Age of Swords (The Legends of the First Empire #2)

“Know what?”

“Vidar was found guilty of treason,” Makareta said. “Your father called him out right from the floor of the Aquila. He’s an assassin who was plotting to kill the fane.”

“Vidar?” For an instant, Mawyndul? wondered if perhaps there was another Vidar, some evil version. Even remembering the shadow that had stalked Mawyndul? in his dream the idea still didn’t mesh with the reality of the dusty old man, feeble and barely intelligent enough to feed himself. Vidar was an idiot, not a traitor.

“That makes you the new senior councilor, old Fhrey,” Aiden said, clapping Mawyndul?’s shoulder, harder this time, and Aiden topped it off with a little shake. “You made it. You can be our voice. We can finally be heard!”

Mawyndul? felt the gathering of people pressing around him. A pack, he thought, though he had no idea what they might be a pack of, or where that idea had even come from. Mawyndul? had never had a dog, and had only seen a single wolf. Still, they felt like a pack, a warm excited family.

Several of those gathered were grinning, and one of them placed a cup of wine in Mawyndul?’s hand.

“To the new senior councilor of the Aquila!” Aiden shouted, and everyone raised glasses and drank.

“I’m so proud of you,” Makareta said, pressing against him and clicking cups.

“Why? What did I do?”

“It’s what you will do.”

She squeezed his hand. Hers felt hot, and a little slickness had formed between their palms. This hidden touch, held down and out of sight from the others, excited him. He took a swig of wine.

Aiden raised a cup again. “To our first victory!”

Everyone echoed, “To our first victory!”

They drank. Mawyndul? didn’t.

“Wait? How is it your victory?” Mawyndul? asked.

“You don’t think Vidar is really a traitor, do you?” Aiden said with a mischievous smile and a wink.

Initially, Mawyndul? took this for an honest question. He even opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. “Wait. Are you saying Vidar is innocent?”

“I guess he could have been up to something, but it doesn’t matter,” Flynn said. “Your father is convinced of Vidar’s guilt. Lothian locked up the ex–senior councilor, pending sentencing.”

“And appointed you to replace him,” Makareta said with admiration.

He felt her hand in his again. He wanted to let go, but that would be rude. He needed to think, and her closeness confused him. “But if Vidar isn’t the assassin, then a real one could still be out there.”

This brought a laugh from nearly all of them.

“There never was an assassin,” Aiden told him.

“No, you’re wrong. There was…or I should say is…one,” Mawyndul? insisted. “The Master of Secrets learned about a plot weeks ago.”

They shook their heads, all of them, even Makareta.

“Vasek’s an idiot,” Aiden said. “And his spies are so easily fooled.”

“It was Aiden’s idea,” Makareta said.

“Yep, Vasek is always looking for conspirators so we gave him one. You provided the target,” Aiden told Mawyndul?. “Getting rid of Vidar has allowed one of our own to assume his position.”

“So the assassination plot was just a hoax?”

“Yep. A rumor we started. We planted just enough clues to make Vasek drool.”

Several laughed at this.

Mawyndul? was unsure what to make of it all. He certainly held no love for Vidar, but it felt wrong to let him be punished for a crime he was innocent of. He drank his wine, still trying to work everything out.

“Vasek is such a waste. How is an Asendwayr going to do anything? I don’t see why your father chose him rather than a Miralyith. I mean, what if Vidar had really been an assassin? Vasek couldn’t have done anything to keep the fane safe against a Miralyith,” Aiden said loudly, and elicited laughter from the crowd. “Am I right?”

They all cheered and a few of the nearest members slapped Aiden on the back.

“I don’t know, I thought Vasek had some smart ideas,” Mawyndul? said.

“Vasek? Smart? I don’t think those two words have any place being together. What did he ever do that demonstrated even an inkling of intelligence?”

“Well, he does use Miralyith to safeguard the palace. All the windows and doors are sealed by the Art.”

Aiden opened his mouth to speak, but Mawyndul? shut him down. “And only those assigned residency can even pass inside the walls of the Talwara.”

There, that’ll teach Aiden. He thinks others are dumb, but he’s not so smart. Who is secretly holding Makareta’s hand? Who has just been appointed as senior councilor? Me, that’s who. Am I right? The thoughts brought a smile to Mawyndul?’s face.

“The fane could still have been poisoned,” Flynn pointed out.

“Nope. Wouldn’t work.” Mawyndul?’s smile blossomed into a grin. “All food is cleaned by Miralyith as well. So, yeah, he might not be a Miralyith, but he knows how to employ them to take care of things.”

Everyone was looking at Mawyndul? and nodding thoughtfully.

He felt good, as if he’d just made an exceptional stroke while sword fighting. He’d never touched a sword, but he could imagine the thrill of catching an opponent’s blade at the last instant before a killing stroke, slapping it away, then stabbing out with his own assault. For once, he had all the answers, and he’d delivered them perfectly, with his lady by his side. The fast ripostes left him giddy, and he downed the last of his wine in victory.

“You’re going to make a great senior councilor,” Makareta said with ardor. “Who are you going to appoint as your junior?”

Mawyndul? didn’t even know that was something he had input on. “I’m sure my father will find someone.”

“Choice of junior councilor is the prerogative of the senior.”

“Oh? I didn’t know that.”

“You didn’t know you were senior councilor until a minute ago, so you can hardly be blamed. But who do you think you might choose?”

“I can pick anyone?”

“Yes, but we wouldn’t want someone from another tribe to be the next in line,” Aiden said.

“I actually think Aquila law prevents that,” Inga added.

“That’s true,” Makareta confirmed. “Those rules were formalized in the First Quorum. But other than that, it can be anyone.”

“You know a lot about the Aquila, don’t you?” Mawyndul? asked her.

“I go there often. You’ve seen me. I think I’ve witnessed every meeting for the last century.”

She’s that old? Still, she wasn’t too old. She might be, and likely was, only a little over a century, and there was value in age, experience, and knowledge that he didn’t have.

“So do you know who you’ll take as your junior?”

“Yes, I think I do.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE


Losing Face




The worst nightmares are the ones you cannot wake from because they are real.

—THE BOOK OF BRIN