The Power and the Glory

Book 2 Chapter VII: Accusation

Warning: contains references to domestic abuse and attempted suicide.

The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. -- Sun Tzu

Every court session followed an agreed-upon pattern. First the politicians yelled at each other about whatever they currently thought would make them popular. Unless something truly important was being discussed, the empress seldom attended that part of the session. Nor did many outsiders. Who wanted to listen to adults screaming at each other, calling each other names, and generally behaving like children? When that was over and the politicians were finally silent then anyone who had a suggestion on something related to the government or a serious matter to report could come forward with it.

Shizuki had no idea of how the system worked. He expected Ilaran would arrive within minutes of the court being declared open for the day, reveal Haliran's crimes, and have her arrested before the hour was out. He was in for a thorough disappointment.

Dozens of politicians and aristocrats filed into the room. They took their accustomed seats and passed the time by gossiping with their friends or insulting their enemies. Shizuki was sure at least two challenges to a duel had been accepted within ten minutes. Perhaps even a few blood feuds had started. There should be a law against that. Such feuds were always nasty.

He shuddered at the memory of the only blood feud he had personally witnessed. It had caused the deaths of eight people before Haliran decided she just had to stick her nose in. Within weeks the head and the three main heirs of one family had died under mysterious circumstances. Not coincidentally, someone in their rival family had gotten in over their head in gambling debts with some of Haliran's friends. And one of the dead heirs owned a very valuable collection of historical artefacts. The artefacts were conspicuously not mentioned in their will even though their relatives knew they should have been. So Haliran was called on to value them and give them to a museum. Copies of them ended up in one of the city's museums. The originals were sold to collectors willing to pay whatever exorbitant price Haliran took it into her head to name.

To cheer himself up after that memory he reminded himself, She'll never have the chance to do that again.

In the room below some of the politicians lost their temper and started a shouting match. Shizuki watched with interest as it degenerated into a full-fledged tantrum. If he ever dared to use some of those words they threw around, Siarvin would wash his mouth out with soap. And he was fairly sure he had met toddlers who'd be ashamed to behave the way these grown men and women were. It ended in the guards storming in and breaking up the fight before it could turn violent. Shizuki was almost disappointed. There was nothing more entertaining for a child than watching adults make fools of themselves.

Peace was restored. The politicians who had screamed insults a minute ago now sat down and pointedly ignored their rivals. Some of them wore expressions that suggested they would never even think of starting a fight. Shizuki shook his head and laughed at them. Luckily his laughter only sounded like a faint hiss, or the people would have been very alarmed to hear disembodied giggles coming from the statue's head. Then he saw something that drove all thoughts of politicians and their idiocy out of his mind. His blood ran cold -- metaphorically, since technically it was always cold.

Haliran had just walked into the room.

Shizuki looked again just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. No, that really was Haliran. Worse, she was accompanied by one of her so-called friends. She had so many of those that he needed a minute to place this one. Oh. It was Menansierd.