The black keep
Duke Sadismann slammed out of the meeting of the thirteen in a foul rage. He had hidden it well in the meeting but afterwards, he was nothing short of a rage. He was on the open deck at the top of the tower. He howled like a wolf loudly at his frustration. The familiars hid from him. He had already punched one of the long coats and broken his ribs. Lucious felt so stupid. He had walked into the meeting ready to talk about marrying Victoria and emerged agreeing to marry the Duchess. He beat his fist in the iron railing at his stupidity. He knew his failings, he had been blind to the notion that the high priestess would settle the internal feud with Tearman for this.
They had both presented the same case, we are weak from war we have too few familiars to sire from coven and too few long coats to be sure of controlling their current lands not to mention the lands the defeated covens and the badlands. t or the new territory in the barren lands. They needed to use the ancient guns but the stocks of ammunition laid down generations ago was badly low. A union with coven Lobishomen was the only logical course of action. He had wished Aarin was still with him Aarin was good and loyal. Instead Uegan formally Salem had betrayed him by voting for the marriage with the high preistess. Treacherous bitch, he had sired her. Now there was no doubt she had been high priestess's spy for all this time.
Then Tearman had said something, something which made Lucious feel he had found the Princess's metcrane and could reveal to the King of the Barren lands all that had passed. It was overwhelming and they knew it. In the end capitulation to the plan looked to be the best way to confound them. That didn't stop it hurting like holy water on an open wound.
He had bought time, precious but tiny. He had pushedthat a union of coverns would require a meeting of the great houses to agree. He had been so close and now to lose Victoria. He howled again loudly enough to make the ferryman look up.