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The Heartwood
Talantal, the Grand Duchy of Talantal
Mid-Morning, Midsummer's Day

Kadri, Mikal ... and the Mouse ... meeting Daxia, Dandelion Koromov and Kisa Allaine ... followed by the Lady Bekkah and the Scamp.

Morning started with a knock-knock-knock on Kadri's door.

How she got in was a mystery, some sort of magic perhaps, because it was her knocking that woke both Mikal and Kadri each. All dressed pretty and proper, wearing a summer bonnet, the Mouse slipped the latch to Kadri's inner room door to peek in. Near Mikal, on the table, was already set a smallish platter, upon which waited apples and carrots and assorted cheeses as well as a small covered basket smelling of fresh baked bread and other pastry tidbits. A tall silver carafe claimed the middle of the table, with two lead crystal goblet filled with water. The girl squeaked, and waved all friendly like to see if her New Young Miss was awake. And if not it would be an equally silent move to just - just barely - come within arms reach of the newest Korie Lady.

For a light but very serious poke.

Poke.

Poke.

Poke.

Poking was serious business.

Now, through breakfast, the Mouse stood quiet, next to the door, hands folded together and resting gently on the front of her skirt. She looked perfectly forward, her nose twitching every now and then. It was very easy to forget she was there, except, perhaps, when aught refilling a goblet with water.

*******************

The doors to the Great Hall had been thrown open, as if to welcome the representatives of all the mainland's keeps. The room had be rearranged and cleaned since last night, set with the furniture for the year's negotiations.

There were three tables, arranged in a "U", open towards the hall's main entrance. There was room to walk around the tables, to allow anyone who spoke the opportunity to take up that center area, the focus of those seated. At the far end, the base of the "U", the high table was dominated by a large, black, wooden throne. It stood hauntingly empty, watching over the proceedings. On the left side sat Khorall Dorian Korie, and to his left sat his heir, Marcus. Of the Korie women there was no sign, but behind them stood three retainers. A tall and sturdy Knight in red and gold. A middle aged man with harrowed eyes, a large book, and robes of blue. And a young lady in creams and white; while she could be a priestess, the chances were slim - the blonde looked nervous and out of place, as if she were performing in a child's play, as if she were just a token place holder.

The Allaine contingent had already arrived. Dandelion stood behind the bookish heiress, in her brigantine and leggings, arms crossed and looking stern and silent, to reminding folks she just might be the most dangerous person in the room. Kisa Allaine stood for just a little bit, pointing to the chair next to her, refusing to sit until Daxia Yurisdotter took that chair. Only then would she take her own place, setting her own big book next to her as well as a small pouch that clattered as if it held many little stone-like objects.

On the left hand side, closest to the Kories, there were two more empty seats; behind them was the Brockman's banner. Next to them, already scowling, the Lord of Montague folded and unfolded his hands from open to fists to open to fists again. His advisor - per se - leaned back in his chair, balanced on two legs, arms crossed. Jakal looked over the council chamber like a scavenger might. Especially when he noticed the young curves of a red headed heiress far, far away from home.

Sitting opposite them were the two Kierkegaards; the Khorall and his remaining son. While on one of the side tables, they did take higher ranked place right next to House Allaine.

Khorall Dorian Korie drummed his fingers on the harsh tabletop, already impatient. Amber and the Larsens were missing.

Of course there were servants dashing back and forth, but they were trying their best not to be noticed.

Council started to go downhill, even before it started, with a knock-knock-knock outside the open doors.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK

The Mouse immediately jumped backwards,a hop, a scramble and then a hiding behind Mikal, all done in an instant, as one of the Rames guards at the door slammed the heel of his spear down on the marble floor, stepping in front of Kadri and Mikal... and a Mouse.

"Just where do you think YOU are going ... uhm ... My Lady Korie. The wives are all up in the gardens."

There wasn't even a chance for an answer, however, when further down the entrance way, the very doors to the Keep itself were thrown open. They were crowded, full, with a literal handful of angry men bust into castle and stormed down the hall towards the council chambers. Their footsteps were loud and fast, they wore light armor - leather andchain - beneath long flowing robes. All of them wore riding boots, all of them were driven by a harsh determination, covered in road dust.

The Mouse squeaked! Caught on both sides!

So intent they were, they stormed right to the doors of the chamber, not even realizing, not even caring who they passed.

"DORIAN KORIE!"

The tallest, the eldest, whose hair was prematurely gray, dragged off his turbaned pointed leather hat, sweeping it away like a scarf or veil, handing it to one of his sons.

"We shall now discuss GELDING your son!"

In their wake, last but not least, two more entered the Keep and the grand tall, one all fine and proper, the much more scruffy looking.

Kay simply looked up to Bekkah.

"Ay-yup.

"We found them."

Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter

It wasn’t that Dazi objected to sitting at the Council table beside Kisa. Well, a swordswoman sitting, rather than standing, in a room full of dangerous men didn’t make sense, but she did understand Kisa’s rationale for her position at the Heir’s side. And Captain Koromov was behind Kisa. The young Koromov would be along soon enough, and she was certainly as skilled as her cousin... though not as polished. And certainly not as intimidating. However, she and that scamp were going to have to work on communication. Back in time for us to escort Dama Kisa to Council had a slightly different meaning than show up in the Council Hall whenever you manage to get around to it. Slightly different, yes.

No, it wasn’t sitting at the Council table that Dazi found peculiar. It was the fact that said Heir, at whose side she was to sit, was being silly — SILLY! — and insisting that Dazi sit first.

Now, that was improper protocol even in Dawnview!

Of course, it did ever so slightly imply that Dazi was of higher rank than Kisa. And wasn’t that a tasty little morsel of food for the fine fish in the lake? She just wondered if anyone would actually notice. So she had inclined her head to the Heir and sat where Kisa wanted her.

It gave her an exceptional view of most of the room. She did need to look past Kisa to see the Kories, but she was fairly certain she and Kisa would naturally align themselves so that Dazi could see whatever Dazi needed to see. If Dazi was constantly, slowly, almost lazily scanning the room, it would not seem at all unusual if her gaze fell on any particular person at any particular time. If anyone was disconcerted by the fact that her eyes seemed to track at a different speed than her head... well, that was their discomfiture, wasn’t it?

To look stern was Dandy’s role. To look... hmm... inscrutable, or at the very least above all this, was Dazi’s. Of course, all she had to do was imagine another stern Dayalan standing behind them — one who had a habit of throwing things at the Dayalan who actually stood there — and Dazi was more than capable of the most expressionless expressions possible. Kassia was an excellent teacher, after all.

Brockman was late... or chose not to attend to avoid listening to others decide his fate. On some level, Daxia couldn’t blame the man. And on another level, she would have liked to see him pull his pride of heritage around him and face his fate like...

Well, that was unfair of her. Like a Dayalan she’d been thinking. Well, then perhaps like his subject Mikal D’Allyne, who had courage to spare.

Larsen was late... but for some odd reason, Dazi wasn’t even surprised. Larsen would arrive when Larsen arrived.

Amber, too, was late. Kisa hadn’t seemed concerned about them... perhaps it was that she’d been more concerned with other matters? Yes, that was more likely.

The absence of Larsen and Amber seemed to make the Khorall of Grand Talantal unhappy. The drum drum drumming of his fingers on the table telegraphed that to all but the most clueless. The redhead would have been surprised to find anyone clueless in this Council Hall. Daxia idly wondered if Dorian Korie was ever happy.

The impressive empty throne was a nice Imperial touch... saving a place for the Imperial Viceroy should one happen to show up. She suspected a compliment to Khorall Dorian wouldn’t be accepted well, at least not from her, which was too bad as it appeared to be quite a finely crafted piece of furniture.

Khorall Kristoff and Lord Rikart, being solid folks from the Black Mountains, were doing what they did so very well... they were being patient.

Corliss, too, was missing... but that was even more understandable than Brockman excusing himself.

And lastly, there was Montague.

Daxia Yurisdotter had faced brigands and Easterners, countless Eastern Hunting Beasts, Chaos Riders, a demon, a sorcerer and an Avatar of an Eastern God... to say nothing of the entire army of the East one foggy night at Highside Heather.

She caught the look Jakal Montague gave the Allaine Heir, and decided she’d rather face any of them again rather than be alone in a room with Jakal Montague.

Yes. Even the Avatar... for all the Avatar could do would be to kill her.

The commotion at the door, a Knight of Rames trying to dissuade Kadri from entering the chamber — oh, and good luck with that, Sir Knight; Lady al’Terilanquel-Korie is stubbornness incarnate — caught everyone’s attention. And that was good, because the Amber delegation rushed right by them, furious and in quite a hurry.

Well, Dominic was a smart lad to stay in Bordertown where he generally spent his Midsummers.

But, oh poor, poor Dorian Korie. He must be tipping to and fro already.

Dazi checked to see how many shadows where in the room, and just where they were located.

Gelding of the Khorall’s youngest son had not been on the agenda.

The Dayalan wasn’t certain she agreed with the Vixen Goddess that this Court would be fun, but it likely would be very, very interesting.

Mikal

He woke instantly to the knocking, leaping to his feet, sword sliding from it's sheath as soon as he realized it was coming from behind him!

