The master of ceremonies bowed to the dignitary and turned towards the throne room. He rang the ship’s bell three times and announced, “My Lords, Ladies, and Regents of Aelargo, The Right Honorable Lady Electra Neyon, Countess of Waylisia, Deputy Secretary of the Duianna Alliance.”
Countess Electra stepped forward with the grace of a dancer and touched her staff to the floor. Some of the nobles closest to her gasped loud enough to be heard as the inlaid shield coat of arms of Aelargo started to glow a warm white. The glowing started where her staff had touched the edge of the coat of arms and spread out to the whole design. A few nobles who had been standing on the edges of the sigil stepped off. Then the sigil did the impossible—it shifted like an opening gate, splitting down the middle, creating a walkway down the middle of the room from the door to just in front of the thrones.
Under the countess, the seal of the Covenant, an ornate compass rose, inscribed inside with a quartered diamond in the four sections, were the ancient symbols for peace, plenty, diligence, and courage. The seal, circumscribed with a band of unknown writing, rose as if from the depths of an ocean. Electra stood with a firm grip on her staff, back straight and shoulders back, lifting the staff enough so that it seemed to float with her as she walked down the center of the throne room, along the path.
Lord, she is amazing. He admired her graceful approach. The seal flowed forward, staying under her, and making it seem that she was flowing over water on a platform made of the Covenant seal. His eyes kept jumping up from that seal to her long, muscled legs, shown off by the tight leggings under her semitransparent divided skirt. Her hips swayed, accenting her not-too-slim figure.
She stopped a short distance in front of him and his siblings. Her eyes were clear grey and wide, looking each of them in the eye, in turn, before bowing. Dohma gave her what he hoped was a reasonable, acknowledging head bow. From the corners of his eyes, he could see that his sister and brother had followed his lead.
Countess Electra’s eyes swept over them as she decided how to proceed. Dohma suppressed a grin as he saw her eyes narrow and her finger twitch on the staff while she took in the three Daggers standing behind each of them. She respects Daggers, and that we have them behind us in the place reserved for only senior advisors, is something she wasn’t expecting.I like the idea of having Daggers as advisors to the Regents. We should make this a standard. I wonder how much weapons training she has had. She looks very fit, and with her height, she would have almost the same reach as I.
The countess’s cheeks showed dimples as she finished her thoughts and allowed herself a small, but clear smile, showing off straight, pure white teeth. Nodding as if coming to a decision, she spoke. “Your Excellencies, Lord Regent Dohma Uriosal, Lady Regent Ellua Uriosal, and Lord Regent Bayion Uriosal, I bring you glad congratulations from His Lordship Risand Tullon Yawsia, Duke of Yawsia, Secretary of the Alliance of Duianna, on the reestablishment of your family’s line as Regents of the Kingdom of Aelargo. I am instructed to inspect the Kingdom of Aelargo for compliance with the Covenant of Duianna. Further, with your permission, if Aelargo is within compliance or diligently working towards compliance, I am empowered to reestablish an Alliance Deputy Secretary’s office here in Llino.” With that, she bowed again, then stood straight, prepared to wait for their answer.
She named us of the Uriosal family, as it is called in the Covenant. She knew our real names, but perhaps, not our full names. Or was this intentional? Still, this is amazing. My Lords, a deputy secretary’s office here! That would bring a lot of wealth and recognition to us. I wonder if she would be the permanent deputy secretary. He smiled and looked to his left and right, receiving restrained, but obviously eager, nods of agreement from his siblings. Looking back at the countess, he knew she hadn’t missed any of the body language. She is well-trained, and I am sure she is going to be interesting to get to know. She looks about twenty—very young for such a position. Looking around at the assembled nobles, he didn’t see anything but happy faces. Well, I see no dissent. Why wait?
