Justice and Juniors (A Cat Among Dragons Book 2)

by Alma Boykin

  Zabet’s whiskers twitched, «On their way back to his estate? Apparently they departed rather quickly and in the middle of the night.» Keer gave the female a concerned look and she added, «Females gossip and servants talk, Lieutenant.»

  “Ah, a true saying, Lady Zabet,” and he left.

  It was the next morning before Rada regained full consciousness. “I told Tass not to leave me out for that long, damnit,” the woman complained as she washed the blood out of her hair.

  «How badly did you hurt the cadets?» Zabet nibbled carefully on the last of the previous year’s pickled shoi fruit. She liked tart preserves but this batch was a little much even for her palate.

  “Well, one is missing part of his tail and the medic was stitching up the second fool as I left the office. Plus bruises, concussions, and the usual.” The Wanderer-hybrid braided her wet hair into two plaits and crossed them between her ears, then pinned the arrangement into place. “I imagine their squad leader also reamed them new elimination orifices once he saw that they’d live to fight again. It’s one thing to challenge me, but a double ambush with live steel? Well, it will be a while before anyone contemplates that little move again.”

  «You’re not going to try and train today, are you?» If she was, Zabet fully intended to sit on her Pet until the mammal saw reason.

  “No. There’s morning court and apparently his Imperial Majesty has a domestic policy announcement.” Rada took a bite of platter fungus with the shoi layered on top. “Whee that’s sour!” she exclaimed to Zabet. The True-dragon delicately wiped the tip of her muzzle. And snickered.

  Lord Ni Drako took her usual place with the other mid-ranked nobles as the Azdhag Imperial Court gathered in the great audience hall and surveyed the milling reptiles. The mammal literally stood head and shoulders above the assembled Azdhagi. Even the King-Emperor’s chief bodyman only reached Rada’s chest and he was considered a monster by Azdhagi standards. Of course, that was when he stood normally. Most of the mid-ranked nobles and all the Great Lords were at least two decimeters taller than the Commander when they rose onto their hind legs. As it was, Rada enjoyed having an unobstructed view of ceremonials and other goings on. It was a nice change from when she and Zabet were out on business.

  The mammal wrenched her mind back from star roaming as a low hiss of comment and gesture drifted through the crowd. Lord Reeschlee’s arrival had triggered the sound and Rada’s eyes narrowed briefly at the courtier’s swagger and high-muzzle posture. He also carried a sword for once, and she wondered why. Apparently she wasn’t the only one to note the addition to his costume and several of the other nobles hissed and muttered their own opinions, none of which were especially flattering to the reptile in question. He wore his House colors but his embroidered gloves and tooled blade carrier smacked of ostentation.

  The opening of the door to the Imperial chambers terminated the suppositions floating through the gathering. Everyone prostrated themselves or knelt as King-Emperor Li-Zhrae and Prince Imperial Zhee-li entered the room. Li-Zhrae settled himself on the elaborately carved bench that formed the throne, while his eldest son reclined on a large leather cushion to his sire’s left. “You may rise,” and the nobles returned to their feet. The King-Emperor was not as large as some of the Great Lords but he had a classical physique and was very well proportioned. He’d disappointed many of the females at court by only taking one mate. The Crown Prince looked like the warrior and athlete that he was and Rada had grinned to herself when she noted how the Mistress of the Robes had tailored his garments to make him seem even more muscular. All the silly mind games the Azdhagi play! And people wonder why I don’t like spending time at court, she snorted.

  “It has been brought to Our attention that enforcement of certain laws and statutes has lapsed and We wish to remind Our vassals of your duties to Us and to Our subjects,” the King-Emperor announced. Rada’s ears pricked and tipped forward as she listened carefully. Oh don’t tell me he’s going to really start looking into the import duties. Zabet just finished sorting out our paperwork! The reptile continued, “You know that the population of Drakon IV still has not recovered from the Great Disaster. It will not recover at all if the younger generations are abused and damaged. We have no tolerance for those who abuse, starve, injure or force those who are not of age.” Li-Zhrae’s steel-tipped talons glinted as he pointed to Lord Ni Drako. “Already one of Our nobles has been forced to work around the laws in order to do his duty to Our people. That should not have been necessary.” The monarch’s gaze swept the assembly and he noted two individuals whose tail tips and neck spines betrayed nervousness. “The junior abuse laws will be enforced, and We will personally sit judgment on any noble accused of such abuse or accused of abetting or ignoring such abuse.” A ripple of surprise rolled through the court: normally the King-Emperor only sat judgment for cases of treason or of separations where estate titles were involved. Unlike the court justicars, his Imperial-Majesty could not be swayed by title or rank. Rada allowed herself a broad smile and then returned to her usual politely attentive and neutral expression.

