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Subject: {ASSM} The Overlords' Gambit 27/36 (MF Mf Ff ff Mdom Fdom toys bd rom magic oral rough spank)
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<1st attachment, "Chapter27.txt" begin>

WARNING: This is a work of erotic fiction. It contains depictions of
nudity and graphic sex.

Author: A Strange Geek
Title: The Overlords' Gambit
Universe: Narlass Chronicles
Summary: Amanda is again pulled into events that grow beyond what she
ever imagined as the Overlords plot against the Emperor, for the
changes in Oceanus will bring changes for herself as well.

Part: 27 of 36
Keywords: MF, Mf, Ff, ff, Mdom, Fdom, toys, bd, rom, magic, oral,
rough, spank

Copyright A Strange Geek, 2007

Feedback welcome! Please email me at astraYOURngegeek@comMINDcast.net
( lose YOUR MIND to email me )

Or to send anonymous feedback, use the form at bottom of HTML version:

http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/A_Strange_Geek/www/novels/Gambit/Chapter27.html



---------------

Lord Tarras was an exceptionally observant man.

He had noticed the subtle nuances of the other Lords' voices and body
language as they had carried out the debate over the last two days
since Janna's speech. He saw that they were eager to come to agreement
on all the points and direct their considerable vitriol towards the
Emperor rather than each other. They had already had two votes, and it
was close to unanimous each time. Only a few minor points were truly
being debated.

And now, on the third day, after a new vote that was almost sure to be
unanimous, it appeared that they would be ready to accept the Emperor
into their midst, and present their formal list of grievances.

But this is not what Tarras concerned himself with as he walked the
halls of the Palace just as the first rays of morning sunlight cast
shafts of hazy light through the east-facing windows. He was instead
concerned with the guards.

They appeared unconcerned with him, however. There were not many of
them here, along the outskirts of the Palace, far from the central
chambers and the Lords' residences. These halls were largely empty, and
his footsteps echoed hollowly against the stone floor. His footfalls
occasionally raised some dust, which swirled and eddied in the shafts
of sunlight.

Tarras left the shafts of sunlight behind and came to the northwest
corner of the palace, where a narrow door at the end of the corridor
opened to the outside.

He stepped through the door and onto a balcony. Off to the right, the
canopy of a large and ancient tree spread out at nearly eye-level.
Birds twittered within its shadowy branches, the only sound that could
be heard in the calm and chilly air. His skin prickled a bit when a
light breeze blew against him.

Off to the left, a large open field of grass stretched from the west
side of the palace towards the north, where it met a thicket of trees.
In the far half of the field near the forest's edge was a large
collection of men.

They were arranged in rows, rows grouped into regiments, regiments
arranged in formation. The men marched as one, swung their weapons as
one, parried an imaginary attacker as one, all under the watchful eye
of one man who stood upon a low wooden tower.

This was not the first time he had seen one of the Emperor's legions
training here. He had been visiting this spot for a few days now, even
before Janna had learned of Duric's plans for her. And as before, he
had stared at the marching lines of men for less than a single
candlemark before he furrowed his brow in thought.

Besides being observant, Tarras was a student of history, especially
military history. It was unusual, certainly, at least among the Lords.
Most were unconcerned about a military past that, to them, occurred
long before some of their clans formally existed, even before Oceanus
became a nation. Tarras felt they ignored it at their peril.

And the research he had done told him something was not quite right
here.

It was very hard to put into words. He simply had a feeling that
something was off. If pressed, he might say something about subtle
hints in the timing of the movements of some of the men, as if they
were marching to a slightly different beat than the others. Or that
there was a slight difference in the way some of the men swung their
weapons, as if they had adopted a variation in style.

But that morning, Tarras was not there to continue his observations of
the Emperor's legions. Instead, he was there to carry out an
experiment.

He glanced below him, peering over the edge of the balcony. Under him
and off to the right, closer to the trunk of the tree, was a wide
portico extending from the north side of the palace.

With his eyes, he throughly searched the grounds around the portico and
out over the field. The edge of the forest curved towards the palace
here, and he followed it with his gaze to where it drew closer to the
portico. The area appeared deserted. Naturally there would be no need
for guards here, not with a legion nearby. And there was little that
was valuable here that needed to be protected.

Tarras withdrew into the palace. He found his way down a winding stone
staircase to the floor below. Here, a wide hallway stretched past
large, empty ballrooms and reception areas. All were closed off with
rope draped across their entrances. He soon spotted the wide, arched
doorway that led onto the portico.

Tarras paused, his hands clasped casually behind his back. He looked
one way up the corridor, and then the other. He knew there was a guard
just around the corner at the end of the hall from where he had come,
as he had spotted the man as he came off the stairs. But no guard
whatsoever had this doorway in his direct line of sight.

He stepped out onto the portico. The leaves rustled gently in the
breeze overhead, and dappled sunlight jittered in swaying patterns
along the tile. Spanning the tall columns that marked the outer edge of
the portico were carved stone railings, entwined with bright green
vines.

Tarras stepped up to the railing. The edge of the trees stretched north
and curved west, until it formed the northern edge of the field. He
could see the men still marching in their formations from nearly ground
level.

He saw a path into the trees. It seemed to follow the curve. If it
continued all the way around, it would offer him a much closer vantage
point from which to see the legion training.

Tarras looked to the side. There was no exit from the portico to the
grass. It was obvious that no one was expected to exit onto the palace
grounds from right here.

