Cleran, a supporter of Enthan of the Imperial Republic, was quickly shouted down.
"We should accept the Supreme Council's recommendation!" shouted another senator. "We need an Emperor, even if he is a sylph."
"We'll be the laughing stock of the continent," muttered Lanas, sourly. "A sylph as Emperor; they'll think we've lost our senses. And they would be right."
More and more senators joined in the debate, with even the Leader having problems keeping order. Arguments and counterarguments raged for almost an hour, before Lanas managed to regain control.
"Look at the situation," pointed out Senator Elvert, carefully. "If we deny the Supreme Council its will again, we'll be dissolved and the sylph becomes Emperor. The Senate would be reformed immediately afterward I expect, but we'll lose our influence. We'll certainly lose privileges fought for and won over the last millennium and a half. If we do accept the recommendation, the sylph will need advice and he'll gladly accept our guidance. Siranva knows he'll need all he can get."
"We already know who pulls that sylph's strings," countered Cleran. "He is Olista's creature eartip to toenail."
"Fine." Elvert stared at Cleran with barely suppressed irritation. "Go ahead. Reject the recommendation and lose all influence you might ever have. Let Olista lead the sylph by his ears to whatever disaster follows the Senate's dissolution.
"Alternatively, you can have some influence over the Emperor, some balance against the Supreme Councilor, if not the Supreme Council itself. Some influence, or none at all. That's our choice. Which way do we want it? We must vote on this recommendation." He raised his voice. "I move that we vote this afternoon."
Cleran stared at Elvert for a long moment. "You're right," he said, eventually. "Much as I hate to admit it, you are right."
Lanas sighed. "Very well. The motion is that we vote to support the recommendation of the Supreme Council, that Zenepha-y-Olista be elevated to Emperor of the Markan Empire, to act as caretaker until a human candidate may be selected. Do I have a seconder?"
More than one senator wondered why Lanas suddenly seemed pale.
***
Belaika suppressed a smile as he glanced at Jenn. He and Eleka sat cross-legged with their daughters between them. Sylphs grew quickly, but he still felt surprised how much the two youngsters had changed in the few moons since he had last seen them.
Eleka also watched Jenn. Breeding sylphs usually ignored infertiles, except while they were still dependent, but nobody could treat Marcus Vintner's personal slave that badly.
Everybody spoke to Jenn as an equal, to avoid embarrassing Marcus, but nobody regarded her as one. Eleka tolerated Jenn's friendship with her husband, probably because it could never grow into more than that. But no more than tolerance.
For her part, Jenn pointedly ignored Eleka's extended stomach, whether through squeamishness or jealousy was unclear.
The sylphs sat in customary silence in the outer room of Marcus's tent, while their owner played in the inner room with his family. Zandra visited each day with the children, doubtless trying to persuade Marcus to move into the city.
From the inner tent, murmurs reached the sylphs' long ears. Marcus obviously loved to spend time with his children – three girls and a boy, the boy the same age as Eleka's twin daughters.
Belaika always felt sorry for Jenn when Zandra and her children were with Marcus. He gave Jenn and her wilted earpoints a sympathetic look. She did not enjoy being pushed aside, no matter how gently done.
Jenn had served Marcus for a quarter of a century and, until quite recently, had enjoyed his exclusive attention. Which was now lavished on Zandra and the children.
She competed assiduously for a slice of his time and even tried to out-child his children. Even when out of Marcus's presence – as now – she refused to be far away. But she would not dare intrude on private moments.
"Jenn!"
At the sound of Marcus's voice, her earpoints came upright. She bounded to her feet and disappeared into the inner tent.
Belaika could not prevent a delighted laugh. "All of a sudden she's happy again."
Eleka had little interest in Jenn's state of mind. "So foolish. As if enya would abandon her." She sniffed and changed the subject. "How long before you must return to the field? We should be together when I birth."
Belaika gave his wife's hand a squeeze. "Enya says he wants me at his side for the foreseeable future." He smiled reassuringly. "I will be there."
The female sylph smiled and nodded. "You might be sent out again."