  A few minor court matters followed the announcement and then the nobles began mingling and discussing the news as the King-Emperor and Heir took refreshment and watched. This was also the time for individual petitioners to approach the Throne and Rada made her way towards the dais. She pretended to wait patiently as one of the oldest nobles informed the King-Emperor of his pending retirement to his estates, and that his heir would be coming to take the House’s place in Court. Li-Zhrae thanked Lord Sheeldak for his service and the ancient reptile bowed low before tottering off. “Yes, Lord Ni Drako?” Rada dropped to one knee and touched her forehead to her other knee, then straightened her back. “You may rise.”

  “Imperial Majesty, I crave a boon of your generosity and mercy,” she petitioned formally, remaining on her knee. “Your servant’s servant was assaulted and forced to defend herself. This she did, but the indignity committed against her cries to the Throne for relief and justice.”

  Sire and son both leaned forward, eyes intent and spines rising oh-so-slightly. “And have you knowledge of who committed this assault, Ni Drako?”

  “I know not the names, but the three males belong to the household of Lord Reeschlee.” Rada’s tail twitched as she named the offending party. The Prince-Imperial did not appear surprised in the least and both males looked over the assembled courtiers until they located the accused.

  “And do you have proof? This is a serious charge, if you are naming Lord Reeschlee as complicit in the attack,” the King-Emperor cautioned his Lord Defender.

  She bowed her head, acknowledging his warning. “Because the three servants, if that is what they are, left the Palace within hours of attacking your servant, I do not name him so. I have only whispered words and the observations of a Healing trainee who treated three males for injuries that match those your servant claimed she inflicted on her attackers. But without those three to give blood samples and testimony to confirm or deny, and without their lord’s testimony under honor-oath, I have no solid proof, Imperial Majesty.” What Rada wanted was for Reeschlee to back off while she plotted her revenge. He’d stumble soon enough and she did not want any more innocents caught in the war he’d apparently declared on her.

  Li-Zhrae’s tail swished as he considered her request. He pointed a razor-edged talon towards one of the Palace Guards, who hurried over. “Bring Lord Reeschlee to Us,” the King-Emperor commanded. A path opened in the crowd as if by magic, even though no one appeared to be paying any attention to the discussion at the head of the room. Elegantly dressed Reeschlee strode up and lowered himself to the ground. “You may rise.” As he did, Rada also came to her feet. She caught a whiff of the bitter, musky stench of nerves and fear and wished that she could use it as evidence. But anyone with half a brain would be fearful of a summons before the Throne, so it could mean nothing.

  Reeschlee noticed the Lord Defender standing to the side, forefeet clasped
behind her back as she pretended to be calm and unconcerned. He smiled to himself, watching the tip of her furry tail twitch ever so slightly. So the female was nervous, was she? Good, she should be. If she was moaning to the King-Emperor then she’d run out of tricks to try against him. He turned his attention back to Li-Zhrae as the elegantly robed reptile began, “Lord Reeschlee, Lord Ni Drako claims that three servants belonging to your estates attacked his body servant and were sent away before they could be questioned. What say you?”

  Reeschlee growled at the affront. “Lord Ni Drako is in error, Imperial Majesty. I did send three servants away, but it was after they fought among themselves. Since your graciousness does not tolerate such petty squabbles, I ordered them back to my estate and they will be punished.”

  Prince-Imperial Tzee-Li raised an elegantly gloved forefoot. “Lord Reeschlee, what markings do your servants wear?”