He peered over the edge and saw that the portico hung no more than half
his height from the ground. He swung his gaze from side to side, then
glanced back towards the doorway. There were still no guards to be seen
anywhere.

Tarras stepped over to a part of the portico that was hidden from the
legion. He carefully swung a leg over the railing and eased himself
over the side. He landed with a soft thud in the grasses and
wildflowers below the portico.

He folded his hands behind him and walked at a leisurely pace towards
the path. He did not hurry, nor did he dawdle. He kept his stride
casual, as if simply wishing to enjoy the countryside.

The trees closed around him as he started down the path. The ground was
firm and packed and relatively free of debris or undergrowth. It had
definitely been maintained. It was obviously considered perfectly
natural for someone to be seen walking here. Of course it was. That was
why there were no guards in attendance.

Yet Tarras had covered less than a third of the distance to the
training grounds when he heard the heavy, booted footfalls behind him,
accompanied by the metallic clinking of mail. He chose not to react to
it and continued his walk. After all, he was doing nothing obviously
wrong.

An Imperial guard passed on either side of him, and in what seemed like
one smooth, lightning move, unsheathed their swords. By the time there
was the sound of metal sliding on metal as they crossed their swords
before his path, Tarras had already come to a stop.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Lord Tarras said with an amiable smile. "Is
there something I may do for you?"

Tarras heard footsteps behind him and turned. A third guard had stepped
up to them, his weapon still sheathed, though his hand lay on the hilt
at his hip. "My humble apologies, my Lord," his voice rang out,
respectful but firm. "But I must insist you go no further and return to
the palace proper."

Without losing one iota of his smile, Tarras said, "Oh, really? Under
whose authority, might I ask?"

"The Emperor's adviser and head of security, Mage Q'yros."

"Head of security? My, my. An unusual role for a wizard, do you not
think so?"

"It matters not. It matters only that we have been told to accept his
word as good as coming from the mouth of the Emperor himself. If you
would please follow me?"

The question was spoken politely, but with a tone that indicated there
was only one right answer. Tarras heard the sound of metal again and
glanced behind him. The other two guards no longer held their weapons
crossed, but neither had they sheathed them.

"May I ask one more question?" Tarras said, and without waiting for
leave, continued, "Why am I being restricted to the palace in this
manner?"

"It is only for you own safety, my Lord. The Emperor is training his
legions rather intensely. He does not want to see any of the Lords
hurt."

"Ah. Quite thoughtful of him. I must remember to tell the other Lords
this."

"If you wish to continue to observe them, my Lord, there are several
balconies that may afford ..."

Lord Tarras shook his head slowly. "No need. I have seen all I care to.
Lead on, please."

As he allowed himself to be led back to the palace, he was being
watched from the very same balcony that he himself had occupied not
long before. Someone with narrow eyes of diamond hardness, hands
gripped tightly around the top of a staff.

Mage Q'yros watched Lord Tarras until he and the guards around him
disappeared from sight beyond the portico. He let out a sigh that was
something between relief and anger.

He had realized that there was no way his waning energies could keep up
the monitoring spell as he had designed it. He had redone it a few days
before. Now it would instead focus on key areas and sound a mental
alarm to him when it detected someone wandering "out of bounds." Then
he would decide how to deal with it on a case-by-case basis.

He did not dare tell Z'haas about this change. The Emperor had badgered
Q'yros into showing him how the tracking spell had worked, and he had
fallen in love with it. It was unlikely that he would agree to let it
be changed, so Q'yros did not ask.

This new design meant dozens of distractions a day whenever the Caucus
was not in session, but it helped preserve his energies. It would at
least tell him if a Lord was traversing out of bounds. And the legion
training field was a definitely an out of bounds area.

He turned his eyes towards the legion in the distance. He believed he
had stopped Lord Tarras before the man could get too close to them.
With his untrained eyes, Q'yros could see nothing amiss. He could tell
no difference between the soldiers that were Oceanus nationals and the
ones that were not.

Still, Lord Tarras was close to Lady Janna. Before the Mage had changed
over the spell, he had spied them spending the entire night together in
her room.

No matter. If they strayed into any areas that he did not like, he
would know about it. He would no longer have a permanent record of
their travels, as that was the costliest part of the spell, but that
should not matter. It was enough to know that the transgression had
occurred.

Q'yros turned away and stepped back inside.



Jollis parted ways with his cohort, each heading away from the gate of
the D'ronstaq Manor. The guard on duty, having witnessed nothing more
than an exchange of goods, nodded to the both of them and bid them good
day.

Jollis carried the large bottle of rare wine back into the Manor.
Behind him, he heard his merchant friend remount his horse and gallop
away. It was largely for show. Soon as he was out of sight of anyone,
he would summon a Portal to take him away.

It would be foolish not to be suspicious of the transaction he was
about to conclude. It appeared odd to him that the aging Healer would
only now wish the services of the Overlord's Tradesman. Especially
considering how his younger cohort had been shadowing Jollis up until a
few days ago when it abruptly ceased.

If there was one thing Jollis had learned in previous missions, it was
cause for concern when your enemy began to dog your footsteps, but it
was even more alarming when he stopped for no apparent reason. Thus
when he had received the request from Vanlo very soon after that, it
had made him wary. Yet there was no obvious danger, and to beg off this
request was to raise suspicion.

