Lord Marak observed the roomful of lords as Lord Kiamesh took his seat.
“Lord Kiamesh has more than a handful of supporters,” noted Lord Marak. “I think this Lord Faliman is quite popular.”
“Hardly,” laughed Lord Shamino. “Most of the people cheering hardly know him. The fact is, almost everyone hates Lord Jamarat. The man is a brutal animal. He beats slaves and animals alike as if it is his daily chore. He has never had a kind word for anyone, and worst of all, not one lord trusts him.”
“Except Lord Mirakotto?” interrupted Lord Marak.
“Not even Lord Mirakotto,” Lord Shamino shook his head. “The word is that Lord Mirakotto can control him. That is not the same as trusting him.”
Lord Garic returned to the center of the stage and cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of the chamber.
“If there are no more nominations,” said Lord Garic, “I would like to start the voting process.”
A sudden tapping on the floor of the stage caused Lord Garic to turn around. He stared questioningly at the Emperor. Emperor Bagora rose and walked to the center of the stage.
“It is unusual for the Emperor to interrupt a session of the Assembly of Lords,” the Emperor began, “but these are unusual times. For the first time in recent memory, we are about to have a vote on nominations to the Lords’ Council. As you are all aware, this is a rare day in the history of Khadora. While the Assembly of Lords has been endowed with the privilege of voting for the members of the Lords’ Council, it has been a long time since that privilege was actually enjoyed. How does it feel to be actually making a difference in the history of your country?”
The assembled lords roared loudly in a manner befitting young children. The Emperor grinned as he watched the childish behavior.
“Good,” smiled the Emperor. “It is about time that you flexed your muscles.”
Lord Mirakotto rose from his seat, his face red with anger. “For what purpose does the Emperor interrupt the proceedings of this body?” he demanded.
“You rise, Lord Mirakotto,” scowled the Emperor, “to challenge my right to speak, but I do not recall you being recognized to do so.”
Lord Marak watched intently as Lord Mirakotto faced the Emperor. The Argetta lord turned and glared at Lord Garic who was responsible for conducting the session.
“Lord Mirakotto has a valid objection,” declared Lord Garic. “While the Emperor is afforded the opening statement of the Assembly of Lords, we are well past that point. We are in the middle of voting here. By what right does the Emperor speak?”
“I am the Emperor of Khadora,” declared Bagora. “Under the law, I have the right to speak in the Assembly of Lords not only for the purpose of opening comments, but also to nominate, or second the nomination of, a lord to the Lords’ Council. I have already spoken to my legal scholar about this. If you wish to clarify my position, I will gladly wait while you do.”
Lord Kiamesh’s face erupted into a broad grin, but Lord Mirakotto kicked the desk in front of him. Lord Garic looked questioningly at Lord Mirakotto, but eventually he just shrugged.
“I recognize Emperor Bagora for the purpose of making a nomination or seconding one,” stated Lord Garic.
“Thank you,” smiled the Emperor. “Lord Kiamesh made an elegant speech a few moments ago. He pointed out the stagnancy of our Lords’ Council. I not only agree that those lords who represent us on the Lords’ Council should be rotated, but I think we should take things a step further.”
Lord Kiamesh frowned, and Lord Mirakotto sat up in his chair and stared at the Emperor.
“Since our founding,” continued the Emperor, “The Lords’ Council has been composed of the same dozen clans. They are all from the Imperial Valley, and for the most part, they all think alike. While this may be good for stability, it is not a sound scenario if we ever hope to progress into something better than we are today. Many of you have heard some strange and outrageous proposals floating around the palace the last few days. I think listening to strange proposals is something that we do not do often enough. How are we to grow as a nation if we continue to do things as we have done them for the last thousand years?”
Murmurs of agreement came from every direction of the chamber as the Emperor struck a familiar complaint of the lords. Each of them harbored some resentment to the chosen dozen clans who made all of the rules.
“What I am about to do,” continued the Emperor, “has not been done in four hundred years, and even then it was only done half-heartedly. It is time not only for a new clan to step up to the Lords’ Council, but it is time for a different region of the country to have a say in our future. Khadora is much more than just the Imperial Valley. It is with a keen eye to the future of our country, that I nominate Lord Marak of the Torak clan to the Lords’ Council.”
Chapter 16
Lords’ Council
After nominating Lord Marak to the Lords’ Council, Emperor Bagora returned to his throne as Lord Garic returned to the center of the stage.
“Unless there are more nominations,” he said with a long pause as he gazed around the chamber, “We will begin with the voting.”
“Keep a list of everyone who votes for Lord Faliman,” Lord Marak urged Lord Shamino. “I will track those who vote for Lord Jamarat. This is a great opportunity to record alliances no matter how fragile they may be.”
“What about the votes for you?” asked Lord Shamino.
“I think I can handle those in addition to keeping track of Lord Jamarat’s,” chuckled Lord Marak. “While I am touched by the Emperor’s nomination, I seriously doubt that these lords will elect me to anything.”
“Do not underestimate the power of the Emperor,” countered the Sorgan lord. “The votes are given verbally, and there are few lords who want to be seen as not following the Emperor’s lead.”
Lord Marak shrugged as the voting began. Lord Garic solicited votes beginning in the front row. This allowed the current members of the Lords’ Council to make their votes known to the other lords. It was a minor form of intimidation and the results were quite expectable. All of the members of the Lords’ Council voted for either Lord Jamarat or Lord Faliman.
Some of the lords stood and merely stated their vote, but others made speeches as well. A full dozen votes had been given before a lord voted for Lord Marak. The Torak lord’s eyebrows rose in surprise. An hour into the voting, Lord Shamino chuckled.
“Do you now doubt the power of the Emperor?” he asked.
“This is most unexpected,” admitted Lord Marak. “I have never spoken to most of these lords. In fact, I recognize many voting for me as being among those who glared at me last night in a most hostile fashion.”
“To go against the wishes of the Emperor is to spit into the wind,” quipped Lord Shamino. “That is why it is so rare for the Emperor to take a position in a matter such as this. Trust me when I say that they are not voting for you because they like you. They are voting to register their support for the Emperor. You will be a member of the Lords’ Council before this session adjourns.”
“Then I should begin to think about what I should do once I am there,” frowned Lord Marak.
“You will not be allowed to do much at all,” sighed Lord Shamino. “This vote will probably cause the Lords’ Council to forget their prior disagreements and join forces against you. You are in for a rough ride, Lord Marak. You had best be prepared for it.”
The speeches dragged on as lord after lord spoke of the need for fresh blood on the Lords’ Council and why they had personally decided to vote for Lord Marak. Long before the voting had reached the back row of the room, it was obvious that Lord Marak had won. The speeches grew shorter as the midday break approached. Finally, Lord Marak stood and voted for himself. Lord Garic immediately announced the results and congratulated Lord Marak from the stage. He then adjourned the meeting for the midday meal. As the lords rose from their seats, an Imperial soldier approached Lord Marak.