Arc 4: Chapter 29: Judgment
Many had spoken, including me. Not all were in agreement about much, which told me something I’d already suspected, as I’d wandered the land these past eight years.
The Accord was not united. The lords bickered, and held suspicions and jealousies toward one another. These things had sewn the seeds of the last war. Urnic nobility had always been quarrelsome. They were meant to be warriors, an army of God, so the infighting could hardly be called surprising.
Even still, it disheartened me.
Markham leant forward on his throne of iron and stone, and the court fell silent once again. His flinty eyes were an almost physical weight. I met them, and waited.
By the weariness in his gaze, I knew the decision he’d come to. I exhaled, unsure whether I felt acceptance or disappointment.
Rosanna saw what her husband decided as well. She knew him better than I. She started to stand, drawing in a breath to speak.
No! I bared my teeth, willing her not to.
But neither Emperor nor Empress spoke. Instead, a sharp click echoed off the walls as a figure stepped out from the columns which lined the edges of the chamber.
“Apologies, great lord, but may I speak?”
All eyes turned as the ancient music of that voice went forth. When the huge form concealed in layers of brown cloth removed their hood, the shadows in the hall seemed to brighten. A light shone from the face within, aura visible even to the naked eye.
Oradyn Fen Harus bowed his head to the Emperor. “Apologies, O’ King, but I must say my piece. May I?”