"Euphastolon." Meronion cut off the usual greetings as he entered the Milem's audience chambers. She wanted to get this over with. She'd left him waiting as she finished up her work, which took longer than expected. This annoyed her. Punctuality was important.

"Meronion." He said, smirking.

She pointed to a chair in front of her desk, and he sauntered over to it and sat down.

"You look so serious sister. Am I in trouble?"

She knew Euphastolon was...troubled. Still, she used to believe he was, deep down, a good person. Her investigations over the last month, though, left little doubt about his true nature.

"I have some good news for you brother."

"It doesn't look like it," he laughed.

"Soon the mourning period for the Empress will be over. It is time to think about the future of this family. You're going to be a husband."

His expression changed immediately, and he jumped up. "What are you talking about? I've made it clear I don't want to get married."

"Too bad." She eyed him coldly. "Royalty requires sacrifice."

"Like shit. I'm going to talk to Cordelian about this."

"He'll agree to it. You see, you'll be marrying Zeusis' youngest daughter."

That shut him up. Zeusis was the Primus of Hagiatrocos, the second city of the empire, and the head of one of the most powerful families in the empire. Cordelian had been trying to gain Zeusis's favor for years, and Zeusis had always wanted a marriage connection to the royal family. Meronion would even let him take the credit. She could see Euphastolon running through all this in his head. He was no fool.

In battle, you did not allow your opponent to regain their footing after you dealt them a blow. You pressed the advantage.

"Euphastolon, last year, when the Empress died, where were you?"

The sudden change in topics threw him off guard, his eyes widening. "What kind of question is that? Do you suspect me?"

"Why would you think I suspect you?"

He sat down again, tense. "Don't play games with me Meronion. If you have something to say, then say it."

She looked at him for a long moment. His concern confirmed to her that he had attacked the Empress. Had he actually killed her himself? She glanced at the back of the room towards Lomberd. Khristos stood behind her as well, both armed.

"Very well, I will. You were not in the capital when the Empress died."

"How do you know? I can't remember where I was that day. Can you?"

"Yes."

"Of course you can. Perfect Meronion." He his rolled his eyes.

"I tried to speak with you that morning, but your slaves told me you had left the capital."

"So I left, so what? I was probably going hunting or something. It was months ago, I don't remember. You're going to accuse me for the sake of a missing day." Euphastolon was agitated.

"No. There's also the children."

"The children? Nobody knows where they are."

"Exactly. That makes no sense. The carriage bore the imperial emblem, and was heavily guarded. Nobody could attack it without knowing they were attacking royalty. Bandits look for easy marks, so it can't have been some random attack. They must have wanted to attack royalty. So if the children weren't killed on the spot, where are they?"

"Whoever attacked them probably sold the kids to slavers."

"That's exactly my point. Why would anybody sell the children, instead of ransoming them?"

Euphastolon's eyes grew slightly wider, but he didn't say anything.

She pressed the advantage. "They must have known the children were royalty. The royal family pays ransoms from time to time, and far greater amounts than whatever a slaver would pay. As long as the royal is not harmed we don't pursue the attackers, so they know it's better to leave us unharmed. So, where’s the ransom demand?"

Euphastolon sputtered. "Maybe they were just...crazy. Or they had a grudge against us royals. A rebel or something."

"So why not kill them on the spot, as they did with the Empress?"

“They might have killed them elsewhere..."

"We've sent word to every corner of the empire looking for those children. If the children were sold as slaves, any slaver must have realized by now what they have. They could receive a 10,000 toloi reward if they came forward. Why wouldn't they?"

Meronion had been turning this issue over in her head for months now. There was only one conclusion.

Euphastolon seemed to think he saw a way out here. "Right, any slaver would go for the reward. So the children must be dead."

"Then why hide their bodies and not the Empress’s?"

"I don't know!"

"Here's what I think. They weren't killed, but mutilated. A slaver wouldn't dare come forward if the children were already grievously injured. So then, why would bandits mutilate the children and not kill them? They didn't want the children dead. They didn't want ransom money. What did they want?"

Euphastolon said nothing, only sat there staring down at her desk.

