturning edifice of gears behind me. “Are you sure about that?”

She glared, crossing her arms. “Not my fault you escaped.”

I waved a hand, and a few of my higher-level enforcers rose to their feet, weapons in hand. “Maybe I should make sure you don’t escape, then?”

“Woah, woah, woah! Let’s not be so hasty here!” The woman waved a hand back and forth in front of her. Of course, that didn’t hide her other hand as it went to the weapon at her waist. “Come on, I’m practically here to help you! I mean, you can’t really think you’re gonna get away with kidnapping a princess!”

A low murmur swept through the room at that, more than a few gazes turning towards Ishanti as she shrunk back into her seat.

I mean, not that her identity was a secret we could keep. The royal family was pretty eye-catching, with their silver hair and golden eyes.

“Kidnapped?” I raised an eyebrow. “Do you see any chains? She’s as free to leave as anyone else here.”

“Oh, that’s a—”

“Meanwhile, I do see some metal on you.” I leaned forward. “That axe. You were one of the bandits who raided Ineir less than a week ago. You almost burned down half a dozen fields.” I smirked as the focus of the room shifted. “Or was that also just something you were doing to … help?”

“She’s done it before, too,” Electra chimed in. “Last time she and her party were here, they threatened to ransack the inn and who knows what else.”

The blonde adventurer scowled, but she knew when she was beat. “Fine. I was just gonna offer you an easy way to get rid of the girl, but we can do things the hard way.”

“Now who’s trying to kidnap a princess …” I smirked. “Why don’t you run along now, tell whomever is holding your leash to back. The fuck. Off.” I would have preferred to keep her as a prisoner, but we didn’t have the capabilities to imprison someone with a combat class. “Or don’t, because making an enemy of me worked out so well for you the last time.”

Her scowl deepened, before she turned and exited the room, sending the doors slamming shut behind her. I sent Dee with a few others to make sure she didn’t get lost on her way out of the village.

After the conversation in the hall started up again, Electra leaned over. “Did you really recognize her axe?” she whispered.

I blinked. “What? Of course not, idiot.”

CHAPTER 5

Hope for the Best

We need to get hustling,” Electra said.

“No shit.” I rolled my eyes, pacing back and forth in front of my desk.

“Geez, no more fish for Empress.” Electra folded her hands behind her head. She was leaning against the wall. “Guess it didn’t sit right with your delicate constitution.”

“You’re a delicate constitution.”

She rolled her eyes. I continued pacing.

Rel stood next to my desk, silent, but ever ready to offer her support. I appreciated it, I really did, but unfortunately, she was only one person, and we were dealing with something a lot bigger than that.

Ishanti was here as well, lingering by the door. I thought it only fair, all things considered.