She shook her head and sighed. "Lads never grow up, do they?"
The Tersept of Thornwood died screaming an instant later, his fingers hacked away by the cortahars of a rival and a spear run through him-and at the same time, not far away, the Tersept of Harbridge took a hurled Serpent-dagger in the face and went down, tripping over the heaped bodies of his fallen armaragors.
The ruined Throne Chamber was strewn with the dead and dying now, and as the Tersept of Mesper roared out a challenge to his rival of Tarnshars and launched into a lumbering run, Embra Silvertree suddenly threw up her hands and bellowed "Enough!" in a voice that rocked Flowfoam and echoed back from the banks of the Silverflow and the crumbling battlements of the Silent House.
Scales rippled into being on her cheeks, and then as swiftly faded again. Dragon scales.
"Sithra dourr" she whispered, her voice still thunderous with the awakened power of the Dragon-and all drawn swords, daggers, spears, and like weapons in the room were plucked into the air. Above the roofless part of the Throne Chamber, the sky was full of swords-and where there was still a ceiling, the weapons were driven deep into smoking stone.
Silence fell as dumbfounded men turned to stare at the Lady of Jewels.
Wild-eyed, her breast heaving and her hair standing on end, Embra Silvertree glared back at them.
"There's been more than enough killing in Aglirta today," she said fiercely. "Let it end, now."
A deeper silence fell, wherein men glanced sidelong at each other, and then hurriedly back to the tall, slender woman still sheathed in wisps of bright blue flame, wondering what she'd do next-and what they dared try, in the face of her fury.
"The King lives," Craer Delnbone remarked, into that stillness.
"H-help me up," Raulin said urgently. Hawkril Anharu took one great stride and plucked the King of Aglirta to his feet.
Raulin Castlecloaks's face was bone-white, and he was still drenched in his own blood, his breastplate missing and the rest of his armor much hacked and dented. Yet he looked both calm and older than he'd ever seemed before as he faced the silent crowd and announced, "I'm very weary of Serpent-priests and warring barons and tersepts alike. Henceforth, let it be known that the penalty for worship of the Serpent, anywhere in Aglirta, is death. There will be no more barons, and any tersept who does not declare loyalty to me-and prove it, by service in the army I shall whelm today, to scour the Vale-shall lose his rank and his life. Loyal Aglirtans, to me! No longer shall-"
"No," the Lady Silvertree said firmly, from behind him. "No, Raulin, this is not the way. Loyalty and trust must be earned… and not by greater tyranny than that practiced by those you deem traitors."
She bent, and picked up the crown. "I think Aglirta deserves better."
There was a brief murmur from the watching crowd as she lifted the crown, and the sunlight caught it, making it gleam in her hands.
"What do you mean?" Raulin whispered, whirling around. "You know I never wanted the throne…"
"Precisely why you've done better than a more ambitious man would have," the Lady of Jewels replied, "yet still there's unrest in the Vale, and swords out, and Serpent-mischief."
She turned slowly to look around at all the faces staring back at her. "I could change all that," she told them quietly. "I am the Dragon. A new Serpent is rising even now, but he'll be but a lone, weak man if none worship him-and for now, I hold sway over Aglirta, to do whatever I desire."
She turned again to regard Raulin, and added gently, "And I desire Raulin Castlecloaks to be free of the throne."
"Aye! Down with the King!" someone shouted, from among the watching warriors.
Embra whirled to face whence that cry had come. "No! Say rather: 'Up with the King!' For years upon years the King slept, and Aglirta was the Kingless Land. The curse of the realm then was ambitious, warring men-each baron ruling as his own king, and desiring the rest of the Vale. 'Tis the curse of the realm now. You folk of Aglirta have too many rulers."
She climbed a heap of rubble so that everyone could see her, and turned slowly to look at them all with the crown shining in her hands. "There was a time when I would never have dared challenge what was right and lawful, what nobles and kings said and did. That time is past. Hear then my will. I desire Raulin Castlecloaks to rule as Regent of all Aglirta. There will be no King, hereafter, and no barons-only tersepts who garrison and give judgment and watch over folk around them in the name of the regent. All of these titled folk shall rule in the name of the people."
Embra sighed, looked down at the crown, and added, "The regent will travel the realm constantly, at the head of an army that will build and fix and tend crops and settle disputes and improve roads as well as fighting. Flowfoam will become a court and a place of healing where folk are tended by priests of the Three, who shall be permitted no temples elsewhere, but only open-air altars. No one shall worship the Serpent in Aglirta upon pain of exile, and in like manner none shall venerate the Dragon."
There was a stirring of released breath from all around her, as folk lost themselves in relief that there was to be no attempted tyranny of sorcery, and started to consider her words.
"I renounce this ancient war of Serpent and Dragon," Embra added, "and so long as I curb my power, and none worship me or the Scaled One, the new Serpent can never become stronger than I am. The madness and the turning-to-beasts were fell Serpent-magic; they will end when the last Serpent-priests are slain or driven forth from Aglirta. The Dwaer are hidden, sealed where they're scattered to by my power-and I shall know if anyone disturbs them. My companions will renounce something else with me: our title of 'Overduke.' Our task here is done."
She tossed the crown into the air and made a swift and simple gesture-and the royal circlet of Aglirta burst apart into ringing shards that dissolved in flame… and faded to empty air ere they hit the ground.
Another shared sigh arose all around her, and Embra stepped down from the height of tumbled stones, saying as she went, "Yet we'll always be guardians of Aglirta. If Aglirta should need us, you'll see us again."
She strode to join the rest of the Four, adding over her shoulder, " Try not to let Aglirta have need of us."
There was a moment of shocked silence, and then Flaeros Delcamper cried, "Behold the Guardians of Aglirta!"
'"the Guardians of Aglirta!" most of the crowd roared back, their cry thunderous, suddenly eager.
"Wait!" a tersept snarled. "Castlecloaks, are you going to stand for this?"
Silence fell again, very suddenly-and into it Raulin said firmly, "I am, and welcome it dearly. I intend to find and meet with every priest of the Three and every tersept and former baron to hear their personal acceptance of Embra's wise way. Those who refuse to accept it will have to leave Aglirta, or face the swords of those who stand with me. I also want to hear from every man and lass of Aglirta the names of any Aglirtans they deem wordiy of sitting in court judgment over them-I'll need such people as officers in my regency. Embra's right: We've seen far too much of sword and spell and Serpent in Aglirta, and too little of honest toil and earned coin and good harvests and feasts-and peace to enjoy those feasts in!"
"Well said!" the Lady Orele said crisply, and from among the warriors Lorgauth the Smith agreed loudly.
"For Aglirta!" Flaeros Delcamper cried, in the manner of grand bards Darsar over. "The Guardians have spoken! The regent has spoken! For Aglirta!"
"For Aglirta!" came the thunderous reply, and then everyone began talking at once.