**How did anyone get into the room past the door?**

He has taken two steps across the room towards Mouse before he recognizes who it is, whereupon he stops, glaring slightly, although mostly in anger at himself, and slides his sword away.

He takes in the rest of the room, although seeing all the work Mouse seems to have done while he slept does nothing to improve his mood.

He takes up an apple off the table and takes a bite, offering the girl, "Good morning to you Mouse. I did not mean to frighten you, but might you wake me next time you come here? I'd not want to harm you accidentally. Alright?"

He dresses and washes, finishing the apple and some cheese to take the edge off his morning appetite, then, dressed in his best, with Kadri's surcoat he walks with her to the council chambers.

When the Knight steps up to block Kadri's path into the room, he takes a step forward and says quite softly, with a menacing smile. "I will thank you to move out of the way and to never offer such insult to your better again. Should I hear words in that tone directed towards Lady Kadri leave your tongue again, you will lose the tongue."

His hand rests easily on the pommel of his sword and his smile increases just a tad. The man may now realize that Mikal is within a foot of him, far too close for him to use his spear effectively but very nicely placed for the short sword and dagger Mikal carries.

As he waits for the Knight to react, the Amber delegation rushes past. Mikal takes the opportunity of the commotion to slide a half-step to the side and position himself more next to the Knight such that if Kadri chooses she can pass between Mikal and the edge of the door to move past the Knight and the man would need to knock Mikal out of the way to get to Kadri.

Kadri djinn Khayriyah djinn Terilanquel al'Korie

When poked awake, Kadri smiled, thanked Mouse, and set about the arduous process of getting dressed up. She gives mouse an appraising look.

"You have talent. Actually, a little like me when I was rather ... younger. Disappearing might be a fun thing right now ... Although making them squirm, while dangerous, has its points ..."

She watched Mouse - and her technique - curiously through the morning, although not overtly.

I had forgotten what getting properly attired was like. You feel like a fancy doll, dressed and set on a shelf. You are bound in places that want no binding. And as soon as you get it all on it ITCHES where you cannot scratch.

*******************

She moved quietly through breaking her fast. Quietly again through the first part of the day before arriving at the Great Hall. She was dressed again in her finery - modified to include the Korie colors in the ensemble. She was careful to hold her carriage erect, and her chin up just so. She was putting as much attention into having a presence as the Mouse put into vanishing.

As she moved to enter the Great Hall, the guard interposed himself. As he speaks, she looks over at him - and slips into her role. After Mikal makes his move, her eyes pin the man to the door and she speaks herself, her voice measured and steady, but also a voice that was not looking for a reply but instead for acquiescence.

"That is not true. This wife is here, just where she wishes to be. And she will not be hindered in that wish. Move from my path knight and do your duty - which does not include being in my way. Resume your post."

She swept forward utilizing the blocking maneuver that Mikal had provided and past the guard into the hall.

As her father spoke, she paused momentarily on the brink of freezing up. This was Father. The larger than life man who was to be listened to and obeyed, not some random peasant off the street.

And I am Kadri djinn Khayriyah djinn Terilanquel al'Korie - I have faced down hunting beasts of the east, fell demons and phantoms of the past. I am a Dancer in Shadows - and he does not own me. No one does.

Her 'assumed role', and her core being, took over and five words whipped from her loud and clear like knives thrown into a target.



"No, Abba*. We. Shall. Not."(*daddy)

Her eyes flashed like lightning between dark clouds waiting to touch ground and strike. Whatever else were true the fact that she was related to the man who had just spoken was bluntly evident. She was of the Terilanquel - and the women could be every bit as fierce as the men.

She continued - her voice quieter now, but still penetrating enough to travel the entire hall.

"Perhaps you should have realized at some point around when I was seven summers of age that your own blood ran hot, fierce and burning in my veins, and that your own legendary determination had passed on to your daughter. Perhaps early on you should have realized that your little Kadri had a mind of her own, and that ignoring her to go hunting with your sons one more time was a bad idea. Perhaps many things but - definitely one thing - I am not your property. I won't be bid and bargained for like beads at the bazaar - and you will not merely talk over my head as if I were not present. After all - you did just now manage to walk right by me as if I were not there. One more thing, Abba ..."

She motions a hand towards the Khorral.

"Right now you are in the House of Korie and you will respect it - as you are a guest here. You have accepted the hospitality of the Khorral's house, would you now commit a dishonor by reneging on that? Do you in fact intend to neglect your responsibility as a guest of the most honored and influential Khorall Dorian Korie over a daughter who you scarcely knew? Show your host the respect he is due as ancient custom demands. He did not steal me away - "

"I stole myself!"

Her eyes locked on him, unflinching.

She was invoking the Amber traditions of hospitality - a thread that ran deep and long through their culture.

There we go, Lady Mine. That should confuse my new 'family'.

Cesare

He and Kathi entered the Great Hall, both in livery and both carrying lots of things. Kathi is carrying two baskets full of warm bread and sweet meats, aromas to tempt the appetite. Cesare is carrying a large water pitcher and some bowls, he also has towels tucked under his arm.

He is very aware that there is tension in the room, raised voices and that the focus seems to be Kadri. Whilst not unexpected it is unwelcome. He looks around trying to keep a low profile, unsure of where to deposit the items he carries. There is a set of three tables in a U in the centre but that area is occupied by what only can be the Amber clan and he is not sure he wants to enter that fray. There are other tables dotted about too, offering other possibilities.

He looks at Kathi, his eyes looking to the tables and then back at her, eyebrows raised in an obvious question. He will assuredly follow her lead.

Bekkah

It seemed nothing rattled the blond priestess. Well nothing since a certain knight had treated her like a precious antique. So it would surprise nobody when she calmly walked around the angry men and moved towards Dazi.

One of Bekkah's strengths is that she seemed to be able to carry herself in any situation. She could spend time with the poorest of the poor and they would accept her as one of their own and she could walk amongst Kings and not appear out of place. Such was the way she carried herself now. She glided towards her sister, face serene, eyes bright, moving as if she fully expected any in her path to make way for her.

When she got to her sister, she smiled.

"I got your message, without your messenger having to drag me by the ear as she claims you told her to do." The smile on Bekkah's face told her she knew beyond any doubt that Dazi never said any such thing.

"I see I haven't missed any of the fun."

Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter

The Dayalan watched the drama unfold in the room; she watched those doing the watching, noted Cesare and Dominic’s servant make their way expertly through the hubbub, and noted especially Kay’s arrival with Bekkah. Her sister had certainly refined a presentation of serenity... and unlike her own facade at times, Bekkah was very nearly always perfectly serene. Daxia had to wonder at what point Atteran Priestesses became, well, incredibly fierce... like Lady Alice in Cragside, and Lady Kay in Bordertown, and Lady Anastasia here in Talantal. Bekkah’s fierceness was still always, always, always wrapped with incredible kindness, and no sharp edges.

As her sister approached, Dazi spoke softly to Kisa, “Excuse my absence for a moment, Dama.” She waited for a signal from Kisa before standing and greeting the Atteran Priestess. She was still able to scan the whole of the room, however... and now had the advantage of being able to see the Kories quite well. No. Dorian Korie did not look like a happy man.

“I did not mean for the child to hurry you from your duties, Lady,” she said quietly. “She is clearly prone to flights of fancy, for it is but a small matter.” She gave Kay a sharp look before taking the Priestess’ hand in hers and whispering close to the Atteran’s ear. After a brief moment, she stepped back slightly and gave the Priestess the sort of bow worthy of her rank.

“Thank you for your help, at your own convenience, Lady Bekkah. Your kindness will be remembered.” Still, the Dayalan spoke softly. Even the closest persons not of their party — the Kierkegaards — might not have heard above the cacophony of the men of Amber, and the daughter they lost to Korie. She waited with a smile, possibly the last she would show in this room, for Bekkah’s response before she would return to her seat beside Kisa.

But still... she was watching. Everything.

Bekkah

She knew anything Dazi did here would be with a caution to the circumstance so her reverence to her own sister did not come as a surprise and she took in stride.

"Of course. We strive to aid all in need." She said before turning. When she knew her hand would not be seen, the note was stuffed in a pocket and her hand returned to her side as if she had never held a note.

She started for the exit, looking to leave this madness. If she thought she could help, she might have stayed, but she was curious about the note and she suspected her skills would be best served elsewhere. Remembering what Dazi had said, she caught Cesare's eye and with a slight motion of her head she indicated that she wanted him to go with her.

The Heartwood
Talantal, the Grand Duchy of Talantal
Mid-Morning, Midsummer's Day

Kadri, Mikal and the Mouse, Daxia, Dandelion Koromov and Kisa Allaine, Lady Bekkah and the Scamp and Kathi and Ceseare

"And you, sirrah, might find yourself without a head, for even threatening a Knight of the Korie House Guard."

The follower of Lord Rames the Protector looked down upon the Jvrillian, matching Mikal's fierceness with his own haughtiness. He in fact took a step forward, towards Kadri's bodyguard.

"Now, now, now ..."

A new voice spoke up, a mans voice, light and easy and friendly. It was as if a cool breeze had slipped into the court entrance, calming matters, to bank harsh tempers. It was Khorall Tieg Larsen, dressed in his finest, whites and blues, with a playful surcoat bedecked with an uncountable collection of seahorses.