She continued. "The assassin wanted Vicca dead and her children gone. Mutilating and selling them makes sense, in that case. They cannot come back to claim the crowns if they're crippled. This still leaves the question of why they weren't killed. All I can think, is that the attacker had some shred of shame in him and didn't want to shed the blood of Doukar. The very same blood running through his veins."

Euphastolon looked up. "Am I a ruthless kin-killer or a kindhearted uncle in this story? Maybe you should have gotten this bullshit straight in your own demented head before foisting it on to me."

She matched his look of open hostility.

Euphastolon stood up. "Fuck this, and fuck you. I'm leaving."

Meronion snatched up one of the marble scroll weights currently holding down a report on her desk and hurled it full force at Euphastolon's face. He shouted in surprise and pain and staggered back, while Meronion told Lomberd to grab him.

She stalked around her desk to look her former brother in face as he struggled against Lomberd's grip, who now had the prince's arms pinned behind back. Blood was freely flowing from his broken nose. Now he only looked scared and not hostile, but she squashed any memories of the naughty but amusing young boy he'd once been.

"Meronion, wait." He croaked.

"Shut up. Listen to me Euphastolon. I'm going to give you a chance because you're family, and because I can't prove what you did. Tell me if Cordelian gave you the order to kill the Empress, and I'll protect you."

He shut his mouth and looked at her sullenly. She waited for a moment to let him answer, but he didn't.

"Still more afraid of him than me? Fine. You can go to Hagiatrocos and marry Zeusis' daughter. Hopefully married life will reform you."

He sagged in Lomberd's arms. "I'll go if it makes you happy."

"It wasn't a suggestion. I don't want to see you back in the capital, ever."

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

She stepped closer. "If your new wife dies, in some accident or bandit attack, you'll die too. If I hear Zeusis complaining about his daughter's treatment at your hands, I'll come down there and cut your hands off. Cordelian won't stop me, as you'll be hurting him too. You'll be without a friend in the world. You're going to be a good husband. Do you understand me?"

He nodded. She had Lomberd let him go. The Lorgorin raised an eyebrow, but did it anyway.

Euphastolon sniffed and tried to wipe away the blood on his face with his gloved hand. He turned to leave, but Meronion called back to him just before he made it out of the door.

"Euphastolon, one more thing. This marriage was the late Empress' idea. Thought you'd like to know." She waved him off.

Meronion looked over to Khristos, who followed him to find out where he had gone. She suspected he would go to Cordelian. She stood staring at the door for a long while.

"Let's get a drink," Lomberd said, breaking the silence.

Meronion nodded. It had been a long day.

Euphastolon slammed open the door to Cordelian's study and ordered the attendants out, even the strigulos, leaving the two princes alone.

Cordelian knew something was seriously wrong. It was unlike Euphastolon to lose his cool. When he walked into the light of one of the tripods, the sight of him shocked Cordelian. His nose and much of his face was badly swollen, and Cordelian could see blood on his face even though he'd clearly tried to wash it off.

Cordelian stood and attempted to find out what had happened, but Euphastolon wasn't having any of his soothing words. He shoved past Cordelian and poured himself a goblet of wine with a shaking hand. Cordelian waited until he'd taken a big swallow.

"Meronion knows," was all he said.

"Knows what? Is she the one who did this to you?"

Euphastolon shot him a dark look. "What do you think? She knows about Vicca."

Cordelian's heart stopped for a moment and he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"No, she can't."

"She does. She's pushing me out of the city, going to send me down to Hagiatrocos, marrying me off to some tart of Zeusis’s."

Cordelian chuckled, his mood brightening at once. "Well there you have it. She doesn't know, she only suspects. If she knew, she wouldn't be sending you to the south, which I hear is lovely at this time of the year, she'd send you to the heartsman."

Besides, a royal marriage to one of Zeusis's daughters was interesting. Meronion must have Ionola in mind, as her elder sister was already married. Cordelian had heard she was a charming girl. He could probably turn this to his advantage, gain credit for it somehow.

"Wonderful, so she “only” suspects. Why, there's nothing to be afraid of then." Euphastolon slammed his goblet down, splashing wine onto Cordelian's beautiful lacquered table.

