Conviction, page 1
Eternal Dominion Book 24
Conviction
Bern Dean
Bern's Books LLC
Copyright © 2023 Bern's Books LLC
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Morning March 19, 2269 & ED Year 9 Day 7.
Evening March 19 to Evening April 1, 2269 & ED Year 9 Days 8-48.
Morning April 2 to Evening April 5, 2269 & ED Year 9 Days 49-60.
Morning April 6 to Evening April 20, 2269 & ED Year 9 Days 61-105.
Morning April 21 to Evening May 11, 2269 & ED Year 9 Days 106-168.
Morning May12 & ED Year 9 Day 169.
Evening May 12 to Evening May 21, 2269 & ED Year 9 Days 170-198.
Morning May 22 to Evening May 29, 2269 & ED Year 9 Days 199-222.
Morning May 30 to Evening June 24, 2269 & ED Year 9 Days 223-300.
Morning June 25 to Evening July 1, 2269 & ED Year 9 Days 301-321.
Thanks!
Afterword.
Morning March 19, 2269 & ED Year 9 Day 7.
Alex found himself simply staring into space as he thought about everything that he had just done and would need to do in Eternal Dominion moving forward. Somehow the feeling of conquering Paidhia felt hollow, compared to the danger that the demonic weapons could cause moving forward. They, like so many other things, were popping up earlier than they should have and he couldn’t help thinking that his actions had pushed others to such drastic measures. Worse yet, Alex knew that his next actions would need to send a clear message to all, that the use of such weapons would not be tolerated. It wasn’t until Sam spoke that Alex even registered that his wives were waiting for him.
“Earth to Mr. Broody, you promised to take a longer break today and actually join us at swing dance and I for one want my turn with you! You can worry about how to deal with the mess in ED after you take a moment to reset.”
“Sorry, just a lot to think about still and I just feel like my thoughts here are clearer,” commented Alex as he stood up.
“There are just fewer distractions,” commented Kate. “Or in your case, wives. Not that the five of us aren’t already more than you can handle.”
“Give Alex a break, that fight was super sucky,” interjected Ava.
“Yeah, I am sure that he is just thinking about how he needs a distraction,” added Mia with a giggle that Ava joined in on.
“You two never change,” replied Nicole with a smile. “Though I can’t say I don’t agree with you on some level. Still, it is time for dancing for everyone but Kate.”
“Then how about you all head down to the gym and I will give Kate five minutes with me before I show up,” suggested Alex, and after a few looks the other four agreed and Alex found himself alone with Kate as she spoke before he could.
“So, what has you so bothered that you feel like you need to talk it out with your wife who is around 30 weeks pregnant and will be stepping back from much of the day to day soon?”
“I am going to need to execute at least a quarter of Paidhia’s royal court, if not all of it when we return to ED.”
“No, Victor is going to need to take care of that. You just need to let him handle it and focus on getting ready to conquer Habia so you can put these wars behind us.”
“You know it won’t be that clean.”
“Alex, you need to tell Victor that he is King and it falls to him to decide just how to handle this mess, while not ignoring the negotiations that you did. If he wishes to complain, tell him to appoint a new military commander and you will happily hunt dark elves with your wives below the surface.”
“You make it sound so simple and part of me just wants to leave Habia to another to deal with, as it should be a foregone conclusion now that we can exercise complete air superiority.”
“Sadly, I don’t think that it will be that simple,” replied Kate with a frown. “They are backed too far into a corner right now and you may wish to negotiate a bit with them to make them feel like they have a chance to survive, before they do anything truly stupid.”
“That’s if they haven’t already.”
“They may have a plan to do so, but they would likely wait to see what moves Nium makes now that Paidhia has been conquered, before moving forward with them. After all, controlling so much conquered territory isn’t a simple matter, even after the efforts you took to mitigate the resentment the masses would feel towards Nium. You may even find that your actions make bringing them under control harder than it would have been if they were starving.”
“You’re saying that I missed the chance to ride in with food and be seen as a savior rather than conqueror to them.”
“Among other things, but just let Victor and his army worry about that as that is a task for them and the new rulers of the lands. I know that you want to put the world on your shoulders right now, but you need to be doing the exact opposite as you get ready to close out this war. Once it is over, you still plan to declare that while you will guard Nium from any further threats, you have no interest in ruling anything beyond your lands, right?”
“Yes, but I still worry about corrupt and power-hungry nobles like the Mercer family.”
“And you will deal with such issues as they come and prove to require your involvement. Beyond that as long as FAE is fine, you should finally be allowed to enjoy your partial retirement, at least after you reach tier-8.”
Alex just smiled as he gave Kate a quick kiss before responding.
“Is that how you see our life after reaching tier-8, just sitting back and playing with our kids and spending all of our time relaxing in the remote areas of ED? For some reason I can’t see you enjoying that life very much.”
