As related by Her Grace Battlequeen Escharton, Skarsian Secretary of Defense
I told Ta’al Erich I was sure he was right. The Matriarch humiliated Almiss’ daughter badly in that single combat. And under the 5th Matriarch, he was the most powerful male in the Domha’vei. He had plenty of reason to hold a grudge.
“Ironic, isn’t it, that the lot of men has risen under the 6th Matriarch?” Erich said. “One might even argue that the Archon is more powerful than the Matriarch.”
I’m never sure when to take Erich seriously. He’s a clever man, and, as my mother told me, those are the worst kind. That’s why my consort, Trey, is dumb and docile. “More raw power, maybe, but he’s completely in thrall to her,” I riposted. “And I thought that Volparnu was in the grips of a new feminism?”
“The situation is complex,” Erich replied, maybe taking me more seriously than I’d intended. “Most situations are. Amongst the old houses, there’s a backlash. Women have even taken to wearing the veil again. They take pride in the fact that they’ve never learned to read – it means that their blood is noble enough to not even consider going to the colony. On the other hand, of course, are the nouveau riche, who can’t educate their daughters fast enough. Leaf-rakers, the old aristos call them. But the old aristos won’t be around for that much longer.”
“They’re not going to become immortal by sitting around on Volparnu.”
“Precisely. Danak’s joke belies a measure of threat. Those old enemies who are dying off have got to make their move soon, or it will be too late.”
“Opposing the Matriarch isn’t exactly going to buy them immortality,” I muse.
“Think it through,” Erich said. “Do you mind if I have a drink?”
I shrugged. “This is Eirelantra,” I said. “The bars open at nine.”
“On Volparnu, they never close. It’s heroic behavior to hold one’s alcohol.”
I wandered over to the window, staring out at the spires. Eirelantra was a marvel of architecture, an early triumph of the 5th Matriarch. She had wanted to establish a capital for her empire away from the Skarsian homeworld, perhaps to impress her new subjects with its magnificence, perhaps because she had just murdered the 4th Matriarch, and wanted to put some distance between her and her enemy’s supporters. Back in those days, Skarsian politics were brutal, and it wasn’t at all uncommon for a stronghold to be claimed by three battlequeens in a decade. And here I was, inheriting the title from my mother. I’d never been challenged in my life. What would be the point? It wouldn’t get you the prize that everybody wanted – immortality. All it would get you was land and a title, a crusty old castle to go with it. If you went to the colonies, you would be given both, plus have a shot at marrying a tree.
I hadn’t been back to Skarsia in over a year. I was a Do-lan, travelling between Eirelantra and Dolparessa for the various affairs of state. In all honesty, I didn’t really miss it.
Perhaps that’s why this whole affair seemed so strange to me. People like Almiss and Christolea were as out-of-step with the times as the velociraptors in the extinction wing of the Matriarchal Zoological Gardens. “I still don’t get it,” I said.
“Christolea has the Blood of the Matriarch,” said Erich. “But the issue now isn’t so much the Staff. It’s the Archon. If all they want to do is sell out to CenGov, they don’t need an Archon. But then why involve Christolea? No, I think that CenGov is using Molly to incapacitate the Archon while the traitors move to replace him.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Replace him with what? The Great Northern Forest?”
“It’s possible that they are deluding themselves, but I don’t believe so. Christolea, if anyone, knows the difficulties involved in superseding the current Archon. I wish I had some vague idea of what their plans could possibly be.”
“We’ve got bigger problems – like a fleet in our back yard.”
“I believe that the fleet is the distraction. If we get involved in a firefight, it will be a gigantic mistake.”
Ta’al Erich is a clever man. Unfortunately, sometimes cleverness means seeing that you’ve been backed into a corner. “I don’t see any other option.” It was obvious to me that we couldn’t bluff – they wouldn’t be here unless they were certain the Archon was unable to protect us. That meant a fight.
“You forget that we’re not without allies,” said Ta’al Erich. “I made a few suggestions to Lord Danak.”