Dama Larsen was an excellent seamstress, it seemed.

"No one is going to lose their head, no one is going to lose their tongue ...

"And most importantly, no one is going to be gelded, are they my dear Amber friends."

Coming right to the front the seaside Noble clasped his hands on the Amber Lord's shoulder in greeting. The lord Terilanquel looked shocked, blinking, puffing out a breath like a strong stallion might whuffle.

"First, because the young whippersnapper isn't in Court.

"Second, because if you geld him, there will be no chance for grandchildren. And is that something you truly want to deny either of your most charming, deserving wives?"

The lord from Talesan's Village smiled conspiratorially.

"Answer that question carefully. For we all know your answer will reach all our wives before lunchtime."

The Terilanquel Lord whuffed out another hot breath, his gaze still sharp upon his wayward daughter before stepping back and waving a hand from one side to the other.

"Dorian ..."

The Amberite turned his attention back to the Court and Council.

"Dorian. Your women now speak for you? We come here to barter, to trade and to make exchanges. Fine. I offer your family my apologies for my words. In return, I give you this girl. She's your problem now."

The Korie looked up, already seeming tired.

"So it seems. I already have one troublesome child. What is one more."

It was his turn to wave his hand, indicating that all should enter and sit.

Eventually, all were in their place. Or, at the least, all who were going to be at the morning session of council.

"Hey. I said what was needed, ja?"

That was Kay's response, when she settled into place behind Kisa and Daxia, leaning on her spear, next to her cousin Captain. just like Daxia she looked about the court, sizing up those collected. Allaine. Korie. Kierkegaard. Larsen. Terilanquel representing for Amber. For the men in grey the young whippersnapper just offered a snort.

Which got her a glare from both the Montague Khorall and his brother.

To which Dorian Korie gave everyone a harsh look and slammed his fist to the table before him.

"I declare this Midsummer's Council in session.

"Now first ..."

He looked around.

"In Brockman's absence, I think we should start with trade. Specifically, steel and grain ..."

To which Kisa interrupted.

"I disagree. The fate of Brockman's will affect all our subsequent discussions. We should start wih the shaggie in the room, Khorall Korie."

"I agree."

The seconding came from an unexpected source. Khorall Tieg Larsen.

"I come bearing Brockman's proxy. since he is ... ill. so there is no reason not to start with one of our Noble Keeps."

Frowning again, the Korie simply sat back, crossing his arms.

"Fine.

"Debate is opened on the annexation of Brockman's Holdfast into the territories of Montague Keep."

Mikal

He has made his promise, no threat at all. He simply meets the Knight's eyes as the man gets all hot and bothered. Hands on the hilts of his weapons, he stares at him with an expression of derision. Any who offer insult not only to a friend of his, but also a Lady of the House the man professes to owe allegiance to is not worthy of any respect. Besides, Mikal is quite sure he can put the pointy end of his dagger thru the man's left eye before he can bring that unwieldy spear into play should it come to that.

When Dag Larsen intervenes, he holds the Knight's gaze for another moment, then turns his back on the man, offering Kadri entrance to the room past him. "My Lady." He says, with a small bow. Even with his back mostly turned to the man, he keeps awareness should he hear, or sense, the man move towards him.

Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter

The Dayalan looked at the Allaine Heir, a brief glance, before allowing her eyes to rove over the others seated at the Council tables. Her demeanor showed that she believed she belonged among these Nobles, that she was one of them, and that her gender was no more a hindrance to her competence than that of any Allaine. She was Daxia of Dawnview, companion to Morning Star, rescuer of commoner, Princess and Imperial alike, slayer of demons and Avatars, breaker of Curses.

Expressionless, she looked at each of the men at the table, even daring to meet the Warlord Montague’s eyes before her gaze fell on Khorall Tieg Larsen.

She allowed herself the smallest smile, hardly more than the softening of a hard expression, before she spoke.

“My Lord Larsen, as holder of Khorall Brockman’s proxy, perhaps I might ask you a question... perhaps two?” she asked, looking at the Khorall of Talesan’s Village, but watching the Khorall and Warlord of Montague from the corner of her eyes.

Nudge.

“I would not presume to inquire of Lord Brockman’s thoughts on this matter, but might I ask if you know his Heir’s thoughts regarding the annexation of the ancient Brockman’s Holdfast into keeping of the...” She hesitated for less than a heartbeat, only thinking... not even in the forefront of her mind... young upstarts. “...Montagues?”

Nudge.

The Knight of Dayala paused a moment, her smile increasing oh so slightly, though it reflected even more in her eyes. And how could one not smile in the presence of a Larsen?

“And you, my Lord, I think could speak to the matter of the Heir Presumptive’s health. The child is healthy, yes?”

Push.

Kadri ..

Kadri blinked.

Her father gave in that easy. She had been expecting more ... Drama ... Even with the intervention of Tieg Larsen. Father NEVER backed down that easily.

She offered a bow to Tieg and to her father, arms crossed and gripping her shoulders.

She then moved towards where the Khorral and the Heir were sitting ... And if there were a seat, sat, and if there were not, stood.

The Heartwood
Talantal, the Grand Duchy of Talantal
Mid-Morning, Midsummer's Day

Kadri, Mikal and the Mouse, Daxia, Dandelion Koromov and Kisa Allaine, Lady Bekkah and the Scamp and Kathi and Ceseare

There was a place for Kadri to claim as her own, next to the Talantal heir.

And somehow Mouse was there, to pull the big chair back - which was an almost comical and somehow silent struggle - for a lady to properly sit. The servant easily moved aside to give Mikal a place to guard from. A full goblet of water was set next to her Lord's lady and then the Mouse stepped back.

across the hall, a certain Abba saw where his once daughter sat and frowned.

And at the Amber representative's grimace, the Korie simply tapped a single finger to the table. A simple and slight motion, but one that did not go unnoticed by the redhead sitting next to daxia. there was the slightest shift, the heir drawing herself up a little bit more proper. She closed the book she had brought with her, folding her hands very properly atop.

The Kories had just scored a point.

A satisfaction that lasted only until the other redhead spoke, the Allaine second asking one question and then another.

The sudden silence thundered across the hall.

Even Tieg Larsen looked uncomfortable. Very much so.

It was Khorall Korie who broke the silence. He turned his head to the side, looking past his new daughter to the contingent from the easten portions of the tarn.

"You said there was no heir."

"But there isn't ... its a fact ... its a truth ... Dag Brockman never had a son! There is no soul to ..."

As Hadrian Montague replied to the Korie, his attention did change; from the other Khorall to his brother.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ... "

Some personalities just cannot resist an opening. Her head resting against the side of her long spear, Kay Koromov made an observation.

" .... did the big guy miss someone? But then, how would I know. Countin's far too complicated for a farmer's daughter like me. I mean countin' heirs, that must be had. You start at ... what is it, oh ja, ja. One. And you count all the way up to .. up to ... up to ... that's right ...

Jakal turned, his glare immediate and sharp, as sharp and as loud as his slamming heel as he took a step forward, hand reaching for the hilt of his sword.

"... one."

The warlord was stopped, buy a firm grasp upon his arm. Hadrian Montague did not look amused. His glare towards Kay was deadly but the look he spared his brother could have sent a dragon to the quarries. Leaning upon her spear, the youngest Dayalan tried to pass off an innocent smile. The warlord just clenched his teeth, like a wild stallion barely held in rein. Through his teeth he whispered, and it wasn't a friendly or soft whisper.

"There ... is ... no ... son."

That swung the Korie's attention back to Daxia Yurisdotter.

"Which is true ..."

Taking a breath, it was the Larsen who spoke.

"However, Kristine Brockman is doing well and fine and certainly enjoys her... what is the term? Oh yes. Fostering. She takes lessons in the Cathedral, is learning to both ride and sail, though we admit it will be a handful of years before she is old enough to serve as a Khorall. I am sure she will be indebted to the lord who temporarily holds her lands in Regency. Since her mother was your cousin Dorian, I believe that makes it your ...

"A girl! Girl's don't count!"

It was a loud, brutal interruption, but for once Hadrian Montague looked like he agreed with his brother.

Khorall Kisa Allaine simply, and very quietly replied.

"Excuse me?"

Mikal

Entering a proper distance after Kadri, he takes his place behind her chair. He restrains himself from offering a deep sigh as the 'games' begin, but is eyes scan the room, taking in all those present and calculating risks.

The subject of the discussion, the annexation of Brockman's Holdfast to Montague is like drinking spoiled milk to him, and he can't keep the sour expression from his face, not the look of contempt for Hadrian and Jakal as they speak.

When Kay speaks, his eye flick to a scolarly looking man, in the Korie retinue, dressed in blue, consideringly.

Kadri:

She frowned a bit to herself.

Twisting the dagger a bit on her father was possibly a bit unpleasant ... But necessary in this case. Her attention soon shifted to the ongoing proceedings ... And her eyes landed on the same man in blue.

Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter

As she watched where her words fell, the Dayalan’s eyes stayed on Tieg Larsen, although her attention almost absorbed the goings on around her. His reaction was interesting. Slightly worrying, true... but this smaller thing needed to be brought into Her light before greater things were mentioned.

