by Alma Boykin
“What is going on?”
“An attempted murder, great my lord,” Teelo answered. “It seems that Lord Shu doesn’t know when to quit. Or someone else doesn’t,” he amended.
“The idiot jumped me, tried to stuff me in a sack,” Neela explained. “I shrieked and fought back.”
That she had, Kirlin thought, forcing himself to not tuck his tail between his legs and then cross them.
“I happened to be on the way to relieve your bodyman when I heard her. I grabbed her attacker, but he had latched onto her. He let go of her pretty quickly, too.” The soldier beamed at the female, his pride obvious.
Neela bowed a little again. “If you will excuse me, great my lord, I need to go patch him before he bleeds to death and we cannot get any answers.” He waved her on and she trotted away, tail outstretched in her haste.
“Who was it?”
Teelo frowned. “The stores manager, Nortee, great my lord. And she got him good. His mate will bear him no more juniors. Neither will he be having fun with the servant females, either. Lady Neela has very sharp little talons.”
Maybe he did not want her mated to Tarlek after all, Kirlin realized. He needed to talk to both of them. And to get serious about finding the watch-lizard in his household.
A few hours later, Kirlin inquired, “Neela, what exactly did you do to Nortee?”
“I used the side of my forefoot to push and wiggle just behind his genital flap, great my lord, then sliced what came out. Lady Keeshti told me about the technique, although she had less, ah,” Neela ducked as Tarlek studied her, obviously very interested. Kirlin knew exactly what Neela meant, however, and forced his mind off of that particular track only with some effort. Well, he had told Keeshti to teach Neela all the domestic skills, and it seemed she’d taken him literally.
Nortee talked. In fact, the Healer had to sedate him completely to get him to shut up as he babbled about how much Lord Shu paid him, when, what had been promised, and why. If Shu couldn’t have the Healer, then no one would, or so Nortee thought.
That sounds just like Shu, Kirlin snarled. If only Shu’s heirs and Clan were not so terrified of him that they refused to ask for help! But until they did, none of the other Great Lords or other nobles could take steps to stop the fur-covered idiot. Well, other than Tarkeela and Kirlin’s petitions to the Throne. Kirlin sent his bodymen to collect Nortee’s mate and juniors, in part for their protection and in part to interrogate her about what she might have overheard or learned.
“Neela, how many years have you?” Time to change subjects, Kirlin decided.
“Fourteen, great my lord.”
That meant it would be two years before Tarlek could legally take her as mate, Kirlin groaned.
“My lord and sire,” Tarlek began. “You wish for me to take Healer Neela as mate?”
“Yes, when the law permits.”
The younger reptiles studied each other. “Perhaps, my lord and sire, it would be better for me to take Neela as a junior mate. She can do her household duties by serving the Clan, while a senior mate takes care of me and my offspring.”
“Sounds perfect,” Neela agreed, then caught herself and sighed as the males stared, incredulous. “Great my lord, I will not be able to do my duty as a Healer and teacher if I must manage a household, oversee the den, and care for my mate. Tarlek needs at least one full-time mate, preferably a female with management skills. With the greatest of respect, great my lord, that is not me. And while he’s lean and light-boned enough that I should be able to bear his juniors relatively easily, we need more Healers if we can find them, which will not happen if I die on the hatch.” She’d thought about this whole matter a great deal over the past year and more.
Her blunt assessment of their genetic compatibility took Tarlek aback, while his sire’s tail twitched with surprise. What had he brought back from the Wildlands? Well, it sounded like a reasonable plan, and Tarlek would not have to wait two more years before raising juniors. Kirlin knew damn well that his son had not waited for an official mate before discovering the pleasures of the flesh, much like his lord sire. Kirlin rumpled his tail. So long as the juniors were healthy and Tarlek’s mate did not come to hate either Neela or Lord Kirlin, everyone could manage. There weren’t enough Azdhagi left for love-matches anymore, certainly not in these next few generations.
