She raised her eyebrows. "It's Nalena on my private line."
"How she'd get access?"
"I gave it to her." Sini replied. "I also told her that if she ever used it for other than an emergency, she'd lose her Council seat. Let's see if she's as bad as the rest of the Archonan Assembly members.
"Open line," Sini said.
Nalena sat in the balcony of the Archonan Assembly. "Your Highness, I didn't want to wait until this session ends, so I came up here so no one could hear," she said softly. That conniving Rheghie. He's got the Assembly to agree to appoint him the chairman of a committee to determine if the Arvor right to the Throne was forfeited because Mhikhel's first born was half-Tamok and thus unqualified for succession."
I stepped in front of the companel's projector. "That's ridiculous," I said.
Nalena smiled at me. "Lord Chancellor, I'm glad you're there. I thought the same thing and said so. Unfortunately, Dom Moheix argued that with so much at risk we had to be absolutely certain, one way or the other."
Her shoulders rose up and down. "I beginning to wonder if where his loyalties actually lie. He sure seems overly sympathetic to Rheghie's manipulations."
"I was thinking the same thing," I said. "Perhaps, we should -"
Sini held up her hand to silence me. "Thanks, Nalena, for the alert. I'll get back to you later."
She pulled on her earlobe, deep in thought. "Kuinsi, play legist. Go research whether Rheghie's got any support for his position. Report to the Royal Council Chamber here in two deci."
-23-
Kuinsi's Chamber
Arvor Castel
Planet Tirano
I sat in my study and stared blankly at my viewer. My ability to manipulate a Sibyl pendant to access Vision's archives provides immediate access to precedent that most legists can't uncover for spins. Unfortunately, even after almost two deci of research, I didn't find any precedent that every Tiranoan above the age of four didn't already know. Until Sini, the eldest son had always assumed the Golden Vine Throne. There had never been an instance where a King was survived only by a daughter.
After Zhun'Mar's death, no one challenged Sini's assumption of the Throne. She had defeated the Tamok so soundly that neither her gender nor her being a child of a clone was ever mentioned. The honeymoon didn't last long. First, the whispers about clone defects, then the Mhargrava's bombshell, and suddenly Sini's right to rule became an open debate. The debate had to be quashed or it might never subside.
I looked at the time. I had only a few milli to return to Sini's quarters. As I scurried through the Castel's hallways, it occurred to me. The best source for determining what was intended in this situation would be to ask the Kings themselves.
I turned the corner to the Grand Concourse and stopped. The squad of Vhirko in front of the Royal Council Chamber's door stood at ready facing a platoon of Assembly Guardsmen. No weapons were drawn on either side, but tension sizzled.
I didn't know what was happening and approached slowly. The Vhirko squad leader saw me approach. "Make way for the Lord Chancellor," she ordered.
The Vhirko squad parted as did the troops. I walked through the center opening. "You are the last to arrive," the squad leader said. "The Queen and her invitees await your presence."
Invitees? The squad leader palmed the door open and my eyes bulged. Rheghie and Dom Moheix sat at on one side of the conference table facing Sini. If the tension outside the chamber sizzled, the alcove boiled.
"The Lord Chancellor has arrived," Sini said. She gestured for me to take the seat to her right, the ceremonial seat of the Lord Chancellor.
Rheghie never took his eyes of Sini, while at his side, Moheix held his head cocked as if perplexed. My emotion far exceeded perplexed. I had not the slightest idea of what was transpiring.
"I want to thank you two for agreeing to meet on such short notice,"" Sini said. She focused on Rheghie. "And even though it was not necessary, I understand your caution in bringing your Guardsmen to insure you would not be harmed."
"Your request stated you wish to resolve all issues between us. Well, I'm all ears." Rheghie leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.
"Mistress Siniastra," Moheix said. He puckered his lips as if deciding what to say next.
Sini turned her head slowly toward Moheix. "Count Moheix, when you address me, you address me as your Highness, not as Mistress."
Moheix crossed his legs and tapped his foot in the air. "Young lady, until your claim to the throne is not supported --"
Sini bolted out of her chair. "I have all the support I need." She reached over the table and shoved the Golden Vine Ring in Moheix's face. "All who wore this ring support me."