When Dorian Korie broke the silence, her eyes followed the interplay between Korie and Montague... she listened for any reactions from Kierkegaard and Amber... and she kept Larsen in her peripheral vision.

But Kay’s comment to — her taunting of, really — the Montague Warlord caused Dazi’s mind to wonder amid the hullabaloo just what in the name of Dayala the child was doing!!

But as Hadrian held back his brother... glared at her young charge... looked even more fiercely at his brother...

Oh.

Of course.

If Dazi had thought one Koromov alone was tenacious, smart and courageous, two of them were all that doubled... and then doubled again... and again... a double handful of times, no doubt.

In her observations of those in the room, she noted — and so wondered about — both Mikal’s and then Kadri’s attention to the Brother of Hastur.

Well, it was shaping up to be the sort of Council the Lady Vixen would consider ‘fun’, anyway. Unfortunately, that probably wouldn’t make the Korie happy.

The Starrider wasn’t sure if the softly echoing resonance in her head sounded more like the clack clack clack of Kisa’s tiles falling or the clang tang skree of her sword against Mikal’s as they practiced. It either case, it was a surprisingly soothing sound. When Khorall Korie turned his attention to her, she met his gaze with equanimity. She gave Khorall Larsen a nod of thanks for answering her second question so... provocatively.

Whatever calm her mind had held was threatened, however, when Jakal Montague insulted Kisa Allaine... and by extension, Linnell Allaine, Sasha Allaine, Eleni Allaine and Katrina Corliss.

At the very least.

Actually, if she thought about it for merely a heartbeat, the entire fullhand of fullhand of Dayalans in this world would also take offense at the remark. She might guess this was an inadvertent bounty for Jakal; given the behavior he’d demonstrated so far, she couldn’t fairly give him credit for intentionally insulting such a large number of warriors. No doubt he had a similar lack of remorse for insulting the followers of the most beloved Goddess of the world, Lady Attera. How sad.

Daxia Yurisdotter, boorish insult notwithstanding, simply... refused to take offense.

She merely glanced back at her Initiate and gave Kay a stern look. While to others the message might appear to be Behave yourself, keep quiet... it was actually more on the order of Let me finish talking before you start poking at that Coven Wolf again, would you?

Kisa’s Knight spared her liege a look and a soft whisper in Ancient, “I will speak to this.”

Looking again between the Khoralls of Korie and Montague — her glance also taking in the Heir of Korie; Lady Terilanquel-Korie and her retinue, including a wee Mouse; the Imperials behind the Kories, especially the one who’d caught the interest of her friends; even the Warlord, expression particularly blank there — Daxia’s eyes once again settled on the Khorall of Talesan’s Village.

“My Lord Tieg, your comment intrigues me as much as it lifts my heart to know Dama Kristine is doing well both in health and her studies. I have traveled from Dawnview to Talantal — and, indeed, hope to see your lands and the Sea of Opals one day, as well — and have observed and heard a great many things I had not expected to find when I passed through Snowgate Pass. To hear you speaking so freely of the young woman serving as Khorall of Brockman’s Holdfast is yet another of these revelations.

“Begging your Lordship’s pardon, but...” She looked for a moment, surely a handful of heartbeats, at Dorian Korie before finishing her question for Khorall Larsen. “...I was taught that such a thing was not the way of the Noble Families on the High Tarn.” She shared a smile with Lord Larsen — for how could you not? “However, given how many things I have learned since leaving the Temple in Dawnview...” Daxia paused, head canted to one side, smile fading, before the smallest of shrugs was offered. “What is one more thing, ja?

“But speak realistically of this possibility if you would, my Lord. Though crudely and inexpertly stated, and not accurately reflecting the existence of the common people I have met in my journeys, the Warlord’s underlying sentiment is something upon which we should shed Her light.”

Daxia looked at Jakal Montague then. Looked at the man, looked at the rage, looked at the near chaos of his being. She shook her head and said with a hint of sadness, “You’re wrong, you know.

“Any man who feels protective of his mother, his sister, his wife, his daughter knows that women count.

“We are not all meant to be Khoralls, and most of us will never even live in fine homes, let alone a fancy Keep. Do not discount us because you believe the ordinary work of women — whether we be Khorall or Lady Wife, Healer or Warrior, goodwife or seamstress or servant in your own halls — is unimportant.

“And do no tell any man who has seen his dear mother, his favorite sister, his beloved wife, or his precious daughter go dancing with Krysta that girls and women don’t count. That is as ludicrous as believing I, a Knight of Dayala, would say that men don’t count.”

She had spoken calmly and softly, in the same way she would speak to a guest of Khorall Linnell at Dawnview Keep. Perhaps her tone lacked the full measure of respect she would give her Khorall or even — today, in his own home, and because he was not the enemy — Khorall Korie. But there was no disrespect either.

No, that came when she simply looked away from the Warlord and gave her attention back to Tieg Larsen.

But she was watching... the people, the Patterns, the reactions.

Clack clack clack. Clang tang skree.

The Heartwood
Talantal, the Grand Duchy of Talantal
Mid-Morning, Midsummer's Day

Kadri, Mikal and the Mouse, Daxia, Dandelion Koromov and Kisa Allaine and the Scamp

"Hadrian Montague, silence your brother lest he embarrass us all further."

Dorian Korie replied quietly to the Council, his level of happiness dropping even further. And while his words did cause the expected response from his allies - Hadrian's fists clenching so tight they went almost white and Jakal's anger turning towards a barely banked rage - three others suddenly looked up, as if the choice of words were so very very important.

Kisa Allaine. Captain Dandelion Koromov. And a tall man in blue robes. He carried no tome of Law, making him one of Hastur's Eyes.

However, with all this, it was the Kierkegaard Khorall who spoke next.

"I believe this brings a new light to the matter of Brockman's Holdfast. If the heir is not of age, an annexation is not the traditional solution. The appointment of a regent is the matter at hand. As Dag Brockman has already acknowledged his proxy, Kiekegaard states that the regent shall be from the seahorse's family."

"Allaine seconds. We tender the Corliss proxy."

Kisa spoke up, quick and sharp, an while her answer was for the Korie ... her gaze locked with the Montague warlords.

"Amber stands with Allaine and Kierkegaard."

Thus spoke the tall and proud Amber horseman. He crossed his arms, self satisfied and sure. If one was counting coup, Amber just evened the score with the daughter-stealers.

With each call, Hadrian paled more, grew tighter. His brother started to literally seethe.

"The Khorall of Kierkegaard does me much honor."

Tieg Larsen smiled.

"It would be impolite to not stand with him, Amber and Allaine.

"Oh.

"And lest I forget.

"I speak for Dag Brockman, and I am sure he would want only the best for his daughter. Larsen tenders the Brockman proxy."

"Nonsense."

Finally Hadrian Montague spoke.

"Larsens is too far removed from the Holdfast to be a proper regent. The Noble Family Montague shall be regent."

He turned his head to the side.

"Isn't that correct, Khorall Korie?"

In answer The Korie simply folded his hands together, fingers interlaced. He addressed the entire council, all those in the room.

"Convince me."

Kadri djinn Khayriyah djinn Terilanquel al'Korie :

Kadri spoke up, her voice smooth and relaxed, even though in some ways she was baiting vipers.

"There is another consideration. It seems to me that some people may be inclined to, unfairly of course, conclude that the Montague acting as regent might have something other than solely the best interests of the young Brockman at heart. They might suspect that the reason for the regency was territorial ambition. It would be a shame if the noble name of Montague were to be sullied by such untoward accusations. I think it very likely that there are none here who think that the Khorral Larsen has territorial ambitions over Brockman's Holdfast."

Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter

The sharp looks given to the unhappy Dorian Korie by Kisa, Dandy and the Eye — the Watcher, the Rememberer — were very interesting. She replayed the Khorall’s words in her mind. Oh yes. Very, very interesting.

While Lord Larsen did not have the opportunity to answer her question — perhaps that could come later, at a time and place more relaxed that the Council — the momentum of this topic increased dramatically.

And so, in such short order, the matter of Brockman’s Holdfast and the regency of Dag Brockman’s Heir was almost... so very close to truly... decided. One family stood in clear opposition to six of the other families. But for this matter to be settled, Korie would need to join with Allaine and Kierkegaard and Corliss and Amber and Larsen and Brockman. Korie would need to stand against Montague.

Convince me.

Even without Kisa’s warning last night, Dazi knew well enough not to betray any of the thoughts or emotions she had at the impact of those two words.

Korie wanted a reason to stand against Montague.

She studied each person at the table as they sat in silence. She could not take time to consider the consequences of Korie standing against Montague — not now, not yet. Yes, it would have violent and perhaps far reaching repercussions. And yes, she and her little band of misfits would somehow manage to find themselves at the center of one of those consequences.

But now was the time to shed Her light on a topic so painful that Dazi would rather not even speak of it... never mind speaking of it in public. But the Path was so bright and clear that it felt almost as if her Lady was pointing it out.

Kadri spoke quietly and so rationally... supporting Montague by not supporting their claim. It was precisely what a good daughter would do for the ally of her Father. Her Korie Father.

This might not be Dawnview Vale, but by her Lady Dayala, the Knight of Dawnview would act as she would in Khorall Linnell Allaine’s Court... with civility and respect for those who were her betters. And even — for the most part — for those who were not her betters... for in this matter, she agreed wholeheartedly with Kay that the Montagues were not a Noble Family. They were little more than thugs.