And it could very well be a perfectly innocent transaction.

Jollis turned down the path to the Healer office and was soon at the
doorway. He swept aside the curtain and stepped into the reception
area. Three slaves were seated in the room, chatting idly amongst
themselves until they took notice of Jollis. They smiled to him and
offered a polite greeting.

Jollis smiled at them in return and nodded his head once before raising
his eyes towards the voices in the back.

This was his first time in the Healer office, at least entering from
the front during the daylight. When he strode through the reception
room and stood in the doorway of the treatment room, things became more
familiar to him.

Jollis found both Vanlo and Lanno flanking a young female slave sitting
on one of the treatment tables. Lanno had the girl's arm in his hands
and was listening to Vanlo, until his eyes shifted over to Jollis.

Vanlo stopped and turned. "Ah, Jollis, good day to you," Vanlo said
with a pleasant smile.

"Good day to you as well, Healer," Jollis said with a respectful bow of
his head. "If you are busy, I can come back at a later time."

"Unfortunately, I will become no less busy," Vanlo said, gesturing
towards the reception area. "If you will give me one moment, I shall
have a bit of time to spare for you. You have obtained what I
requested, yes?"

Jollis lifted the bottle he carried. "I have indeed."

"Oh, splendid! I was not sure you'd be able to track down that
particular vintage. Wait right there, please."

Jollis nodded and cradled the bottle in his arm as Vanlo turned back to
his younger cohort.

"Now, Lanno, please pay attention," Vanlo said in a stern voice. He ran
a finger along the slave's arm. "Make sure to check /all/ the tendons,
not just the major one. Pinpoint the source of the strain before you
take action."

"Yes, I understand, Master Vanlo," said Lanno, a bit of tension in his
voice, his jaw tight.

"See that you do, Lanno. And only then apply the salve." He picked up a
vial of milky fluid from the side and handed it to him. "And be
careful. The stopper is on a bit tight."

"Yes, Master Vanlo."

Vanlo nodded once and turned away from them. He smiled and gestured to
Jollis.

Jollis stepped inside. His eyes flicked over to Lanno for a moment
before resting on Vanlo again. He raised the bottle and turned it
around so that the label could be seen. "Fifty years old as you have
requested, Healer," Jollis said, a touch of pride in his voice.

"Oh my, you did find it after all," Vanlo said, stroking his beard
thoughtfully. He reached out and took the bottle from Jollis, holding
it almost lovingly. His gaze dropped to it, his eyes reading the label
before he turned the bottle in his hands.

As he did so, he took two slow steps laterally across Jollis' vision.
Jollis' gaze followed him, his body turning as well. Now his back was
partially turned towards Lanno, such that he and his patient were no
longer in his direct line of vision.

This was not to say that Jollis was not paying attention to them. He
had his hearing keenly tuned to them. He could tell approximately what
body movements they were making from the sound alone. Moreover, he
would know in an instant if Lanno -- or the slave for that manner --
were about to strike him from behind. He was not particularly worried
about being caught unawares.

"I believe you will be quite satisfied with the flavor and aroma,"
Jollis said. "This bottle was stored in carefully controlled conditions
for at least the last two decades."

"Astonishing! Jollis, I do see now why the Overlord is so enamored of
you. You do indeed work wonders."

Jollis smiled at the praise and bowed his head. "You honor me with your
words, Healer."

"The agreed-upon price then?" asked Vanlo. He took another two steps
across Jollis' field of view, on the pretext of setting the bottle down
on a small table. Jollis followed and turned again, his back now
completely towards Lanno.

Lanno's head turned, even as he continued speaking to the slave about
her condition. "It looks like this is not bad at all, Kirra. Some of
the salve should do the trick."

"Thank you, Master Lanno," said the young slave.

Jollis tensed a bit as Vanlo reached into his pocket. He remained so
even when Vanlo extracted nothing more than a small leather pouch. He
did not allow himself to relax until the drawstring was opened and he
could see that platinum pieces were indeed the only contents. "Fifteen,
I believe?" Vanlo asked.

He handed the pouch to Jollis.

At almost the same time, Jollis heard a faint "pop" behind him.

Jollis reacted immediately. He spun around, going into a defensive
stance designed to disarm an opponent before any weapon could reach his
flesh. His hands and legs would move in perfect concert. Not even a
single breath would be taken by his assailant before he was on the
floor writhing in pain from a broken arm or jaw.

Thus he was momentarily at a loss for a proper reaction when instead he
felt an oily substance splash against his cheek and forehead.

"Merchant, I'm terribly sorry!" Lanno exclaimed as he put the now
nearly empty vial on the treatment table next to the slave. The slave
looked on in bemusement, but said nothing. Instead, she simply cradled
her "hurt" arm as she had been instructed to do at this point.

"Lanno, you oaf!" Vanlo snapped. "I told you that stopper was on tight,
did I not?"

"It is all good," Jollis said as he backed up a step. He brought a hand
to his cheek and touched his fingertips to the salve. They came away
glistening with the milky substance. He rubbed it between his fingers.
It was oily at first, but began to gel into something more sticky. "I
am apparently unharmed by the 'assault,'" he added with an amused
smile.

"Here, Jollis," Vanlo said, handing the merchant a towel. "I am so
sorry for this. If I had known my assistant was going to be such an
utter clod, I would have conducted our transaction in the reception
area."

