Page 102 of Blood Sanctuary, Part Two

“You have them, from my heart.”

“Now then,” said Perita, “you know a lady can’t join her new family till the knot’s tied.”

Callen nodded. “My lady must remain with us in her own household until the embassy is over. There can be no negotiation on this matter.”

“I know her work here is not done,” Lio answered.

Cassia looked from Callen to Perita. “Will you help Lio and me wrest this embassy from Cordium’s hands?”

WHEN BRAVERY CALLS

Cassia could not haveasked for a better force for her final confrontation with Tenebra. She entered the New Guest House from the courtyard with Callen and Perita at her back and Knight at her side. She was glad they were together now, here at the end of the journey they had begun together in the king’s prison.

At the sight of her and her retinue, the lords assembled in the common room fell silent. Benedict, Lord Severin, and a few others got to their feet.

Cassia held the list of terms they had worked on together and looked at the sparse, subdued gathering in challenge. Most looked away, while others continued to gnaw on their provisions in stubborn silence.

Benedict came to her side. “Your Ladyship. Your handmaiden has given us the direst tidings of your health these past few nights. How glad we are to see you are improved.”

“I am perfectly well, after discovering that the cause of my malady was my conscience and heeding it the cure. Judging by the ill looks in this room, we could all do with a dose of the same tonic.”

“Who better to administer it than the ladies of our company?” Lord Gaius came in through the opposite doorway.

The Semna entered on his arm, and the younger Kyrians and Cherans were close behind. The Semna shuffled to her seat and let Lord Gaius lower her into the chair. The toll this journey had taken on her was clear, not least in her attendants’ diligent hovering, but she leaned on her walking stick with great dignity. The Cherans sat down with the Kyrians in a silent but undeniable statement of alliance.

“How glad I was to sense you coming, my dear,” the Semna said to Cassia. “Perhaps these cocks will heed our thrush’s singing, although they turn a deaf ear to the biddy who hatched them.”

Benedict bowed. “Forgive us, Semna, but I fear there is nothing more we can do. I would gladly rise to the occasion, were it possible.”

Lord Gaius shook his head. “It is a sad day when defeat puts Hadria and Segetia on the same side. All our ancestors are rolling over in their graves while we sit swordless and watch the mages set fire to the Free Charter.”

“They’ve yet to burn what Lady Cassia carries in her hands,” the Semna said. “She does not appear to have surrendered.”

“How can I,” Cassia answered, “when Cordium jeopardizes everything Tenebra has worked for? How can I let the Orders decide our kingdom’s fate? My lords, it is neither Hadrian nor Segetian to accept defeat—indeed, it is not Tenebran. I do not believe triumph is out of reach. With the Cordian mages under house arrest, there is no one to stop us from pressing forward with the Solstice Summit. We, not they, are the rightful negotiators in Tenebra’s dealings with Orthros, and I fully intend to present our terms in the hopes of reaching a truce. We have no excuse to sit idle when we could storm the gates.”

Lord Adrogan used an embroidered Hesperine handkerchief to pry a bit of dessicated Tenebran jerky from between his teeth. He cast the silk and gristle onto his plate. “You shall find no army here to take the moral high ground, ‘Your Ladyship.’ What use are trade agreements with Hesperines, when Cordium will confiscate any wealth gained from treating with heretics?”

One of his rivals agreed with him. “Aye, what use is wealth if the inquisitors send you to Anthros’s pyre? You can’t take coin with you to Hypnos’s realm.”

Lord Severin shook his head. “What good if Hesperine aid ensures a good harvest, only for the forces of Cordium to trample the fields?”

The Semna folded her hands over the top of her walking stick. “I took a vow to practice my goddess’s mercy. Compassion is the only way to save anyone from the pyre. The gods have never before given us a chance like this to bring light into the darkness of Orthros, and it would grieve me to see it ruined.”

“I pray only that I can be free to serve,” said Pakhne. “We make our vows to the gods, and yet men would keep us from being fully obedient to the divine. If the Orders gain greater sway in Tenebra, we will meet the same fate as our Cordian sisters.”

Ariadne nodded. “Their every prayer must pass before the scribes of Anthros to receive the Order’s seal!”

“Thank you for your support,” Cassia said to the mages. “This is indeed a sad day. Every feuding lord in Tenebra rallies around a white flag. Meanwhile your women are braver than you. As Anthros holds the power of a husband over his wife, his order holds the power of life and death over Kyria’s. As Anthros cast Chera’s husband Demergos from the pantheon, so too can his order give her handmaidens cause to mourn. And yet these mages are ready to risk everything to keep their sacred vows and pursue peace. What will you risk?”

Lord Severin stiffened where he stood. “A great many lives depend on us. We must not bring Cordium’s ire down upon our people.”

“Enough with your noble excuses,” Lord Adrogan retorted. “You can feel the heat of war magic on your own skin already, and it’s enough to make any man piss his breeches.”

“Watch your tongue,” Benedict cut in. “There are ladies present.”

“And that’s more than enough from you,” Lord Adrogan shot back. “Stop hiding behind that amulet. You’re just as much a coward as the rest of us.”

Benedict took a step toward Lord Adrogan. “Had I my sword in hand, I’d not let such an insult go unchallenged. If we live to see Tenebra again, don’t think I’ll forget your words.”

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