“The Noble Family Montague shall not be regent,” Daxia said calmly and evenly from Kisa’s side. Those with very, very sharp ears might hear the almost imperceptible hesitation before the word ‘noble’. “I will share my story with you, Khorall Korie, that you may be convinced.”

Then Daxia looked at her liege, silently, for a moment, and whispered in Ancient, “I wish this could have waited. But I feel now is the right time; I see a bright Path that I must walk.”

The Dayalan stood and slowly walked around the tables... behind the Kierkegaards, behind the Amberites, behind the empty chairs reserved for the Noble Family Corliss. As she stepped into the space in the center of the Council tables, she acknowledged Khorall Larsen with a nod, and then focused her attention on the Kories, nodding slightly to Kadri, before looking the Khorall of Grand Talantal in the eyes. She purposefully ignored the Montagues. It was an insult, pure and simple. And a risk... although a calculated one. But just as she trusted each member of her small troop on the road, today she trusted her two Temple Sisters, a Jvrillian mercenary, and a young Squire of Rames.

She even trusted, at least in this matter, the Kories.

“I will preface this by making two apologies. My initiate reminded me of a teaching poem that has been long disregarded, for it is at least as old as the Second Age. Always keep a Korie happy says one line. I apologize in advance, my Lord, as parts of this tale will not make you happy.”

The redhead turned her head to look at Khorall Kierkegaard and his Heir. “Khorall Kristoff, Lord Rikart, I apologize to you as well, for there are things I must say publicly that should be said privately. Please know I would spare you this pain and hold it for you myself for all time, if it were only possible.” She gave the Kierkegaards a respectful bow. It was nothing as elaborate and elegant as Kadri’s; it was simple and practical like the people of the Black Mountains themselves: a mere dipping of the head that was deeper and longer held than a mere nod.

And then the Knight of Dawnview turned back to the Khorall of the Imperial Duchy of Talantal, her bearing one of confidence, but not overly prideful. She was respectful not because she was a woman, a commoner, a pagan and Dorian Korie was a man, a Noble, an Imperial, but because she was a guest in his Court... because she was taught that one was respectful in Court... because Korie was not the enemy... and because, perhaps, she really did want to make this Korie happy simply for the sake of seeing him happy. In the space of less than one entire day, Daxia had come to believe that he really needed some happiness in his life.

“My Lord Korie, to properly tell my tale, I must give you a frame of reference. Dama Kisa has asked that I speak for the Noble Family Allaine without knowing much of what I wish to share with you, and the whole of the Council. I will beg your indulgence, and that of the Council. I have been told that I talk too much...” The redhead shot her her Temple Sisters a look of... acknowledgment? She continued by addressing the Khorall again. “...but to place before the Council the common sense of this matter, in terms so plain and firm as to leave no doubt as to my meaning I will, of necessity, use a great many words.

“It is difficult to see one clear path that led to this place and this day, for it is impossible for me to say precisely where the path began that led us all here. But I will begin with an incident from many years ago, for that was the catalyst for many things I see here today.

“There were two young people who pledged themselves to marriage; although to some it would have certainly been seen as merely an advantageous political alliance, to those close to them... to those who knew them as Khorall and Heir... it was not a secret that Innocence Allaine and Danton Kierkegaard were very much in love. This is still spoken of to this day... the depth and fire of their love.

“I was but a child then, but the facts that are known to the people of Dawnview Vale are thus:

“Khorall Innocence Allaine of Snowgate Keep and her betrothed husband Lord Danton Kierkegaard, Heir of the Kierkegaard lands, chose to journey through the lands of the Frontier Keeps. They wished to see their people; they wished to greet their people.

“Lord Dorian Korie, the Khorall of the Grand Duchy of Talantal, offered to the couple the great honor of a contingent of the Korie House Guard to escort them on their pre-wedding tour. And yet, instead of Korie guards, the wedding party was escorted by mercenaries.”

The look she gave Dorian Korie was one of understanding and, perhaps oddly, compassion. It was certainly not the anger one might expect from one who appeared to be an Allaine retainer.

“Dama Innocence and Lord Danton disappeared, as though they never existed. It has long been assumed that they are dead, but there has been no evidence that this was the case.

“I will give you honesty, my Lord, though I do not say anything you do not already know to be true. The blame for their disappearance, at least by many in Dawnview Vale, was set at your feet.

“I will speak now of a day in Yrick, two years ago. I was a student at the Dayalan Temple, and one of my lessons was to observe at the Allaine Court. I witnessed the session where a Brother of the Lord Hastur came bearing condolences from the Noble Family Korie for the disappearance of the Khorall of Snowgate. There is no need for me to recount that session, for I know the Brother would have returned and relayed back to you everything with perfect accuracy.

“What he could not have relayed was the deep pain it caused Khorall Linnell. It is not appropriate for her to show that in Court, da? So only the anger was relayed back to you.

“I did not think hard at the time about the questions I have come to consider in the past several months.

“The following Yrick, now less than a year in the past, an insignificant Initiate was deemed well trained enough to commence her Initiate’s Journey outside Dawnview Vale.” Daxia paused, her eyes flickering to Captain Koromov for an instant before returning to Dorian Korie. “The leaders of our Temple tell us that the purpose of this journey is for each of us to learn something of the world beyond the Vale before we take up our service in the Temple.” The Knight who had been one such Initiate, who had been told that very thing, smiled crookedly and so slightly. “I have come to believe, however, that the true purpose is for each of us to learn as much as possible about the world; to examine and question our teachings; to examine and question everything I once believed to be true.”

Daxia’s expression sobered. “And so I traveled forth. I met people, I made friends, I had my beliefs challenged almost constantly... or so it seemed. I entertained the thought that since I had been raised in the mountains to the east I would therefore travel westward, to the Sea of Opals itself, before returning home.” She shrugged and offered a self-deprecating smile. “It seemed less fanciful then than it does now.”

She took a deep breath before continuing.

“One day on the Brementown Road, I and those who traveled with me came upon a young woman riding for her very life, being pursued by a band of pale Eastern riders.

“Had I stopped to think, my Lord, as a wiser and more experienced person might have done, every event that followed, and that led me here to stand before you, would have been undone. But I am young, I am — perhaps — idealistic, and I saw a person in dire danger. The teachings of my Lady are no less clear than the teachings of Lord Rames... we must stand to defend and protect those who are defenseless or weak. And so I did not think. I merely spurred my horse to follow the damsel and the Easterners who pursued her into the Forest of Roth.”

Again she paused, but this time she relaxed a bit from her formality, sighed, and nodded. “Yes. I know. It was foolish.” Her eyes shifted to the Dayalans standing behind Kisa, and her gaze settled on Kay. “And as foolish as it was, it was the only course open to me, one I would not hesitate to follow again.” After a heartbeat, she looked at the Khorall again.

“As I rode into the glade, it was neither the damsel nor the riders that caught my attention, but a old and battered banner of the Noble Family Allaine.” She paused again, but she had vowed to herself that this time, today... perhaps only just today... she would heed Tashka’s admonition to not beat herself up about things over which she had no control. But she could never forget the death wail she emitted as she rode toward the banner to claim that patch of forest for Dawnview and Allaine.

“We did battle with the Easterners, learning in the process that they, indeed, are mortal; that demons are thoroughly disgusting when they are killed; and that sorcerers are base cowards. It was after the battle that I learned the important points of today’s narrative.

“My thoughts ran thusly, and in such a furor as to make my head ache. How could a banner of the Noble House of Allaine have come to be in this well-hidden glade in the Forest of Roth? What else, if I dared to search, would I find in that glade? My directive upon leave Dawnview Vale was to learn, to observe, and to eventually return to the Temple to share what I had gleaned by traveling across the High Tarn. I had most assuredly not been let loose upon an unsuspecting world to solve eighteen year old mysteries,” Daxia said with a hint of humor.

“But we did search, my compatriots and I, for everything that might give up any bit of an answer to my questions. We found a number of wagons buried under earth and deadwood and new growth by the passing years. We found... the remnants of the party that had ridden in those wagons, had guarded those wagons.

“The banner, the wagons, the bodies all told a tale whose fullness was not revealed until recently. The tale those remnants told was of a caravan set upon by a few ragged bandits... of Jvrillians and Kierkegaard men fighting and dying... all of them protecting, at the last, protecting their Lord.”

The daughter of Dawnview Vale turned to the Kierkegaards, arms crossed loosely across her abdomen.

“I searched long and diligently, my Lord Kristoff, for absolute proof that your son, Lord Danton, was the man at the center of this scene. I wanted so desperately to be wrong, though I knew I wasn’t. Yet, I also wanted just as desperately to find some small thing, anything, that I could bear to you as a token. I found nothing but the clothing that said these men were Kierkegaard, this man seemed to have finer clothing than the others. I am so sorry, my Lord, that I have only my words to bear to you, and I am so sorry that I must bear them to you. They were all honored as warriors in the only way I know, but I swear to you I knelt and prayed for every Kierkegaard man that night.”