Jollis wiped the substance from his cheek and forehead. It was growing
more viscous the more it was exposed to the air. "It is quite all
right, Healer. No harm was done, and accidents do happen to the best of
us."

"Thank you for understanding. Oh, you have a bit in your hair ..."

Jollis furrowed his brow. "If you would direct me to a mirror ..."

"Please, allow me." Vanlo took the towel from him and wiped at the
smear of salve in Jollis' dark hair. Or tried to, for the moment the
towel touched it, the towel was stuck fast. The Healer gave it a tug.
Jollis blinked once as he felt some hairs pulled out. Vanlo frowned and
examined the towel intently after getting it detached from Jollis'
head. He whirled around in anger. "/Lanno!/"

"What have I done now?" Lanno retorted in irritation.

"Did you mix this salve?"

"Yes, I did. What of it?"

"You did it wrong, that is what of it. It is too thick and too sticky."
He thrust an arm towards the back room. "Go get another from the batch
that I made myself. The batch that was made /right/."

Lanno fumed and stomped out of the room.

Vanlo sighed again and turned back to Jollis. "Again, I am most sorry
for this. Rest assured that a little soap and water will take out the
rest of that paste."

"It is not a concern, Healer," Jollis said. He opened the pouch he
still held and counted the pieces. He smiled. "I believe our
transaction is concluded. Please do not hesitate to call on me again if
you need to."

"Of course. Thank you for your patience, Master Jollis, and a good day
to you."

Jollis bowed his head. "Good day to you as well, Master Vanlo."

The merchant turned and headed out of the Healer office.

Vanlo stepped forward and peered into the reception area. He waited
until Jollis was gone before turning back towards the room. He smiled
to Kirra. "Thank you, my dear, for helping us."

"Did I do well, Master Vanlo?" she asked, letting her arms relax.

"Indeed you did. Wait here about a candlemark, and then you may leave."

"Yes, Master."

Vanlo headed into the back room, carrying the towel. There, Lanno
stood, arms folded. He glowered at the older Healer.

"Yes?" Vanlo said.

"Can we not do a ruse like that again?" Lanno said in irritation. "I'm
getting a little tired of being on the receiving end of your invective,
no matter how fake it was supposed to be."

"I am quite sorry, Lanno. But it helped play on what Jollis had
witnessed earlier. I hope to have no need to repeat it."

Vanlo had sounded sincere enough in his regret that Lanno was
mollified. "So did it work? Did we get what we needed?"

Vanlo smiled and showed Lanno the towel. Stuck to the cloth were five
strands of dark hair. "Quite more than enough for our purposes. I
believe we succeeded in our ruse."

"I certainly hope we did. Vanlo, did you see how fast he turned around?
I didn't think anyone could move that fast!"

Vanlo nodded gravely as he set the towel down on the table. "Indeed. It
would suggest he is more than just the merchant that he claims to be.
While merchants pride themselves on self defense to protect them on the
roads, I have never seen one take it to that level. I shudder to think
what would have happened had we actually intended to attack him at that
point."

Lanno picked up the towel and looked at the hairs himself. "Either
case, I'm glad we got this done."

"I could not have done it without you."

Lanno gave Vanlo a surprised look, which grew even more so when he saw
the older Healer extend a hand towards him.

The handshake held a much greater significance on Narlass than it did
on Earth. It was generally reserved as a sign of renewed or regained
trust, especially in the context of reconciliation. Lanno never
expected this to come from Vanlo.

Lanno did not hesitate once he recognized it for what it was. He thrust
his hand forward and clasped Vanlo's firmly. He felt Vanlo's fingers
tighten around his, and they held it for a few moments as their eyes
met.

Once their hands parted, Vanlo took the towel. "Now, let us take care
of our remaining patients quickly," he said. "As we have some important
work to do."



There was a soft knock on Janna's door.

"Enter!" Janna snapped, turning from the mirror where she was adjusting
her dress.

The door opened and Tarras leaned his head in.

"Mind telling me where you've been this morning?" said Janna, annoyed.

Tarras gave Janna a tiny smile and stepped into the room. "From your
tone, one would think you were my wife instead of my lover."

Janna snorted and folded her arms, though a hint of a smile did curl
her lips. "Very funny. Seriously, Tarras, I woke up to an empty bed. I
immediately checked your room, but you were not even there."

One corner of Tarras' mouth tugged upwards.

"What?" Janna demanded.

"You said you checked on me immediately. I am sorry my dear, but the
image of you walking about the halls with little or nothing on was an
amusing one."

"I sent a /slave/ to check on you." Janna paused and then smirked.
"Amusing? Is that all you would find it?"

Tarras closed the door behind him and stepped over to her. "As much as
I would love to respond to that with all manner of bawdy yet
gentlemanly comebacks, there is an urgent matter I need to discuss with
you."

"Now? But the Caucus is convening in less than a candlemark. Can we
discuss it on the way?"

Janna moved towards the door without waiting for a reply. Tarras gently
caught her arm. She whirled around and looked at him oddly.

"Our movements are being tracked."

Janna blinked. "Tracked? What are you talking about, Tarras?"

He described to her what he had done that morning. "You see, I believe
when Q'yros detects that someone is moving towards a critical location,
he Farviews the guards and sends them to intercept the straying Lord."

"But why would the training grounds be a critical location? It's not
like we don't already know he's forming an army."