“Ha, you know that I will be directing things from the shadows and be the first one to know if something needs your attention.”
“Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?”
“I don’t have what is approaching two dozen possible women to keep happy.”
“It is not even close to two dozen yet!”
“Sure, and tell me that it won’t be one day and then add on all of the kids and sorry, but you are going to just have to accept that in a few years your priorities will be wives, kids and then everything else. That isn’t to say that you won’t be able to slip away for a week here or there for a quest, or that when something big comes along you won’t be able to step in to take care of it, but those will be the exceptions.”
“You sure I can’t convince you to just have the one and help me convince the rest to do the same?”
“Positive, now your time is up and if all four of them don’t get at least two dances in with you before the morning is over, I will throw a ball in ED and make you dance with all your wives and hopeful wives all night long.”
With that Alex just smiled as he made his way to the elevator with Kate. He got off on the ground floor and she continued to the basement where the nursery was. Following the split, Alex found himself dancing the morning away before grabbing a quick bite to eat and spending an extra hour with his kids and wives. As he did so, he found himself asking if he could really spend his time doing things like this more often than not and wondering what the possibilities would be. He thought about all the times his own father had been absent in his life due to work and knew that he would have liked to have him around more often. At the same time, Alex felt as if seeing his dad get up and head to work before the sun was even in the sky and come home just in time for dinner, had shaped his own ability to push himself. The thought of having no struggle to focus on was something alien after all the time he spent fighting Abysses End in his last life and worried that he didn’t know how to exist without it. Still, a simple caress from any one of his five wives, or a smile from his six kids, brought him more joy than he could remember having in his last life.
When Xeal returned to ED, he was happy to see that things hadn’t waited on him to proceed, as all of the high-priority prisoners had already been transferred to Nium. He was also informed that King Victor was awaiting him as he wished to discuss things moving forward and Xeal just sighed as he decided not to avoid the inevitable and he made his way back to Nium’s capital. As he did so, Xeal thought over just what to say to King Victor and what he wanted moving forward, though for all his thoughts it seemed King Victor had his own. Xeal had expected them to be meeting in the normal office or the war room. Instead, he found himself kneeling in front of the throne as King Victor sat upon it and the nobles filled the audience chamber. After giving Xeal a victorious look, King Victor stood and started to speak to those gathered.
“Today we are gathered here to celebrate something that few of us thought possible a decade ago, yet it has happened and it is thanks in large part to the man before me now. I am sure that you all know Duke Bluefire and are well aware of his efforts in bringing Nium greatness with every one of his actions. Even when those actions are done in the service of other rulers around the world, as in doing so, he forges alliances that seem impossible at times. Still, the capture of Paidhia and almost the entire Tannenbay family stands at the top of all that h
“First, his house, through the line he creates with my sister Enye, will be the first hereditary dukedom in our nation’s history and will serve as the final line of defense of the royal family. Second, another of the lines created with one of his brides yet to be determined, will found a marquess house as they oversee the region that was once the capital of Paidhia.”
Xeal wanted to groan as he didn’t mind Xander becoming a duke one day and having his house become much the same as the Bexley house, only with them being adventurers over guards. Still, declaring that his children would rule Paidhia’s old capital and leaving the mother of the child who would rule as an unknown, was essentially painting a target on his back for more noble women to make an attempt to become his bride. Though Xeal expected that Victor had a particular plan in mind with this move and when the full details of Lorena’s actions in the battle were spread, so would most of the nobles. Even so, Xeal wasn’t about to just accept things as they were when King Victor turned to him and continued to speak.
“Now, Duke Bluefire, brother, is there anything that you wish to say before we finalize this with a bit of ceremony?”
“My King, you honor me, but I feel as if it is too much for me to accept, as the lands I have are already more than enough and I fear the issues that will occur before any child of mine would be ready to rule.”
“I see. Not to worry, I have it on good authority that things will be fine if you allow a steward to rule, even if they are one of your wives. Though perhaps Lady Lorena should be given a chance to do so, as I believe she has proven that she is at the very least worthy of that through her actions.”
“My King, I worry just what messages such actions may cause others to think.”
“Worry not, I will make things very clear for you and all others present. Lady Lorena Tannenbay is not to be considered to have been tainted by her family’s actions. Furthermore, no noble lady of Nium is to seek to court Duke Bluefire in hopes of becoming the one to birth the line that will become a marquess house. Only those who I know are currently courting him will be considered in such a decision and I will discuss it with him shortly. Now Duke Bluefire, has this alleviated most of your concerns?”
“It seems that you have thought of everything, my King.”
“Good. Now let’s get the ceremonies needed out of the way so we can discuss things in more detail.”
30 minutes later Xeal finally found himself where he had expected to be from the start, as he entered King Victor’s private study. As King Victor sat, he still had a look like he had gotten one over on Xeal as he waited for Xeal’s true thoughts to be shared and Xeal wasn’t about to hold back as he started to speak in a warning tone.