The guard interrupted and announced Messenger Felis. The young man entered and smiled at the sylphs. He bent down to tickle one of the small girls under her chin. Her eyes showed delight and a blue hand grasped at the human's fingers.
"Enya," called Belaika. "Messenger Felis."
"Send him straight in," called Marcus from the inner tent.
"Something is going on," whispered Eleka. "He is expected."
Rarely privy to his master's actions and decisions, Belaika shrugged. He started as the guard called out again.
"General Ranallic."
The southerner gave a quick nod to the sylphs, but his expression remained carefully neutral. Caralin, oldest of the Vintner children, left the compartment, carrying her brother and leading her two sisters. The two sylphs exchanged a look.
"He wants you to stay, Icca," she said to the scout, using the family's pet name for him. She turned to Eleka. "He wants you to come with us."
Eleka and her husband exchanged a look, before she gathered her daughters and followed the Vintner children from the tent.
"Belaika!" Marcus called to his scout.
The sylph rose smoothly to his feet and entered the inner compartment of the tent. Zandra sat beside Marcus and Jenn crouched at his feet, one hand resting on his knee. Now the children were gone, the small sylph looked much happier. Felis looked uncomfortable. Only General Ranallic looked at ease.
"Enya?"
Marcus smiled. "I need to see some people now. Will you round them up?"
Belaika nodded and looked quickly at Felis. Wasn't he the messenger? It didn't matter, his master probably had a perfectly good reason to send a sylph instead.
"Mansard, Bascon, Verdin Vintner and Mikhan."
Belaika's earpoints twitched in surprise and he glanced at Jenn, who returned his gaze, hardly able to conceal excitement. She looked wide-awake and thrilled. Almost as if the message was the most important news ever. He met his owner's eyes.
"Se bata."
Belaika kept running through the list in his head. Illiterate like most sylphs, he must memorize every instruction. He did not go far to reach the first: he lived in the neighboring tent.
The guard outside that tent announced the sylph and Belaika entered with trepidation. Branad's widows were within and both pairs of eyes augured relentlessly into him. They were there allegedly to sort out Branad's belongings before returning to their new lodgings in Marka, but the sylph's eye saw no sign of activity.
He suspected that they blamed him for their husband's premature death. Or perhaps they blamed him as the representative of his owner. Either way, he felt uncomfortable under their combined gaze. After all, he had been in the tent at the time of Branad's murder.
A girl of marriageable age sat beside a younger sister, the latter about the same age as Marcus's oldest daughter. Two more girls, little more than toddlers, played at the feet of the younger widow. Verdin Vintner, a man quite entitled to lay claim to the Markan Throne, sat slightly apart, nose buried in a book. He looked up and smiled at the sylph.
Belaika bowed his head. "Enya requests your presence." He tried to ignore the women's cold, accusing eyes.
Verdin nodded. "I will come now."
"Where is Marshal Mikhan-ya?"
"With the horses, probably."
Belaika found Mikhan exactly where Verdin suggested and again relayed his owner's instructions. The old marshal merely nodded acceptance, picked up his sword a
nd began to walk uphill to Marcus's tent. The sylph now needed to find only two more. He was delayed slightly by one of the wild sylphs, who wanted to know if he had given the previous evening's discussion any thought.
Belaika, who had given no thought to the argument that he should be free and proud, muttered what he hoped was a polite response as he extricated himself and hurried away.
He found Mansard, Bascon at his side, watching men practice their swords. These last two accompanied him back to his master's tent.
"What's going on?" asked Mansard.
Belaika had no answer and shrugged.
The last to arrive, the tent looked full when they entered, even with the dividing wall rolled up. There was little hint of domesticity.
Belaika and Bascon crossed the tent to crouch beside Jenn, who had already laid out the required number of cups of alovak. The infertile, still excited by something, smiled a brief welcome to her superiors. They grinned back and waited for the meeting to begin.
Marcus Vintner cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, thank you for attending at such short notice, but Messenger Felis has been given some very interesting news."
