It was treason, of course. They all knew that from the start, and few had any qualms about it. Hiram had not been a great king, to put it gently, and his was only one in a string of four lackluster reigns stretching back two generations. If it was treason to end the sorry tale of his reign, then so be it. They would probably be known as heroes.
But as Marcus looked around the chamber, he saw not a single face that was even content. They were worried, angry – not showed a hint of happiness at their plan’s ultimate success. The hushed murmurs did not stop when Lord Lyre stood up before the assembly; he had to speak over them all.
“My fellow Lords, you know that King Hiram is dead. And joy to all Ereva for it. Most of you know also that Lord Tellius is dead as well. Those two deaths may not seem connected.
“Lord Tellius was in fact the man who was behind the death of Hiram. He alone knew of the entire plot. Nearly all of us were uninformed, and thus we do not even know who the assassin was. Even I had little notion of exactly what was meant to follow the King’s death.
“Thus we come to this point, to the parting of the ages, between the old and the new. How shall we proceed from here? That, my friends, is the question of our age. What we decide is nothing less than the fate of Ereva, and indeed perhaps the fate of the known world.”
His pause might have had more impact had the room been silent, but it was still full of discussion. Marcus felt a few eyes on him, and tried to ignore them as best he could.
“The Gods alone know the fate of men, but it is we alone who can shape it.
“Listen then, for we have the first, and greatest question to settle at this esteemed council. Who shall succeed Hiram to the throne of Ereva? Who shall lead our nation? Hiram left no sons, and only one daughter by the Queen Aria, who has all but perished from her wound. And it is true that we could marry the daughter to some foreign king, to continue the bloodline of our royal dynasty, and to give us a ruler at a stroke. Indeed, if the Queen were to somehow recover, she herself could be our tool in this regard.
“But then we must question ourselves: is a foreign king what we desire for this nation? They know not our customs; they know not our beliefs. The religious Orders would surely resist the attempt to give our nation to another. One of our own, then, must marry Queen Aria or Princess Theodora. One of our own must take up the mantle of rulership.
“And thus, I ask, who among us shall be king?”
A shout rose from somewhere in the council. “You!”
Lyre chuckled. “I am but an old and distinguished lord, with many lands, a beautiful wife, and a large family. I have no wish for kingship. Perhaps I am alone in that desire, but I will not take the crown of Ereva. So I ask again, who among us shall be king?”
“I!” called another. “I, Lord Cassius, of an ancient and noble line, shall take the throne, if my comrades but speak the words.” The figure rose and began to descend to the plinth before them, shouting of his virtues and of promises.
Five more rose at once to challenge Cassius, some calling for their own crown, and the Council descended into a bickering crowd. Marcus held his head for a while, and then rose. Hardly knowing what he was doing, he charged down the steps of the amphitheater, and stood before them all, raising his hands. Startled, the assembly began to fall silent, looking at him in expectation.
“I am Marcus Tellius, son of the most noble man who crafted the notion of bringing down King Hiram. Hear me out, and you may judge me on the merit of my words!”
“The young one wants a crown, is that the way of it?” Cassius asked contemptuously.
“No! I desire no crown, on my head or any others.
“My friends, listen to me! We must now crown one of our esteemed colleagues, make him supreme ruler of the greatest Empire in the world. Aurai Ereva. We must choose someone to be above us all, when before he was a mere equal. There are men who would surely be able to bear the task, many in this chamber.
“But I ask, why must we choose? Why must we be ruled by a king? What has the mandate of the Gods given us? Nothing more than a failing nation, and a crown that has outlived its usefulness! I will not accept a king, when the last four have brought us so much ill. I say the Council of Nobles set the monarchy aside, and rule this nation alone!
“My friends, merely ponder this a moment. With many heads, we can ignore those who have aged beyond reason. If we are ruled by but one, that one holds our nation by the throat. Toss aside the crown! That is our new Era! Not the Idia Aurai, the years of empire, but the Idia Ereva alone! Who shall stand with me?”
He was never to know. At that point, the doors to the Council burst open. His head jerked up, and his eyes widened in shock.
“Did you think yourselves so clever that you would avoid all detection?”
“Queen Aria!” noble Lyre called. “We had been told you had taken to your bed.”
“No more, I think. But you shall. Guards!” Rank upon rank of Ereval soldier filed into the room, bearing spears and bows, encircling the amphitheater.
“Have you gone mad!? Guards! Cease this nonsense! Are you truly going to obey this woman?” There was a pause.
“Kill them,” Aria calmly spoke into the silence.
An arrow suddenly appeared in Marcus’ chest, and he felt the wind knocked out of him. Then it was madness, crimson lunacy. The guards were upon them everywhere; the nobles drew swords or grabbed their spears and darts, but the soldiers cut through them all, slaughtering and spilling more noble blood than any enemy of Ereva ever had.
He dimly saw a few of the nobles fleeing, but only a few; the rest were killed where they stood. As he lay dying, the figure of Aria loomed over him.
“Your man nearly killed me.”
“I will have to scold him for a task ill done.”
“I would have killed Hiram myself.”
“So would anyone, but my father had his reasons.”
“As do I.” She knelt next to him, and whispered, “The Idia Ereva shall never be.” Then a dagger was in her right hand. Then it was in his throat.
from near the bottom of the page...