"If we keep our heads about us, Euphastolon, she can do nothing. Meronion will be loath to suspect her own family. Given time, if nothing further draws her suspicions, she'll start to doubt herself. She might even call you back to the capital eventually."

“Might isn’t good enough. Persuade her with your silver tongue."

Cordelian shook his head. "That won't help either of us."

"Won't help you, you mean. Me marrying this girl will suit you just fine." Euphastolon was bitter. Cordelian preferred his usual smugness.

"I’m not thinking of myself, brother. The last thing I want is for you to leave my side. We are allies, and that will never change," he lied.

At this point Euphastolon was not much use to him. Nobody else needed to die to get him what he wanted; he could push Theodorian aside easily enough, and Fornulus was killing himself perfectly well. Now, having the man who personally murdered the Empress around him was immensely dangerous. If Euphastolon had slipped up and left any evidence pointing back to him, he'd have the executioner’s sword through his heart faster than he could blink. Now Meronion had Euphastolon in her sights, it was time for the man to far from his side.

"Bullshit! I do you want, then you abandon me." Euphastolon was whining like a child. "You're not the one she's threatening. You're not the one who'll be up against the post."

Cordelian hadn't realized Euphastolon was this weak. It was definitely time to put some distance between them.

"Well," Cordelian said, "it's only fitting isn't it? After all, you are the one who committed the crimes."

Euphastolon spun around. Cordelian wasn't sure if he was more furious or incredulous.

"You bastard! You're going to leave me up against it while slithering out of everything? After all I've done for you?"

Cordelian narrowed his eyes. "Let's not pretend you don't enjoy everything you do. In fact, I wonder if you would have done anything differently even if I wasn't here. You've always told me you live in whatever manner best suits you, haven't you?"

Euphastolon flung the goblet away across the room. "If you think I'm the type who'll face death with a stony face and closed mouth, you better think again. I'm the type who spills his guts to save himself."

"I’ve never doubted your vindictiveness." He'd pushed Euphastolon too hard just now, Cordelian realized. He wanted some distance, not to make Euphastolon desperate. He needed to mollify the younger man.

The truth was he was unsettled by the revelation of Meronion's suspicions, perhaps more than he wanted to admit, and was having trouble thinking clearly. Normally he would never have made such a blunder. The first thing was to try to repair their relationship, to make sure Euphastolon didn't resent him.

"Calm down." He took a step back from Euphastolon. "It's pointless for us to squabble – this is what Meronion wants. She can't touch us as long as we remain loyal to each other."

"Don't give me that crap. We've got to do something about her, then it won't matter what she knows."

"Do what, exactly?"

"Don't be clever, you know what I mean. Kill her." Euphastolon poured himself a different cup of wine.

Cordelian was taken aback. He'd genuinely believed that there were some things even Euphastolon wouldn't contemplate, like killing his own sister. Apparently, he'd been mistaken.

He walked over to Euphastolon and gently took the cup of wine away from him. He put a reassuring hand on Euphastolon's shoulder.

"You're overreacting, Euphastolon. Meronion is our sister, and as Milem vital for the empire. We won't kill her. Besides, you know she would never have confronted you without thinking of that. If she dies suddenly, I've no doubt we'd soon find her pet ape sticking a spear in our backs."

"What in the great blue fucking sea do you suggest then?" Euphastolon pushed his hand off but didn't move away. A good sign.

Cordelian shrugged. "At the moment, humor her. You go south, cross that great blue...sea, to Hagiatrocos."

"Get exiled you mean."

"You've never been to Hagiatrocos, have you? It really is lovely. I think you'll like it. Perhaps you'll even come to appreciate marriage. I hear Ionola is a beautiful young girl."

"Who?"

"Your bride, I expect. Meanwhile, I'll slither around, as you put it, and see what Meronion knows. With you gone, she'll believe that the immediate danger is gone, and will try to confront me more directly."

"Isn’t that bad?"

"Not at all. It's easier to escape a direct threat than a subtle, secret one. I'll do what I do best: plant seeds of doubt, muddy the waters, maybe even find someone else who could be guilty."

"I guess. Maybe." Euphastolon was calming down, coming around.

