Book 5, chapter 24

The crowd bowed, and the emperor as the emperor paused at the top of the stairs. He was in immaculately tailored gray and black robes. A thin crown sat on his graying head, resting just above his ears. 

Zee had never seen Farsiac actually wear a crown before, and her breath caught in her throat. The crown wasn't just a large band of metal, no; it was an artifact. 

The crown radiated an uncomfortable pressure, seeming to wrap the room in a commanding embrace. It radiated an aura that spoke of decay, an other worldly rot that could reduce the entire room to naught but ash and dust at a whim.

 There was a pulse in her chest as the heart of fire beat, seeming to resonate with the presence in the air. The avatar of dominion hummed, and the mantle seemed to open its eyes.

It was a very jarring experience. Up until now, Zee hadn't been able to do anything with the Mantle. It had been completely dormant, unresponsive.

But now, being washed in the emperor's suffocating presence, she thought she understood what it did.The third piece of her bloodline talent was actually a way that she could control the other two.

After all, that was exactly what the emperor was doing. She could feel it as he tapped into the reservoir of the avatar and used that energy to blanket the throne room in the suffocating presence of decay.

Her realization made her giddy with excitement. She itched to test it out, but it would have to wait.

In a regal and dignified manner, the emperor descended the stairs, his domineering presence slowly fading away as he retracted his aura. On the last step, the emperor's eyes flitted over the crowd, lingering on Zee for a few seconds.

There was no outward reaction, but the pause and brief glance at her dress was more than enough for the moment. Zee could swear she saw his eyes narrow ever so slightly, but that was hard to say for certain.

In a calm voice, the emperor spoke.

"Let us have lunch, and then we will move into the council chambers," Farsaic said.

It was like a bomb went off as dozens of servants flooded in from the side alcoves, carrying tables, chairs, and cutlery.

In under a minute, several rows of tables were set up, with the emperors being at the head of them all. A large, ornately carved chair, reminiscent of a throne, stood tall.

It was the biggest and fanciest chair in the room, with much less opulent chairs to either side.

Zee could only shake her head at the display. Everything, from clothing to furniture, was carefully chosen to show the emperor's superiority. 

Julian rested a callused hand on her shoulder, startling her from her thoughts. 

"You should probably go take a seat. It's rude to make the emperor wait," Julian said softly.

Zee glanced over, realizing that everyone had already taken a seat at the head table except for two people. Herself, and the emperor. "Oh crap, i gotto go. Good to meet you General Danma. Shitty as ever to see you, Glendale. Talk to you later grandpa," Zee said. 

"Be careful what you say, Zee," Julian called after her.

Zee did her best not to look like she was hurrying as she crossed the room.

Behind her, Danma chortled, laughing at her words. She could feel the bone lords sunken eyes on her back, but that ancient pile of bones could go stuff it.

In a semi graceful manner, she rounded the head table, passing by Draveroc at one end.

She pretended not to see the overly dressed princeling, striding towards her chair just to the right of the emperor.

All the while, she got her first look at the other gathered descendants. All ten were here, though not all of them were sitting at the emperor's table.

Out of the seven seats, only four were taken up by her cousins.

Tavza was there, to the emperor's left, while two others she didn't recognize sat further down the table. There were only two people at the table who were not imperials.

One was of course the rotund treasurer, who sat to Zee's right. The other, sitting to Tavza's left, was an older woman with a golden raven pinned to her uniform.

That was none other than Litesa Mardan, the fleet admiral of the imperial navy. She was the iron Phalanx, a legend in the empire. 

With muscle-like iron cables and a honed physic of a fighter, the woman was said to wield a spear and shield like a monster. In the past few decades alone, she had been rumored to decimate at least a dozen armies by herself.

Zee paused behind the esteemed woman's chair, prompting her to turn.

"I don't believe we have met, I am Zee," Zee said, offering a hand to shake. 

The woman looked her up and down with a shrewd gaze, before taking her hand in a firm yet gentle grip.

"I am Litesa Mardan. It's a pleasure to meet you," she greeted.

"Is it true you will be leading the expedition?" Zee asked, carefully watching the emperor from the corner of her eye. It was time to delay a little and make the emperor wait.

Litess nodded slowly. "I will be directing the separate elements of the expedition from a distance. You will be under General Danma, but yes, I will be in overall command," Litesa said.

"That's a comfort. I love your hair, what is that style of braid called?" Zee asked.