  “They wear none, Imperial Highness.” The reptile feigned humility, claiming, “my estate is too low to allow me to dress my servants in more than the plainest of robes. They do not even carry my House insignia, lest it be mistaken for decoration.” As he looked from the Prince Imperial to the King-Emperor, Reeschlee caught a flick of movement out of the corner of his eye. It was the female mammal extending her miniature talons. He’d cut her off and now she had nothing to use against him!

  His happiness was short lived as the Prince Imperial waved towards one of the guards, who handed him a clear bag containing the embroidered sleeve of a female’s robe. “Ni Drako, do you recognize this?” The Prince handed the evidence bag to his sire, who studied the pattern carefully.

  “Yes, Imperial Majesty, Highness.”

  “Reeschlee, are you familiar with this pattern and garment?”

  He temporized, “No, Imperial Highness, but I did not ask what the servants were squabbling over. A female, it would seem.” He exhaled theatrically and acted disappointed with his staff’s behavior.

  Li-Zhrae leaned forward, his pale green eyes cold as he inquired softly, “How do you know that this is related to the fight?”

  “Um, ah, that is, it had to be from there, otherwise you would not be showing it to me under these circumstances, most gracious Imperial Majesty.” Reeschlee felt his spines trembling and worked to calm himself. Damn fools! They shouldn’t have blabbed or he wouldn’t have known and slipped like that!

  Li-Zhrae snorted and sat back. “It seems that your servants assaulted one of Our servants, one in whose welfare We have taken particular interest. She has returned to Our estates and We commend Our daimyo and the solders under his command for their prompt response to this attack on Our vassal. Should you hear anything more about this, Lord Reeschlee, inform Us immediately and allow Our Guard time to investigate the matter, lest harmless rumor result in a feud.”

  “Yes, Imperial Majesty,” the brown and green reptile bowed, seething. The mammal had tricked him, making him look as if he couldn’t control his servants. Ni Drako would pay dearly for this humiliation.

  The King-Emperor turned to his Lord Defender, standing quietly at parade rest off to the side of the audience area. “Is your complaint satisfied, Lord Ni Drako?”

  “Yes, Imperial Majesty. I have taken the liberty of sending all the civilian servants under my care back to your estates, so as to reduce the possibility of future... misunderstandings and temptations.” Her unnatural metallic-silver eyes and stunted talons flashed as the mammal made a sweeping gesture with her forefoot and bowed.

  Her words stung the angry noble to the core. She’d all but called him the instigator, when it was her trying to play the noble that had forced him to act! Reeschlee had taken all he could stand. His spines snapped out straight as he snarled, “Enough! I challenge your honor, fur-bearing female!”

  Lord Ni Drako turned to the furious noble. “Are you certain that this is what you wish to do,” she asked, her silvery eyes expressionless.

  “Yes. You have undermined and snuck behind me once too often, mammal!” The others in the great audience chamber began backing away from the challenger and defender with a murmur of hisses and claw scrapes. The Lord Defender turned to face the throne.

  “Imperial Majesty?” She inquired, bowing low.

  King-Emperor Li-Zhrae waved his fan. “We permit it.” Ni Drako bowed again and then turned back to Reeschlee.

  The reptile stripped off his court robe and foot covers, but retained his sword carrier. Rada drew her own blade, saluted her challenger, and then took a defensive stance, carefully watching her opponent. Reeschlee drew, made a gesture that could have been a nod to a salute, and began circling. The courtiers stared avidly. No one outside the Defenders had seen the Lord Defender in combat in two generations and a susurration of wagers passed among the witnesses. Li-Zhrae and Tzee-li sat on the dais, impassive and motionless.

  Reeschlee knew better than to attempt a simple overpowering charge. Instead he swung around to the mammal’s flank and came at her from the side, then spun to hit her with his tail and knock her off balance. She jumped over his swings but landed awkwardly on her crippled hind leg as he reversed and forced her back. The reptile lunged, rising onto his hind legs to swing down and then up. He’d studied how she fought and meant to beat her with her own techniques. The female blocked his blade and sparks flew as he tried to overpower her. Instead, she slipped to the right, spinning as she did. He swung at her tail and missed, but she scored on his flank with the tip of her blade. Reeschlee snarled at the sting.