“Very well. Tarlek, bring me a list of females of the proper age who are currently not claimed or taken. If one has a prospective mate who is remaining in Sseekhala, consider her available.” Neela bared clenched teeth but remained silent, and Kirlin felt a brief moment of guilt. Well, survival trumped emotion, he reminded himself. Tarlek bowed his assent. “Neela, you will be assigned an assistant who will serve as your guard until the Shu problem is dealt with. And when you reach the proper age, Kirlin Lineage will provide you with household furnishings suitable for your position, and will consider your offspring to belong to Kirlin Lineage.” She bowed, teeth still gritted, and anger replaced Kirlin’s guilt. Why should she fuss? He was the one who’d saved her, paid for her training, sheltered and protected her, and now offered her the opportunity to marry into a secure Clan lineage. “You may go,” he told the two. Neela bowed low and trailed Tarlek out of the chamber.
Two days after the attack on Healer Neela, King-Emperor Seetoh’s nostrils pinched shut in disgust as he read Kirlin’s attachment to Tarkeela’s petition. Was Shu going mad? The possibility certainly existed, as Seetoh well knew from his own lineage. Kirsan’s dam’s sire always had struck his half-brothers as a little strange, and apparently such things could skip one year-hatch to reappear later. But no one from Shu’s Clan raised protests, and even Tarkeela admitted that Shu Corp.’s business practices had improved and Shu Clan prospered a little, unlike some.
Prosperity aside, Azdhagia could not bear a civil war. Shu’s unprovoked attack on both Kirlin and Tarkeela threatened to split the Court. In truth, Seetoh had expected Tarkeela’s missive to report the damage done on a raid against Dawn Sweep. Tarkeela and Kirlin still held full revenge rights, since Shu’s actions constituted an attack on their Clans because of endangering Kirlin’s new Healer.
“Seedak, have you found any precedent for eliminating a Clan head?”
The pale brown archivist rustled as he swirled a forefoot. “No, Imperial Majesty. The only grounds for the throne to eliminate a Clan Lord are outright treason or gross public insanity that endangers others and that the Clan itself cannot deal with.”
“He attacked Lords Kirlin and Tarkeela, which violates the Clan truce currently in effect.”
“I hate to shave scales, Imperial Majesty, but his men attacked Kirlin on Tarkeela land. Lord Shu swears that his men knew nothing about your Imperial Majesty’s grant of protection over all Healers and that they acted without his authorization,” Seedak informed his half-brother. “The council of nobles has enough traditionalists that the council might well support Shu’s defense in order to protect their own rights, even as much as they detest him personally.”
Lord Defender Deek thumped his bench with his tail. “Imperial Majesty, this would be easier if more of Shu’s people had survived the attack.”
“Are you suggesting that I propose legislation forbidding Clan Lords from dealing with attackers on their own lands, against their own people, as they think necessary?” Seetoh, Seedak, Deek, and Queen Tahshi all knew very well the outcome of that proposal.
“No, Imperial Majesty, I merely make the observation.”
“In Tarkeela’s defense, no one knew that it would snow that night,” Lady Tahshi reminded the males. “Has Tarkeela made any progress with climate-protected holding cells yet?”
Seetoh scrolled through the file to the personal note at the end. “He says yes, he has. His workers are completing a set of underground holding cells below part of Mountains’ Edge manor, so prisoners will not freeze to death unless it is deliberate, and that the location also makes a very good wine storage facility.” Trust Tarkeela to pad his den,
Seetoh snorted privately. “Tarkeela also says that Shu can take his request for wrongful death monies and,” Seetoh stopped, letting the others fill in the rest of the phrase.
“Mmmm, so much for the soft, pleasure-loving, weak Tarkeela,” Seedak observed in a dry tone.
“Has anyone ever tried that particular form of procreation?” Tahshi looked at the males in turn.
“My Lady-Queen, I am told that it is anatomically impossible, which probably did not stop someone from trying it at some point in the past,” Lord Deek said. There was one in every generation who had to learn the hard way.
“Which still leaves us with the problem of Lord Shu, Imperial Majesty,” Seedak reminded his lord. “The only ways for a Clan Lord to be removed from office are if the Clan requests his removal, if his Lineage members declare him unfit for medical reasons, including mental failure, if he is caught in an act of treason, if he attacks a member of the royal lineage unprovoked, or if his actions are judged by a unanimous council of nobles to be a threat to the entire planet.”
