Killian

by T. N. Tarrant

  Lady Ertrai stood and reported everything, including reminding the Council of previous attempts to bring Anan’s behavior back into socially acceptable boundaries. As none of their punishments seemed to have had the desired effect, she therefore saw only two options: banishment or slavery. She recommended banishment because slavery in Rimalian society was intended to rehabilitate a repeat offender in a carefully controlled and supportive fashion and she did not believe Anan could be rehabilitated.

  Lady Nyirej, whom Shiloh had discovered was a decent sort of woman, if very conservative, stood up. “Have the Tii-su made that call?”

  Lady Ertrai faced her, shaking her head. “No, my Lady, Mistress Anan has refused to be examined. I have based my recommendations on her past behavior and her recent efforts and attitude, although, if the Council votes unanimously to force an examination, I will certainly not protest.”

  “I see. Thank you.” Lady Nyirej sat back down.

  Anan turned to Lady Nyirej. “My Lady, I am of your Clan. You cannot allow them to banish me. I will have nothing.”

  “I have told you repeatedly I will not rescue you from foolish actions. I told you so when you begged to be spared the flogging you deserved, and the reparations you owed Regent Artris Larrestes, I told you again when you tried to claim a male who so obviously didn’t want you. In that case, I even told you of a male that did seem interested in you—”

  “But my Lady, he had no wealth, no property or standing—” Anan protested.

  “If those are all you value, you deserve to lose everything, Anan,” Lady Nyirej snapped, clearly beyond pissed. “Given your behavior, and the fact you obviously never learned to have at least a little respect for males, I’m glad for his sake he is too poor for you; it leaves him free to find a wife who will value him for his own sake, as a wife should. Sit down and shut up.”

  “Does anyone here speak on Anan’s behalf?” Milossa asked quietly. No one moved and the silence was deafening. “Anan, you may speak for yourself. Can you give us one reason we should allow you to stay amongst our society? Can you reasonably justify your actions?”

  “I have the right to avenge myself against those who have harmed me,” Anan said angrily.

  “Quite true, if you have done no harm to them first, Anan. I can think of no instance brought to the Council where you have been harmed first,” Milossa responded.

  “It started with that—that creature,” Anan objected, pointing at Killian. “Sitting there among you, as if he had the right! Him and his false accusations!”

  Killian stood, his hands moving to the buttons on the dress tunic he wore. “Shall I strip and show the scars I bear from your attempt to rape me?” he asked quietly. “Your actions led to my mother’s. My siblings and I hold you partially responsible for the death of our father. Shall I call upon Tii-su Georges to verify the damage done to my siblings? Yet we never asked the Council to execute you for your part in our father’s murder. Senki could have behaved properly, just as you could have. Yet we know, if not for you, our father would be alive. I wouldn’t be standing here, as Regent, and it would probably be I who bears the stigma of a divorced male. Because I assure you, Mistress Anan, I would have sought a divorce the first time you hit me. And I have no doubt that would have happened. Shall we break down in minute detail, for all to hear, how your actions have led us all to this?

  “Time and again you’ve been offered punishment and help. Correction for your behavior and offers from the Tii-su to help you change your ways, so you can live among us without causing harm. Time and again, you refuse to accept that you need to change, and accept responsibility for your own actions, instead insisting the blame lies with me, or Janet, Lady Zahirris, or Lord Ewan. For years, I and my siblings have suffered nightmares because of you. I will bear scars the rest of my life that remind me every day of what you did to me. Lady Zahirris still has nightmares because of you. My brother and his Miisen, who were just beginning to cope with their new lives, have suffered a severe setback because you instigated the situation wherein James was nearly kidnapped.

  “If the vote is to banish you, Anan, you have no one to blame but yourself. All you had to do was remember that your actions affect others and to have a little care in your actions. Since all you care about is yourself, I say all that will care for you is yourself.” Killian’s voice had remained quiet, calm the entire time, but as he sat and Shiloh took his hand discreetly, he knew Shiloh could feel the trembling Killian hid from the others.

