“Of?”
“Allowing them to take the Test of Name. It isn’t about the resultant politics—I believe that is the Lord of the West March’s concern—but about the resultant chaos. They don’t have malicious intent. But Kaylin, Hawks died.”
“Hawks died because of the ancestors!”
Bellusdeo said nothing. As was her wont, she said it loudly.
“So, if you were queen—or Empress—what would you do with them?”
“I would do what the Emperor is doing. I would wait and see.” With an apologetic smile, she added, “I am not Barrani.”
“I left Diarmat’s report behind.” It was probably a soggy mess, too.
“You have the Lord of the West March as a traveling companion. He knows more than the Imperial Court.”
“He’s not exactly objective. No offense,” she added quickly.
None taken.
“But the Imperial Court will be. Less well informed, but more objective.”
“Do you think so?”
“You said it yourself—they’re not Barrani.”
“Ah, you misunderstand. The Emperor’s hoard is the empire. It is therefore in his interests that the Barrani rule be as peaceful as possible. Where the Barrani choose to intrigue with any subtlety, it is a matter for the Barrani Caste Court. The High Court, in this case. But where that intrigue cannot be ignored with a bit of effort, it will not be. The Barrani, I believe, understand this; it is not something that needs to be stated.
“The fact that the cohort disappeared while outside of the Empire was no doubt a strategic decision.”
“Because it’s irrelevant to the Emperor?”
“Yes.” She looked across to the Lord of the West March. “I understand the cause for concern. Were you not prepared for this when they returned from the heart of the green?”
To Kaylin’s surprise, he nodded. “But understand, we are none of us mortal; we did not anticipate the speed at which a possible crisis could blossom. Not all of the Barrani responsible for the previous events which occurred in the West March have been identified with any certainty. It has been convenient—perhaps too convenient—to lay blame at Terrano’s feet. He was seen by many, heard by many, and he came with Shadows. Given the nature of the near disaster, we considered it unlikely that a similar attempt would be made.
“Men are oft ambitious when they fail to understand the consequences of that ambition. There was little doubt, in the end, of these particular consequences.”
“So...you didn’t expect Sedarias to move immediately.”
“We did not expect Mandoran or Annarion to move; the decision was made so suddenly that we did not have time to react. Time, however, has been taken since your departure.” He looked at her, his eyes predominantly blue. “Surely you do not believe that the Consort has only recently taken an interest in them.” He looked out the window at Terrano, who was literally bouncing along the ground on the tips of his toes, his Barrani hair streaming back from his face.
“He is a child,” he said, when he pulled his gaze away. “And had he returned, he would not have been so politically contentious.”
“Is it Annarion?”
The Lord of the West March almost glared at her. Almost. Bellusdeo did snort loudly, which caused the Lord of the West March to raise his brows.
“Sedarias,” Bellusdeo then said.
“Annarion is contentious among the High Court. When his brother became outcaste, it was, as you suspect, a political maneuver. My sister did not agree with it then, and does not agree with it now, but she was fond of Calarnenne. Calarnenne’s line, his ancestral lands, were taken by a distant cousin. We are not as numerous in our offspring as mortals of any race, but it should not surprise you to know that there was more than one cousin, and indeed, relatives far closer in blood. Should Annarion take—and pass—the Test, he would have some support for his initial attempt to reclaim what would be his by right of our own laws.
“The lord who replaced Calarnenne was a close political ally of the man who was High Lord at the time.”
“Is he still alive?”
“Yes.” The single word was curt.
“Does he have any relation, that you know of, to Candallar?”
“Candallar?” The Lord of the West March frowned, as if searching memory for the name. “Ah. You mean the outcaste?”
“Yes. He’s a fieflord.”
“An interesting question. I cannot answer it with any certainty at the moment.” Seeing Kaylin’s expression, he said, “I am not a criminal, and you are not conducting an interrogation. I am the Lord of these lands, and you are making a request. Asking a boon or a favor. Given events, I will attempt to find an answer. But, as Lord Bellusdeo says, it is Sedarias who is the most contentious of the returnees.”
“Who will she replace?”
The Lord of the West March smiled. It was not a pleasant expression. “An’Teela was a child during those wars; she is considered mature, now. I was not a child, but I was not ruler here; my brother was not High Lord, my sister not yet Consort. When Sedarias was sent into the green, her mother was Lord of her line. Her brother is An’Mellarionne now. He was her junior in age, and he was not considered, in their youth, her equal. He was not considered close.
“It is her brother she will unseat.” He closed his eyes. “Her brother has lands that adjoin the West March; they are small. His holdings within the Empire are larger.”
“He’s an ally.”
“He is, as you suspect, an ally of mine, and through me, of the High Lord.”
“Has he visited his sister at all?”
Lirienne’s eyes opened. He cast a glance toward the Dragon, who snorted and shrugged. “Understand that Mellarionne is not a child. As Teela, he has grown in stature, and in power, since Sedarias was sent to the green.”
“That’s a no,” Bellusdeo said.
“But—”
“She’s his sister?”
“Yes. She’s family.”
“If I recall correctly, you are an orphan. You have no siblings.”
“So?” She tried to keep active hostility out of the word, but it was difficult. She had never liked being talked down at, and she recognized it for what it was.
“You have an optimistic, even naive, view of family.”
“If the Consort had been sent away at your father’s orders, and she had returned, you would go to see her.”
“If my sister had been sent away at the High Lord’s orders, he would not have survived.”
And she remembered Teela’s father, and fell silent.
This amused Lirienne. You are thinking of your Nightshade.
She was.
Calarnenne was not son of the High Lord. He was not expected to rule our people. He built alliances, yes, but alliances require strategic opportunity on the part of one’s allies. There was every chance that I would become High Lord in future. I had strategic opportunity. Had my father sent my sister to the green to die, he would have died. If not by my hand alone, by the combined might of my forces and my brother’s.
But you would have visited her. You would have flown to the West March from wherever you were—