5 Days Left

Minul rolled her neck as Svadr rejoined her after moving Hildrid to a waiting room, so she didn’t sit crying in the middle of the entry. There’d be a time to deal with her. She nodded to Saif before he vanished through the threshold, then she turned to double doors leading to the main hall.

Svadr to her right, Gorm to her left. She pushed the doors open and strode in, sooty, bloodstained, ripped clothes, and determined. For a moment, the hall hushed as crossed before the men and women. They started getting up from their seats and headed towards her. She noted idly that they’d gathered in one corner and not around the table.

She decided to ignore it as she moved towards her throne at the head.

“What have you done bringing us here?” Lord Jored asked as she approached.

“What is the meaning of this? Assassination? On the masters? Elusria’s crippled,” another Lord called out from the mass approaching her.

“Did you invite the assassin with you? Did you know she was that volatile? That could’ve been us?”

Minul weathered their words as she passed over the dark floor and stopped before her throne. The chair had been elevated onto a dais, no more than a few inches higher than the rest of the room, just enough that Minul could stand above the men and women in the room. Only the tall Lord Sworden stood above her now.

Examining the Lords’ faces, she listened to their words.

“Will she come back?” Fear was a prominent symptom among the crowd.

“Why would you risk bringing her along? It’s known that she’s dangerous!” Anger was even more common.

“Recompense! You’ve ruined my night’s sleep and three of my guards were injured in the attack!” Greed, however, was by far the most fertile ground where their minds had sowed seed.

“There’s smoke damage to half my wardrobe!”

“One of those attacks caused my teardrop sapphire to break!”

Minul licked her lips and looked out across the lavishly appointed room. The walls were covered with tapestries, depicting images from ancient mythology. From the creation of Vednar at the hands of the Triplet, to the first rise and fall of the Fleshtorn, depicting them not as these smaller gray clad creatures, but as monstrous creations of melted and melded carcasses. Small pedestals had been thoughtfully placed around the fringes of the space. Each had been specifically to display their unique artistry, bringing emphasis on the item they held rather than themselves.

Reminders, Minul thought looking at the decorations.

The windows had originally been stained when Minul had taken over the estate, but she’d had the glaze removed. The way they’d colored the room distracted.

The Lords still crowded her, more quietly after she hadn’t acknowledge a single one of their attempts. Like crying babes, she thought. Most occasionally glanced back at the corner, though Minul hadn’t yet turned her attention to those two. Instead, she examined each Lord before her, grasping each line of their face and edging it into her mind along with a memory of them.

Lord Jored was poorly hiding behind her greed. She wrung her hands too anxiously for it to just be simple desire for more. Greed was as common an emotion as you could get among the nobles, but it was rarely the most powerful. She covered herself with greed, hiding from the thought that monsters lived in this world. Creatures, people, so powerful that they could wipe out her entire house and lineage with an absent thought. She’d grown up as the oldest of her siblings and the only girl. Her lineage was as famous for their monstrous size as the Swordens.

Speaking of, Lord Sworden had found his way into the hall. His red-face, scruffy beard, and messy but a touch styled hair, spoke of a lack of sleep and an excess of drinking. Likely to stifle some of his worse impulses. Or maybe just another attempt hide from the pain he was poorly concealing with a scowl and gruff demeanor. She deemed him the most likely to lash out. But the least dangerous.

Lord Star-stone stood towards the back of the crowd. The grizzled warrior wasn’t looking at her, but at Captain Gorm. She couldn’t tell from her vantage, but she suspected that he wasn’t looking at the younger captain so much as the hand resting, not on a sword, but on a horn. Star-stone wasn’t politically savvy. He was closer to politically mute. Unlike his older brother, he’d never tried to learn the trade and instead had borne the meetings with stoic silence. But he’d survived many years on the front lines as a tethered, his instincts were well honed for survival.

Lord Grimnir, the replacement for Serpent-Vein, or at least proposed replacement once the Council was fully instated, was clearly in the pocket of someone else. Grimnir had never once in his life made a move that wasn’t calculated seven times over and then reduced in scope to minimize risk. He’d brought very little to his family, but he’d lost even less. Even now, he was holding himself more detached. A bought vote, not a voice.

Lord Tage stood in the middle of the crowd screaming at her Queen as if she meant to physically harm her with her voice. She was red-faced and had one fist swinging in the air above her, spittle flying from her mouth. When she wasn’t questioning every decision Minul had ever made, she was catching her breath.

Minul looked over the others but she’d seen enough. There wasn’t a one among them who was worth reexamining. So she turned her attention to the two in the corner. Inga still looked like she’d been getting half a night’s sleep, which she probably had been if you considered where her neighbor had been resting. She was as venomous and spiteful as the viper spawn of Varumgándr. She had clawed her way to the top and no force on Vednar’s face could break her grip.

Inaaya al-Bacchus should’ve been back in the capital, not out here in the southwestern forests of Elusria. So should Saleema. Minul pursed her lips as she examined the ankirian, who just raised a single eyebrow as yellow connected yellow.

“You’re not going to answer? Your pathetic whore mouth to choked on cock to figure one out?” Sworden suddenly exclaimed and Minul turned her attention back. The Lords had all, even Lord Tage, stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the mostly insane old man.

Minul stepped down from the dais, “What would you have me do, Sworden? Scream at the top of my lungs back at you? Would that help?”