"That is another matter I need to address, but it will keep. The fact
that I was tracked at all is the more critical issue."

"Wait a minute. How can he be tracking us? He would need to use magic
for that."

"Hmm. That would be my assumption. Are you magic sensitive, Janna?"

"A little. Just enough to be able to detect it if there were a residual
charge on my person. And I detect nothing."

Tarras nodded. He had sensed nothing either. Most Lords learned how to
sense such a thing for their own protection. But it was very limited.
Magic on the person could be detected, and obvious magic on objects
held in the hand could be detected, but more subtle manifestations
could not.

"He has hidden it or otherwise masked it, then," said Tarras.

"Him? Q'yros, you mean? I know he's powerful, Tarras, but I would know
if he had placed a tracking spell on me. Magic is terribly hard to
disguise from one's own body, you know that as well as I do."

Tarras nodded again. This was a true statement. There were many stories
in legend of Mages that would weave bewitchments on the unwary and
influence them with magic without their knowledge. Such things were
myths. A victim was always aware of when magic was used on his or her
person, regardless of whether the spell was successful or not.

"Then we have a dilemma, it would seem," said Tarras. "It is obvious
that we are being monitored in some way, and until we know how and how
to get around it, attempting to procure the information for Duric will
have to wait."

Janna sighed. One of the reasons she had been growing tense of late was
that Duric had been Farviewing her daily asking about her progress. "Do
we even know where to get it? I have not a clue where such information
would be kept."

"I am more familiar with the layout of this Palace. I believe I know
where such a thing would be kept. It is likely guarded. Even if you
could go about undetected, there would need to be a way to get past the
guards."

Janna nodded, then glanced at the timepiece above the mantle. "Further
discussion will have to wait," Janna said, grabbing Tarras' hand. "We
need to get to the Caucus."

"I quite agree," said Tarras as he quickly drew alongside her.
"Assuming the vote goes as expected, I will be curious as to the
Emperor's reaction."



The vote was carried out with little fanfare. Lord Uras did not even
bother to call a complete roll. He instead simply asked if anyone
objected to the petition as it stood. No one voiced an objection, thus
the petition was finalized.

Emperor Z'haas entered the Caucus chamber to equally little fanfare,
either from his own contingent that waited in the hallway outside or
from the assembled Lords. The Emperor's face was stony and his gaze
hard and penetrating. He swept it about the Nobility as he turned upon
reaching his seat. He regarded them with something near contempt as he
took his seat in the midst of their silence.

The other Lords returned his gaze with ones that ranged from indignant
to bored. Nevertheless, the sovereign's entrance managed to capture
everyone's attention, even if that was simply to render silence unto
the Emperor.

But then silence can speak volumes as well.

No one said a word or made a move until the Emperor's guards closed the
great double doors. There was a sparkle as a magical enchantment
activated, sealing off any leakage of sound through the doors. The
final session of the Caucus was intended to be private. Even the
records would be sealed for a certain amount of time until the crisis
had passed before being given to the historical archivers.

Lord Uras rose.

"We are honored to have your most exalted presence at this last day of
the Sixth Caucus of the Noble Lords of Oceanus, and we graciously offer
our appreciation for your attendance."

Janna was a bit taken by that statement for two reasons. For one, it
was amazing to her that, in all Oceanus' history, there had been only
five Caucuses before this one. That was an interesting statement about
the stability of Oceanus up until this point.

The other thing that struck her was the tone of Uras' statement. It was
purely duty-bound. There was no real sentiment behind it. The words
rang hollow, as if the breach was so bad that he already knew nothing
would mend it.

She glanced over to Z'haas. He did not appear to react at all, other
than to cast a cold look towards the Noble Lord. Uras returned it with
one of his own as he picked up a scroll, and at that point Janna
realized that all pretense would be dropped from this point on.

Uras unrolled the scroll and began to read.

"We, the Noble Lords of Oceanus, after thorough discussion and debate,
have come to a unanimous decision, to wit: That we demand that you,
Emperor Fenric Z'haas, Emperor of Oceanus, agree to a redress of our
grievances as is our right under the Charter of Oceanus Union. These
grievance are as follows:

"One: That the Emperor has conducted or is about to conduct a war of
aggression against another nation-state without due consultation with
the Nobility.

"Two: That the Emperor has raised or is raising his own army for the
purposes of said war, providing only vague reasons as justification for
this serious violation of Imperial protocol.

"Three: That the Emperor has willfully bypassed the procedures of due
process as laid down and codified in the Charter with respect to the
actions taken in the alleged plot against the throne.

"Four: That the Emperor has, with complete premeditation and purpose,
withheld critical information from the Nobility concerning the
perceived threat to the realm.

"Five: That the Emperor has declared a state of emergency when none
clearly exists, for if it did, he would not have accepted a Caucus in
his midst, but would swiftly move to deal with the threat instead and
provide a full report to the Nobility in its wake as indicated in
amendment thirty-one of the Charter."

The Emperor had remained as stone-faced as when he had first arrived as
he heard the points, until it came to the last one. Then his gaze
became one of icy fury.

Tarras, however, was rather pleased. That was the strongest statement
yet in the list of grievances. He did not think that one would have
made it into the final draft. He had introduced it himself hoping some
sentiment of it would be incorporated, albeit watered down. He had been
pleasantly surprised to see that it had been accepted almost verbatim
when the final vote had been taken.