Rheghie burst into laughter. "Dear, dear. Are you ever delusional. They're spinning in their graves at the thought of a daughter of a peasant clone touching the Ring."
Sini pressed on the Golden Vine Ring and white light arched from the Ring to the floor behind Rheghie. Everyone at the table followed the arc of the light and saw it shimmer, then turn into a rainbow. My pulse raced. I couldn't believe she was activating the Ring and revealing a secret the Arvors had kept for so long.
Rheghie's eyes widened as the seven colors separated from the rainbow, straightened, and each morphed into several human shapes. Sini pointed to where the Kings stood. "I suggest you ask them."
Rheghie's thumb and forefinger pinched his double chin. He looked at Moheix who sat unmoving with his finger on his upper lip. Rheghie's eyes darted toward Sini, who had a small smile on her face.
To my surprise, Rheghie returned her smile. "Ah, you thought you'd be a clever girl and try to intimidate me with a display of historical holos." He snorted. "I especially like the one of that arrogant Mhikhel. He treated my old man like steppe-sheep shit. What an ass. He'd never have been King if my grandfather hadn't saved his candy ass from the Radani."
The vein in Mhikhel's neck bulged and his faced turned a deeper shade of scarlet than I'd ever seen. His eyes narrowed eyes narrowed to slits and in two strides he stuck his face in Rheghie's. "Let me tell you the truth, mer-toad boy. I created the myth of your grandfather. He didn't die gallantly. He pushed me down as he panicked to board his ship. I would have died except for a KaNoa child named Mirae. She saved my candy ass, not him.
"But even though I was a mere teenager and was not yet privy to the Council of the Kings, I knew the value you Archonan sycophants would place on me if you believed one of your own died saving me. So I propagated the myth of his valiant death."
"Turn this slanderous holo off," Rheghie shouted.
"I am not finished boy lover," Mhikhel snarled. "It was the biggest error of my life. Because of the myth, I had to endure your dear father, the great warrior Ohlav Nhoth. He was even more of a fraud than his father. His whole life, I protected him from his incompetence. How did he repay me? He assassinated me, then tried to do the same thing to my son. No, you Nhoths are scum and the time to strip you of power has arrived."
Rheghie shook so in rage that he collapsed into his chair. "Count, surely you see the lunacy of this farce," he said to Moheix.
Moheix levered himself upright on his cane. His bobbed up and down at Mhikhel. "The body is indeed a perfect depiction of Mhikhel." He looked at Pierre and smiled. "And that one shows every detail of my old friend Pierre."
His feet shuffled so that he faced Sini. "But what have you programmed them to say."
Sini raised her head and looked down her nose at him as if her were a child. "I have programmed nothing. Each is an interactive holo of a king's memories that only the rightful wearer of the Golden Vine Ring may activate to receive the wisdom of the Council of Kings."
Moheix rocked on his cane. "Do you mind if I test your assertion."
"Please do," Sini replied.
Moheix hobbled over to King Pierre. "Oh, Pierre. We could indeed benefit from your wisdom. I am too old to know how
to deal with all that has occurred. I never dreamed your great-grandchild would be the child of an KaNoa clone or that a High Sibyl would have the child of an extraterrestrial. What am I to do?"
Pierre nodded. "And I never thought I would see and converse with you again old friend. Yes, Dom, Siniastra represents changes neither of us ever dreamed possible. But then, remember the vintage of 47 when we forgot to pick that lot of shirnaz that over ripened and shriveled to raisins. Neither of us dreamed that it would be the greatest shirnaz we ever made. Of course, we told no one that we added water to dilute its high alcohol level. Addition of water was a change in wine making that was heretical. But it was for the better. Yes?" Pierre winked. "And I bet you still do it, only intentionally now."
Moheix fell to his knees and bowed from his waist. "Get up, Dom. You no longer bow to me. You bow to my great-granddaughter."
Moheix rotated on his cane, and while still on his knees, lowered his head. "My Queen. I am so sorry. Please forgive an impertinent old man."