Felis, sweating in all this distinguished company, stared at a small patch of canvas in the tent wall. "This afternoon, the Senate of Marka accepted the recommendation of the Supreme Council to place a caretaker Emperor on the Throne. The candidate was Zenepha-y-Olista and he is, as I speak, being declared in the streets."
Mansard and Mikhan exchanged glances. "A sylph?" asked Mansard.
Belaika and Bascon's eyes widened and even Jenn, who had already heard the news, managed to look surprised. Zandra watched everybody discreetly, though only the sylphs noticed she watched for reactions.
"You are disappointed, General Ranallic?" she asked.
"Yes," replied the southlander, dark eyes glittering. "I had hoped to serve the first proper Emperor of Marka."
Zandra's eyes narrowed. Belaika wondered why so few people actually liked Ranallic. Perhaps his manner annoyed them.
"We must deal with facts gentlemen, not hopes and dreams," said Marcus. "The fact is that this sylph has been elevated and we've been invited to join him this evening."
"We?" queried Mikhan.
"Our new Emperor believes we may be of service to him. It would be churlish to abandon Marka now we know Hingast is coming. You should note that his title is caretaker, suggesting impermanence." Marcus looked around at everyone in his tent. His gaze softened as he looked at Belaika and Bascon. "He also asked for some sylph scouts to attend. In the absence of Tynrasa and Neptarik, you two will do. Best clothes and decorations, please. Jenn, you may carry parchments and inkwells, which will be needed. Understood?"
The three sylphs replied as one. "Se bata."
"Is the meeting at the imperial palace?" asked Mansard.
"No, in the coronation building."
"If I may say, Majesty," said Verdin, "this is a golden opportunity to exploit."
"Agreed." Marcus smiled at the first properly positive reaction he had yet heard. "Played correctly, we can turn it to our advantage. Now, I believe that the Supreme Councilor really controls this new Emperor..."
Zandra watched, and listened.
***
In the Senate, all attention centered on Zenepha. Once he took the Throne, he could not enter this room until he ceased to reign and must instead summon senators. He was here now to appoint his advisors. Names of some suitable senators – one from each of the main factions – had been suggested. Two City Guardsmen were with the sylph, presumably as protection. Olista also stood at his side, helping to stiffen the sylph's resolve.
Zenepha glanced at the ceiling and wondered why the builders hadn't vaulted it, like Coronation Hall. Then he remembered the offices above.
"Senator Lanas." Zenepha's voice almost squeaked, pitched higher than normal, another sign of his nervousness. The most powerful humans in Marka were now expected to bow and scrape to him! It wasn't right, the natural order had been turned on its head. Sylphs served humans, not the other way about. He...
He steeled himself.
This must be done for the good of humans and sylphs. His master – former master – believed in him. Sandev believed in him and she must be the wisest human alive.
"Yes, Majesty?" The Senate Leader stumbled over the second word.
"Your first task is to appoint a sanctum of senators to act as my ministers." Zenepha paused, hoping he didn't miss anything from his list. "There are several areas and each requires a senator to act as minister. Crime, War, Expansion, Exchequer, Employment, Guilds, Diplomacy, Justice and Distribution. You will tell me who will form your inner sanctum tomorrow morning and then you will report to me daily until I tell you to come at less frequent intervals."
"Majesty." Lanas bowed.
"There will be a prime minister in addition to these nine, entitled Principal Chancellor. He will have the power to appoint any senator to, or dismiss him from, the nine ministerial posts. Senator Lanas, you shall be my first Principal Chancellor." Zenepha managed a smile for the Senate Leader, though his earpoints lay back in his hair.
"Majesty, I accept this great honor."
An excited chatter broke out among the senators.
"I gave you some names!" Olista hissed through his teeth, all the time trying to convey a mood of genial joviality.
Zenepha shrugged. "Must leave them something to do," he said, keeping his voice low. He returned his attention to the Senate and waited for silence. "Although the Supreme Council advises the Emperor, I cannot lose contact with the wishes and desires of the people of our city, so I intend to appoint five senators as advisors in addition to those tradition demands."
A murmur again rose in the assembly. Olista dared not breathe. His biggest gamble: an attempt to unite all the factions.
