After the issue of the succession was finally settled, Regina didn’t spend much more time in Nerlia. Partly, that was because she wanted to get back to her usual routine, and she still didn’t quite feel comfortable storing new eggs in Nerlia’s royal palace. There was also a lot of paperwork waiting for her back in Cera.

  Partly, it was because she’d gotten what she came for.

  Regina really didn’t think the Nerlian nobles were close to rebelling, not without something happening to provide some impetus. That didn’t mean Galatea had been wrong to point it out to her. Her visit was definitely a good idea; showing her face, reminding them of who they now ultimately answered to, and getting a personal sense of the Nerlian court.

  The Nerlians hadn’t had a recent civil war to split their peerage. Kiara was still only in the process of piecing them back together in Cernlia. Here, it wasn’t like a group of nobles could or would go off and do their own thing. Instead, she’d realized, the power struggle of the aristocratic class played out in court. King Roger and his immediate predecessors had already been trying to centralize power in Nerlia for a while, and they’d been somewhat successful. Unfortunately for them, it hadn’t led to absolute power for the crown, it just meant that the court ruled the country. It was probably better for the people than pure, compartmentalized feudalism, given at least there were general, national regulations and laws. It was also better for Regina. She’d already interfered and tilted the balance. The lords probably knew it as well, but they were too invested in the paradigm to try and turn back time; instead, they would claw for every scrap of power they could in offices and bestowals and royal appointments and licenses.

  Regina had been more or less aware of this situation before, but actually spending a bit of time observing and talking to the people — mostly men, though a few women were powerful here too, just generally in more indirect ways — really drove home the details and nuance of this process. For one, that it was a process. There was no such thing as a stable equilibrium in something like this, not really.

  She just needed to shift the center of power in Nerlia from Nerlia itself to her imperial court. There, Regina still had control. Power went where she directed; it would be a mix of direct imperial appointments and elected representatives. It was another process, or perhaps an extension of the existing one. And the process was already underway, of course.

  For now, she’d marked out people she could work with, and people she wanted to recruit. A few of them she would gently introduce to Madris and Galatea’s invention. The thought made her smile as she prepared to leave the city behind again.

  “My well wishes for your trip, Your Imperial Majesty. I hope to be able to see you again soon,” Raymond said as she came to a stop beside Thor, who was waiting in the main garden.

  Regina turned and smiled at the prince, who had come to see them off as representative of the royal family again. It wasn’t surprising. Ever since her agreement with the king, Princess Adelaide had avoided her. She didn’t need to spend much time in her presence to sense her disappointment. The princess didn’t throw a fit or anything, but it was almost worse; she could sense she was disillusioned. Regina didn’t like the feeling.

  “You’ve been a gracious host, my prince. Thank you. We will certainly see each other again, and I look forward to working with you to put some of the ideas we have discussed into practice.”

  Raymond nodded seriously. “I hope I can live up to your expectations, My Empress,” he said. He lowered his voice. “I know you must have at least permitted my father to name me heir. I will do what I can to prove worthy of the title for the people of Nerlia.”

  Regina’s smile widened, unmoved by what might have been a warning. “I know,” she said. “Please remind your aunt that she is always welcome back at the capital, as my guest if she likes. The invitation goes for you and your sister as well.”

  Rosalie had also avoided her recently, which was to be expected.

  The prince thanked her again, then stepped back, bowing formally. Regina climbed onto Thor and waved once at the gathered people watching them. Then the others around her rose into the air and Thor jumped up as well.

  Since she still had a lot to do, Regina spent the flight back mostly immersed in the psychic link, catching up on work. It was definitely an advantage to have a psychic link to many of her subordinates and her personal assistant, since they could prepare paperwork she would only have to sign in addition to holding meetings ‘virtually’. Regina didn’t have any important conversations scheduled, though, since she knew they would both be distracted.

  At her request, Thor and the others didn’t fly in a direct line but a curving path, giving her another glimpse of the spot they’d chosen for her newest construction project. There wasn’t much to see yet, of course. Some drones had started to gather there and were preparing the ground, but it would be a while until the actual building was visible.

  From there, it wasn’t too hard fly back passing over the site of her planned new capital, and there was a lot more to see here. Many buildings in the center were already standing, even if they might not be entirely finished yet. Thor dipped lower and went in a bit of an arc across the location to give her a better view, but Regina didn’t stop or fly down to talk to them. She could check on the progress over the psychic link, and showing up in person would just turn it into a big thing she didn’t have the time for right now. Still, it was nice to see how much progress they’d made.