One glance at the Emperor was enough to tell him that it had had the
intended effect.

Uras paused a moment before continuing. There was not a sound in the
chamber.

"Thus are the words of the Noble Lords," continued Uras in a slightly
louder voice. "Taken as one mind. Yet the Nobility has a heart as well,
and as such, we have seen clear to provide for a compromise. We
recognize that the Emperor is pledged to defending Oceanus against all
threats, and we support that pledge. Thus we will reconsider our
petition if you, Emperor of Oceanus, explain to us, in full, the
following:

"One: The exact nature of the hostile threat to Oceanus.

"Two: Why this information has been kept from the Nobility.

"Three: The magnitude of the danger this threat poses to the realm.

"If these questions can be answered to our satisfaction, we pledge our
support to you, our will as well as our resources."

Lord Uras let the scroll roll back up as he took his seat.

Tarras had not cared for that last line, and he had raised an objection
to it in the first vote. However, he understood that politics dictated
that it be there, and thus he had relented. Truly, if there had been an
overt threat to Oceanus, and had Z'haas explained it to the Nobility's
satisfaction, the Noble Lords would have backed him and raised a
combined army far more massive than anything Z'haas could muster.

Everything now hinged on what the Emperor did next. The fifth point had
been more a statement than a grievance. It had robbed the Emperor of
the ability to continue claiming that this was an emergency situation.
Now he had to address the issue before the Noble Lords.

But what was happening now was not promising. Instead of immediately
addressing the Caucus, or even acknowledging with the traditional
responses, he continued to silently fume as he had when he had heard
that critical fifth point.

Finally, he bolted from his seat and glared at the assembled Lords.

"I will take this under advisement. I will issue a statement later.
Good day."

The last two words were the trigger that unsealed the doors. The
Emperor quickly departed, his cloak billowing out behind him and
leaving a stunned Nobility in his wake.

"Wait a minute!" one of the Lords shouted suddenly after the doors
started to close behind the Emperor. He bolted out of his seat as well
and turned to Uras. "Can he do that? Doesn't he have to engage us here
and now?"

"Yes, he does!" said another, also rising. "He cannot simply sequester
himself and issue statements! He must debate us on the merits of our
arguments!"

"Unless he feels he is beyond that now," Tarras' voice rang out. He
remained in his seat, his demeanor still calm and collected.

"Oh, come off it, Tarras! It's one thing to spout your hyperbole about
blood and honor but you do not seriously think the Lords would want
...!"

"Fellow Lords, /order!/" shouted Uras. "This will not become a
free-for-all! We are still in session!"

"The Emperor has apparently concluded it," said Tarras.

"It is not concluded until I say so, dammit!"

"It's as good as concluded without the Emperor. You heard him. He
intends to make a 'statement.' No actions. No debate. Just more words.
Words that are meaningless."

Lord Uras drew in his breath and let it go as a windy sigh. "I will
seek audience with him."

"Lord Uras, with all due respect, he must be made to answer to all of
us!" shouted another Lord. "No more clandestine deals! No ..."

"/What else do you expect me to do?!/" Uras roared. "Unless you wish to
accuse me of seeking a private deal with the Emperor!"

The Lord fell silent and simply shook his head.

Uras looked out over the rest of them angrily. "Does anyone else?!"

A slow shaking of heads.

"Does anyone dispute my ability to represent this Caucus?"

No one spoke up.

"Good. I am /so/ glad we cleared that up. We are in recess until this
afternoon. I will seek audience with the Emperor before that time. At
the very least I will get him to make his statements to the full body
of this Caucus. That is the least that he owes us!"

Lord Uras turned and stormed out of the chamber.

Janna had been watching with a stunned look on her face. She turned to
Tarras and said, "Now what?"

"I believe that Lord Uras is faced with the same question," Tarras said
as he stood.

"You don't think he'll be successful then."

Tarras turned his gaze to her. "What I think is that we should
seriously consider hastening Duric's plans ..."



"I am sorry, my Lord. I will not disturb the Emperor without direct
orders."

"Your statement makes no sense!" Lord Uras bellowed at the guard
outside Z'haas' audience chamber. "For I have already given you a
direct order!"

"I do not recognize your authority over me, my Lord."

Lord Uras fumed at this, but to his credit, he did not explode. He
instead took a deep breath to compose himself and said in a calmer
voice, "Then kindly ask him if he will see me."

"I cannot do that," said the guard. "His orders were specific that no
one save for his immediate advisers may see him. You may make an
appointment with ..."

"I have been to his clerks and his associated underlings. No one will
give me the time of day let alone agree to do anything to obtain an
audience. The Emperor cannot sequester himself in his chambers and rule
by fiat! Not when the entire Caucus of Noble Lords is here!"

The guard remained implacable. "My orders were very clear, my Lord."

Lord Uras turned away and threw up his hands theatrically. "Then why
did he even bother to accept the Caucus in his midst if he was simply
going to continue to issue his edicts, answerable to no one?!"

The guard did not reply. He had no answer to that, and it was not his
place to become involved in Imperial politics. He simply kept a close
eye on the Lord to insure that he did not attempt to do something rash.
His cohort was doing the same, his hand having been on the hilt of his
sword the entire time.

Uras calmed himself down again and turned to face the guard. "Very
well. Do you know when he will emerge from his chambers?"

"I do not know, my Lord."