"Five factions vie to ensure their candidate is accepted for the Throne of Marka. So each division is represented, I will appoint five advisors. These appointments exist for one year only and are renewable at my discretion. The Supreme Council has made recommendations." Zenepha wondered how he managed to hold his voice so steady. He was a sylph, not a human ruler! "The five senators I have chosen are: Taylor Xanas, Maben..."
Olista suppressed a pleased smile. The boy was good, oh but the boy was good. The senators were punch-drunk. Lanas had so much work to do before morning that the Supreme Councilor doubted it could be done unless the hapless Senate Leader worked all night.
To get themselves noticed for inclusion in the inner sanctum, the others had a great deal of politicking and string pulling to do. With luck, they would be too busy for anything else until Zenepha had established himself.
So right not to rattle off his list of names. This way kept the Senate busy, giving them no time for them to whinge and moan. That led to mutters in dark corners, which had effectively finished off the Second Empire. He should have realized this when handing over his list! The list of advisors was unimportant yet the boy stuck to this one.
Whatever Zenepha said, he already had a feel for Marka's politics and Olista knew he had done the right thing.
The sylph leaned back to speak to his former owner. "I will retire now. Time to get ready for the Vintners."
The Supreme Councilor smiled. "It is that."
"You sound pleased." The sylph's silvery gray eyes searched Olista's.
"And proud." The smile grew. "You're going to be the best Emperor for centuries."
Zenepha's expression remained solemn. "That should not be too difficult; I am the first Emperor for centuries."
***
Belaika and Bascon led the Vintner procession into the dining hall located to one side of the coronation building. Both wore their best dark gray breeches and their white shirts were tucked well in. Shirts and breeches were pressed and the creases were in the right places.
Silver collars and battle stars shone from polish, those stars sewn to purple sashes. The more experienced Bascon had fourteen stars and Belaika seven.
The younger sylph expected an eighth star for the recent battle on Candin Plain, but none had yet been issued.
Bascon also boasted a ruby field commendation stud in his collar, suggesting that he had done something courageous – and probably foolish – during his scouting career.
As already decided, both sylphs stopped just within the doors and stood to either side, facing the table. They had already eaten; they were here as decoration.
The main banqueting hall being too large, one of the smaller entertaining rooms in the building had been set aside for tonight. It looked opulent though, with hundreds of candles set into chandeliers and light crystals dotted around the walls. Polished to a high shine, the darkwood circular table had more candles at its center. Paintings covered the walls, the ceiling looked to be recently whitewashed, and the wooden floor, its blocks arranged in a chevron pattern, glistened in the reflected candlelight. The smaller room was sufficient for the fifteen people dining here tonight.
Marcus and Zandra strode into the hall immediately behind the scouts, followed by Verdin and Elsin. All looked resplendent in their finery. Jenn carried parchments and stoppered bottles of ink, almost treading on Verdin's heels as she entered the room. Marshal Mikhan and General Ranallic followed, entering together as Mikhan's wife had not yet arrived from Sandester, and Ranallic had no wife.
Guard Commander Mansard brought up the rear, with Kelecan looking relaxed for once. The military men wore their uniforms, and Mansard's purple linings added a touch of authority.
Everybody, except the sylphs, went to one knee.
Zenepha, flanked by Selkina and Captain Crallin of the City Guard, rose from his seat. Guardsmen and servants stood around the room, the latter waiting to serve the meal. Crallin's wife sat the other side of her husband, while Selkina had Olista, the Supreme Councilor, for company. He had brought both his wives.
"You are all welcome," said Zenepha, his high voice seemingly calm and controlled. His earpoints twitched, whether in excitement or curiosity nobody could tell. "Please, come and join us."
Servants stepped forward to show the visitors to their seats. The moment they were sat, the scouts moved to stand behind their owners' chairs, while Jenn stood behind Zandra. Other infertiles stood behind the chairs of the Markan ladies.
"I hope you will all relax," continued Zenepha. "For those who do not already know, may I introduce Supreme Councilor Olista and Captain Crallin of the City Guard. The ladies are Tamsin Mochna, Menta Bulos, Helice Veren and my wife Selkina."