“And I did a little research, my lord husband,” Tsarli sighed. “Shu trained in the law courts before he became heir. Which explains why he has managed to stay on the strong-side of the laws, even if he dances over them morally.”
Seetoh stared past his advisors, watching an air-dancer fluttering through the flowers at the edge of his garden. “Very well. Tsarli, speak to the household to make room for Healer Neela. I had planned to let her stay with Kirlin for ten years before bringing her here, but Shu will try again. Deek, make certain that she has adequate protection while she’s here. And I will order every Clan with potential Healers to bring them here at the next Court, so Neela can identify and start training them. She will be secure, any jealousies will be assuaged, and that should make it completely clear that purging Healers is not to be tolerated, for the sake of the species. You may go.”
After Tsarli and Deek left, already deep in conversation about secure quarters and logistics of moving around the palace’s medical personnel, Seetoh turned his gaze back toward the garden. “Seedak, what is this about people abandoning the Lone God?”
“Rumor only, thus far, Imperial Majesty,” the archivist began. “And no one has decried the religion or spoken against the priests or worshippers, Imperial Majesty. But rumor has it that some are turning to their Clan’s founders’ spirits for aid.”
“That makes no sense.”
Seedak’s tail rumpled. “There is precedent, Imperial Majesty, but the local cults never lasted long.”
“Interesting. Thank you, and you are dismissed.” The archivist bowed and departed. Seetoh closed the petition file and stepped out into the garden, watching as more of the bright blue and orange air-dancers flitted from flower to flower. The sight pleased Seetoh. The gardens had begun taking on a life of their own as the plants settled in. Laek’s suggestion to try some flowers native to Likhala proved to be a good one, and Seetoh made a mental note to add a few more, perhaps the fruit-bearing ones. The shadow pool still looked too bright, but once the trees matured it would improve, the monarch decided. He found a sun-warmed bench and settled onto it, watching the insects and birds, and letting his mind and body rest for a few precious stolen moments.
Lord Shu caught Kirlin and Tarkeela whispering together as he entered the Great Throne Room. It had been almost a double-moon since his agent’s failed attack on the Healer and the lack of reprisal made Shu nervous. He’d replaced many of his staff anyway, strictly as a precaution against infiltrators. Shu also noticed a female standing beside Kirlin, a dark brown female wearing Kirlin colors with a gray band around the hems. She stared at the gathering nobles, obviously curious. Shu sneered at Kirlin’s choice in concubines and decided to protest her presence as soon as he had a chance.
The disgruntled noble found his place and settled in to watch the others arrive. His disdain increased as he saw that a few other nobles had also brought concubines, mostly very young females probably no older than sixteen year-turns, although the two with Peitak and Blee seemed older. Blee’s female sported a heavily embroidered robe of the kind only worn by females belonging to the royal lineage and Shu wondered if she was Blee’s gift to the new crown prince. Obviously he had not been informed that females would be permitted at this Court session, and Shu added the insult to his list of complaints.
“Neela, move to Tarkeela’s strong side,” Kirlin ordered under his breath. She obeyed without comment and he explained, “Do you see the large male in the black and orange robe?”
“The one with the heavy tail and tan skin, great my lord?”
“That’s Lord Shu. Until King-Emperor Seetoh takes you into his household, keep Tarkeela or I between you and him.” The two nobles did not anticipate trouble, but neither did they want to give Shu an opportunity to do something stupid. “He’s broken Court protocol before, he’ll do it again,” Tarkeela had warned after Shu’s last expulsion. Kirlin had not argued against the obvious.
By the time the King-Emperor’s half brother, Prince Tsarli, called, “His Imperial Majesty, King-Emperor Seetoh,” three fourths of the surviving nobles had gathered in the Great Throne Room. Neela ignored most of them in favor of admiring the lovely wood paneling and what little of the inlaid floor patterns that she could see. The presence of the larger males failed to move her—after living with True-dragons for a year, nothing overawed the young female. However, she certainly appreciated the workmanship in the simple chamber.