Seeing the concerned look from his master of ceremonies, Dohma suppressed a chuckle, as he followed the protocol. “Your Right Honorable Lady Electra, you bring to us glad news. We accept your presence and will cooperate with your duties of inspection. Aelargo would be deeply honored by the establishment of an Alliance Deputy Secretary’s office here. My family is at your disposal for the inspection.” Glancing up, he saw an approving smile from the master of ceremonies. See, I did pay attention.
The countess leaned towards them on the balls of her feet, with more to say, so he nodded to her. “Lords and Lady of Aelargo, thank you for the warm welcome.” Reaching back, one of her aides pulled an envelope from his valise and gave it to her. “I also carry a summons for an Aelargian representative to be sent to Gracia to arrive no later than three cycles from now for a meeting of the Alliance Assembly.” She held out the sealed envelope. One of their pages rushed forward and, took it from her and brought it the few steps to Dohma.
As he started to take the letter, Cundia hissed loudly enough for him to hear, which stopped him before his hand had lifted from the chair.
What is she warning me of? Before he could react, Cundia stepped forward and accepted the letter. She made a little show of inspecting it, including smelling it, then handed it to him. He accepted the letter and glanced at the countess from the edge of his eye to see if she had taken offense at this. Instead of being offended, she looked pleased. He was also surprised to notice a number of his senior courtiers also stood taller at this. I need to find out what that was all about. The letter was sealed with the same Covenant seal as the one glowing beneath the countess’s feet.
“Do you know what this is about?”
She nodded. “I do. The Supreme Commander of the Alliance has declared war against the Nhia-Samri for their many acts of treason against the Alliance. The Assembly is required to vote to accept or reject the declaration. The secretary feels that Aelargo would be most interested in attending and voting on this matter. I am ordered to make an assessment of compliance to provide an initial findings report, allowing your representative to attend. I shall, of course, follow that up with a more complete investigation and report.”
Dohma stood up. “We would indeed like to send a representative to this meeting of the Assembly of the Alliance. I suggest we deal with these matters in a less formal capacity.” He gestured to the room. “Countess, these are our confirmed loyal and true courtiers, and many have been recently installed as officials of Aelargo. I trust you will find them warm and welcoming. I shall leave you to consult with my family on this urgent matter. Tonight, we shall have a feast in your honor with formal introductions.”
With approving nods from his brother and sister, Dohma looked on their courtiers and pronounced, “The Regents of Aelargo order all offices and records to be made available for inspection by the Right Honorable Lady Electra Neyon, Countess of Waylisia, Deputy Secretary of the Duianna Alliance.”
All of the nobles present bowed their heads in acknowledgement.
Dohma’s eyes returned to the lovely Electra. “Lady Electra, please feel free to get to know our fine kingdom. Unless you prefer other arrangements, I shall have the chief marshal of the house select private and comfortable chambers for you and your staff to use while in residence here.” The countess glowed, returning his smile. She really is remarkably beautiful.
“Thank you, Lord Dohma. I accept your gracious invitation to dinner, as well as the private chambers. My ship stands at your service, ready to sail for Gracia at your command, for whomever you decide will attend the Assembly. I shall endeavor to have my initial findings report prepared within two days.”
“Perhaps you will join me for lunch after you have finished making introductions and checking on your rooms.”
Her eyes seemed to glow at the suggestion, and he felt his own pulse respond to her happiness. She appeared to float upward as she said, “It would be my pleasure, Lord Domha.”
>
Ellua and Bayion stood, and with Dohma, bowed to the countess. The countess returned the bow, and the Covenant seal beneath her faded away while the sigil of Aelargo closed, and then slowly stopped glowing, looking once more like nothing more than a golden inlay. He hoped he had kept a reasonably straight face throughout this show of power by his own palace. I really need to finish reading the instructions on this place which Duke told me to get to. That was more than I expected. I wonder if that is going to happen every time we have an important visitor. Turning, he walked towards the private exit with his sister, brother, Daggers, and guards following him out of the throne room. As they were leaving, he spotted Baroness Morthan towing Count Allusia straight for the deputy secretary. Now, that will be interesting. He chuckled. I almost feel sorry for Count Allusia; he is about to be catapulted into a front-line position.
