Princess Ellissan’s chin was quivering, but she clenched her jaws and nodded. “Merral Zel’Veltlan knows agriculture. He’s my recommendation.”
“Very well. Lord Merral Zel’Veltlan is Lord Minister of Agriculture.”
Princess Ellissan set her list down and looked Sharindis in the eyes. “Why are you letting me make all the decisions?”
Shari smiled and shook her head. “You know these lords and ladies, and I don’t. They are your people. And, when Stavin has dealt with Zel’Draval and his pack of mad dogs, he’s giving you your kingdom back. You, Princess Ellissan, and your father, are going to be relying on these men and women to get your kingdom back on course. The decision of who you rely on should be yours.”
The princess thought about that for a moment, then bowed her head and whispered, “Gods Above keep King Stavin strong.” Then she looked at Shari and smiled. “I’d almost forgotten that you and King Stavin are not going to be remaining in Coravia. But Dad is so terribly hurt.”
“The Healers say he’s mending well.”
“It’s not his body,” Ellissan whispered as she looked down to where she was clenching her hands together in her lap. “It’s his spirit. Zel’Draval broke him. He tortured Dad, and killed Mom and Cal. I keep catching him crying when I go see him. I’m--I’m not sure he’ll let King Stavin abdicate.” She wiped a tear from her eye with a vicious flick of her fingers.
“If that happens,” Sharindis said very gently, “then we will stay until you are ready to accept the crown.” She took both of Ellissan’s hands in hers. “Ellie, we don’t want a kingdom. We sort of have one.” She smiled as Ellissan chuckled. “Stavin’s sense of duty is such that he had to accept the crown from your father because Coravia needed him. But that same sense of duty will make him give it back, either to your father or you, because you are the rightful rulers of Coravia.”
Princess Ellissan sniffed and nodded, then rubbed her nose on her sleeve. Looking at her list again, she hummed. “Justice is a hard one. All of Lord Zel’Perion’s assistants were killed.”
“Is there a Lord Sheriff of Moravad?” Shari asked.
“Yes, but he’s young. His father was Lord Sheriff, and he was his assistant. He’s only held the office for two years. And, honestly, I don’t like him.” When Sharindis looked curious, she explained. “He and his father tried to get Dad to betroth us without asking me.” She gave Shari a sour look. “Don’t laugh.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Shari asked as gently as she could.
“He’s an idiot. And a follower of Lebawan.”
“Oh. Definitely not him, then. Maybe when you get the chance you should replace him with someone better, especially now. As to Minister of Justice, how about a Magistrate?”
Princess Ellissan thought for a moment, then nodded again. “I can think of one good, honest Magistrate in Moravad who would be perfect. But she’s not Chosen. She’s of Clan Kel’Martal.”
Shari tilted her head to the side and smiled. “Unless you can show me where it is written that only the Chosen are eligible for appointment to the King’s Council, I think we should consider her.”
Princess Ellissan thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a written law: It’s just customary.”
“That’s almost harder to get around, but we did it in Evandia. For now, in order to get a functioning council in place, I think she’s the best choice.”
Princess Ellissan was giving Sharindis a very intense look. “How can you say that when you don’t even know her?”
“Because you know her well enough, and have enough faith in her, to propose her even when you thought I’d reject her for not being Chosen. Remember, Ellie, Stavin and I were not born Chosen, either. We’re both from Cat Clans.”
Princess Ellissan shook her head. “I had forgotten that. You seem so natural in your role as Queen Sharindis.”
Shari chuckled. “Years of practice at Princess Marina’s side, and sitting in on the King’s Council as Stavin’s assistant. But I think she’s the right choice for now. If it turns out that she’s not, she can go back to being a Magistrate. You still haven’t told me her name.”
“Marydyth Kel’Martal.”
“Very well. Lady Marydyth Kel’Martal as Minister of Justice.” Shari wrote the name on the list. “Now, who for Transportation?”
“Well, since you’re letting me have my choices, I choose Lady Annalisa Zel’Cortal. She’s not much older than I am, but she’s been at the Academy studying civil engineering for two years. Merral, Anna, and I used to play in the garden together with the other palace children.”