In one blurring myria, Rheghie pulled a laser knife from his pocket and stuck it in Moheix's neck. He twisted the knife before pulling it out. Blood spurted and Moheix's hands slid down his cane and slumped to the floor.
Sini bounded over the table. She reached for Rheghie's arm, but he jumped back. "I have practiced since you offered to duel me." He bent in attack position. "One of us will not leave this room alive."
Sini sneered. "No. I will not kill you and create a martyr for future Archonan mischief. Unlike your father, you will live to see the consequences of your sedition. You will watch as the Archonan are stripped of power. But I offer you a choice. Do you want history to label you as a patriot like your grandfather or as a traitor like your father?"
"My father died trying to stop the pollution of the Golden Vine Throne. I can do no less."
"Lay your knife down ," Sini said calmly.
"Try to take it from me, bitch" Rheghie said.
Sini's arms struck with the speed of two lightning bolts. The palm of her right hand crashed into Rheghie's nose and her left hand encircled his wrist. The sound of bones snapping like twigs was followed by a piteous howl. Rheghie's knife fell to the floor next to Moheix. Blood spurted from Rheghie's nose. His right hand dangled limply at his wrist.
Sini bent down and picked up the knife. She stared at the knife before looking at me. "That's a little trick Mom taught me. It saved her, father, and your father' lives once."
Sini pressed the Ring and deactivated the Kings. She knelt over Moheix and pressed her fingers to his neck. "Get the medics," she shouted. "I think he's alive. Rheghie was as incompetent as a murderer as was in everything else."
-24-
Arvor Castel
Planet Tirano
Count Moheix was one tough old bird. While on a stretcher surrounded by medics administering sedatives, he defused a potential skirmish between the Vhirko and the Guardsmen. He calmly recounted Rheghie's attack and ordered the Guardsmen to return to their quarters. He'd survive, as would Rheghie. The medics had also patched up Rheghie before the Vhirko transported him to a cell at Vhirko Compound.
I returned to my chambers once again optimistic about the future. Due to Moheix's support and Rheghie's disgrace, Sini's right to the Throne had become unchallengeable. That result definitely required a celebration. So, I decided to open a bottle of my favorite vintage of zinfandel to celebrate. As soon as I pulled the cork, the peppery bouquet wafted out the bottle. I poured a glass and took a sip. The flavor exploded in my mouth, fruity raspberry mixed with white pepper. I swallowed and a chocolate aftertaste lingered. It never ceased to amaze me how grapes could create such a mélange of complex aromas and tastes.
I plopped in my club chair and laid my feet on the ottoman. I took another sip. The wine tasted too good to be drunk alone, especially in celebration. I picked up my companel and started to call Mom. I stopped. I had a better idea, but did I have the nerve?
"Contact Countess Nalena," I said.
Nalena's image appeared on the viewer. Her normally tightly bound brown hair fell in a curly wave to her shoulders. She wore no make up and her skin was a pure ivory that enhanced her hazel eyes and red-lips. She wore an informal gown that displayed a womanhood that her formal attire must have struggled to suppress. I was so entranced that I couldn't speak.
"Good evening, Lord Chancellor," she said. "Is something wrong?"
"Not at all. You look so, so . . ." I wanted to say stunning, but the word wouldn't come out.
She blushed. "I apologize. I thought I should take your call even though I'm not in my formal attire."
"I'm glad you did."
She lowered her eyes. "You're just being polite."
"No. I mean it. It's just that I'm accustomed to seeing you in your formal attire."
We both stared at each other for a moment. I was glad for the pause because it took me a minute to screw up my courage. "I've opened a bottle of my favorite zinfandel to celebrate Count Moheix's support of Sini. Would you like to join me for a glass?"
She grimaced, and my ego deflated. I should have known. She was Archonan and wouldn't socialize with me.
She must have seen how crestfallen I was. "Oh, I'd love to, but it'll take me too long to put my formal attire back on. And I can't be seen in public like this."
I knew a brush off when I heard one. "I understand. Maybe another time," I said even though I knew there wouldn't be. I started to disconnect.