"You know me Euphastolon. You know how good I am at getting out of trouble. And you know how useful to me you are – I'm not going to turn on you. You'll be even more useful to me in Zeusis' family; I'm sure I'll have many favors to ask you for, and you can hold those over my head as you like to do. I'll get us both out from under this cloud of suspicion."

Cordelian kept on reassuring Euphastolon in this vein, not even fully listening to what he was saying, while Euphastolon mulled it over. Following Cordelian's lead came naturally to him, a habit instilled since childhood, when he used to follow his big brother around. Their threats to each other would soon be forgotten: it wasn't the first time they'd ever turned on each other. It never lasted.

Well, Euphastolon would forget it anyway.

"Pin it on Nik the Shit if you can. I'd love to see him go up against the post for it," Euphastolon said.

Cordelian clapped him on the shoulder. "That's the spirit. Think of the possibilities, not the worries."

Euphastolon pouted. "Do you really think I'll like it down south?"

"Yes! You'll be the only royal down there, except for that worthless cousin of ours – you remember the one, Oerenus the-"

"-the fat! Hahaha, that fat, useless bastard! His wife has a face like a fish as well. An ugly fish. I’ve actually seen better looking salmon."

"That's the one. So you'll be the only real royal. Having a prince in their beloved city will delight the people. They'll make you feel like the Doukar of your own little kingdom down there. You'll be able to do whatever you want, without anybody else around to tell you off." Cordelian almost felt sorry for poor, old, incompetent Oerenus. Pleasant enough fellow, but dimmer than a moonless night sky.

"Yeah," Euphastolon was starting to smile. "You might be right. Although this wife of mine could be a problem."

"Not at all. She's marrying into royalty. It's a match made for power, so she won't expect you to love her. She'll be happy enough that you aren't ugly. The two of you will only see each other when necessary. No doubt you'll even sleep separately. That's not so bad, is it?" Cordelian had no idea whether any of this was true and cared even less.

"I guess not. You said she's good looking, right?"

"So I hear. After some time has passed, I'll convince Meronion that she has been unfairly suspecting her dear little brother. She'll want to believe me, so it will be easy to convince her."

"People do like to lie to themselves."

"Exactly. Eventually you'll be able to come back to the capital and it will be just like before, except you'll have a tan and a pretty, rich wife in tow."

Euphastolon exhaled. "Very well Cord. I'll stick with you for now."

Cordelian beamed at having averted a break and continued to reassure his brother, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He would have to take Meronion a lot more seriously than he had the Empress or Nikolonium. Well, he'd always known Meronion was his biggest obstacle. There was unrest in the north again, and Meronion would probably have to go and pacify the Lorgorin. That could be an opportunity for him.

"Meronion!"

Nikolonium banged the door to her office open in a fury, brushing aside the servant trying to make him wait until announced. She was sitting looking over some documents with her attendants. Nik had raced here as soon as the rumors had reached him about Euphastolon going south.

"Have a care, little prince. You address the Milem of the Empire," she warned, not even looking up at him.

Nik ignored her warning. "You said you talk to me if you heard anything, but I have to hear from the court about you sending Euphastolon away?"

"No, I said I would call on you if I needed you. I did not need you."

Nik wondered if she would ever need him.

"Instead, you’re making Euphastolon the husband of one of the most eligible women in the empire?"

"Are you jealous? I can arrange a match for you, if you like."

"He'll basically be in command of the whole southern empire!"

She looked up at him at last. "He's separated from Cordelian, as we both wanted." The attendants tried to blend into the background, aware this was not a conversation for their ears.

"There's no justice in any of this," Nik said.

Meronion gave him a supercilious look. "And what would be just?”

"To execute him, of course!"

"Execute a prince of the empire, our own brother? I think not."

Nik couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She was still protecting him. How many innocents had to die before Euphastolon finally faced justice?

"Euphastolon killed the Empress and sold the Mekos into slavery." He pounded her desk with a fist for emphasis.

"We only suspect he killed her. Even if he did, the only reason to shed the blood of Doukar the Great is for the crime of shedding the blood of Doukar the Great. Euphastolon did not shed our blood."

"What do you call killing the Empress and the Mekos?!"

"The Mekos probably isn't dead, as you just said. I have some of my best looking for him as we speak. So Euphastolon hasn't shed the blood of Doukar. Once we find Euphenos we'll know the truth."