Shari nodded and wrote the name on her list. “Very well, Lady Annalisa Zel’Cortal as Lady Minister of Transportation. I think that’s all we need for now.”
Princess Ellissan shook her head. “That’s only five, with you as the sixth. We should have an odd number.”
“We do,” Shari said as she looked at the girl and grinned.
“Who?”
“You.”
Princess Ellissan’s voice squeaked as she asked, “Me!?”
“You. You are the last scion of Zel’Darvin. You are Crown Princess by right now, because you are the only child. Sorry, but it’s true. You will not be allowed to serve in the Army. Not with just you and your father left of the Royal Family. This is your kingdom. Stavin and I are holding it in trust for you and your father, but the Zel’Darvin family is still the Coravian Royal Family. It’s time you took a more active part in the governance of your kingdom, and preparing for when you will be Queen of Coravia in your own right. Play-time’s over.”
* * *
The two forces camped where they had met, and Stavin called for all the officers to join him after they had eaten.
“Lords and ladies, I am Stavin Zel’Andral. By the will of King Teravan, I am King of Coravia. For the time being, at least.” He paused and looked around at the Chosen. They don’t look happy. “You’ve all been told what happened in Moravad. By the laws of Coravia, Zel’Draval does not have the right to subject anyone but his followers to Lebawan’s judgment. His murder of Queen Rowena and Prince Caldan was nothing short of that, and his seizure of the Coravian Crown was illegal, and an act of treason.”
A tall colonel snapped to his feet and demanded, “What do you mean, for the time being?” He paused then added, “King Stavin.”
Stavin looked the man in the eye and said, “Once Zel’Draval is seen to, I intend to abdicate and return the crown to King Teravan or Princess Ellissan.”
“You would renounce the crown?” the colonel asked in a stunned whisper.
“Happily. I have a kingdom to go home to, and I have no desire to unite Coravia and Evandia. But you and l, my lords and ladies, have to take Coravia back from Karvar Zel’Draval first.”
A tall young woman stood next. “Prince Stavin, I mean King Stavin, what proof do we have that you are really the king?”
Stavin bowed, then motioned to General Kel’Destar. The general stood and said, “King Teravan told me, in his own words, that he abdicated in favor of King Stavin so there would be a warrior on the throne to defeat Zel’Draval and his followers.”
“Millassan,” a high voice said from the shadows, “it’s the truth.” Lady Daynah looked at the gathered officers as she walked forward.
“Indeed it is,” Lady Saralee said as she joined her. “Zel’Draval murdered my brother Alden for being Ehv’Ah. He and about thirty of his friends, who had reopened an old copper mine on our lands. We traveled to Moravad with Prince Stavin and had to rescue the king and the few Chosen who had survived being thrown into the dungeons.”
“They murdered my betrothed,” Lady Daynah said in a tear-choked voice. “They beat him and left him to drown in his own blood from a punctured lung. All because he wouldn’t bow to Lebawan.”
A young man was pushing his way to the front. “Daynah, please tell me you aren’t--”
“I saw him, Efran!” she screamed. “I found h
im in the dungeons! I talked to the men who were imprisoned with him.” She broke down and cried for a moment. “Your big brother is dead, Efran. You are now the Heir Presumptive of Zel’Kendan.”
Lady General Zel’Pardin stood and walked forward so everyone could see her. “We are faced with an unprecedented situation. Two men, neither related to Clan Zel’Darvin, claim to be the king. However, we have the sworn word of General Kel’Destar and the Heir of Zel’Karyn that our good King Teravan abdicated in favor of Stavin Zel’Andral, a Dragonblessed Prince of Evandia. He is also, by the stars he wears, a Senior Warmaster, which makes him the highest-ranking officer here. I find King Stavin’s argument far superior to that of the priest Zel’Draval.”
Turning toward Stavin, she bowed deeply. “What are your commands, King Stavin?”
Stavin stood and returned the bow before issuing his orders. “Separate your mounted units and officers. The rest of your command is to continue on to Moravad and reinforce the palace guards. Marching rations are to be distributed to the mounted units, as much as they can carry. We’ll forage or purchase anything else we need.”