  Rada watched the noble closely. He was not bad, but not that good either. There was little pattern to his attacks and he was already breathing hard. It was tempting to let him wear himself out and then end it, but Rada suspected that he had a few nasty tricks waiting. Indeed, his next attack confirmed her guess as he bore down on her, detached something from the hilt of his blade and tried to catch her with both forefeet. She ducked under his swings and backed, working around to his flank. He dropped onto three legs and she wondered what it was that he’d taken off the sword. He charged her and caught her in the left leg, but with the flat of his blade. She took the blow and rolled, coming up into a kneeling crouch as the observers gasped. Reeschlee yelled and rocked back onto his hind legs, putting all his strength and mass into a vicious, curving down-stroke that would cleave the mammal in two. Instead she dropped flat and rolled again, springing to her feet before he could recover and slamming into his flank with her shoulder. She caught him off balance and he fell onto his side, losing his grip as he did. Rada kicked his blade out of reach and stomped onto the wrist of his other forefoot, her blade jammed against the soft flesh in front of his throat spines and drawing blood. Then she raised her sword again for an instant before whistling the steel down to finish the match.

  “Enough!” A deep voice bellowed and Lord Ni Drako redirected her swing into a salute, then backed away from her prostrate challenger as Prince-Imperial Tzee-li flowed down the five steps of the dais. Reeschlee gasped and rolled onto his belly, then struggled onto his feet and reached for his blade. He froze as the Prince Imperial stepped on the weapon, pinning steel to stone. “The matter is decided,” King-Emperor Li-Zhrae stated firmly. “Lord Ni Drako, what honor payment do you require?”

  “I require that Lord Reeschlee pay for his next entertainment in advance.” Surprise washed through the audience chamber, then laughter. A smile flickered over the King-Emperor’s features before he returned to his usual dignified sobriety. Reeschlee sank onto his belly, utterly humiliated and furious. The cheat had called him an honorless deadbeat! He didn’t have his sword, but he still had the pommel pin and without thinking about the consequences Reeschlee lunged towards his tormentor.

  She caught his movement and dodged, then slapped his foreleg with her blade’s face. His forefoot went numb and Reeschlee dropped the poisoned spike. Ni Drako caught his neck with the blade’s edge but again the King-Emperor called, “enough!” This time, Rada did not move until two Royal Guards rushed up and dragged Reeschlee around to face a
furious King-Emperor and Prince Imperial. As they hauled the reptile away, the woman strolled over, picked up the noble’s robe and used it to clean her weapon before sheathing it.

  “Interesting lining,” she observed, then dropped the garment and walked back to where she had intended to go before the commotion started. A path cleared as the other courtiers casually shifted position in order to get the best view of what might come next. In the mean time, Zhee-li had picked up Reeschlee’s robe and was inspecting the pattern, material and lining. He found a loose thread and pulled until a gap opened in the hem, then calmly ripped the brilliant blue material out of the garment’s shell. Zhee-li tossed the robe away as he would a used muzzle wipe, but kept the lining.

  “Most interesting, since you own less than five thousand tschreek of land,” the Prince Imperial observed to Reeschlee. The noble’s muzzle gaped open, then closed with a snap when Zhee-li slapped it with his metal-backed fan. The prince looked up to the reclining figure atop the dais. “Honored sire?”

  “Pay in advance and stop acting higher than you are, Reeschlee. Leave Our sight and Our court and be grateful for Our mercy,” the King-Emperor ordered. The soldiers dropped the striped reptile and he slunk out, leaving his outer robe and sword on the floor as a wave of hissing laughter hurried his steps.

  Rada, head throbbing, managed to last through court and accepted the congratulations of those who were delighted to see Reeschlee “rolled down the ramp.” She navigated her way back to her quarters before the headache put her on her back again and as she went, she really hoped that Zabet would not come in and announce, “I told you so.” The military orderly who now tended to the Lord Defender took one look at the exhausted mammal and skittered off to find a medic before Rada could stop him. She disarmed, limped into her private area, and lay down very slowly and carefully on the sleeping platform. Why did I ever agree to this foolishness? She wondered, closing her eyes and trying to make the pounding go away. Oh yes, because it seemed like a good idea at the time. An ‘interesting challenge’ I believe Marcus called it. Blessed Bookkeeper, I am such an idiot.