Making small talk had never been Zee's strong suit, but she did her best to drag out the conversation. Every second that she delayed meant that the emperor had to pretend like he wasn't waiting for her. It was a carefully planned out strategy, one that the emperor had to play or he would look bad.

By now, some of the people in the room were on to her little game and were watching closely.

Making the emperor wait too long was not a wise idea. She could see her great-grandpa off to one side, pretending to have a conversation with several high-ranking officials at another table.

It was just a show to make it look like he wasn't waiting for her, and they both knew differently. Zee couldn't help but smile. This was a part of her little rebellion. How long could she make him wait to sit?

By now, it had nearly been two minutes, and she could see Litesa shifting uncomfortably at the table. Others were eying her closely, and pretending not to. The emperor was getting visibly annoyed prompting Zee to decide she had made him wait long enough.

Besides, she didn't want to make an enemy of this woman just to piss off the emperor.

"Well, it has been a pleasure to meet you, Litesa. If you will excuse me, I best take my seat," Zee said with a radiant smile.

Excusing herself, she moved past the gaudy throne, and took a seat in her less grand chair.

Just after she sat, the pudgy treasurer to her right leaned toward her.

"You are playing a dangerous game," he said in a surprisingly pleasant voice.

Zee hid a smile as the emperor disengaged from his conversation and rounded to the head table. "I have no idea what you are talking about. I wouldn't dare play games with the emperor," Zee replied.

The treasurer gave her a telling look, his gaze lingering on her yellow dress.

"So you say-"

His reply was cut short as the emperor took a seat in his oversized chair. As if on cue, the servants flooded out, with plates piled high with rare delicacies.

It was a seven-course meal that she had no hope of finishing. But thankfully, she wasn't expected to.

This was all part of the song and dance.

She was expected to have the proper excitement for each dish but was not allowed much time to eat it all.

This was one aspect of high society that confused her. Bastion would have been appalled by the wastefulness. Each dish was masterfully prepared, made of the highest quality in meats, spiritual herbs, and only the best pastries.

Each dish was delicious in its own right, and yet she barely got the chance to enjoy them before they were taken away, and the next course was brought out.

To her left, the emperor hardly touched his food. He seemed to glare from the corner of his eyes as he took small spoonfuls of soup. To her right, the treasurer had no such compunctions. He ate with a zeal that was quite impressive. His fork darted forward with the practiced skill of a master eater, lancing even the smallest chunks of meat with great efficiency.

Zee had never thought one could get good at eating, at least until she witnessed the treasurer devour an entire plate of roasted duck with a speed and grace that defied her comprehension.

The weirdest part was that he managed to eat every crumb of the first three courses, and never once stopped talking.

"Just look at that immaculate glaze. Can you believe the texture? Ah, this is just exquisite. What are your thoughts?" the treasurer asked.

"It is quite nice. I enjoy the flavor, and the presentation is appealing to the eye," Zee replied noncommittally.

"That it is! The chefs have outdone themselves; this is marvelous," the treasurer said with an excited tone.

The man was like a food connoisseur, prattling on about every dish they put in front of him.

The most surprising part was the fact that the man didn't get a single crumb on his pristine tunic. 

As the fourth course, a bowl of tangy soup was brought out, Zee figured she could move on to the next phase of her plan.

Shifting in her chair, she turned to the left, facing the emperor.

"Great grandpa, what do you think of the soup? I think it is quite splendid," Zee said..

Still pretending to eat, the emperor looked over. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he replied.

"It is quite enjoyable,"

Zee gave him a beaming smile. "I'm glad you are enjoying it. I must say, I wasn't expecting to get invited to the war council. With such little time to prepare, I had to scramble to find proper attire. I hope what I am wearing is adequate for such a prestigious occasion?" Zee asked, with an innocent smile.

His eyes narrowed further.

"The dress is fine.." he replied through gritted teeth. 

Zee brightened. 

"I'm glad you like it. What do you think of my broach? It is quite stunning don't you think?" Zee asked, gesturing to the flower shaped broach pinned to her dress.

Farsaic's left eye twitched, and she could hear his teeth grinding together.

"They are quite stunning. Wherever did you get them?" the emperor asked, a vein threatening to burst on his forehead..

"Ahh, you probably don't want to hear all the gritty details, let's just say I got lucky," Zee said, doing her best to hide her glee.

His narrowed eyes promised vengeance, but watching the emperor seethe was more than worth the trouble.

Her attire had the desired impact. Now, she just had to get through the war council without giving him a reason to publicly chastise her.

She needed to be on her best behavior until her next opportunity arose.