“Yes, King Stavin. And who do I leave in command?”
Stavin raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. “Your second in command.”
The general smiled. “Major Zel’Valtan will fill in for me nicely. She is, by the way, a cousin of the queen.”
A tall woman stood and moved to the general’s side, but she never took her eyes off Stavin. Stavin bowed his head before saying, “Major, you have our sympathies on the loss of your cousins. And you have your orders. General Zel’Astel has orders concerning any commands that reach Moravad before we retake the kingdom.”
“Zel’Astel, King Stavin?” the major asked with her head tilted to the side.
Stavin shrugged one shoulder. “Major Warvin Zel’Astel of the Evandian Royal Guard. I promoted him as the commander of the Coravian Royal Guard until a Coravian general can be found and bound as the new commander.”
“Yes, King Stavin,” she replied with a bow, then returned to her command.
The force separated in the morning, and Stavin found himself in direct command of nearly seven hundred mounted troops. Lady General Zel’Pardin joined Lord General Kel’Destar at Stavin’s side, and together the force headed northwest to intercept Zel’Draval and his followers.
Chapter 17
A GROUP OF MORE THAN THIRTY armored men and women marched up the street in front of the palace. Behind them came a group of unarmed women in an assortment of blue robes. They reached the palace gates and stopped. In an instant thirty men in Royal Guards uniforms, Evandian and Coravian, ran to confront them.
“That’s close enough!” an older man shouted, as his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. His uniform seemed a bit tight, but he looked ready to do violence on his king’s behalf.
The men and women stopped in the street, then one woman took a step closer. She spoke loudly as she announced, “I am Knight of Justice Helkaran Kel’Distan, Grand Councilor of the Moravad Temple of Justice. We wish to speak to King Stavin.”
General Zel’Astel made his way to the gates and looked at the woman. “King Stavin has gone after the traitor Zel’Draval.”
“And the queen?” the Grand Councilor asked as she looked at the general.
“Queen Sharindis is trying to get the business of the kingdom in order.”
Now another woman stepped forward. She was wearing the deep blue robe of a senior priestess of Lady Sahren. She stopped beside the Grand Councilor and pulled the cowl of her robe back. She was very old, with white hair and deep wrinkles on her face, but her eyes were a piercing bright blue.
“I am Bertalain Fel’Castel, Shepherdess of Lady Sahren’s flock in Coravia.”
Most of the guardsmen took a step back and went to their knees. General Zel’Astel went to one knee and gazed up at her. “Shepherdess, we feared the worst when we could not find you or your sisters in the Lady’s Temple.”
The Shepherdess bowed her head briefly. “We were warned a day ahead of Zel’Draval’s attack and fled. The Knights of Justice took us in, hiding and protecting us from Lebawan’s mad dogs.” She shook her head. “They still desecrated our Temple and burned the Lady Tree, but we were safe.” She smiled at the woman beside her.
General Zel’Astel bowed his head. “I must inform Queen Sharindis that you are here.”
“I already heard, Warvin,” Shari said as she walked up beside him. She smiled at the Shepherdess and bowed her head. “We are very happy to see that you survived the attack, Shepherdess. General Zel’Astel, allow the Shepherdess and her Sisters to enter the palace.”
The general looked at her and asked, “And the Knights?”
Shari smiled. “The Knights of Justice are one of the oldest Orders from the time of Lux. I think they have shown their loyalty to Coravia by protecting the Shepherdess and her Sisters.”
General Zel’Astel closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded. “As you command, Queen Sharindis. Open the gates, men.”
There was little hesitation from the Royal Guards. Like many of their peers, most of them were followers of Lady Sahren. None of them followed Lebawan. And the Knights of Justice? Everyone trusted them implicitly.
Queen Sharindis went up to the Shepherdess and smiled, then drew gasps of outrage from many of her Coravian Guardsmen when she went to her knees and bowed her head. “Shepherdess, we offer thanks to your Lady for the salvation of Coravia.”
The Shepherdess seemed a bit surprised, but she covered it well. “We offer thanks in return for the safety of our king and princess, and for the delivery of Coravia from Lebawan’s hands.”