“Victor, I wish you would at least discuss things with me, or even Enye before you thrust responsibilities like that on to me.”
“Would you have accepted them?”
“Not likely, especially as you all but declared that I was going to marry Lorena and her son would become a marquess.”
“I said no such thing. I just made it clear that if you wished to do so, that she wouldn’t be stained by the recent development regarding demonic weapons. Even if I hope that you will take her as a bride, I know better than to force such an arrangement upon you at this point.”
“Afraid that I will take up residence in Muthia?”
“Or any other country that would love to gain your power as their own-”
“Victor, I want to step away from all of the power struggles after the continent is unified and I suspect that you might be planning on thrusting Habia’s capital on me as well if things line up.”
“That is right, I intend for Bianca to be the steward there if possible, and I won’t lie and say that you giving both Lorena and Bianca sons isn’t my ideal result. However, I am fine with Xin or any son that you have in the future taking over both. As for you stepping away from the power struggle that comes with your rank, I am sorry, but that is not going to happen.”
“Victor, my house may not be able to avoid the power struggle, but I will only step in when Kate deems it necessary, and you can go ahead and assume that I will have little to do with any territory you bestow upon me. This isn’t just me saying this. Kate has already made it clear to me that it is my only option if I wish to enjoy my future.”
“Xeal, you need to remind your wives just who-”
“Victor, choose your next words carefully. Between you and any of them, they will win every time. Honestly, in a way you only have yourself to blame, for allowing Enye to latch onto the hope that marrying gave her and not cutting it off as a joke like you had originally intended.”
“Even if it had been a joke when I said it, I doubt it would have been long before I was all but forced to arrange things with your actions since I met you. Still, you’re a duke in my service and I expect that you will serve me willingly and be grateful that I give you as much leave as I do considering your value.”
“Once again, you know that were you to try to truly control me, I would abandon my title and simply shift to operating out of Anelqua or Cielo city. There are those in your court who likely already believe that I am the one who rules and you are just doing as I instruct you. Heck, I am sure that they will even see my attempt to refuse your rewards earlier as a ploy to make it seem that you are still in control.”
“Let them think what they will and let us move to the matter that actually matters, now that Paidhia is no more. Namely what are we to do with the nobles of Paidhia and how best to conquer Habia.”
“Don’t break my word to the nobles of Paidhia and I will have no complaints in the fates of Paidhia’s nobles, so long as it is clear that the use of demonic weapons will not end well. As for Habia, I think I will offer them the chance to simply surrender, or if they refuse that, I think it is best if they not feel like they are backed into a corner from the start of our active invasion.”
“You fear something worse than the demonic weapons. You don’t think they would be foolish enough to actively seek to open a portal for demons to use, do you?”
“I believe the one we dealt with in Paidhia was unintended, at least by Paidhia. I will also have a specialist ready to react should a portal be opened and we have a chance to close it before it becomes a real issue. The real issue is that if the Uladzimirs are in contact with demons, they may not be obvious at first, as I know for a fact that not all demons are ruled by only their instincts. Many can think, plan and act with restraint until they have established themselves and feel secure before showing their true colors.”
“How do we know that it wasn’t through Habia that the weapons which were used in Paidhia came to be? I for one could see using the desperation of one enemy to strike a blow against another enemy in hopes of dooming both.”
“While it is clear that those of my kind who were aiding both sides were in contact, to assume anything more than that is dangerous. As is ignoring any possibility and I would say that it is likely that it is my kind behind all of this, and that is why I wish to sit with King Ulfert Uladzimir and limit the scope of warfare.”
“Why do that when we could end this war in a week simply by using air superiority and be done with it if he refuses to see reality and insists on struggling?”
“Because how many will die in that struggle and how far would you go in his situation? Don’t answer that as it is impossible to know and any answer you give will have no real meaning. Just answer me, can you arrange safe passage for me to meet with him?”
“I can, but you will need to bring Princess Bianca with you and I expect he will be angered when he learns it isn’t you accepting his daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Xeal wanted to groan, but he knew better than to argue as it was likely the best answer to the current situation.
“It seems that I need to speak with Bianca before I do anything else.”
“You go do that and we can discuss you wishing to slip into the background after this war when the war is actually over.”
Xeal just shook his head as he stood and left King Victor after bidding him farewell, and at the same time he sent a few messages before heading to Anelqua. Once there he headed to Queen Aila Lorafir’s palace, where all his wives save Austru were awaiting him and the real discussion that needed to occur would take place. As he walked to the room that he knew they would all be in, Xeal couldn’t help but take an extra moment to himself before he faced what was sure to be a tense exchange. While it had been assumed that Xander would inherit Hardt Burgh, it wasn’t as a duke and the fact that a completely separate line could found a marquess house was sure to raise issues. After all, every mother wanted the best for their children and even as close as his wives were, such a lure could cause major divisions between them.