Lady Keeshti’s training in protocol included High Court functions, “Just in case,” the concubine had told her student. “Lady Neetai would be an even better teacher, because she lived in the Palace complex, but I learned most of the basics.” Now Neela lowered herself to her belly along with all the others in the room but Prince Tsarli and Crown Prince Tahdak. When she looked up, Neela watched the largest Azdhagi she’d ever seen looming over the room, as an almost as large black-and-green male in ornately embroidered robes settled onto a bench-like throne.
“You may rise,” Seetoh said, his voice carrying over the rustle of fabric and creak of leather to fill all corners of the room. “We will begin with the most pressing matter. Lord Kirlin, approach the throne with your Healer.” Neela followed close behind her lord as a path opened for them, then stopped at his strong-side shoulder. Seetoh studied the small female closely, then sat back, apparently satisfied. “Lord Kirlin, for the good of all Azdhagi I ask that you allow your Healer to join the Imperial Household for the next two and a half year-turns, returning to Kirlin lands at the end of that time if she so chooses.”
The mottled brown noble declared, “I grant Healer Neela permission to join the Imperial household for the next two and a half year turns, and if she so chooses, to return at her will.” He stepped away from her, leaving the female alone with the King-Emperor.
“Healer Neela, will you join Our household, teaching others so that they may serve their Clans and all Azdhagi in need? You will be free to depart after two and a half year-turns if you so choose, or be free to remain here.”
Neela took a deep breath and counted two sixes before replying. “Imperial Majesty, Great Lord Kirlin, I choose to accept your Imperial Majesty’s most gracious offer to join your household for the time specified, in order to train others to serve their Clans and all others in need.”
“Then come, join the household,” Seetoh invited. Neela stepped to the side, away from the throne, then climbed the broad, low steps onto the dais and walked to the back, stopping beside one of the King-Emperor’s bodymen. “Those nobles who have brought Healer candidates step forward.”
Ten nobles and their females approached the throne, and after asking each female if she came of her own will and if she was willing to be tested and trained, Seetoh accepted them into the Imperial household as well. The side door opened and Lady Tahshi emerged, bowing low to her mate and then beckoning to Neela and the other females. At Neela’s gesture, the trainees filed up the far edge of the dais and out through the door.<
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All female, Tarkeela realized. I wonder if that is true in general or just this batch? Were all True-dragon healers female? No, he recalled, Master Lorkiss was a male with a female student. Tarkeela filed the question away for later. He listened to the business, voted for a new trade package with the Hillsham League, and voted very firmly against a request from the Dukorlig Scholars to send an observer to Drakon IV “for research purposes.” The Scholars had never acted as spies before but there was always a first time. The noble let his mind wander during a rump-numbingly dull border dispute petition between Blee and Peitak that ended with Seetoh reminding them that the watershed divide marked the boundary. Finally, the King-Emperor called Kirlin and Tarkeela forward.
“Great lords Kirlin and Tarkeela, we have received your petition.” He informed the gathered nobles, “Kirlin and Tarkeela request that the Throne take action against Clan Shu for Shu’s attacks on Kirlin members, both on Kirlin lands and on Tarkeela’s holdings.” Seetoh let the murmurs fade before continuing, “Lord Shu, what say you?”
Shu stepped forward with a swagger, drawing quiet but sharp comments from several of those around him. “Imperial Majesty, I claim damages from Kirlin and Tarkeela for the destruction of my property and the loss of my personnel. While my men acted without my knowledge or authority, the destruction of my property by Tarkeela’s soldiers and their True-dragon assistants was unwarranted.” When neither Kirlin nor Tarkeela moved to argue, Shu added, “I am willing to omit the wrongful death payment, however, if the Crown asks.”
“Tarkeela?”
Tarkeela slashed sideways with a forefoot. “I refuse to make any payment.”
Seetoh, unsurprised, looked at Kirlin. “Kirlin?”
“I too refuse, unless the heirs of the deceased Shu soldiers pay for the damage done to my aircraft and for the cost of cleaning my manor after the assassination attempt.”