Sworden cleared his throat realizing too late he’d gone too far, “Any answer would be appreciated,” he turned and started walking down towards the double doors.

“Stay,” Minul commanded. “I didn’t gather you here to throw insults or scream at you, like a child,” she didn’t turn her attention to any Lord in particular but a few caught took the words like a slap to the face anyway, “I came here to figure out who brought Saleema along, but I guess that has already been answered.”

Inaaya smiled as once more yellow clashed with yellow across the room. Of course, I can’t accuse her. Nobody’s seen Leif all night. She likely has him squirreled away somewhere, ready to ‘confess’ that I made him bring Saleema, Minul would have to take a different approach.

“We believe that we’ve already found the culprit, however,” Minul continued, “and will proceed accordingly.”

“Who was it? Did you do it?” Jored asked eyes narrowed, too eager to blame Minul. Subtlety was not a strong suit of the Lords. “Did you bring her venomous presence to our meeting? Is that why you’re keeping silent?”

Minul turned to her, “Is that what you think?” she stepped back next to her throne to look down on them. “That I turned her against Masters’ Council? To minimize my competition? To gain control over the tethered?”

There was some murmurs before Tonna Tage stepped forwards and raised her fist, “That’s exactly what I think. I think, you’ve been planning this for months. I think your ice is just as cracked as your mothers!”

Minul was impressed she had the awareness to make a move at her own volition. The words were uncomfortably close to the truth, enough that Minul sneaked a glance towards Inaaya. She didn’t seem to realize it or she had some even greater plan.

“You’re fools all of you,” Minul said her voice loud but not yelling, “I’ve tried my best to work with you but you’re all too caught up in your own world. You can’t even look outside it and see who is really behind this,” She waved at Inaaya, “The ankirians have been after Elusria, our lumber, our ice for decades and you’re too blind to see. Is that what you want? You want her on the throne?”

“What if we do?” Jored asked her tone hard. “What if that’s exactly what this country needs? An ankirian who doesn’t hide behind a long lost father? A little bit of honesty?”

Minul almost scoffed at calling Inaaya honest. Instead, she bit her tongue and kept from replying holding herself back was tough, but she managed it scowling at the rest of the Lords.

“Yes, that’s exactly what we want!” Tonna yelled, clearly having been waiting for her cue. Minul turned to look at Inaaya who slowly stood from her chair and clapped once. The sound traveled loudly enough that the others noticed and quieted.

“I’ll be happy to give it to you,” she said with a smile and opened her arms. “Plead your allegiance to me and I’ll make you the richest barons and—“ she faltered realizing that elensk lacked a proper word for a female baron. “In the ankirian kingdom!”

Immediately, half of the Lords migrated across the room towards her. Minul felt herself grow hollow as she saw how many the ankirian had infected with lies and money. A few other Lords were discussing among themselves, but with Tage, Jored, Grimnir, and Sworden making their stance clear it was a hard sell to stay, especially with someone who’d already threatened their power once.

Minul pursed her lips as the Lords, one by one, made the pilgrimage from her to Inaaya. Until only Lord Star-stone stood before her. He gave her a long look, eyes narrowed consideringly. He turned to look at Gorm, before scanning the rest of the room. His eyes lingered on one of the doors to an adjacent chamber before he shook his head and knelt on the ground.

“See Minul,” Inaaya said waving her arms wide, “Everyone that matters agree with me,” she gave the Queen a viper’s smile. “Isn’t that interesting.”

Minul nodded, “It is. You are, of course, ankirian and not elusrian,” Minul looked at the men and women gathered around their princess. “That means you’re fraternizing with a foreign power and for nobles and Lords… That’s treason,” Sworden started laughing, “You’re going to arrest us for treason? Someone’s really fucked the brain out of you!”

“And when a noble or Lord commits treason,” Minul said quietly. “The only viable punishment is execution.”

Gorm blew his horn and the doors to the adjacent chambers lining the room were kicked open. Soldiers armored and armed with iron and bronze drew swords that had been painstakingly crafted to hold a single glyph on their guard. Each and every blade blazed with the last power of Svenar. Saif was the fastest a blur of smoke that slipped among the crowd of suddenly scared, screaming, and scrambling Lords. He pulled Inaaya over into the other corner, past Gorm away from the slaughter. Minul didn’t see what happened next, but she did see the smoke and sparks that rose from them and smelled seared meat.

She turned her gaze to the Lords that had already been killed by the two dozen men, swords flickering with warp. Her and Svenar had been charging as many glyphs as they could each day since arriving. Partially to protect against any attempts by outside forces, but partially in case for this scenario.

In the distance, she heard drums as her men, both those she’d brought along openly and the ones she’d snuck through before hand marched on the Lords’ guards. Many of them would surrender, but there would be blood spilled.

“You planned this? From the start?” Star-stone looked wide-eyed at his former peers, blood seeping onto the floor boards and pooling around un-toppled pedestals.

“I knew Inaaya had set her hooks into a number of high-ranked people,” Minul said. “And I knew that the Lords had grown so used to running rough-shod over their Queen that they couldn’t tell it was hurting the country.”

Bright-stone scoffed, “I guess I’m not a Lord anymore, then?”

Minul shook her head, “Not for a while at least. I doubt I will be reinstating such a Council for a long time. Not until after Ankiria is no longer a threat.”

Star-stone looked at her for a long moment, “I believe I’ve underestimated you.”

“Yes.”