  On the way back, she checked on the other parts of the Empire. The gnomes were still struggling to get situated in their new position, but that was to be expected. They were gradually acclimating, and the cultural and technological exchanges they’d started were proving their worth. It was becoming more common to see gnomes in Cernlia, in Forest’s Haunt or even in Nerlia. Mostly traders resuming their old routes, but increasingly other people as well. Similarly, Imperial citizens had been tricking into the Gnomish Confederation, too. Most of the schools and research centers Regina had planned were still under construction, but once they really got started, she was expecting, and looking forward to, a lot of scientific contributions. Mia was already talking about extending their rail network into the Gnomish Confederation.

  There was one more major construction project Regina couldn’t check on right now even though she wanted do, although only if you used the term loosely. Namely, she’d been planning on building an actual road through the mountains to connect the Empire to the southern lands. It wasn’t anywhere close to finished, but they had at least finished construction of the first phase and were hard at work creating tunnels through some of the more challenging parts. It was not an easy project, since they had to protect their Workers and Swarm Drones that were doing the demolition and construction from monster attacks. But with the war against the gnomes over, the help of some maps and local guides from said gnomes, and troops available to pull guard duty, it was making progress. In fact, despite the risks, it was proving to be a good opportunity for leveling, including for her Swarm Drones, if she managed them carefully.

  Regina’s psychic range was, of course, recently shifting with the travel she did, which had to be accounted for, but it was more of a benefit than a problem for that project, at least. It was a bit more of an issue for their efforts to find more information on the Esemen, but she hadn’t exactly sent drones in to spy on them, so it was fine. Still, Regina already knew she should spend some time in Cera after this most recent trip instead of more travel.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Once they returned to the city, she got Thor to fly tight circles above it, then slipped from his back and stretched her own wings, letting them carry her down toward the royal palace. But not without taking in the city first. She rarely even got to extend her wings unless she was traveling or training, which she didn’t have much time for usually. Working the kinks out of them was nice. Regina could tell her appearance had caught some people’s attention, and felt sure they were pointing and staring, judging by what she could sense of their minds, but she ignored it. Somewhere along the way, she’d gotten pretty used to people staring at her, or at least able to ignore it.

  Instead of using the front door, Regina touched down in the back garden of the palace. She rolled her shoulders and folded her wings loosely against her back. Normally she couldn’t get them properly folded away tightly without the help of one of her drones, probably one of the reasons Hive Queens had Attendants. She’d worn a tunic and jacket with openings for the wings for the trip, but they still pulled a bit uncomfortably on the fabric.

  Luckily, Ira was already there to welcome her, walking further into the garden to approach her as Regina turned towards the door. The smile faded from her face as she focused more intently on Ira’s emotions and the expression on her face, though.

  “I was looking forward to a bath and a bit of rest, maybe spending a bit of time with the newly hatched drones later,” Regina said. “You look like I’ll be disappointed.”

  Ira didn’t smile this time. “Welcome back, Mother,” she said. “I would have spoken over the psychic link, but you seemed distracted, and it’s a matter you should address in person anyway.”

  Regina regarded her for a moment, then nodded. “Let’s get inside, then.” Thanks for the ride, Thor, she added to the other drone. Are you going to stay in the area?

  I think I will in case someone needs me, Thor replied.

  Regina sent him back a feeling of acknowledgment and focused on Ira as she made her way inside through the back door. Max was coming as well and would be here in a minute. Apparently, no one had prepared a welcoming committee this time, which was good, so she didn’t have to waste time on ceremony. Maybe the drones hadn’t publicized when she would be back, or Ira had just made sure they’d have privacy.

  What is this about, then? she asked as they walked down the corridor.

  Ira chewed on a her lip, a sign of nervousness she didn’t give often. We caught a spy.

  Regina’s step stuttered and she turned her head, raising an eyebrow. You did?

  Yes. Well, June caught them, actually. We’re going to her now, Ira added.

  Regina nodded. She would have figured that out from sensing her mind. Deciding it was best to get the story from both of them directly, she kept quiet until they entered the parlor close to her office where her apprentice waited for them, but kept turning Ira’s words over in her mind. It probably wasn’t surprising something like this would happen, but still concerning.

  June stood and bowed as Regina entered, but she was smiling. Unlike Ira, she didn’t feel nervous. Maybe a bit excited. That reassured Regina a little. “Master,” she greeted her.

  “June,” Regina returned her smile, then unceremoniously plopped down on the nearest armchair. “I hear you caught a spy. Shouldn’t Daine be here for the debrief?”

  June and Ira exchanged a glance. “We can call him in if you want, My Queen,“ Ira said. “We just thought it might be best to keep this quiet for now.”