Once they were out of the throne room, Ellua burst out, “How could Gracia be informed and respond so fast to events here? It takes six weeks by ship to sail here down the great channel with the best winds. We have only been in power for five weeks. Five weeks total, since the beginning of all the events with Duke.”
His brother looked at the ceiling chewing his lower lip. “It is only a couple of days across the sound to Miumi, and Oslald has never disregarded the Covenant or shunned the Alliance as Aelargo did. She could have been there and received orders to come here.”
Dohma looked at them both, surprised. “Aren’t you surprised by what the floor did?”
They both looked at him before his sister rolled her eyes. “You were always stuck on the magic shows at the fairs. Of course, I was surprised, but I think it had something to do with that staff she is carrying. It might be a confirmation of rank thing. But really, silly light shows aside, we need to discuss the real issue here, which is how did they find out so fast, and how did they get her to us in such a short time? After all, she might be a fraud.”
A fraud? He frowned and his heart skipped. She isn’t a fraud. I know she is trustworthy! He had to think a moment, trying to decide how best to defend her to his brother and sister. Then he realized his brother was debating his sister, and he had not been paying attention. She was announced by the Nhia-Samri agents. Could she be another agent? Ignoring the debate, he started walking down the hall. His sister and brother walked with him out of habit, continuing to debate the possible actions and plans of some other agent. He looked at the sealed envelope and pondered the possibilities. His fingers traced the Covenant seal, receiving a tingling sensation that pricked his nerves and caused him to jerk away, as if burned.
Cundia rushed to him. “Milord, are you okay?” She reached to snatch the envelope away.
He stopped her with his hand. “I’m okay. It was just a surprise. It didn’t really hurt.”
That got his brother and sister to stop their debate and step up, so that they were facing him. Ellua asked, “What happened?”
He looked up. “I got a feeling from the seal.” He touched the seal again. The feeling was still there. He moved his finger around the edge of the seal. He could smell hot wax and feel someone he didn’t know, but trusted anyway, pressing down on the wax with an official seal. Lifting his finger, he looked at his brother and held out the letter. “Gently trace the seal.”
His brother took the letter, looking a little white, but pursed his lips and placed his finger on the seal. His eyes bulged as he moved his finger around the seal. When he was finished, they looked at each other and his brother nodded. “It’s authentic.”
Taking the envelope back, he handed it to Cundia. “You didn’t touch the seal when you checked it. Maybe next time, you might try that.”
Cundia, looking puzzled, did the same thing, placing her finger on the seal and tracing it around. Then she looked up, shaking her head. “I don’t understand. Is there something in the feeling of the wax?”
“Really, you didn’t feel the authenticity?”
Cundia shook her head. “I don’t understand. Is there something more? What did you feel?”
“Ell, please do as we did and tell us what you think.”
Ellua took the envelope from Cundia and ran her finger over the seal. Her nose wrinkled. “Oh, I hate the smell of burned sealing wax, which is why I let others seal all my orders.”
Bayion laughed. “Well, that confirms it for me. Domha, did you smell the wax and feel Lord Abdens pressing it?”
“How do you know who that was? All I felt was someone whom, for some reason, I trusted.”
“I am older than you, brother. Lord Abdens came here for a summer when I was four or five. He liked me a lot and played with me when I snuck out to the gardens and found him there reading. He was such a nice man, I trusted him. Of course, the usurpers made him feel unwelcome and he left, never returning.”
Cundia looked at them with a blank expression. Patting her on the shoulder, he told her, “It must be another one of those regents’ power things. Lord Abdens is the current Lord Regent in service to King Ollusin of the Kingdom of Oslald. When we touch this seal, we can feel who made it at the moment it was sealed.” Laughing, he tapped his brother and looked at Ellua. “Sorry, Sis. Bayion is right. This came from Oslald and it is real, which authenticates everything the countess said.”