Because she faced the Kierkegaards, it was only they and the Amber delegation and the Allaine delegation that could see the fullness of her pain at having to deliver these words to a father, to a younger brother... and in public, at that. It felt so wrong. She breathed deeply again, pulling her emotions back as best she could, before turning again to Khorall Korie.

“Your hired men were also honored for their service to Kierkegaard. They died trying to fulfill the Contract they made. And you may now also have the same questions in your mind that I had on that day, my Lord.”

This time, Dazi only turned her head to look at Kisa... her friend, the bearer of her heart, her liege. And for Kisa, she would be the Knight she needed to be now.

“Except for that lonely and battered banner of your House, my Lady, there no sign that your Lady Aunt had ever been part of that caravan. We found some trinkets of jewelry that could have belonged to anyone; none of it looked to be of Dawnview design or origin, nor was it distinctive enough to say it was something dear to a Kierkegaard. There was not even the smallest star from an earring or bracelet to say that Innocence Allaine had been there. And yet, as a child of Dawnview Vale, I knew she had been there if that was, indeed, her beloved lying among his men. And now I entreat you to hear well the remainder of my words, for they are as important to Allaine as they are to Korie.” She knew Kisa would listen well; she knew Kisa could hear calmly what her Lady Mother might not. Others might see an echo of the Snowqueen in Kisa’s careful and attentive listening... but Dazi knew better.

Fully composed once again, the Dayalan turned back to the Korie Lord.

“And so, my Lord, I wondered — as we all must be wondering — how it could be possible that some few ragged bandits came to overcome a party of Khorall Kristoff’s very fine House Guard, bolstered by a small troop of Jvrillians? This worried at my mind in a profound way, for I have been trained by some of my Lady’s finest Knights. I have had the opportunity to learn at the side, and in one case at the hand...” She paused to rub the side of her head where Barris had struck it when she’d parried too slowly during their single training session. “...of Jvrillians, and even beside a Squire of Rames. I thought it impossible then, and my conviction has only hardened. It simply could not, it would not, be possible for bandits to have overcome the party.

“And I wondered, too... where was the Khorall Innocence?

“It was near the end of our searching that one of my party discovered another body left at the edge of the clearing. This body was not clothed in the blue and green and black of Kierkegaard. It was a man, and so would not have been clothed in the black and silver and red of Allaine. The body did not bear the manner of clothing worn by the Jvrillians we had discovered, nor even the ragged bandits. No. This body was clothed in the colors of one of the Noble Houses.”

She turned so she could see both Montague and Korie.

“The body bore the greys of House Montague. And that was when I could see how the event might have occurred... it almost seemed to play out right before my eyes. Bandits supplemented by Montague men? Yes, they certainly could have attacked the caravan...

“They certainly could have killed every man who thought to protect the Khorall of Snowgate and the Heir of Kierkegaard...

“They certainly could have killed Lord Danton Kierkegaard...

“And they most certainly could have carried off Khorall Innocence Allaine.”

As she stared at the Montague delegation, her thoughts reached toward the Heartwood’s most arrogant Unicorn.

“Which is what you did,” she accused the Warlord of Montague.

For once... for the first time... the Starrider knew that she did not need to rely on her heart. She had a Unicorn to keep her honest.

And so when Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter raised her hand and jabbed a finger in the air in the Warlord’s direction, she spoke from that knowledge... and not from her heart.

“And DO...

“NOT...

“SPEAK...

“...Jakal of Montague, until I have finished having my say. Keep your foolish tongue still.”

Her eyes flashed like sapphire lightning, and her voice sounded sharp and hard, in a way that Captain Koromov would likely recognize. Even to her own ears, she sounded exactly like Kassia did at her most annoyed. Or furious, depending on who was doing the describing.

“You should not have left behind one of your men for sharp eyes to see, for a sharp mind to connect this bit and that bit.”

Except there wasn’t really any anger in her voice. It was simply sharp and hard, as if — perhaps — there was an unspoken but heavily implied “cobble block!” at the end of her statement.

Her eyes shifted between Warlord and Khorall... back and forth... two times, three times. She almost looked as if she might say something more... in truth, she almost wanted to say to the Khorall that she was just a bit sorry he had to put up with such a violent and stupid man. But she thought better of it. Hadrian Montague had what he deserved to have.

The Dayalan again gave her full attention to the Korie.

It had not escaped her attention that she had spoken to the Warlord as an equal... well, equal in rank, at any rate.

“But what of Lady Innocence? I asked myself this question over and over fullhand after fullhand times each day for all the months between that day mid-way through Crown until a day mid-way through Poet where we stayed at a small farmstead just past Brockman’s Holdfast. I had suspicions and theories, for I had heard rumors. But the truth of the matter eluded me.”

She glanced at the Brother of Hastur and shrugged a bit as if to say, “as the truth, of course, would.”

“But on that morning, at that homestead, when Montague sheriffs questioned us about a missing man from their quarries, I had my opportunity to verify a rumor, to see if my thoughts ranged far afield or kept close to the truth.

“I asked after a miller down in Laine’s Town who was said to have a wife with hair of red, and a daughter, too, with the same trait. The sheriff was kind enough to inform me that the miller, one Rolf McLaine, was indeed the miller I sought, and verified that the miller’s daughter had, indeed, run off.

“I shall share the exact words I spoke, the exact words the sheriff replied. I believe, my Lord Korie, that one of Montague’s own would be a reliable witness — although in absentia, although I assure you my memory is excellent — who could speak to the fitness of Montague to stand as Regent to Brockman’s Heir.

“I had said there was a tale high in the Black Mountains that the miller had the most beautiful wife in all the land, with hair red like mine except of course so much more beautiful than my mop. And that — this part was whispered, you understand, because... well, such things are whispered in the Black Mountains, you know — she was even more beautiful than the Khorall beyond the Snowgate Pass. You’d see why such a thing would be whispered even in Kierkegaard lands hard against the Rock. Oh, I’m sure it was just a fanciful tale and an exaggeration worthy of the best minstrels! Why, for all I know, the Miller McLaine has a plain wife with plain hair, and half a dozen perfectly plain children.

“In response to my distinctly poor acting, the sheriff most kindly replied...

“Yah mean Inno? Pretty lass, and nice enough, I guess. We’s quarry folk and he’s town folk, so our paths didn’t cross much. Heard she had the patience of a boulder, the way she let Rolf boss her around, keep her close to home and smack her when she got out of line. Until a while ago; a year, maybe more?

“The day after her daughter ran off, Rolf got himself called up to the Keep. When he came down he was powerful angry and blamed whatever happened between him and the Warlord on her, sayin’ it was all his wife’s fault. Now the way I heard it, he went to strike her and she, like she had been savin’ up her backbone for years and all, came after him with a carvin’ knife.

“Rolf’s whatcha call a widower now. But before she got beat down she made bloody sure he’d be rememberin’ her every time he looked at his reflection.”

She watched Dorian for a moment, before looking at Kisa again. And for a long handful of heartbeats, Daxia simply met Kisa’s eyes. Finally, she said, “What little more I know of your aunt, and what I know of your cousin... I will tell you all I know, Dama. Later, da?”

Perhaps Kisa had more memories of her aunt than she herself had of her parents. And perhaps... ah, so many ‘perhaps’! But Daxia still had work to finish here, and so she nodded just once before taking a deep breath as she turned yet again to the Khorall of Korie.

“And now, my Lord, I must place before you and the Council the truth as I saw it that day in Crown in a Forest of Roth glade, and the truth I see before me today at Midsummer in this Council chamber. A wise person once counseled me that, ‘there is only one truth, but it is an elusive mystery that can only be chased and never caught. For in the end, it doesn’t matter what that one Truth might be because whatever Truth is, it can only be perceived’ — at least by those of us who do not wear the robes of Hastur,” she added with a respectful nod to the Eye of Hastur. “‘Truth can only be perceived, and the perception is different for each person.’

“And so, I asked myself, ‘what role did Korie play in this tragedy?’ Today, because I am not the same person I was then... today, because I see Korie in a different light... the answer to that question is not the same as it once was. But I beg your Lordship to hear me out, as some of these thoughts have not been kind.

“Did House Korie provide mercenary troops instead of the promised Korie House Guard? Yes, that much seems clear from all I have seen. From what I knew then, I inferred an insult towards Allaine and Kierkegaard on the part of House Korie. I have gained experience since, and see that it could well be reasonable to offer a seasoned Jvrillian troop familiar with the mountain passes rather than your own men who are far more comfortable on the plains of the Tarn. This is not said to insult their honor or their expertise; it is simply an observation that some people possess skills that others lacks. It is to be expected.

“So today I would say that Korie is not as negligent in this matter as Allaine believes.” She looked at Kisa, a questioning eyebrow raised. “Da? This could explain much.” She did smile softly and sadly at Dorian Korie, though. “A messenger to Dawnview with such information could have spared both great Families much enmity. Ah!” She absently waved away the thought.

“Done is done. There is only now, and tomorrow, and the rest of the future.

“But with this first question reasonably answered to my mind, I then asked myself, ‘would Korie have orchestrated this attack?’ I speak truth now, my Lord, for I will not have my word and honor later impugned... there was a time when I believed such a thing was possible. Now... now I do not believe so.