In the meantime, she turned all of her attention onto the treasurer, whose name she learned was Kurt of house Benstron.

He was an insatiable gossip, and avid food lover, going on about every dish placed in front of him. Part of her plans for the council were to get close to this man, to help deter most of the emperor's other allies.

Therefore, she let him get excited about food, prattling on. From living with Bastion, Zee knew a bit about cooking, but was sorely lacking when it came to this man.

She didn't have much to add until the last dish was served. It was of all things, a pie, and Zee knew pies. She silently thanked her dad for his pie obsession.

"Just look at the perfection in the crust, that glazing is top notch," Zee said, excitedly pointing towards the creases on her slice.

Kurt perked up looking over curiously.

"See here, getting the perfect level of layered crust for optimal crunch, and yet the soft tenderness within is the height of mastery. I daresay, whoever the pastry chef is should be proud of himself," Zee said.

His eyes lit up. "I didn't know you were an expert in pies?" Kurt asked.

"I wouldn't say I am an expert. My partner is a proper chef, and has taught me a thing or two," Zee said.

"You don't say? Perhaps we could meet up sometime and enjoy a meal?" the treasurer asked.

"That would be nice. I will tell Bastion, he will be overjoyed to meet a fellow connoisseur of the cooking arts," Zee praised.

"That sounds like a date. I will find an opening in my schedule, and come visit you," Kurt said with a jovial smile.

"I can't wait," Zee replied, returning his smile.

She didn't know what everyone was so afraid of? Kurt seemed like a nice enough guy, though a bit obsessed with food.

Zee didn't get to enjoy her pie for long, before it was taken away by the staff.

With dinner out of the way, they left the ballroom, and went into a meeting room. It was oddly reminiscent of the academy classrooms, with several rows of chairs, and stage of sorts in front.

 The seating arrangement was just as everything, according to rank and status.

The emperor was at the very front in the middle, with his highest ranking members of staff, to either side.

Zee was in the chair to his right, alongside general Danma, with fleet admiral Litesa to the emperor's left.

The other four chairs in the front row were not her cousins, but instead several other high-ranking staff who she didn't recognize. Surprisingly, Julian, and Glendale were at the back, and didn't even seem upset about it.

Zee wished she could have been that lucky. Sadly, she had been inflicted with the worst luck imaginable.

Once everyone took a seat, the emperor waved a bejeweled hand. 

"Fleet admiral Litesa, would you please get us started?" Farsaic asked.

The hulking woman known as the iron phalanx stood, bowing to the emperor before confidently striding to the front of the room.

Without preamble, she clasped her hands behind her back, and started speaking. "Two months ago, sixty ships of the blood gorgers ninth fleet performed a coordinated assault on the shipyards in orbit over Draug. General Danma responded quickly, and the three battle groups on station engaged the enemy. 

With our superior numbers, and overlapping defenses of shipyards and surrounding the planet, it only took a few minutes to crush the Ninth fleet. The problem was that it was a distraction," she gestured as a lifelike illusion of the planet in question appeared in the air behind her. Draug was a brown and green orb, mostly dominated by unforgiving rocky terrain and the occasional forests.

Litesa continued. "Using a forbidden artifact, the blood gorgers struck where we least expected, releasing a spatial storm of unimaginable scale. Anton of the imperial academy has expounded that with space so fragile in the area, a Farahar was able to enter physical reality." The image behind the woman changed, showing an expansive cloud of debris.

"We suspect the creature was one of the ancients of their kind. It surpassed any of the Farahar we have fought in the past, shrugging off full forced bombardments from three separate battle groups. In the ensuing chaos, we had no choice but to fight a delaying battle, and evacuate as many as we could from Draug."

The illusion behind the woman shifted, showing a once pristine planet with drifting clouds of debris floating around it.

"As you can see, even the planet itself was not spared from the monster rampage. It was an egregious attack that cannot go unpunished," Litesa said.

"Do you have any suggestions?" the emperor asked.

The question was just theatrics, having been planned beforehand, but everyone had to play along. Litesa nodded.

"If our upcoming plans are to work, we will need to bolster our forces. The navy, as well as our ground forces, don't have the numbers needed for a full-scale invasion of Blood Gorger territory. I suggest we send out a conscription order to fill our ranks," Fleet Admiral Litesa suggested. 

Zee really hated that word, conscription. It brought back very unpleasant memories of her time back on Iztara.

A grizzled officer with an impressive scar across his face stood. It was General Danma, who was sitting to her right.