Shari rose to her feet and smiled up at the Shepherdess. Bertalain was at least a hand taller than Sharindis. “The Army contingent with us sent men looking for you once the palace was secure. Their description of what was done to your Temple—such wanton destruction and desecration.”
“Yes,” the Shepherdess agreed, then sighed. “But the Temple was built up from a rough hut during the founding of Moravad, and can be rebuilt. When we are certain that Zel’Draval is not coming back, we will do so again.”
Now Shari became a queen. “King Stavin is chasing him with almost seven hundred picked troops. The Traitor Zel’Draval will not return a free man, if he returns at all. Stavin is planning on just executing him when he catches him.”
The Shepherdess looked at her with an intensity that made some of the Guardsmen uncomfortable. Shari, however, simply met her gaze directly. “Is he really that confident?”
Shari chuckled. “Stavin is always confident. He isn’t always right, but he is always confident. He has the Heir of Zel’Karyn at his side as well as two generals. He doesn’t think he has as many men as Zel’Draval, but his people are all soldiers. A lot of Zel’Draval’s followers are priests and simple commoners who chose to follow Lebawan’s ways. He already believes he has a superior force.”
“And do you believe that, Queen Sharindis?” the Shepherdess asked softly.
Shari nodded. “I believe any force Stavin leads is superior. I can’t even think otherwise.”
The Shepherdess nodded and looked at the Grand Councilor. “Hel, let’s go to the temple and see what we can do there.”
The Grand Councilor smiled and nodded. “Very well, Aunt Bertalain.”
Shari looked surprised and said, “Aunt Bertalain?”
The Shepherdess smiled and nodded. “My little sister’s eldest. Perhaps now you see why we fled to her Temple.”
Shari smiled and said, “I do. I do indeed.”
Chapter 18
IT TOOK THREE DAYS TO GET the new King’s Council assembled. There had been a few minor problems, such as convincing Lord Merral to leave his research project behind, and an objection to Marydyth Kel’Martal by Lord Zel’Jettam because she wasn’t Chosen, but nothing that a soft word from Queen Sharindis couldn’t solve.
Queen Sharindis convened her first council session in the family room of the R
oyal Suites. “Lords and Ladies of the Council,” she began softly, “we are meeting here so you may all see that King Teravan is indeed alive. He is, however, still very weak from his injuries. Keep your voices low and do not demand much from him. He doesn’t have much left to give.”
All five of the ministers nodded their agreement, then Shari led them into the king’s bedroom. King Teravan was propped up on his pillows and even Shari was shocked by his gaunt, haunted appearance. He hardly seemed alive until she looked into his eyes. The fire she saw there was the first positive sign she’d seen from the king.
“Friends,” he began in a harsh whisper, “Ellie and Queen Shari have asked me to speak to you. Listen to me now: It was my decision and my decision alone that transferred the crowns to King Stavin and Queen Sharindis. Coravia needs a strong king to take back what Zel’Draval has stolen. It will be a long time before even the Healer Adepts can fix what they did to me. Give your allegiance to King Stavin and Queen Shari.” He stopped speaking and seemed to be struggling to breathe.
Three Healers rushed forward to tend the king while Ellissan and Sharindis all but pushed the ministers out of the room.
Princess Ellissan looked at the ministers and said, “You see what that miserable bastard did to my father? He murdered Mom and Cal, and tortured Dad almost to death.”
“We see, Princess Ellissan,” Lord Zel’Jettam said in a hushed tone. “I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
“Which is why we met here today,” Sharindis whispered back. “Now let’s go to the Council Chamber.”
The group remained silent until they reached the King’s Council Chamber. Ten new Royal Guards, still in their Army uniforms, were guarding the doors, and they came to attention as the council arrived.
Sharindis took the Queen’s chair at the table, leaving the King’s chair vacant. Princess Ellissan took the chair at Shari’s right hand. When the councilors didn’t seem to know where to sit, Shari said, “There isn’t much point in arguing who sits where until the full council can be appointed, so just sit where you want.”
The Coravian Conflict (Stavin DragonBlessed Book 5) Page 16