  Shiloh squeezed gently, trying to reassure. He got a small, gentle squeeze back.

  Milossa waited for a few minutes, but even Anan was silent. Then she called for a vote. It was very clear the vote was unanimously in favor of banishing Anan. Then Milossa asked what time period Anan should be banished for. This involved far more discussion, and finally they arrived at a consensus.

  Milossa turned to Anan. “Anan Nyirej, you are banished for one hundred years, during which you are not welcome among us, you have no status or rank among us, and any family holdings for which you may have any claim whatsoever are returned to the care and holding of your Clan, to be distributed as your Artris sees fit. You are banned from contact with any of Rimalia, and we are banned from any contact with you. If at any time you disregard this ban, you may be put to death. If ever there is a change to this decision you will contacted by my office, and my office only. It has also been agreed that in fifty years, you may contact myself, or my successor, and request the ban be lifted. I will tell you now, if you have not tried to lead a decent, law-abiding life among the humans, such a request will not be considered. However, if you have learned to lead a decent, abiding life, the Council will consider your petition. Do you understand?”

  Anan finally seemed to realize she had no recourse. “I understand.”

  Lady Nyirej stood. “I have one more thing, Lady Jarvai.”

  Milossa nodded. Lady Nyirej looked at Anan, her expression an odd combination of pity and disgust. “I disown you, Anan. You have shamed and dishonored us for the last time. You are no longer a Nyirej. You are no one and nothing to any of my Clan.” She turned her back.

  The Council, including Shiloh and Killian, followed her lead by standing and turning their backs. Killian shuddered as noises indicated Anan was being led from the room, holding tightly to Shiloh’s hand, needing the warmth the contact gave him.

  The Council returned to their seats after a couple of minutes. Milossa stared at Cheryl, Arnold, Amalie, and the other two for a long time before speaking.

  “It was recommended to us that the indignity of being taken down by two young males, one of whom has never been trained to fight and, despite having an adult body, still has a child’s mind, be sufficient punishment for the three of you,” she said to Amalie and her friends.

  “However, it is the consensus of the Council that it is not enough. You intended to kidnap a young male whose mental condition means he is not yet old enough to be marriageable, regardless of his physical age. You further harmed him by attempting to take him from his Miisen when both are still trying to recover from the harm done them in the first place. You also injured the Miisen in question during the attempt. You ignored an Artris’ order to leave James Masrei in peace. You defied another Artris’ order to leave his charges alone and report Mistress Cheryl to the Magistrate. These are very grave offenses and cannot be allowed to stand. They must be punished in such a way that no one will ever think it wise to follow in your footsteps.

  “I ask the Council to consider a sentence of slavery for Amalie, Rada, and Sidi Nyirej. My suggestion is three years.” At Milossa’s statement, the Council began to confer where they sat.

  Killian gasped. A slavery sentence? Although a traditionally and socially acceptable sentence, it was rarely used. It required a great deal of Council and community resources. On the other hand, he had no knowledge of such a punishment failing to rehabilitate. Some were even released early from their sentences because they learned quickly and honestly
. With so many Tii-su paying such close attention, paying lip service to get out of trouble did not work. There were even a few who chose to remain in a collar lifelong, under the care of the family that sponsored them. He studied the women in question. All were young, in their late teens or early twenties, and all had been raised in the same branch of the Nyirej clan as Anan. He knew from talking to his peers that males from that part of the Clan often had trouble adjusting to how other families did things because it was so different from how they were raised. However, it didn’t take long for them to improve. Could it prove true for these three also? If they were completely removed from anything that would reinforce their beliefs, it might.

  Shiloh sat quietly for a moment, then walked over to Milossa. He knelt beside her chair so he could speak without being overheard. “My Lady, I do not have the training or experience to make such a decision. Is it possible for me to abstain from this vote?”

