“My empress,” he said, bowing low to her, not out of duty to crown, but out of reverence for the woman herself.
Anhalt observed the doomed pair. It had been months since they had last seen each other, and now they were held apart by the very power that had saved their lives. She could easily hurt Greyfriar, even kill him as she had the vampires swarming around her ship. Every time she practiced geomancy, she put him in danger. With time, so long as she didn't use her geomancy, she would revert back to normal. Until then, they could only stare at each other across a distance of a few feet.
“I'm so glad to see you,” Adele said. “How are you?”
“I am quite well. And you are very lucky.”
“Really, I won't be scolded by both of you. This was the only way. Admiral Moffet has been trying for three weeks to break through the Gap with little result other than mounting casualties and three lost frigates. We feared for you.”
Anhalt waved them to follow him out of the icy wind and away from the ears of the men. “Your Majesty, shall we step out of the bitter cold into the merely frigid?”
Instructing Hariri to begin unloading Edinburgh, Adele accompanied Anhalt and the trailing Greyfriar into the tunnels. The Harmattan fell into step around them. They made for the deepest section, heavily fortified for the command staff. Once inside the rude dirt-walled situation room, with Shirazi and the Harmattan guarding the closed doors, their council resumed.
“What of Rotherford at St. Etienne?” Anhalt asked.
Adele responded, “He succeeded in taking the town, but since then he has been hard-pressed by sizable packs. Communication is sparse. Little word comes or goes from his command now.”
Greyfriar asked from the farthest corner of the room, “What packs are attacking him? St. Etienne was a small clan. They shouldn't be able to match a force the size of Rotherford's.”
“We don't know,” the empress said, rubbing her gloved hands together to fight the chill.
“I don't understand,” the swordsman muttered. “Something is wrong. Something is happening I don't know about.”
General Anhalt furiously stoked a coal stove into a faint orange warmth. “Nevertheless. We will withdraw from Grenoble to reinforce St. Etienne. Now that the way south is clear.” He offered a nod of gratitude to Adele.
She hesitated a moment and then smiled. “I have a better option.”
Anhalt's lips pursed, knowing that he wasn't going to like this alternative. Neither would Greyfriar, judging by the way he crossed his arms, and by his next response.
“No,” he said.
Adele threw up her hands. “You haven't even heard my plan.”
“I know it involves you doing something dangerous, otherwise you would not be here. I cannot believe that your government allowed you to come on this errand.”
“Well, Commons was told I was going to Damascus to tour a factory. What they don't know won't hurt them.”
Anhalt asked, “You are planning something dangerous, aren't you?”
“No, of course not. But I was thinking I would enter Grenoble and destroy the clan there.”
Anhalt and Greyfriar both exploded.
“Absolutely not!” the latter shouted.
“You are no longer a defiant princess!” Anhalt roared. “You are the empress! The sovereign of Equatoria. You cannot be seriously considering—”
“I am deadly serious.” Adele's brown eyes darkened like a desert storm. “My foolishness with Senator Clark delayed us for so long. Our army is bogged down because of me! I will do everything that is within my power to lead a victorious campaign without the further waste of lives!”
Greyfriar stepped forward and grabbed her arm. Smoke rose from his gloved hand, but he did not relinquish his grip even when Adele attempted to pull away. “This was not your fault! Winter was always going to be a factor.”
She retorted, “We had a better chance taking this city in the heat of the summer! Do you deny that?”
“No, but even so, no monarch fights on the front lines.”
“My father did!” Adele pulled her arm from Greyfriar's smoldering hand. Her expression softened at the pain she caused.
“See reason, Your Majesty,” Anhalt interjected. “There is no rationale for placing yourself at risk.”
“There is every rationale,” Adele said. “I'm here and we must take Grenoble. It has the greatest clan in southern France, save Lyon. We dare not bypass it.”
Anhalt saw so much of the late emperor Constantine in Adele, in her words and her stance. She was as bold and uncompromising as he on matters close to her heart. If Adele thought she could prevent more bloodshed, she would not hesitate to sacrifice herself.