Ellua shrugged. “Well, at least, you have your chance.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means since she isn’t an imposter, I’ll make sure she is sitting close to you tonight. That’ll give you a chance to get to know her. Of course, you do have the private luncheon already arranged.”
Alarms went off in the back of his head. “Are you implying something? I expect you and Bayion to join me for the lunch.”
“Really? I could have sworn your lunch invite was just for you two. You said ‘me,’ not ‘we’.”
“Did I? Well, I meant ‘we,’ so you two can join.”
His brother punched his shoulder. “Oh, no, I don’t think so. You made the date, so you stick to it. Besides, I have other business to attend to.” Bayion’s grin was very knowing.
Ellua smiled, patting him on the cheek. “Don’t be ashamed of it, brother. I was worried you would never find someone you were interested in.”
Blood was rising to his face and he felt a little off-balance. She was beautiful and graceful. But seriously, Electra is a countess and I am…well, I’m a… He felt his stomach jump at the realization that he was a higher rank than a countess. I’m a regent, second only to a king or queen. I can marry any noble I choose! His heart raced faster at the possibility of being with Electra.
His sister’s wide brown eyes looked into his eyes, and he felt his cheeks burning. “Don’t worry brother, you can always ask your sister for help. Tell you what. I’ll make all the lunch arrangements for out on the garden veranda. That is a semi-public place, but still romantic and private enough that you can talk freely.”
“I’m not… I mean, really, I was happy for Aelargo. I didn’t even consider anything else.”
Ellua’s eyes twinkled as she said, “Your eyes spent far more time below her neck than above it,” in a purring tone.
He took a step back and looked at his brother for support, but Bayion was grinning like a wild cat. Cundia was trying not to laugh, with only marginal success. The other two Daggers and guards were also of no support, being involved in inspecting the floor, ceiling, or walls.
His heart started beating double-time, and his ears had joined in the fun his cheeks were having, burning hot enough to hurt. “I... Well… Uh…” Retreat seemed a reasonable response. Spinning around and stepping off, he called back, “I’m going to take care of something important now.”
That was too much as everyone, including the guards, started laughing joyfully. His sister didn’t relent. “So should I seat her next to you tonight, too?”
Yes! Turning a corner without looking back, Dohma said over the laughter, “Do what you want.”
CHAPTER 3
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW
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br /> Warlord Maru-Ashua strode, head held high, around the training field, observing the warriors practicing. These are the finest warriors I have ever been privileged to know. I wish I could live to see their mettle tested in battle. He slowed, seeing that his second, General Eshra-Zunia, was sparring with six warriors of the highest class. In spite of his many years of practice controlling his facial expressions, he still smiled, watching the nimble and cunning Eshra-Zunia as she maneuvered, probing for the fatal weaknesses of the warriors who, although they knew better, hoped they might have the upper hand.
Before I promote her today, I believe she needs to learn a final lesson. I had hoped to teach her all I knew. But alas, that is no longer a possibility. His mind recalled the humiliating double blows of Duke against his command in Llino. Duke, you are a cunning enemy, and the moment I learned you had come back from your northern realms, I should have gone to Llino. Colonel Urio-Larne had no chance against you. And despite your attempt to make it look like he died with no honor, I know full well he and his command fell with the greatest honor of the warrior in facing you in battle.
He slipped off his coats, handing them to his command sergeant major. Let’s see if she is ready to take command here. Summoning the powers of his ancient blades, he pulled on the blades’ power creating a shroud of silence and bent the perceptions of those around him to overlook his presence, as he stepped out into the field. He moved through the training groups, only an occasional warrior noting his passage. As he approached, Eshra-Zunia found a mistake and delivered a painful blow to one of her adversaries, who fell away.
Thread Strands (Golden Threads Trilogy) Page 6
