Lord Sebba frowned as he had not anticipated his people giving Vows of Service to the Emperor, but he nodded agreeably.
“Excellent,” smiled Emperor Marak. “If you would excuse us now, Lord Sebba, I have some critical things to discuss with the Lords’ Council as long as I am here. We will speak again after the Assembly of Lords meeting.”
Lord Sebba nodded as he backed out of the room. The Emperor waited for the door to close before pulling up a chair and sitting down.
“I am only sorry that I missed the show,” grinned Emperor Marak. “That was three for three this morning. You lords must make a tremendous impression when you work together.”
“It was Lord Chenowith’s idea to get them all to swear Vows of Service to you,” chuckled Lord Patel. “It was easier than we thought. They were more afraid of having the Jiadin as neighbors than they were of us. I suppose the Jiadin felt betrayed when everything fell apart at Balomar.”
“Sometimes that is the price of playing with demons,” shrugged the Torak. “They invited the Jiadin in for the spoils of war and then they were chased out without compensation. It is just as well that they do not know that the Jiadin have been tamed.”
“It is close to the time for part two of this day’s activities,” declared Lord Quilo. “We just have time for a meal before the Assembly of Lords begins.”
“Did you locate Bursar Wicado of the Pikata?” asked Lord Faliman.
“I did,” nodded the Torak. “I told him that he was the acting lord of the Pikata clan. We had a nice talk while I waited for you to finish with Lord Sebba. I like the man. I think if it is possible, I would like to see him take over full control of the Pikata clan.”
“It will be possible,” frowned Lord Jamarat. “The woman that Rymaka was torturing died. The guard informed me when I sent him to get you.”
Emperor Marak’s face twisted with rage. He wanted to shout orders to have Rymaka hung immediately, but he kept his mouth shut. The Lords’ Council did not need any orders to see that justice was delivered to the Pikata lord. Without a word, he turned and walked out of the chamber.
* * *
The three rebel clans from the southern frontier were single estate clans. As such, those three lords sat together towards the rear of the chamber when the Assembly of Lords meeting began. Lord Padro sweated a bit as he watched the lords filing in for the meeting. He was excited about striking a blow to Emperor Marak and his reforms.
“Are you sure about these eastern lords?” Lord Woroman asked softly. “Lord Ratwa just walked by us and did not even glance your way.”
“I am sure,” replied Lord Padro. “Would you expect them to acknowledge us and give away our surprise? I just hope that you and Lord Sydar have lined up enough support for this vote. We will not get a second chance.”
“I spoke with many clans,” replied Lord Sydar. “We will have the votes that we need. There are many lords that have borders with the Chula. Not a one of them wants to give up the land.”
“I agree,” Lord Woroman nodded vigorously. “As long as they don’t have to be the one to bring the motion up for consideration, they will all vote for it.”
“Then this will be a most interesting session of the Assembly of Lords,” grinned Lord Padro. “I hope the Emperor attends. I want to watch his face as he realizes that he has just lost his grip on Khadora.”
The members of the Lords’ Council filed into the room, and the high level of chatter immediately died. While the members of the Lords’ Council took their seats, Lord Patel continued onward to stand on the stage.
“Patel will be leading the meeting,” Lord Woroman remarked softly. “It looks like the Emperor will not be coming.”
Unbeknown to Lord Woroman, Emperor Marak had been sitting in the seat reserved for the Torak clan at the far rear of the chamber. Emperor Marak dropped his air tunnel and rose from his seat. He exited the rear of the chamber where a full squad of Imperial soldiers stood waiting for him.
On the stage, Lord Patel slowly gazed across the faces of the assembled lords. As he delayed to give Marak time to get around to the door at the rear of the stage, he smiled and nodded to several old friends in the audience. When the murmurs in the room rose to an audible level, Lord Patel intentionally coughed loudly to get everyone’s attention.
“Greetings to the members of the Assembly of Lords,” Lord Patel said loudly. “I am pleased that you were all able to make this session. It is an important one. While the Emperor often gives an opening statement at these meetings, the members of the Lords’ Council have agreed to change our format somewhat. Our intention was to allow lords to present motions and vote on them before allowing the Emperor to speak, but I notice that no requests for motions have been submitted.”
“What is he talking about?” snapped Lord Padro as his eyes glared at the eastern lords. “Lord Ratwa told me that he filed a request to speak last night.”
“Lord Sebba told me the same when I spoke to him last night,” agreed Lord Woroman. “Something is not right here.”
“Where is Rymaka?” asked Lord Sydar. “Someone else is sitting in his chair.”
Lord Padro swiveled to see the area where the Pikata clan sat. He frowned at what he saw.
“That is the Bursar Wicado,” Lord Padro said with confusion. “What is a bursar doing in a lord’s chair?”
“So,” Lord Patel continued, “It is with great pleasure that I present Emperor Marak, Emperor of Khadora.”
“You have to do something,” urged Lord Sydar. “All of our work is coming to naught. Make the motion yourself.”
“Are you mad?” snapped Lord Padro as he rose from his seat. “I am not going to present the motion, but I will let Patel know that he missed one that was requested.”
The Rican lord shouted Patel’s name loudly as the door at the rear of the stage opened. Twenty Imperial soldiers swept onto the stage and fanned out to present a backdrop of white. Emperor Marak strode into the room, resplendent in a formal gown of white and gold. The members of the Lords’ Council immediately rose and began applauding as the Emperor walked forward. Soon, many members of the Assembly of Lords also rose and began clapping. The noise drowned out Lord Padro’s call.
Emperor Marak stopped walking and gazed out over the assembled lords. He smiled broadly and nodded to the lords. When the applause finally died down and everyone had sat down, the Emperor signaled for Lord Patel to approach. He spoke too softly for anyone to hear, although everyone wondered what was being said. Unexpectedly, Emperor Marak stepped back a few paces and Lord Patel reclaimed the front of the stage.
“I understand that during the Emperor’s entrance that I missed a lord standing with a call to speak,” announced Lord Patel. “Will that lord stand and state his question?”
Lord Padro looked around nervously, but he finally rose.
“Lord Patel,” the Rican lord said loudly, “it was my understanding that several motions were to be presented today, yet you have stated that none were pending. Could you recheck?”
Lord Patel smiled tightly as his eyes focused on the rebel lord. “Lord Padro,” he replied, “there were several requests to speak this morning, but they have been withdrawn. Would the Lord of the Rican clan like to address the Assembly of Lords? I am sure that the Emperor would not mind waiting.”
Lord Padro’s eyes narrowed in confusion and perspiration dampened his body. His eyes shot glares at the eastern lords, but they were pointedly ignoring him.
“Perhaps at another time,” Lord Padro replied as he sat back down.
“Why didn’t you make the motion?” asked Lord Sydar. “We can’t vote on a motion that has not been offered.”
“Why don’t you stand and offer it?” snapped the Rican lord. “I will not call the Emperor’s attention to myself. That is what those traitorous eastern lords were supposed to do.”
“Obviously,” Lord Woroman said softly, “someone got to them. I wonder how much of the plot they revealed?”