  She leaned over to speak quietly to him. “You have a point, Shiloh,” she replied gently. “However, we all must vote, no abstention is allowed unless you are a direct victim of the accused. You know how the punishment works. You have to decide; are they likely candidates for it? Is it worth our time and effort in the hopes they never cause such harm again and raise their children to never cause such harm? Such a punishment isn’t just about the offender, but the offender’s daughters and sons. Parents teach their children what they believe. If they can be taught better, and come to believe it, what will they teach their children? You are deciding if they are worth our effort.”

  Shiloh looked at her for a minute then nodded his understanding of what she said. “Thank you, my Lady.” He went back to his seat and studied them. They were angry. They looked as if they wanted to say that the Council had no right to do this. They could refuse to accept it, but the alternative was automatic banishment, sometimes even death, depending on the offense. He thought about what Milossa had said. They had been raised to think that as females they could do as they wished and males had no choice but to submit. They’d been raised to think males were a convenience for females, with little or no value of their own. Most women in Rimalian society were raised to see males as less than themselves, but not like that. They were taught males were to be protected, sheltered, left to run the household and raise the children while the females went out and dealt with the rest of the universe. It was how males were expected to ensure continuation of the species, other than impregnation. However, if these particular women could be taught men did have value, that they had feelings and opinions just as important as their own, could they be the start of changing that branch of their clan?

  The Council began to move into groups as discussion with immediate neighbors was no longer enough. Milossa stayed out of it, making her decision on the matter clear. Many approached her, and several even questioned the three women, making sure all could hear their answers. Shiloh remained silent, though, and he noticed that Killian did as well. He looked at his fiancé. “You’ve already decided?” he asked very softly.

  “I have. You?” Killian asked curiously.

  “I have,” Shiloh replied. He continued to listen in the hopes of learning more about being an Artris. One of his new peers asked him what he asked Milossa and he shrugged. “I told her I didn’t believe I had the training or experience to make such a decision properly and asked if I might abstain. She told me that I couldn’t and gave me some points to consider.”

  The woman who had asked nodded approvingly but didn’t ask what he’d decided. Slowly everyone returned to their seats, indicating to Milossa they had all come to a decision. She called for the vote. Shiloh felt a little odd; this was his first vote as Artris, and he prayed he made the right call as he agreed to place the three in a collar. Lady Xeltrai stood and informed Milossa there had been some dissent about the length of time, and she suggested a compromise. Some thought two years was sufficient, and others believed five, so she suggested four; after all, a sentence could be shortened, but unless they managed to get into serious trouble, it could not be lengthened. Another quick vote was taken and Shiloh agreed with that, as well; Dana was right, if they truly changed, they could be released early, but their effort would be useless if the sentence was too short. Milossa ordered the arrangements be in place by the time they recovered sufficiently from their wounds.

  Then Milossa turned to Cheryl and Arnold. Lady Masrei had already informed the Council of Cheryl’s disownment; Arnold had been given the option to stay with the Clan and had chosen to go with his wife. “Mistress Cheryl, you have been disowned by your Clan. This Council also bans you from our communities for five years. You failed your duty as James’ mother on several occasions, leading him to grievously harm his Miisen and be harmed grievously in turn. You acted in bad faith when you told Mistress Amalie that she may wed your son, knowing full well he is not yet mentally mature enough and that you no longer had custody of him. We also ban you from contact with James for five years.

  “Master Arnold, you are also banned, for five years. You told Lady Ertrai that you couldn’t warn anyone because Mistress Cheryl told you not to. We agree that a man has a duty to obey his wife. However, a man has a stronger duty to protect his children, even from their mother if necessary. You failed to do this.” Milossa frowned at both of them.

  Cheryl looked defiant, but Arnold hung his head, looking shamed.

  “If there is no further business?” Milossa asked.

  Natalya stood up. “My Ladies, I have an issue that I believe we must address, as the situation arises from one of our decisions.”

  Milossa looked at her, then looked at Shiloh. “Go ahead, Lady Nedai.”

  “Regent Artris Larrestes has done me the honor of asking that I act as Senki for his upcoming wedding to Lady Zahirris. He requests a traditional ceremony here on the grounds, with you to officiate, as is his right. However, I submit that Lady Zahirris also has the right to claim such as his due, despite his divorce. I ask the Council how we might redress this,” Natalya said.

