What am I doing. Good question.

A little bit of the Raven Queen

Today in the blog a little something I am working on to insert in book one of the Raven Queen. The more I worked on Zirana in book two I felt the need to really flesh her out further in book one. Funny how a side character can in time become a very important one.

Now note there has been no edit on this, simply raw from my mind and will take some background to understand, I guess. Being out of context from early parts of the book you would need to read to understand the deeper stuff going on.
Suffice to say she is pondering recent developments in the great game and where she stands with her temporary alliance with the man, she had used to remove the emperor and depose her husband. Against this she is thinking of an agent she has close to her true opponent, and how he came to be and his chances of survival. There are other things going on but wait until I post the whole book for you in a month or so for a beta read

Current word count for the Raven Queen is 220,000 words yes, it is a monster.

Tapping the little bundle of messages with a slender finger, Zirana stood by the brazier in her private pavilion, eyes focused on but not really seeing the low burning coals. The sharp tang of trampled grass in the confined space was not unpleasant. But the noise of the encamped army around her had become irritating. However, she kept this space so she could think and keep Helcis at arm’s length. As for the noise? She had mental skills to take care of that. Helcis, on the other hand, required careful management, beyond a simple calming technique. He was useful, but he honestly disgusted her. I have my distractions pretend or otherwise, Helcis. But you? You are truly depraved. Yet the pleasures of the bed were a skill for control in their own right, regardless of her repulsion. We use what we have in the game, Ziri. There is no mercy for the loser. Her mother’s words curled her lip in disgust. The woman had been middling to good at best. But her words were correct. To fall was to fall forever. Or so she had been taught. Scanning the little strips of parchment, Zirana dropped each after the other into the coals, little wisps of smoke and surge of heat signalling their demise. Once the last slip had curled into flames adding the smell of smoke to the tang of grass, she smoothed her deep green dress and turned her back on the iron tripod. The man forgets himself. The only safety in the game is winning, Rolan. And you are too arrogant to understand how disposable you really are to me. Power is the only reality and the only way to obtain it is to take it away from somebody else. Still, you have served me well. Snorting in disgust, Zirana returned to her reading chair, taking a chilled cup of sweet wine as she passed a small table. Quietly sipping the amber liquid, Zirana put her mind into that meditative state she learned as a child. The simplest of skills and the first that any adept of the great game learned. Yet If she tried, she could almost hear the thoughts of others around her, and certainly their emotions. That had been a useful little talent Zirana had discovered as a young girl surviving the cesspit of courtly life. An edge that had served her well and saved her life more than once. Pushing the low buzz of other minds around her away, she focused on the pieces in play. Helcis, guided by her careful hand, had completed his moves, yet the man still refused to crown her queen of Shăr. Oh, he had his excuses, and some were even valid on the surface. But none stood the scrutiny of her tuned mind. He was stalling for time; it was painfully obvious. Zirana had little need to even contemplate the why. He would try to brush her aside when the time came. Inconsistent man. You are yet another too arrogant to understand your value in my play. There is always a price Helcis and your debts are coming due. Still, he was following her directive and moving on Ema’s power base swiftly. Yet still, she would have her price for removing her husband from the play. Zirana snorted a laugh at the man’s fall. And Helcis thinks you are dead? Bah, Ouen, you are too useful to put out of play permanently. Still, the man had actually cared for her safety. It was touching, but mind numbingly stupid. Sentimental fool! Sentiment breeds weakness. Let it get a hold of you once you are dead. Gods, Ouen, you sat at a great height and for all your wealth and power; you played the game like a spoiled child. Zirana made a disgusted sound at the memory of her former husband. The only worthwhile act you ever did for me, uncle was that marriage, as pitiful as it was. Still, it had been a scandal of sorts, considering Ouen was a close second cousin. But the emperor had arranged it to keep the house of Mengia close, and the bloodline preserved. Helcis, however, was a third cousin and while less of scandal in that respect, still problematic in the eyes of the court nobles. Bah, feckless lot, all too focused on the throne to see the bigger picture. Yet Helcis would need to be disposed of, and soon after, Oshelila fell. The man was simply too dangerous to hold on to for long. It was a waste, but all pieces had only so much value. Helcis was useful in his arrogance and utter lack of empathy. Yet the man’s mind was also sharp. And that reduces your value in the long game to me, Helcis. I tire of playing against you and our shared enemies at once. Zirana frowned once again at the thought of the