Mage Slayer: Book Four of the Empress Saga

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Enfri worried she'd made a mistake. Reyn sat with some trepidation on her left, slowly taking the chair as if she expected someone to demand why she was being so impertinent. She was blindsided by this, and if there'd been an opportunity, Enfri would've tried to give her more warning than she had.

I should have made the time, Enfri scolded herself. I let myself get caught up in meeting the pilgrims and slacked off in my responsibilities.

Inwe chuckled. You will come to learn there are never enough hours in the day, my empress. You can only mitigate this by surrounding yourself with those you trust to act as you would, or at the least act as you can live with.

Enfri took in a breath. She heard more truth in that than she wanted to. It sounded awfully tiring.

"Firstly," Enfri began, "I'd like to thank you all for coming on such short notice. I know you must all be buried up to your armpits in your duties, so I'll try to make this as brief as I can."

There were a number of soft laughs around the table. At her side, Reyn muttered about an empress using a word like "armpit" at an official meeting.

"If I may, my empress?" Ban spoke up.

Enfri looked to her right and saw Ban's grin. She nodded for him to continue.

Ban stood and tugged at his gray paladin's coat. "One thing before we start. There've been rumblings about how this will be the first full session of the imperial council, all twenty-five Dragon Lords and the Dragon Empress. I ask that this won't be recorded as such."

"The reason being?" Enfri asked.

"We're not all here," Ban said, and his eyes went to Pacifica.

Of all the Dragon Lords, only one didn't have a partner. The empty space in front of Pacifica where a tiny gold dragon should've been seemed even more bare for a moment.

"The full council can't be in session until Adar the Ascendent is returned to us," Ban said.

"I will second the motion," Lord Wallace the Corwyn, Lord of Moonstones, said.

His ivory dragon, the Tactician, added her own two scubs. "The gold chroma has yet to appoint an interim representative in Adar's absence. At the very least, it can't be considered a full session until all peoples of Shan Alee have a voice."

Jin spoke next. She'd taken on the task of serving as Enfri's bailiff in these meetings. "Is there dissent to the motion?"

None was forthcoming, so Enfri nodded to Ban. "The motion carries. Today's meeting remains an informal conference."

As Ban sat back down, Enfri noticed Pacifica catching his eye and mouthing a thank you. Ban returned her a wink as he settled into his chair.

Enfri sat straighter as she spoke. "There is much we're all here to listen to, and I'd like to give it all the attention it deserves. However, before we can, there is one point that needs to be laid to rest before anything else. The matter of succession. The fact of the matter is, there are no heirs to Shan Alee, and I would sooner give myself over to Cathis right now than allow Elise Alinwe to lay claim on what we've built together. To that end, as laid out as my right in the constitution you've all ratified, I move to appoint Reyn of Rosewater as my First Minister, to be granted the powers of regency. Should I be captured or otherwise rendered unable to rule, Reyn will rule Shan Alee in my stead until I return or such time as a suitable heir can be chosen by a full session of the Dragon Lords."