  Many of the Council began to murmur.

  Richard, Lady Jonai, stood. “Can we not simply proclaim he has the right to a virgin’s perks? We all know the marriage was not consummated. Indeed, we made sure it wouldn’t be.”

  Many of the Council nodded in agreement, but a few looked as if they had reservations. One stood. “Excuse me, while I grant that both Lady Jonai and Lady Nedai are correct, there is some doubt as to whether either man in question is indeed a virgin.”

  Killian gritted his teeth. In his years as Regent, he’d found Andrea Jinn to be a nasty piece of work, one of those who, even when she knew the truth, still liked to spread malicious gossip. He stood. “If you wish to question my honor, you are free to deal with the consequences of it.”

  Shiloh also stood. “I agree, Lady Jinn. Please feel free to question my honor. I, however, will feel free to do the same for you.”

  There were more than a few who very carefully kept their faces passive, but of those Shiloh was close enough to see clearly, there were more than a few approving looks.

  “You deny that you both share a bed?”

  “We have shared a bed for more than three months now, due to the need to care for my brother and his Miisen. This is no secret,” Killian answered.

  “What about before that, while Lady Zahirris was in your care under Sanctuary?” Andrea asked with a snide smile.

  Milossa made a rude noise. “Andrea, we addressed that when Anan made her accusations months ago. Surely you are old enough not to pay attention to gossip spread in an attempt to divert blame.”

  “Gossip isn’t always untrue, Milossa, you know that,” Andrea Jinn replied.

  Shiloh turned to Kelia K’Arith. “My Lady, would you Verify that we are not lying when we state that we are virgins?”

  Kelia smiled. “Go ahead.”

  “I am a virgin,” Shiloh stated.

  “I, too, am a virgin,” Killian repeated.

  Kelia studied them for a m
oment, then burst out laughing, drawing puzzled looks from everyone. Catan, who sat with Jaden and Jimmy, also began to laugh. Kelia drew a gasping breath, a huge grin on her face. “Neither one lies, my Ladies. They are virgins by our custom.”

  “What is so amusing?” Milossa asked with a slight hint of irritation in her voice as Kelia continued to chuckle quietly.

  “My apologies, to you all, particularly you two, Lady Zahirris, Lady Larrestes. My Lady Jarvai, I’m sorry, but to explain what I find so amusing would breach their privacy in ways they do not allow,” Kelia replied, trying unsuccessfully to stop chuckling.

  Confused, Killian and Shiloh looked at each other. What in the worlds was she talking about? How more invasive could you get than questions about one’s sex life?

  “Is the Verification sufficient?” Milossa asked, looking around the chamber. Even Andrea wasn’t going to insist the two weren’t virgins; she wasn’t stupid or contrary enough to risk an honor duel, especially if it would not only be with Killian and Shiloh, but Kelia, as well. “Very well, then. Let it be known then that Lady Zahirris, despite his Council-ordered marriage and divorce, is to be accorded the same privileges as any other virgin groom.”

  Shiloh was stunned. He stammered a thank you to all of them, and to Natalya in particular, blushing furiously. Knowing it came from the conversation Killian had had with Natalya the day before, Shiloh resolved to thank Killian more personally later. Milossa adjourned the Council meeting and he and Killian were surrounded, congratulated, and asked their plans.

  Chapter 22

  Later that night, after they got the boys and Araminta to bed and asleep, surrounded by Shiloh’s girls, Shiloh took Killian by the hand and led him to their private en suite bathroom. Killian had been quiet after they came back from the Council meeting. Their little family, including Jimmy, had spent a few hours in the den, cuddled together on the couch, which had been healing in its way, but now Killian needed something more. Shiloh could tell his fiancé was hurting and guessed the confrontation with Anan earlier that day had stirred everything up again, freshening still-healing wounds. He knew he was likely to be having his own nightmares that night, and he was glad Killian would be there to wake him from them. For now, though, he was going to see to Killian.