  Regina frowned. Before she could answer, the door opened and Max slipped inside. He nodded and smiled at the others before leaning against one of the tables, crossing his arms.

  “A spy,” Regina informed him, speaking out loud for June’s sake. “I assume it was someone in a sensitive position, then?” If someone had bribed a junior assistant clerk, they probably wouldn’t be having a meeting like this.

  “It was one of your own people,” June said.

  Ira shifted on her feet. “We’ve hired more assistants, as you know, Mother. There’s a lot to do, I can’t organize your schedule, act as your secretary and do all of it myself; so we need others to help with your wardrobe, prepare food, pack things if you travel, clean your rooms …”

  “I know,” Regina interrupted, sending a gentle wave of reassurance at her. She had a lot fewer personal servants than a lady of her status usually would around here, but she also had no desire to clean her own room or buy her own stationery. Of course she was aware of the situation and her attendants. They still had too few sapient drones, who could command Swarm Drones and do other important tasks, to waste them on work others could do just as well, or better given their experience, so they were mostly locals.

  Show me which one? Focus on them, she asked Ira over the psychic link.

  Ira did as she asked, focusing on her memories of one person and picturing them in her mind. Regina nodded to herself. She recognized the guy, but she didn’t think she’d ever exchanged more than a few sentences with him, and he hadn’t been with them long.

  “How did this happen?” she asked.

  Ira shrugged, still feeling uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, My Queen. Lars seemed trustworthy, he was a hard worker, respectful, I didn’t really notice anything off. I hadn’t given him access to anything important yet, he was still just doing grunt work and kept away from your office, but it probably wouldn’t have been long before his duties included giving him access.”

  Regina grimaced slightly. They would have to start screening more carefully. She kept most important documents locked in drawers when she wasn’t using her office, but that was hardly foolproof protection. “It’s not your fault,” she said. “I should have checked all of them myself, but I was done with the current group and moving on to other officials and courtiers, and I neglected to keep up with it properly when I was traveling and you hired new people. I should have thought to do a deeper scan of everyone working directly with any of us.”

  “At least it seems like we probably stopped it before he could do serious damage,” Max spoke up. “Still, it’s my fault as well. I should have kept a better eye on this, as your head of security. If they can send in a spy, they could send in an assassin.” He cocked his head. “He was just a spy, right? How did you make him, June?”

  “Honestly, it was mostly luck.” June shrugged. “I ran into a group of your servants, Master, when I was looking for something. You know the book about traditional Cernlian folklore that Janis got you a few weeks ago? Ira wasn’t there and I just wanted to ask who was responsible and see if I could get a look. I was going to get another copy for mother’s birthday. I didn’t think it was worth disturbing you by asking another drone to ask over the psychic link.”

  “Sure, I did tell you you could borrow my books.”

  “Anyway, as I was talking to the servants, trying to learn names and faces and what their duties were, the man got weirdly nervous. He tried to hide it, but I was also trying to practice my psychic skills, so I noticed. I don’t know if he wasn’t taught any psychic defenses or just didn’t bother around me. Probably the latter, if you didn’t sense that there was something off with him. But it was enough to make me suspicious. So I asked him more questions and he got even more nervous. Then I just asked him if he was hiding something while trying to check if he was lying like you told me, and he was definitely lying. That was it, really. I asked if he was spying on you and he lied when he said no. So I left and went to the nearest of Max’s guards and they arrested him. That was about two hours ago, I think.”

  Regina blinked and nodded. “Well done,” she praised her apprentice. “Both in your actions and your psychic skills. Nice work.” She tugged on her mandible. “Well, that takes care of my next question.” Obviously, the spy knew he’d been made.

  “Did we find out who sent him?” Max asked, following with the next obvious question.

  June shook her head. “I tried asking, but he didn’t answer, and I’m not good enough to force the answer from his mind.”

  She glanced at Regina.

  Regina grimaced. I could definitely get an answer, if I played it right … she considered. Maybe making them answer and checking their honesty would even be the simplest option, it would be an interesting case to try that mind control talent I’m supposed to have. But, that would be a severe violation.

  “Just put him in a cell and let him stew for a while, for now,” she said after a moment. “Maybe we can get him to talk by sweating him a bit. And I’m sure there are a few people trained or experienced in interrogations around here.”

  Max cocked his head and she knew what he was thinking. But the spy had been caught, there was no apparent danger anymore. She couldn’t justify jumping straight to ethically dubious measures.

  “As you wish, My Queen,” he muttered.

  “In the meantime, I’m going to need your help to run another thorough check of everyone living in the palace,” she told June. “Consider it advanced training.”

  June smiled, and Regina could tell she was actually looking forward to it. At least that was nice.