Even man in the room went on one knee and echoed, 'Lord of all Farlan,' even Count Vesna – although he kept his eyes raised and his sword-hand ready.
A moment later, as arranged, the Dukes of Merlat and Perlir stepped out of the crowd and moved to either side of the High Cardinal. They both bowed, then the Duke of Merlat, as the elder of the two, stepped forward and knelt in front of Isak with the hilt of his sword held towards his lord. Isak touched a finger to the pommel and he withdrew as the Duke of Perlir stepped forward to repeat the formal greeting.
Finally Isak settled back on the throne and looked around the room in what he hoped was a suitably dignified manner before gesturing that everyone should get off their knees. He inclined his head to the dukes and they sat, followed shortly thereafter by the entire room.
'Duke Lokan, Duke Sempes, I thank you for the honour you do me,' Isak said smoothly. T beg a boon from you both.'
The unexpected words made the High Cardinal's nose twitch with irritation, but he had enough sense left to know he could not interrupt.
'My Lord,' Lokan replied smoothly, 'ask it, and if it is in our powers, we shall grant it.'
Isak inclined his head again. 'My thanks to you both. As you are aware, there is a vacant seat here, for Lomin has no duke and there is argument over who should fill the post. I intend to appoint the son of the last Duke of Lomin as heir, to dispel this confusion. I call upon all those present to witness this – for the good of the tribe I appoint Major Belir Ankremer to the title of duke. My Lords, do you concur?'
'My Lord, I do,' Lokan said, the hint of a smile on his face as muted gasps of surprise filled the air.
'My Lord,' added Sempes, bowing low, 'I also concur.' His expression was rather grimmer, but he spoke without hesitation, and that was crucial. Neither man could have refused so public a choice, but every second they had waited would have been noted by the watching crowd.
'I thank you. Lesarl, summon Belir, Duke of Lomin.'
All pretence at a respectful silence collapsed as the door opened a second time and in strode the powerfully built new duke, his black curls neatly trimmed and his uniform replaced by a crimson tunic emblazoned with the twin-towered keep of the Lomin family. As the duke approached, his face tight with nerves, Isak could see that while the clasps of his cloak bore the family crest in its entirety, the larger symbol on his chest had only one of those towers remaining, and a partially occluded moon hung above it.
Isak quickly spoke the words of the incantation he'd been practising, and let a sliver of magic trickle from his fingers, sensing how the arcane words shaped the energy and gave it a sudden purpose. By the time the new Duke of Lomin had knelt at Isak's feet, the chatter of voices whispering around the room had dulled and whatever snatches of sound that crept through were garbled beyond recognition. He saw the heads of several priests and mages jerk up and stare at him, but he ignored them, even as Lesarl carefully noted who had reacted.
The Duke of Lomin also sensed the change in sounds around him and looked around as he held his hilt towards Isak.
'A spell,' Isak explained. 'I expect several of your peers to have things to say that'll require privacy.'
'So no one else can hear us, my Lord?' he asked.
'They can hear a few garbled sounds, not individual words.'
'May I ask a question then?'
Isak smiled. 'You want to know why I chose you?'
'1 actually wanted to know what would be expected of me, my Lord, having had this honour bestowed.' Berlir spoke through pursed lips. He clearly disliked the idea of being anyone's pawn.
'1 expect you to perform your duties well. I need a duke in Lomin, not a lapdog.' Isak leaned forward and looked Berlir in the eye. 'You were chosen because Lesarl told me you're a fine soldier, an intelligent leader and a strong man. The coming years will be hard and cruel, and I will expect as much from you as I will every other Farlan nobleman – more perhaps, because I have chosen a warrior, something that cannot be said of your fellow dukes, Sempes and Lokan.'
'I-' Berlir lowered his eyes. 'Forgive me if this is blunt, my Lord, but I find it hard to accept an honour that is so lightly given.'
Isak grinned. 'Good; if you weren't a suspicious bastard you'd be no use. Now rise and take your seat; you should enjoy these few moments of peace, for there is much to do in Lomin. There is one thing to remember, and it is cruciaclass="underline" it is only united that we'll survive what's coming.'
The duke stood and took a half-step back before a strange look crossed his face. 'I don't pretend to understand your decision, but I'm a soldier, and as long as you ask me to serve the tribe, I will obey,' he said, and bowed once more.
'I'm glad to hear it,' Isak said with a smile. 'And now step back; I believe High Cardinal Echer has a few demands.'
As soon as the new duke had been greeted by Lokan and Sempes, all the rituals observed, Chief Steward Lesarl came forward and planted himself on Isak's right, perching on a stool that had been left for that purpose. Isak had no idea who most of the men in the room were, and with Lesarl close enough to supply their names, he was also conveniently close enough to be involved in any discussion that might take place.
The High Cardinal did not forget his place in the proceedings. As the dukes had presented their sword-hilts to Isak, to take if he wished, so Echer knelt and offered the oversized ring that showed Nartis's snake coiled around a sceptre. Isak thought the lapis lazuli disc looked curiously similar to Nartis's coin, which had hung from Morghien's augury chain.
I wouldn't put it past Morghien to have stolen the coins for his chain. Isak smiled inwardly, but then it faded as he thought, How many priests will I have to kill to prevent civil war here? Enough to make my own chain?
'High Cardinal, I thank you for your respectful greeting,' Isak began, 'but I hear there are some in your service who shame the Gods they profess to serve.'
Echer remained kneeling as he withdrew his hand and looked up at Isak. 'There are many of your citizens who shame the Gods. I cannot blame my penitents for their zeal in showing the people the error of their ways.'
'Zeal is all well and good, High Cardinal, but when it takes the Palace Guard to prevent fighting on the streets of Tirah, it goes too far. I hear there are many towns where blood has been spilled.'
'There are sinners everyone,' spat Echer, 'and their blood is better spilled than left to offend the Gods further.'
Isak took a deep breath. There was a fervent light in Echer's eye, one that Isak longed to snuff out. He was well aware he couldn't afford to let the situation continue – it would escalate as long as there were clear lines of conflict. What passed for religious law in the Land was a garbled mix of edicts, history and myths that required a great deal of interpretation. As yet, the High Cardinal had not put forward any clear agenda, other than the most obvious -the observance of Prayerday, censure of taverns and whorehouses-but Lesarl was convinced there was some sort of plan buried in Echer's sporadic pronouncements.
'The cults have no legal authority,' Isak said firmly, 'and yet your soldiers have attacked and killed in the name of the Gods. They have made summary judgments, and have carried out the punishment. In Chrien I hear a tavern was set alight and only the arrival of local watchmen stopped the arsonists from preventing anyone leaving.'
'Regretful incidents,' Echer said, although his face told a different story, 'but they demonstrate the will of the people. No longer will they allow the law of the Gods to be broken; no longer do they wish profit to sit at the high altar. I do not condone such acts, but you ignore the will of the people at your peril. This moral decay must be stopped or the Gods themselves will be forced to demonstrate their ire.'