Chapter 385

Berenice stood outside the estate of Cardinal Dominic, she was alone, her body was still shivering as if she were back on that mountain top. Off to the side, the carriages of the other Cardinals stood parked with footmen waiting for their masters to emerge for the journey home. 'I'm the last to arrive.' She realized, it wasn't a surprise. 'I did take the time to get those orders out… those have to be found… the only question is how to convince the others…' She felt the lump in her breast as if it were ready to leap up to join the one already in her throat. Cardinal Dominic's estate was the largest out of the six of them, and it was a running joke among the other five that it had to be in order to hold his temper.

'This will not go well… that stodgy curmudgeon's temper and his stubborn hard head are enough to drive the gods themselves mad…' She bit back the insults on her tongue and walked up the six long steps of stone to the front door. It opened before she even reached it and she saw the charmed face of Yarvin, the familiar slave of the Partouche family line.

"Welcome, Mistress Berenice, may I take your coat?" Yarvin said with a deep bow with his arms outstretched for her to drape it across.

"Yes." She said and removed the dark half coat that rested on her shoulders, she draped it across his arms and he quickly moved to hang it while he addressed her further.

"The others are in the dining hall already, my Master is keeping them all quite entertained, the meal has been held back pending your arrival, but the wine is freely flowing tonight, so please do not hesitate to ask… I daresay that Master Maximillian and Master Yvon are competing with Master Raymond in that department."

"Not Ginedine?" Berenice asked when Yarvin took position three paces in front of her and began to lead her down the long corridor that led to the dining hall. The first hints of music began to reach her ears, and Berenice almost missed a step. 'Music? In Dominic's house?!' She wondered about that.

It seemed impossible, the fire tempered man was not prone to smiling around anyone, not in all the time Berenice could recall knowing him had she seen it happen even once. Yarvin seemed to be the one to smile for him. She followed the slave without complaint and answered with her usual courtesy, the questions Yarvin cast her way, but she didn't really pay attention, and she was fairly sure he didn't either.

It was a polite nicety that well trained slaves performed to keep visitors to large manors from being in uncomfortable silences while they went from place to place.

Even if she did pay mind to what Yarvin was saying, or intended to, the truth was she was still seeing that mountain shatter again… and again… and again. Replaying in her mind on a constant loop that she could not cut off. 'What could that one do to Kami Miyako? Even the elf King. No… even Zesshi couldn't have done that!' Everyone knew that King Mare was powerful, and that he was openly a loyal servant of the Allfather.

'Was what he said a bluff? Is the Allfather behind that? Even if it is a bluff, do I dare call it? And if he carries it out, our country is finished! Even if he can only use that spell once a week, once a month… once a year, or even once a decade… his transport spell puts him out of our reach in between those times… and we can't survive without our cities. The demihumans can just move into whatever ruins and…' She stopped walking and stopped thinking as Yarvin reached the double doors that arched twice his height and pressed the right one open with the flat of his palms. He stepped aside for her to allow entry and announced, "Cardinal Berenice Nagua Santini!"

As banquets went it was an intimate affair. Necran Adama wasn't in attendance, the Pontifex Maximus was a notorious eccentric who refused invitations that took place on holidays at or after dusk.

The table was relatively short, having space not for dozens, but for in fact only ten, four to each side and one at each far end. The white sheet over the table was silk, and a blatant display of power and status, if not wealth. The display of 'wealth' came more from the attendants.

Cut eared elven slaves walked with eyes downcast bearing wine or silver trays with small appetizers meant to enhance the actual meal. In the corner, a quartet of four elven men played instruments as only masters could, centuries of experience behind them, they strummed their lutes and harps and only subtly added their own voices, a gentle breeze like hum that might have almost been words, but were not.

They were dressed in formal attire, the women in skirts that rustled when they walked and were slit at the thigh to show bare legs while still maintaining decency, the cloth they wore was gray, though those acting as direct servers were clad in black and wore white gloves so that their hands would never directly touch the bottles, glasses, dishes, or food meant to be consumed by the humans present.

Yarvin reached the chair meant for her which sat beside Raymond, and pulled it out. "Your chair, My Lady." He said, and as she lowered herself into the seat he pushed it forward so that she was directly up to the table.

Dominic sat at the head and stood up when she arrived. He raised a glass to her without hesitation, though his face was struggling, it seemed he was attempting to form a smile, like he'd never tried to use the muscles of his face to turn the corners of his lips up. "Welcome." He said as she tucked her napkin into her lap.

"Thank you, Dominic." She said, and before he could say anything more, "I met the new King of the elves two hours ago." She said it so fast she almost got ahead of herself.

Even the musicians ceased playing, every elf stopped moving.

Dominic looked at the elves around his room, "Everyone out except Yarvin." He said, their feet carried them silently out of the room, a rushing flood of footsteps and backward glances that were a mix of wild hope and abject fear born of their last king.

"What?" Dominic demanded again. "Please repeat that."

"I met King Mare, he had a demand, and if we don't meet it, we're going to die." Berenice said, and began the lengthy… and unbelievable explanation.