"Wait," she said quickly. "I can't go traipsing through the Castel dressed like this, but that doesn't mean I don't want to celebrate with you. There's no reason why you can't come to my quarters is there?"
I picked up the bottle and was out the door so fast that I'm not certain I said goodbye.
*
When Nalena opened her door, a whiff of Antigan perfume welcomed me along with her pleasant smile. "Welcome," she said.
She took my arm and lead me out of vestibule, through a grand parlor that looked as if it could hold a hundred guests, and into a private dining room. "I thought it would be more relaxing here," she said.
A semi-circular table with a floral tablecloth sat in a bay window. Two bent-muhrwood chairs faced out the window with its night view of Arvor Square. Two balloon goblets, a round of crusty bread, and a small wheel of blue-veined cheese awaited at the table.
Nalena must have noticed me eying the bread and cheese. "I hope the cheese meets your approval. It's all that I had available."
"It's exactly what I'd have with this zinfandel."
I poured some zinfandel in each glass and handed one to Nalena. "I've never tasted zinfandel," she said.
"Then, a toast to your first taste," I said.
We clinked glasses. The chime told me that I was holding expensive crystal and had better not drop it.
She twirled the glass, then raised it to her nose and inhaled. "Oh, this is heavenly. What luscious raspberry and vanilla."
She took a small sip and could see her rolling it on her tongue. I almost dropped my glass. She was not a wine drinking novice. I became nervous that she might not like it.
"This is the most hedonistic wine I've ever tasted," she said. "A fruit bomb with a lingering aftertaste. Give my highest complements to your winemaker."
I blushed. "I made it myself."
She reached out and touched my hand. "I know."
We sat in the chairs and I asked how she came to know so much about wine. Her father had been estranged from his brother, the traitor Hoj Rohfek, and as a result her father and mother had served a semi-banishment at the family estate in the Rwohn foothills. Although the estate had no vineyards, her father maintained an extensive wine library of Tirano's finest vintages prior to the Radani poxxra devastation. From an early age, she been taught to appreciate wine as an essential part of a meal.
"Enough about me," she said. "What really happened today? The comm-net is r
ampant with rumors about Sini being a witch who can call forth the dead."
I hadn't bothered to read the net sites. My mouth dropped. "What?"
"Supposedly, the medics that attended Rheghie and Count Moheix claim that both Rheghie and Dom talked about Sini using the Golden Vine Ring to call forth dead kings. Count Moheix is said to have talked with Pierre who convinced him that Sini has the support of all of her predecessors."
I let out a long breath. "And what's been the reaction toward Sini, good or bad?"
"Pretty uniform. Awe mixed with fear."
That was better than I thought it might be. "Except for the witch part, it's pretty accurate. Sini can manipulate the Ring to create interactive holos of all the Kings. They call themselves the Council of Kings. And it's true, Pierre did convince Count Moheix that the holos are the memories of the Kings and that the Kings support Sini."
"All of the Kings. That must be an impressive sight."
I nodded, and in my mind's eye, I pictured all the Kings. "Mhikhel was easily the most physically intimidating, but they all have an imperial bearing. There's even one wrinkled old guy who sits in the background and occasionally looks up and nods --"
I stopped. Why hadn't I recognized him at the time? He had become gaunt with age. But it was him. "By the Belts. It was all true."
Nalena wrinkled her nose. "What?"
The implications were enormous. I could hardly breath. "Nalena, I know why and how Tirano was founded."
Nalena looked at me as if I'd drank too much wine.
"No, really, I do. All I have to do is get Sini to let me talk to him."
"Who?" she said softly.
"The old man. He's the answer to all of the ancient enigmas."
-25-
Royal Council Chamber
Arvor Castel
Planet Tirano
At my request, Sini called a Royal Council meeting, and my mother. She had also asked Count Moheix to join the Royal Council, which he accepted. Except for the bandage around his neck, he looked as dignified as ever. Mom sat next to Nalena, and I was happy to see that they were engaged in what appeared to be friendly conversation. Admiral Kiptani sat stiffly in his white uniform.