Sometimes it felt as though the gods had cursed Tamar’s tenure as overloridian. Things had been going wonderfully for a time. She had told off that asshole Kole Rhoden, made a new and powerful alliance with Solas, and formed a genuine friendship with Amerie. For once, Tamar could have actually said she was happy.
But now Amerie, the only real friend she had, was gone. Dead. And the new Solas overloridian was allying himself with Kole. Tamar knew this because she woke up one morning to find that Dian’s power had been cut off completely. The new Solas overloridian, Reid Lessing, had shut down the powerplant and sent Tamar a letter gloating about it. The little shit…
And it got worse. There was only one other eilemaiden that could offer a new power source to Dian, and that was Earalas with its coal mines. Tamar had no choice but to go to Hadley fucking Sterling for help. Swallowing needles would be a more pleasant experience.
But she had no choice. The Dian clio needed her to do this. For Dian, she kept telling herself over and over as she made the long trip from Dian to Earalas. For the Dian clio.
She made her way up to the entrance of the Earalas estate and knocked. A man who was presumably a member of the household staff answered the door. “Ah...Overloridian Batel?” he asked, surprised. Tamar hadn’t sent any word she was coming. There hadn’t been any time.
“I need to speak to your overloridian,” she said shortly, striding in without invitation. “Where can I find him?”
The man looked back and forth between her and the door uncertainly. “I don’t think he’s expecting you,” he said slowly.
Ugh. Wasting time. “Where can I find him?” she repeated impatiently.
“Tamar?”
She looked over. Hadley had appeared from another room, with a look of slight uncertainty on his face. Oh, right. He couldn’t see her. “Hadley,” she greeted unemotionally.
The uncertainty vanished. “I thought that was your lovely voice I heard,” he said. “But it’s been so long I wasn’t sure. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Tamar had no patience for Hadley’s false (i.e. sarcastic) courtesy. “We’ll talk in your office,” she said.
“Oh, we will?” Hadley asked with a small smile. “Fine. But only because you asked so nicely.”
Unamused, Tamar followed Hadley down a hallway to his office. He made his way over to his desk and sat, while Tamar remained standing. For Dian… “Hadley, I need…” She hated this moment with every fiber of her being. “...your help.” The words tasted disgusting in her mouth.
Hadley lifted his head slightly and turned around to almost face her. “Say that again?” he said, holding up a hand to his ear and grinning.
It wasn’t often that Tamar wanted to hit a blind man. “You heard me,” she snapped. “Listen, the new Solas overloridian cut off Dian’s electricity. I need your coal to power the city until I can deal with him. The entire city is blacked out.”
“Wow, blacked out? Can’t imagine how terrible that must be,” Hadley said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. Tamar scowled. “Why’d he cut off Dian’s electricity?”
“Because he’s allies with Kole, and Kole wants to get back at me,” Tamar huffed. She knew Kole was a lowlife piece of shit, but she couldn’t believe him and this new guy would willingly make the innocent clio of Dian suffer because of a grudge against her. Thankfully there were at least enough Solas citizens living in Dian to help power the hospitals in the meantime.
The smile slid off of Hadley’s face. “He’s allies with Kole?”
“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Tamar said. She was losing what little patience she had. “If you want gold, it’s yours. Or any precious metal. I need that coal, now.”
“I don’t need any of that,” Hadley said slowly, thoughtfully. Tamar watched his face, wondering what was going through his head. Was he going to refuse? She knew Hadley was an asshole, but she didn’t think he was as bad as Kole… “Okay.”
Tamar blinked. “Okay? Okay what?”
“My coal mines are yours,” Hadley said. “On one condition.”
Oh gods. What could he possibly want, if not Dian’s precious metals? “Yes?”
“A formal alliance,” he said. “Earalas and Dian. Me and you. A glorious new partnership.”
Tamar stared at him. “Why would you possibly want that?” she asked warily. “You and I don’t see eye to eye on anything.”
“Poor choice of words, Tamar,” Hadley said, the annoying little smile back on his face. “But in light of our new alliance I’m willing to forgive.”
“I have not agreed to anything,” Tamar said firmly. “What purpose would an alliance between Earalas and Dian serve?”
“I’unno,” Hadley shrugged. “But if Kole has allies now, then I want allies too. I don’t trust him.”
“Is there an idiot anywhere in Amelia who trusts Kole?” Tamar asked.
“There is in Solas, apparently,” Hadley replied. “I just...want to be prepared. Just in case.”
In case of what? Tamar almost asked, but the more she thought about it, the more she understood where Hadley was coming from. Kole was a psychopath, everyone knew that, but up until now he mostly kept to himself in Deilig. Why was he forming alliances all of the sudden? Was he planning something?
She looked at Hadley. He stared straight past her, waiting for an answer. Was this really the man she wanted to ally with against Kole? Hadley Sterling? How had it come to this?
She saw no other choice. She needed the coal, and best case scenario, nothing would have to come out of this alliance with Earalas. “Fine. Okay. I’ll write up a formal alliance between our eilemaidens,” she said, wanting to get this the hell over with. “You have that coal sent to me today.”
“On it,” Hadley replied, getting to his feet. He held his hand out for her to shake, a big fake smile plastered on his extremely punchable face. “Looking forward to working with you, Tamar.”