"And the Empress?"

Meronion waved her hand dismissively. "A tragedy, but ultimately, she was not one of us. Doukar's blood did not flow through her veins, but it does through Euphastolon's. Never forget that."

Nik laughed. "Doukar's blood doesn't flow through any of our veins."

"That's treason Nikolonium!" She jumped up, angry now.

"Don't give me the official line. You know that Mekos, the original one I mean, wasn’t related to Doukar the Great. She made it up to legitimize herself. Doukar's blood has been dead for four hundred years."

Meronion gritted her teeth. "That's beside the point. We are royalty, the blood of Doukar in duty, if not in fact. The Empress was not one of us."

Nik shook his head in disgust. "I suppose you couldn't care less about all the noumens women he's killed over the years."

"Noumens exist to die for the good of the empire. A proper ruler does not shed blood without reason, but in the end, what is the life of a noumens worth? Certainly not the life of a royal. We are the empire."

Nik was reminded again of the great distance between their views of the world. "All are equal in the eyes of Oma."

"Oma?" She gave him a contemptuous look. "This religious nonsense has gone quite far enough with you."

"Religious nonsense? I would hope you don't say that to your girls. You should raise them correctly."

"I don't need you to tell me how to raise my daughters."

He swallowed his retort, sensing this was dangerous ground.

"What do you think the point of the faith is, Nikolonium?" She asked.

He answered immediately. "To bring the light of salvation to all."

Meronion snorted. "It's to give hope to the noumens, to make them think there's a reward for them after a life of toiling and dying for us. It's a lot of nonsense intended to keep them quiet. For someone like us to believe in it is ridiculous. Religion is for the weak. It's for those with no sense of duty, who need a god to tell them what to do."

"What do you think happens when we die?"

Meronion shrugged. "Nothing. We become nothing."

"How could you struggle so for the empire if you believe that it's for nothing?" Nik asked, incredulous.

"It isn’t for nothing. As the blood of Doukar it is my duty to serve the empire. No afterlife gives my life meaning: I give my life meaning."

"You're wrong. We all have a purpose through Him alone. Even the lowest is no less important to Him than the highest. What do you think the duty of our empire is, but to spread His Light across the world?" Nik had not realized before how far his sister had fallen. She was always at the required religious ceremonies, wasn't she?

"I live in the real world, Nikolonium. Imagined gods mean nothing to me. If Oma exists, then ask him to send spears to help us fight, otherwise, I don't want to hear about him."

Nik was so offended he didn't speak for several moments. Had it been Cordelian or Euphastolon he was speaking to, he would have shut their mouths forcibly. But Meronion was his most powerful ally, he needed her. With great difficulty he mastered his anger.

"I see it is pointless to debate this with you, sister. I'll take my leave."

"Very well." She nodded brusquely, clearly eager to return to her duties, and sat down, not even looking at him anymore. He could see she had already dismissed this conversation from her mind as trivial. He started to leave her chamber, dismayed.

She gave him one last comment before he left.

"Make sure to attend Euphastolon's departure ceremony."

"It's my duty as his brother," he said.

She nodded. If she detected his sarcasm, she didn't deign to address it. "Duty is what matters in life, Nikolonium. Remember that, otherwise you'll be no better than Cordelian."

He left, deep in thought. Meronion obviously wasn't an ally he could count on to do what should be done. She was going to act according to her own antiquated notions of honor and duty, morality be damned. He needed an ally closer to his own mind, like Pelagius. But Meronion was the only person in the empire powerful enough to stand up to Cordelian.

However, she would soon be leaving for the northern front, which might present an opportunity. If, in her absence, he and Pelagius could peel off some of her support and take it for themselves, they could stand up to Cordelian directly. Now Pelagius had the position of Decim, there would always be those eager to do service for him. It was a precarious situation, as he would have to undermine Meronion while also being careful not to anger her. It would be a disaster if he had both the Eukrates and Milem as enemies. But even that was better than letting Meronion steer the empire as she saw fit. Left to her own devices she would probably turn all the noumens back into serfs and become a new Mellonor. He had a duty to Oma to protect the people of the empire.