man. His disposal after the coming conflict was not in question. The issue was when and how, despite his attention and kindness toward her. That was all merely a mask. She was as much a tool for him as he was for her. The issue in her mind was when would he betray her. To hold off removing him too long? Disaster. And to remove him too soon? Would render much the same result. Timing was everything. Careful Ziri, he is near as dangerous as Ema, and much more direct is disposing of used pieces than even you. How long until I am of no use to him? Your only value to the man is your skill and name, nothing more. With a snort and crooked grin, Zirana rolled her eyes at herself. Princess Zirana ab’Vander d’Mengian, last daughter of the house of Mengia. She snorted in disgust at the name. I have more right to the throne of Shăr than you do Helcis. But that is a blade with two sides, now is it not? One gives you legitimacy and the other? Well, made her as much a danger to him as he was to her. Yet the name and wealth that came with it had its uses. He would not be over quick to end that. But it also attracted the ambitious and the unwary. And you Rolan? Well, you are a little of both. The man was so eager for power and wealth, it almost made Zirana spit her wine, laughing. Yet another court fop digging for advancement. But, in your case, Rolan, you are nothing more than a pretender. Zirana had dug the man’s past when he first cozied on up to her at court. Rolan was either a blind fool or outrageously brave, considering how flimsy his claims were. An inn keeper’s son from Alvio, that is all you really were, Rolan. And a patricidal one at that. Your life is a fabrication, flimsy at best and laughable at worst. So I made you a lord, but I can unmake you should I choose it. Still, you are cunning enough to have worked your way into Thea’s court and the intimacy of her elder son. The man had turned out to be worth her investment in recent months, providing a steady stream of information out of Oshelila. However, Zirana was under no illusions of how long that would last, considering the tenacity of Ema’s secret police. My web is not as big as yours, Ema. But not all spiders need a web, now do they? A little smile lit her face at the thought. She was the spider, a nickname that had stuck in the past three years as her power grew. At sixteen I was dangerous, at nineteen Ema, am I not every bit your match? The smile became a little chuckle thinking of Rolan deep in Ema’s web. The man had never asked what happened to her informants in the long game. Well, master Rolan, what is it that happens to a fly in a web? Swatting away the errant thoughts, Zirana focused on the information at hand. Ema had countered her latest play, but that was inconsequential, and little more than a request from Helcis. Still, Ovet was now removed from the game. Pathetic house that it was, their position near Mengia was useful and a wasteful loss. Still, Helcis’s former slave would need to be dealt with. Yet another loose end the man had created she had to clean up. Rolan, to his credit, had tried to get a message to her that Ema had taken the field to retrieve her son and Marian’s daughter. On the surface, the debacle at Witford would seem a failure to the unskilled. And in that, they would show their lack of understanding. Oh no, this has shown me many things, Ema. It all but confirms Mathias is many months away. Your son will need to lead the armies of Oshelila in the field, and he is untested. Zirana narrowed her eyes at the thought of the man. Until recently, all reports on Varas spoke of him being a shallow, lazy and an incurable womanizer. Something had changed, and rapidly at that. The man was simply not the same as the one she had counted on. An important piece she would need deeper information on, and quickly. For what she had was no longer of use. That was obvious. And that is where you become useful once again, Rolan. Your proximity to Tobias makes you the perfect tool for now. The young knight had commanded Ema’s horse in the field at Witford. But if we could turn him? That would be a boon to me indeed. Few know of your proclivities, Tobias, and that is such a useful weakness. And if not you? Then your little wife? She is alone and estranged at court. Zirana frowned at the thought of the young woman Rolan manipulated Tobias into marrying. Oh, it was a good idea. Simple cover for the young lord, but the ease at which the houses agreed made little sense. Thea should never have agreed, considering Isa’s inferior status. Ema has taken a great interest in you, and that, of course, begs the question as to why? What interest would the ruler of the strongest house in the east have in a child of such a minor house? No, something is amiss here. The thought bothered her, tickled at her sense of caution, and piqued her interest in the young woman. Just who are you? It was yet another task for Rolan. Isa was an unknown in this game, but as much as Zirana disliked the situation, the woman was a distraction. We have more pressing matters and a task to finish for Helcis. The girl can wait until after you have cleaned up Helcis’s mess, Rolan. But still? If this Isa could be used to get deeper into Ema’s circle? With a narrow-eyed grin, Zirana stood, placing her empty wine cup on the table and moved to her small writing desk. Taking small strips of parchment, she prepared a message for Rolan and one for her other contact, keeping an eye on the man.