“How did I come to this conclusion? I asked, ‘what would Korie gain by this?’ And when I was honest in my mind and in my heart, I could find nothing that your Noble House or you personally would gain by alienating both the Noble House of Allaine and the Noble House of Kierkegaard. I am not naive, and I do not believe there would never be conflict among the Noble Families of the Little Kingdoms. Such has always been the way of the Kingdoms. But in this, the Imperial Age when we are all governed over by the Empire of the Bankorpools, the Little Kingdoms have seen greater prosperity.

“And the more I tried to find anything, even one small thing, that the Noble House of Korie would gain from orchestrating this attack, the brighter Her light shone on my own prejudices. It is no secret that Korie is not a friend to Allaine, and that Allaine is no friend to Korie. And yet...” The young Dayalan shook her head, seeming almost... puzzled perhaps. “Korie could only lose in this scenario. And indeed, both Korie and Allaine have lost much because of this heinous and cowardly attack.

“But if you, my Lord, were not responsible, I was forced to ask the next question. ‘Who would benefit from driving a wedge of distrust and anger between Allaine and Korie?’ That question was easily answered,” she said as she looked dispassionately at the Montagues.

“One last question, then, remained to pick at my mind,” she said to Khorall Korie. “It was the most difficult of all to answer, for I am after all a daughter of Dawnview Vale. ‘Would Korie have known of this attack, even if there was no involvement in its planning or execution?’ As I stated before, there was a time when I believed you must be aware of this. That time was as recent as yesterday, my Lord.

“But as I pondered the activities I witness here yesterday, as I spoke with Dama Kisa and my Temple Sisters, as I prayed on your ramparts this morning, I had to admit I was being false to all my teachers in holding even that small prejudice, and I was being false to an Immortal as well... which is a far more serious offense. And so as I looked over your holdings to the east, as She rose to light this Midsummers Day — so very different from the visage of the Dawnview Mountains, but no less impressive in its way — that question demanded honesty.

“The honesty I give you now is this: I don’t know.

“But I believe that the first you learned of it was, perhaps, just after Midsummers two years past... too late to speak to Khorall Linnell when she attended Council that year, but not so long afterward that a Brother of Hastur could be dispatched to arrive at the Dawnview Court on that day I witnessed him in Yrick. It is the only destination my thoughts can reach while traveling the twisting and looping paths that has them arriving at the Noble House Korie sending condolences eighteen years after the fact.”

One final time she addressed the Allaine Heir. “Dama, of this last I have no proof. I have only that single Path illuminated by Her light. It feels like truth, but...” Dazi gave her friend a half smile and small shrug. “...I may be Verchovai and Starlord Kassia’s best student, but I am still — on occasion — a cobble block.

“But I ask that you merely consider it as truth until found to be false by one who cannot be refuted.”

She looked then not at Dorian Korie or Marcus Korie, but the blue robed man who stood behind and between them.

“There is more.”

Kisa’s Knight turned to the Montague delegation. She crossed her arms — and might have even leaned against a wall, had one been available — and looked at the brothers as though they were naughty children. Very dangerous, very volatile, and very naughty children.

“It is not a secret, Lord Montague, that your brother has not only a temper that you alone can contain — at times — but that he is cruel, and has unseemly... appetites. ‘Heard the Lord’s thrall has a likin’ for redheads,’ is what I heard from one of your men. If that wasn’t enough, I myself observed him leering at Dama Kisa, the Heir of Allaine. The Heir, sir!”

In all of this, those three words were the only ones spoken with any anger, and it was in equal measure with disgust.

“And because your brother’s... temperament is no secret, Innocence Allaine — a noblewoman, a Khorall of one of the two most powerful families in the Little Kingdom, given over to a miller as a prize, forced to live as a slave, forced to bear him a daughter — oh, Innocence Allaine most assuredly feared for that daughter’s well being, and for the child’s very life. I will tell you what I know of the Noble Family Allaine, Lord Montague. Dawnview’s daughters are fierce and determined. I am but a far flung cousin, and dare to stand before you, wearing a sword, in the Grand Imperial Duchy of Talantal. So I have no doubt that Korinna McLaine heard tales of the warriors of Dayala. I have no doubt that the name of Verchovai Poppy was whispered often. I have no doubt that Rolf McLaine’s daughter ran off when she did because she was urged to do so by her mother; I have no doubt that Verchovai Poppy was waiting patiently to take her in. And I have no doubt that Innocence Allaine would have killed Rolf McLaine had she even a small measure of training her daughter now has.”

Daxia shifted her eyes to Jakal. “You couldn’t break her. And she took from you that one thing you coveted so very much. From right beneath your nose, and without any hint for you to hear, she sent her daughter away from your perversions and to relative safety.”

Finally, Dazi looked at Kadri. “Lady Terilanquel-Korie, you do your Father...” She paused and glanced over her shoulder at the Amber delegation, then back to Kadri. “...your Fathers, both of them, proud in your eloquence to spare the good name of Montague. But as you can see, my Lady, Montague is not a name that can be sullied by something so banal as territorial ambition.”

She glanced behind Kadri to Mikal, and nodded once... minutely... and blinked slowly. Her gaze passed over Dean, too, before looking at the three representatives of the Imperial Court behind the Kories.

“My Lord, I beg your pardon for my pagan ways in your Court. I mean no disrespect to the Lords and Lady of the Imperial Court, and have nothing but respect for them.” Daxia, daughter of Yuri, paused, rolled her eyes in Her direction, and held her breath for a pair of heartbeats...

...and then let it out, shrugging and giving the Khorall a small, but very real, smile. “Ahhm... it doesn’t appear my Lady will smite me. At least, not in your Hall.”

Then, in the blink of an eye, the Court Observer, the Speaker for Allaine, the Knight of Dawnview was back.

“Khorall Dorian Korie, I have presented for your consideration, and the consideration of the Council, my observations, thoughts and reasonings for disqualifying the Family Montague from Regency of the Brockman holdings. They have no care for what they have already taken from Brockman. They have no care for what they have taken from Allaine. They have no care for what they have taken from Kierkegaard.”

She gave the Heir a pointed look, recalling his younger brother’s words regarding who might have an accident first... Marcus, or the Heir’s wife, Talia Montague. Sibling differences, yes... and understandable since Dominic’s birth deprived Marcus of a mother. But from the very, very little she saw of the Heir yesterday, Marcus did not seem like a bad person... and his Lady Wife most assuredly did. The Starrider’s piercing blue eyes returned to the Khorall of the Grand Duchy of Talantal.

“I so conclude my statement before Council, but stand to answer any questions in my power to answer.”

It was not the easiest thing to curtsy with a sword strapped to one’s side, but in addition to carrying bucket after bucket after leaky bucket from the well to the temple — we are all broken buckets, Daxia — Kassia insisted that if one was to serve in court, one should learn to properly curtsy. Even if one wore a sword.

Daxia’s curtsy to Khorall Dorian Korie was very proper, very graceful, and held just the perfect amount of respect.

Mikal

He listens to Daxia tell her tale. Logical. Forthright. Compelling. In the beginning of it he is simply intrigued. But as she proceeds the light goes on behind his eyes as even he, as unused to politics and intrigue as he is, can see the pieces all fitting together.

He finds his hand gripping his sword hilt tightly. Initially in anger as he realizes what additional atrocities the Montague are responsible for, but later with readiness as he more than half expects to see the Jakal leaping from his seat to attack Daxia.

He slides a half-step closer, so that he is better placed to assist, should the room explode into combat. He maintains focus on his job of protecting Kadri, but in this case he sees the threat to her as minimal. Daxia and the Allaines are the ones at risk. Of course with Daxia and the Captain of the Wild Horde present, he doesn't think they will need help, but with the Montagues, treachery is always a threat.

When Daxia says "Montague is not a name that can be sullied by something so banal as territorial ambition”, he cannot suppress a snort, a large smile, and a small nod in returned acknowledgement.

As she finishes, he leans in to Kadri and says in a voice loud enough for the others to hear. "Just so you are clear, My Lady, it becomes evident that the Montague are not simply the blackhearted thieves that everyone knows them to be, but in addition are murderers, kidnappers, liars, and even possibly traitors."

He glances across the table, then adds to Kadri. "Sometimes those who spend their lives in the field can be more straightforward than those who spend their time in a more Courtly setting. I did not want you to misunderstand what Mistress Daxia related."

Kadri ...

... Leans back and listens, nodding, showing shock at the appropriate times and nodding to Daxia at the appropriate times. And as she continued, a hardening around the eyes and a tightening of the mouth were the only signals that, were Jakal at her mercy, she would not be very merciful.

She leans over and murmurs to Mikal.

"Oh, I understand all too well what she was saying, Mikal. All too well. And nothing would please me more than to see Jakal hung by his neck until the twitching stopped and the remains to be left hanging for crows."

However, to any outside observer, she leaned over, murmured in his ear, and made a curt hushing motion with her hand, as if to silence a bodyguard out of place.

The Heartwood
Talantal, the Grand Duchy of Talantal
Mid-Morning, Midsummer's Day

Kadri, Mikal and the Mouse, Daxia, Dandelion Koromov and Kisa Allaine and the Scamp

The silence that followed was heavier than a dragon's breath, darker than a starless night and sharper than a milk white blade.