"Well, he will have to come out some time!" Uras declared. He walked a
few steps away and turned to face the guards again, folding his arms
tightly. "I will simply wait as long as it takes."

The guards exchanged a look. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, my
Lord," said the first one.

"And why not? Unless you suspect me of somehow pulling off a palace
coup from where I stand, unarmed and alone, you have no cause to run me
off! Unless that is yet another edict that has been issued by the
Emperor. By the gods, you need ten clerks working full time just to
keep up with his new rules and regulations!"

The guard knew it was in his power to call upon his cohorts to have
someone hauled away if there was a clear danger. But there was none
here, and he had to tread lightly when it came to the Nobility. Yes, he
knew of the noises the Emperor made about fearing the Lords conspiring
against him, but Uras was indeed alone and unarmed. It was not the same
as when Gondas and his conspirators were dispatched. That had been a
clear threat. This was not.

And protocol dictated that he treat the Nobility with respect.

"Very well, my Lord," the guard said. "If the opportunity arises, I
will inform the Emperor of your desire to seek audience."



Janna was beside herself. Tarras had disappeared on her again. She had
Farviewed Duric briefly from her chambers, telling him the situation.
Duric had become upset over hearing this, but it paled in comparison to
Farro's reaction. The army was not ready. The rogue Mage had only just
arrived at the Weton's Manor to prepare the Portal there. They needed
more time.

Janna searched the halls for him near the Caucus chamber. She was
afraid of going too far afield, after what Tarras had told her about
their movements being tracked. Finally, she spotted him, rushing down
the corridor at her.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for ..."

"I am sorry, Janna, I do not have the time," said Tarras as he rushed
past.

Janna was startled by the intense look on his face. She rushed down the
hall after him. "Wait, what do you mean you don't have the time? I have
to talk to you about Duric. I just spoke with him. Tarras!"

Tarras suddenly stopped and whirled around, Janna nearly colliding with
him. "Janna, I'm sorry. I just received a Farview and I have to get
some critical information to Lord Uras. Have you seen him?"

"Lord Uras? What's going on?"

"Please, I will explain later, I promise. Where is he?"

"I saw him in near the Emperor's staff area. He is seeking an audience
with the Emperor, like he had he would do in Caucus."

Tarras' face darkened. "With luck, I can catch him before the Emperor
grants him that."

"Well, if his demeanor was any indication, he was not yet successful.
But, please, come find me as soon as you are done."

"Duric needs more time, doesn't he?"

Janna stared. "How did you ...?"

Tarras smiled thinly. "I am a student of military history, my dear. I
have an idea how long it takes to organize such a thing. He may have
just gotten some more of what he needs."

Before a stunned Janna could respond to this, Tarras turned and strode
quickly down the corridor.



Mage Q'yros was panting by the time he reached the corridor leading to
the audience chamber. There he paused and tried to catch his breath. He
silently cursed the Emperor. If it had not been for Z'haas' paranoia
over the Noble Lords, he would not be feeling so run-down. With his
magical reserves dwindling, his body was approaching his real age. He
needed time soon to restore his strength.

He was tempted to return to his quarters right then and there for some
rest, but the Emperor needed to know what had just happened. He forced
himself into a more even keel, then turned the corner and continued
swiftly down the corridor. When he saw Lord Uras standing there, he
hesitated a moment, long enough for the Noble Lord to hear him and turn
around.

Q'yros' lips drew to a thin line. "Lord Uras," he said simply with a
curt nod as he continued on his way.

Lord Uras stepped in front of him.

Q'yros was rather surprised at this, but did not show it. He merely
lifted his icy gaze to Uras and said, "I have urgent business with the
Emperor. Make way."

"Isn't that an interesting coincidence? /So do I!/"

"Then what, may I ask, are you doing out here, Lord Uras," said Q'yros
with forced patience.

"Waiting for the Emperor to use the sanitary."

Q'yros furrowed his brow in confusion.

"For that appears to be the only way for me to catch him, since he will
not see me," said Uras.

"He is quite the busy man, Lord Uras. You and the Caucus gave him much
to think about."

The Mage hated having to do damage control all the time. In this case,
it was having little effect anyway. "When I spoke to his clerk, I was
told that the Emperor does not wish to see me," said Uras. "He quickly
corrected it to say that he was seeing no one, but he made it very
clear what the actual order was."

Q'yros made a note to find out who that clerk was and terminate him.
Admittedly, however, he did think the Emperor's latest actions were
very foolish. Angering the Nobility was exactly what he did not need.

"I do apologize, Lord Uras, but I do have urgent business myself. I
will inform the Emperor that you are adamant about seeing him."

"See that you do, Q'yros! He must answer to the Caucus himself. He
cannot simply issue a 'statement' from behind closed doors!"

The Mage nodded and hurried along his way. The guards drew the doors
open for him as he approached, such that the Mage did not have to slow
down. Once he had disappeared inside, the doors closed behind him.

Lord Uras folded his arms again. He was about to make another acerbic
comment to the guards when he again heard approaching footfalls behind
him and turned. "Ah, here to attempt to sway the Emperor with your
mellifluous words, are you, Tarras?"

"No, Lord Uras," Tarras said, a bit winded as he stepped up to his
fellow Noble Lord. "I am here to see you."

"Oh? About?"

Tarras told him.

Uras' eyebrows shot up. "Oh, /indeed!/"

"I thought you might be pleased."