"Is conscription wise? We do not have the infrastructure necessary to properly train a massive influx of green recruits," he said reasonably.

Litesa appeared unfazed by the question. "Your concern is noted, general Danma. Do not fret. Going forward, we will take the steps necessary to accommodate the increased numbers." she waved to several of the other officers behind the front row.

"Our logistics and supplies officers will need to set up a viable plan to proceed," Litesa said.

Based on the expressions of the five or so logistics officers in question, it would not be an easy task.

There was some grumbling among the gathered officers at the requested proposal until the emperor spoke up.

"I accept your proposal. We will need to iron out the details, but from here on we will carry forward and invoke conscription," 

The emperor dismissed Litesa back to her seat with a wave. "With that out of the way, let us discuss the upcoming expedition, as well as the invasion," Farsaic said.

The emperor stood up from his chair in the front row, and the crowd of officers and high-ranking staff members went quiet. Jenelovia AL Farsaic wasn't very tall, and nor was he very muscular. He was thin, with wrinkles and old spots on his skin. His hair was gray, and he had a slight hunch to his back. 

At first glance, he looked like a withered old man, but that was far from the truth. His suffocating presence dominated the room, his mere glance enough to make the junior officers in the room tremble. 

When his eyes met hers for a brief moment, it felt like having cold acid dumped over her head. Zee felt like he could melt her on a whim, her body turning to a puddle on the ground. She knew the emperor was powerful, but knowing and seeing for yourself were two different things.

After a tense few seconds, his presence retracted, and the emperor went back to looking like just a regular old man. It was a humbling experience, making her wonder if her gambit to piss him off was a good idea. 

Clasping his gnarled hands behind his back, the emperor spoke in a calm, commanding voice. 

"Many of you are aware of the expedition I scheduled for in a few weeks. I was planning on sending my descendants into the storm that borders the cosmic river. Given the recent attack on Draug, I am altering the plan." he gestured, and an illusion depicting three separate fortresses appeared.

One looked to be on a moon, the other in an asteroid belt, and the third on a dead planet.

With only a few seconds to let the crowd take in the images the emperor continued. "The blood gorgers have set up staging points along our shared border to the cosmic river. These fortresses are being used as platforms to venture into the storms, and as refueling and resupplying bases for their warships. With these bases, our patrol cruisers of the imperial navy have been harassed constantly. As a solution to this problem, we will change plans for the expedition.

In conjunction with their mission to venture into the eternal storm, my descendants will join up to bolster the battle group under General Danma. They will join the assaults and help crush these three fortresses. It is of utmost importance that we destroy or capture these bases. They need to be removed for Julian and his strike force to sneak past without expending any of their combat power," the emperor said.

Zee listened with a growing sense of unease.

Things had suddenly turned for the worst. First, talk of conscription, and now this? What's worse, instead of just going on a dangerous expedition, now they were also getting thrust onto the front lines against the blood gorgers. 

Zee's hands were suddenly sweaty, and her heartbeat quickened. All of a sudden, her recent rank up and awakening her bloodline talents didn't feel like enough.

In just under a month they were venturing into combat against an opponent nearly equal in terms of combat power as the Lorocan's. One misstep and all of her friends would be slaughtered. 

A calloused hand rested on her right shoulder. Startled, she glanced over, just now noticing General Danma's calm expression. 

"Take deep breaths, don't let your fear cloud your thoughts. You will be fine, things will work out," he said in a deep, calm voice.

Zee wasn't sure why, but she believed him. He seemed so sure of himself, like he had absolute confidence in their success. Zee didn't share his confidence, but she gave him a halfhearted smile regardless. 

He nodded in approval. "My son Elvot speaks highly of you. I think I see why he holds you in such high regard," General Danma said casually. 

"Really? I didn't think he liked me much," Zee said.

"You discount yourself. But enough on that, focus on what the emperor is saying. The details are important," Danma said, his tone mildly chastising.

Danma was right. The current subject could change the course of her life. She turned her attention back to the emperor.

"My descendants and their followers will join General Danma's battle group. I expect each of my descendants to take part in the invasions of the Blood-Gorger outposts. Any of them that do not do their utmost to participate will be disinherited," Farsiac said.

The emperor's words felt like a sword was being raised above the necks of the heirs. Zee glanced over her shoulder, noting Draveroc's sour expression. The other descendants didn't look happy either. This felt like a very targeted act by the emperor, and it was directed at them.

It was also not a great thing for Zee either. She was going to be on the front lines with the Blood Gorgers, and so were her friends. If the assaults went poorly, they could all get killed.