The first to move, to stand, was the young Kierkegaard, his tall chair clattering backwards, his hand reaching to the sword at his side - perhaps a bit awkward - for an expert like Mikal it was easy to note that while the passion of a brother was there, the skill to back it up might not be.

The elder Kierkegaard made no move to hold his son.

"Black blood and star's tears. When we was fightin' the East, at least we was fightin' the ... East. You know. White hair, pointed ears, too tall and not caring if they live or die as long as there's blood everywhere.

"You went after your own."

It was the scamp, of course, interrupting suddenly, leaning on her spear, looking forward to level a cool dark eyed, dak haired glare at the Montague lords.

"Your Daxiness. Can I gut him? Like now? Begging your pardon, mister old, worn and Korie-ish, he's in a right powerful need of bein' gutted."

It was Jakal who answered Kay, definitely looking down at the much shorter girl.

"You?

"You're half my size, witch. I'll have your head before you can even figure out which way to point that pig sticker of yours."

The Warlord's attention then swung harshly to the Allaine heir.

"You. Girl. Pretender to a throne. Hush your whelp a'fore I cut out her tongue. Last I heard the children of Tom Koromov were commoners, and she just threatened a recognized noble. One word and you will not live to see the borders of these lands."

For once, for once, Hadrian Montague did not quiet his brother. Instead he waited until Jakal had finished and before anyone could reply simply raised his hand for attention.

"Unfettered by the shackles of propriety as he may be, my Brother has sound logic."

Hadrian directly addressed his Korie counterpart, his darkened gaze falling straight upon the Korie's shoulders, like a card player holding a winning hand.

"The Larsen may be correct, but they are a poor seaside keep, the closest they come to a credible threat is a handful of fishermen who'd rather spend their time fighting their fiends in a tavern brawl.

"The practical Kierkegaards. Let us be practical. They are defensive warriors; their security forged by narrow passes that only require a handful of troops to hold. Aye, they are assuredly quite skilled, but they are few in number.

"That leaves the young heiress.

"With two body guards. One who wasn't born when my brother killed his first ... brigand. The second, true, is one of the best sworders of our generation. But she is here on her own. The rest of her mercenaries are weeks away for they cannot come west of Bordertown, because that would put them in Talantal territory, an act of aggression Khorall Linnell Allaine would never dare.

"The third talks too much.

"Thus, are you not ucky, to have the strength of Montague right at your doorstep, my Dear Brother-in-Law?"

The Khorall Korie literally paled. Even with the might of Talantal, it seemed he just might have understood the costs of such a quarrel between neighbors.

There was a second silence in the room.

"Oh this is choice."

Captain Dandelion Koromov broke the silence.

"I don't suppose this is the best of times to announce that I am no longer under contract to Khorall Linnell Allaine?"

Both Dorian and Hadrian were taken aback.

"I don't understand."

"Then what are you doing here ...."

Captain Koromov leaned back, against the wall, crossing her arms.

"Me and mine are now in service to the Allaine heir."

"How in all of krysta's bloody hells did you manage that!"

Hadrian Montague slammed his fist hard on the table.

Kisa Allaine shrugged her shoulders and answered quietly.

"I saved up my allowance."

Both the Korie and the Montague blinked again.

"It makes no bloody difference."

Jakal interrupted, looking smug.

"The Horde is still weeks away."

This time it was Kisa who held up her hand for silence.

"Khorall Dorian Korie, I must now beg your forgiveness. I must admit to a certain strategic subterfuge, which is not as much a matter of trickery but simply staying ahead of the Marrennen storytellers. Michael's Dark Mark is no longer part of the Bordertown Thing and the town's allegiance has shifted east. This has thrown the traditional borders between your Keep and mine into dissarray. Now, after the last winter Dawnview Vale cannot afford to not have sufficient farmland within her Borders. It is true, I came here to offer Talantal all the steel you might wish. In return for all the lands between Heatherton Manor and Glacier Keep.

"I must beg your apology, Khorall Korie.

"Because the Wild Horde is now on this side of the Silk Creek Ravine.

"Dawnview Vale was not going to take no as an answer.

"That said ...

"It now puts me in a unique situation.

"For my fellow Khorall's benevolent acceptance of these very practical changes in the map of the mainland, it would now be my pleasure to offer you the services of my personal guard to maintain the piece of all our borders."

Now it was Hadrian Montague's time to pale.

Dorian considered this, for a long set of heartbeats. He rose, and with a nod he summoned his entire entourage, including a very scared looking seneschal and his daughter.

"I don't think you want to be here for this, daughter."

He paused at the door, and with a wave of his hand banished every single servant from the room. Except for perhaps Mouse. Only because she wasn't to be seen.

"I am taking some air.

"Midsummers Council will reconvene when I return.

"With whoever is left."

Kadri:

She looks over to Dorian and raises an eyebrow.

"Did I not, when reciting my name, also list Terilanquel among those of my titles? I may have your proud name by marriage, but I have another by birth. I am of Amber born, and I do not shy away from the sight of honor being avenged."

She looks over to her father and brothers, and calls out in her native tongue.

"Ta! Ilken!! D'rhan al'esherah fey an wahed m'alesh'er alahemer."

She points over towards Daxia.

"Eda kan lha shefreh hadh kema lesanha, feswef tedweq Jakal alesleb."

She slides out her her more constricting outer layer, and carefully folds it on the table. Wouldn't do for a lady to ruin her fine dress. Would be quite unladylike. Then she pulls on her cloak. Again, she WAS a 'fine lady' after all.

A knife is strapped to her hip. Each hip.

She looks over to Mikal and murmurs to him.

"Oh dear. I am afraid that they may be a threat to my safety. Whatever is a bodyguard to do in a situation such as this, when his charge has so recklessly decided to stay in the path of danger?"

Her expression is completely, and totally deadpan.

Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter

Daxia just gave Kay a look. And then sighed and shook her head as Jakal proceeded to underestimate her Initiate.

“Well, Scamp, not just yet, da?”

Then she looked at the Montagues and snorted at Hadrian’s comment.

“Yah, Dazi talk,” she said in a normal tone of voice that might not be heard over the rantings of the Montague Khorall. “Dazi not cobble block, though, like Warlord thinking spear bearer child of Thomas. Ha. Who tell Warlord this not good spy. Or Warlord big, big cobble block. Yah, that maybe so. Also best spear bearer Dazi ever see, so maybe Warlord stop beating chest, yah?”

The corners of her mouth twitched when Dandelion spoke up. But when Kisa explained how she’d come to hire the Wild Horde, Daxia burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, my Lady,” she said after a moment. “I know I was given strict instructions, but...” She allowed one last chuckle to escape, before schooling her expression to that of a serious — mostly serious — Court Observer. “...but that was funny.”

But she listened and she watched as Kisa explained her game. It was logical, and well laid out. And now, instead of coming to Korie with demands, she’d been given the opportunity to present it as something mutually beneficial to the Korie Khorall...

Thanks to her Knight.

And her Knight’s ragtag band of misfits.

Of course, one of the many things that could be an outcome of this Council session was the possibility of Korie not only having enemies at the gate, but an enemy within his own house... in the person of the Heir’s Lady wife. At least seven of them were corralled here in the Council chamber.

Daxia then watched the Lord of Talantal empty the hall of his entire retinue and all the servants, leaving only the Nobles of the Council and their retainer. As she stepped back to guard the door herself, she noted that Kadri showed no sign of leaving. She noted the Amber delegation, only Kadri’s father and three brothers, talking quietly among themselves, also showing no signs of leaving.

Her gaze crossed the Kierkegaards — Khorall, Heir and four guards — before Kadri spoke up. Her response to her Father-in-law was not the slightest bit surprising. The exchange with her Father and Brothers was interesting, and a bit odd in the instant she was the focus of Kadri’s attention.

Looking back at the Allaine side of the table, Daxia caught her Initiate’s eye.

“To me, Scamp.”

She looked between Kisa and Dandy, then nodded to the Captain, trusting her Temple Sister to keep the Heir of Allaine safe... only secondarily because she was being paid to do so. Although...

No. Allaine had every bit as much right to see this through as Kierkegaard did. She would not ask Kisa to leave. She would trust the Captain.

Then her gaze moved to Dean and Mikal, locking eyes with the Jvrillian for a moment. In that moment — less than heartbeat, perhaps — her jaw tightened and there was no doubt between them that both were ready for battle. She noted Kadri’s change of outfit and very nearly smiled at the knives.

Her eyes raked over the Montague Khorall and Warlord, the five guards that stood behind them. Really? FIVE?!? The Dayalan couldn’t decide if that was a sign of paranoia, a signal that they really were trying to perform a power and land grab, or if maybe it was just overcompensation for their lack of male anatomy.

And finally, she looked at Tieg Larsen.

“Unless you’d care to stay as witness, my Lord, you might want to take your leave now.”

Kierkegaard, Allaine and Terilanquel-Korie certainly outnumbered Montague — with the Amberites clearly interested but neutral — but Montague was an evil whose greatest weapon was treachery.

With her hand on her sword hilt, she said to the Khorall of the not so very noble Family Montague, “I don’t suppose you’d agree to have your men lay down their arms and the two of you do the first honorable thing in your miserable lives by falling on your own swords, would you?

“No?

“Ah, well. I suppose it is too much to hope that wretched creatures such as yourselves would know anything about honor.”