Uras gestured towards the doors. "I just saw the Emperor's lackey
Q'yros go inside. I am sure he knows as well and is about to tell
Z'haas. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when the Emperor hears that! Now
let him try something!"

"Don't get your hopes up that high, Uras," Tarras warned. "This is just
a delaying tactic. They probably know it as well."

"Still, it gives us room to maneuver. More time to plan. And, ah ... "
He lowered his voice. " ... more time for Duric."

Tarras gave the older Lord a curious look. "You know?"

Uras gave Tarras a thin smile. "He likes to think he can pull one over
on me. In another decade he may have the experience to do it, but not
now. He is damn lucky the person that counts has not found out."

Tarras just nodded and looked apprehensively towards the double doors
to the audience chamber.



"You cannot keep refusing to see him," Q'yros said bluntly.

"I can refuse to see anyone I wish!" shouted the Emperor, red-faced
with anger.

"I do not advise that."

"Yes, and you also 'advised' me to accept the Caucus in the first
place! Now it has destroyed my original response to them!"

Q'yros furrowed his brow. "I am not privy to what was spoken in the
chamber, my Emperor."

Fuming, the Emperor told Q'yros of the fifth grievance.

Q'yros' eyebrows rose. "They actually said that?"

"Yes, and it is unfortunately true. I cannot declare an emergency after
the fact, not after accepting the Caucus. Did you consider that when
you browbeat me into deciding to host them here?"

The Mage knew vaguely of such a provision in the Charter. What he had
not expected was that the Lords would be so brazen as to exploit it.
There were many checks on the power of the various factions that made
up Oceanus government. But those checks were rarely exercised as boldly
as this.

"I cannot help but be curious as to why it matters to you now," Q'yros
said. "You have already shown that you are willing to set aside
protocol and Charter provisions when it suits you."

The Mage was careful to use a neutral tone when he spoke. Indeed, he
was not attempting to condemn or condone the action, he simply wished
to state the facts.

The Emperor took a deep breath and let it go. Some of the anger drained
from his face. "You had come to see me on an urgent matter. What is
it?"

Q'yros studied the Emperor's reaction. He had seen something akin to
fear flicker in Z'haas' eyes for a moment. That explained the Emperor's
renewed concern about following the Charter. Z'haas was growing
increasingly frightened of a palace coup. Now he was seeking to walk a
thin line between laying down the law -- /his/ law -- and placating the
Noble Lords. It was threatening to pull the Emperor in two directions
at once.

"Yes, my Emperor, we appear to have a serious wrinkle in our plans, but
I do not yet know how it will affect the Caucus."

"What is it? Out with it!"

"I have received word from an Imperial border patrol. A man declaring
himself an ambassador from Colos appeared at the border and is
demanding the right to audience with your esteemed self."

The Emperor stared at Q'yros. "What?? He was sent away, was he not?"

"He bears the royal crest of Colos. He carries a parchment with the
Colos royal seal attesting to his credentials. As far as the patrol can
see, he is who he says he is. All Imperial soldiers are instructed to
respect this."

"I can rescind that!"

"I would not advise ..."

"/No, you would not advise it!/" Z'haas shouted. "You would never
advise the quickest and simplest solution to the problem! You insist on
going through the minutiae of protocol! To Hellfire with protocol! I
will order them to kill him where he stands!"

Q'yros remained quiet for a moment. He waited for the Emperor to regain
some of his composure before speaking again. "There is a complication
in that, my Emperor."

Z'haas clenched his teeth. "There always is ..." he muttered.

"He approached the border via the main road into the Carolas Province.
Lord Tarras K'riis' lands."

"So?" the Emperor said in a challenging tone.

"Lord Tarras' men have been shadowing Imperial patrols in that area.
One was within sight of the border when the Colosian approached.
Carolas likely knows about it. And if Carolas knows, Lord Tarras knows.
And if Lord Tarras knows, the Caucus knows."

The Emperor's hands balled into fists in his rage. "/We would not have
this problem if you would block their Farview magic!/" he bellowed, his
words echoing from the farthest reaches of the chamber.

Q'yros said nothing. It would be one of countless times that he had to
remind the Emperor that no known magic or technology can block a
Farview.

He was growing very concerned now. Z'haas was losing his temper with
increasing frequency. Q'yros felt that his ability to calm the Emperor
was failing. In a way, he felt as if he were the one running Oceanus
instead of Z'haas. And that was a responsibility he most assuredly did
not want.

The last thing he wanted was Z'haas seeing Uras right now. There was no
way the Emperor would keep his cool against the bellicose Noble Lord.

"Lord Uras continues to wait for an audience with you, my Emperor, but
I am sure that if we appraise him of the fact that you know of the
Colosian Ambassador's imminent arrival ..."

Z'haas glared at Q'yros, and for a worrisome moment, the Mage was
afraid Z'haas would order the man's execution anyway. That alone could
trigger the coup that he had feared. Instead, the Emperor took another
deep breath and asked, "How long will it take him to get here?"

"If we wish him here in the fastest time possible, we should direct him
to Lord K'rinnus' Palace, which is four day's travel. There is a Portal
there."

The Emperor remained silent.

"The Lords will insist that the Caucus be suspended until the
Ambassador arrives and has had his say."

"Fine," the Emperor grunted. "So be it. Speak with Lord Uras. I want
nothing to do with him."

Z'haas left and quickly headed towards his private chambers.
<1st attachment end>


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