Ugh. “I’ll be in touch,” she said stiffly, ignoring his hand and turning to leave.
What the hell did she just get herself into?
But now Amerie, the only real friend she had, was gone. Dead. And the new Solas overloridian was allying himself with Kole. Tamar knew this because she woke up one morning to find that Dian’s power had been cut off completely. The new Solas overloridian, Reid Lessing, had shut down the powerplant and sent Tamar a letter gloating about it. The little shit…
And it got worse. There was only one other eilemaiden that could offer a new power source to Dian, and that was Earalas with its coal mines. Tamar had no choice but to go to Hadley fucking Sterling for help. Swallowing needles would be a more pleasant experience.
But she had no choice. The Dian clio needed her to do this. For Dian, she kept telling herself over and over as she made the long trip from Dian to Earalas. For the Dian clio.
She made her way up to the entrance of the Earalas estate and knocked. A man who was presumably a member of the household staff answered the door. “Ah...Overloridian Batel?” he asked, surprised. Tamar hadn’t sent any word she was coming. There hadn’t been any time.
“I need to speak to your overloridian,” she said shortly, striding in without invitation. “Where can I find him?”
The man looked back and forth between her and the door uncertainly. “I don’t think he’s expecting you,” he said slowly.
Ugh. Wasting time. “Where can I find him?” she repeated impatiently.
“Tamar?”
She looked over. Hadley had appeared from another room, with a look of slight uncertainty on his face. Oh, right. He couldn’t see her. “Hadley,” she greeted unemotionally.
The uncertainty vanished. “I thought that was your lovely voice I heard,” he said. “But it’s been so long I wasn’t sure. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Tamar had no patience for Hadley’s false (i.e. sarcastic) courtesy. “We’ll talk in your office,” she said.
“Oh, we will?” Hadley asked with a small smile. “Fine. But only because you asked so nicely.”
Unamused, Tamar followed Hadley down a hallway to his office. He made his way over to his desk and sat, while Tamar remained standing. For Dian… “Hadley, I need…” She hated this moment with every fiber of her being. “...your help.” The words tasted disgusting in her mouth.
Hadley lifted his head slightly and turned around to almost face her. “Say that again?” he said, holding up a hand to his ear and grinning.
It wasn’t often that Tamar wanted to hit a blind man. “You heard me,” she snapped. “Listen, the new Solas overloridian cut off Dian’s electricity. I need your coal to power the city until I can deal with him. The entire city is blacked out.”
“Wow, blacked out? Can’t imagine how terrible that must be,” Hadley said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. Tamar scowled. “Why’d he cut off Dian’s electricity?”
“Because he’s allies with Kole, and Kole wants to get back at me,” Tamar huffed. She knew Kole was a lowlife piece of shit, but she couldn’t believe him and this new guy would willingly make the innocent clio of Dian suffer because of a grudge against her. Thankfully there were at least enough Solas citizens living in Dian to help power the hospitals in the meantime.
The smile slid off of Hadley’s face. “He’s allies with Kole?”
“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Tamar said. She was losing what little patience she had. “If you want gold, it’s yours. Or any precious metal. I need that coal, now.”
“I don’t need any of that,” Hadley said slowly, thoughtfully. Tamar watched his face, wondering what was going through his head. Was he going to refuse? She knew Hadley was an asshole, but she didn’t think he was as bad as Kole… “Okay.”
Tamar blinked. “Okay? Okay what?”
“My coal mines are yours,” Hadley said. “On one condition.”
Oh gods. What could he possibly want, if not Dian’s precious metals? “Yes?”
“A formal alliance,” he said. “Earalas and Dian. Me and you. A glorious new partnership.”
Tamar stared at him. “Why would you possibly want that?” she asked warily. “You and I don’t see eye to eye on anything.”
“Poor choice of words, Tamar,” Hadley said, the annoying little smile back on his face. “But in light of our new alliance I’m willing to forgive.”
“I have not agreed to anything,” Tamar said firmly. “What purpose would an alliance between Earalas and Dian serve?”
“I’unno,” Hadley shrugged. “But if Kole has allies now, then I want allies too. I don’t trust him.”
“Is there an idiot anywhere in Amelia who trusts Kole?” Tamar asked.
“There is in Solas, apparently,” Hadley replied. “I just...want to be prepared. Just in case.”
In case of what? Tamar almost asked, but the more she thought about it, the more she understood where Hadley was coming from. Kole was a psychopath, everyone knew that, but up until now he mostly kept to himself in Deilig. Why was he forming alliances all of the sudden? Was he planning something?
She looked at Hadley. He stared straight past her, waiting for an answer. Was this really the man she wanted to ally with against Kole? Hadley Sterling? How had it come to this?
She saw no other choice. She needed the coal, and best case scenario, nothing would have to come out of this alliance with Earalas. “Fine. Okay. I’ll write up a formal alliance between our eilemaidens,” she said, wanting to get this the hell over with. “You have that coal sent to me today.”
“On it,” Hadley replied, getting to his feet. He held his hand out for her to shake, a big fake smile plastered on his extremely punchable face. “Looking forward to working with you, Tamar.”
Ugh. “I’ll be in touch,” she said stiffly, ignoring his hand and turning to leave.
What the hell did she just get herself into?
