Chapter Twenty #2
But sometimes killing was necessary. Still, the empress had made her feelings on the matter clear, so another solution would need to be found.
The empress needed to surround herself with loyal, powerful families, solidifying her position and supporting her right to be on her throne.
From what he had seen, she was a just and strong ruler; she merely was in need of support from a council or some other group of dependable advisors.
Right now she was an island, out there all on her own.
“If you support your empress,” he said loudly over the continued reassurances, “then you will help advise her in your areas of trouble. Majesty, I recommend a council made up of the finest families that support you. Members of this council will act as your advisors, bring the concerns of the people to your ears, and reduce the threats made both internally and externally. They should buffer you, protect you. Help you.”
“A council?” The empress bit her lip, the first outward sign of vulnerability he had seen from her. “There has never been such a body before.”
“Maybe it is high time there was. Whenever I take over a city government, I always install a single leader and a council to advise that leader. This way the leader’s word is final, but he or she must also reasonably listen to the wishes, demands, and advice of others as a way of keeping grounded and in touch with the needs of the people. ”
“I would like very much to be in touch with the needs of my people. I thought I was. I didn’t even realize that the issue of the sea monsters was worrying them so much. How is it Horgon knows this but I do not?”
“All the more reason to support the idea,” Jaykun said. “Also, the beauty of a council is that the council members also share the responsibility when things go wrong. You do not have to shoulder all the blame yourself. Not unless you outright ignore their sound advice on a matter.”
“I will gladly serve on such a council,” one male spoke up from along the table.
“And I!”
“I would as well!”
“You have people eager to serve, but make your choices wisely. Make them varied and well rounded. You do not want people who will always say yes to you or who will always say no to you. That would be counterproductive.”
“I am beginning to think of some individuals already.
Jaykun, I am speechless with how to thank you for all the help you have given since you arrived.
You have been here but a few days and yet your advice has done more for me than …
well, I cannot say. I have prayed to Diathus day and night for solutions to my troubles and she has sent me you.
She will be most pleased you have helped her favored children. Now I will help you in return.
“Do you recall telling me of your brother? The one who is buried deep in the ground?”
“Yes,” Jaykun said, a strange sort of anxiety bleeding into him the moment she spoke the words. Somehow … somehow he knew what she was about to say would be instrumental in his search.
“I am certain I know where he is. I did not mention it before because it was merely a legend amongst my people, but the legend sounded so similar to your story. The legend tells of four brothers who angered the gods for whatever reason and they were buried deep beneath the ocean floor … where we chain our prisoners. It is considered cursed ground because of that. But I believe the legend has it wrong, that it isn’t four brothers, but one. Yours.”
Jaykun could hardly believe what he was hearing.
So close! All this time! He must have swum past the chains at least twice in the past hours.
He had ignored the area because of the serious faces of the guards patrolling the prisoners and the eerie look of the people chained to the bedrock of the ocean floor.
But as exciting as it was to know where Maxum was, it was just as devastating.
The foundation of the entire area of the chains was solid stone.
There was no telling where to begin; there was no telling how to begin.
Even if they could free Maxum, the god Sabo might merely thrust him back into the ground somewhere else where they would never find him.
Sabo, who had devised Maxum’s punishment, was a cruel and unforgiving god.
It would take another god to free Maxum.
Nothing short of another god could do it.
“Thank you,” he said quietly as he got to his feet. “Thank you.”
“No. Thank you,” Jalaya said, grabbing for his hand and squeezing it hard until his dazed eyes met hers. “What you have given me is priceless. The gods will reward you one day.”
“The gods have forsaken me,” he said numbly. He gently removed his hand from hers. “But I thank you for the thought.” Jaykun turned and walked out, leaving everyone to stare after him.
“Aren’t you going to go after him?” Jalaya asked Jileana.
“Not just now,” she said quietly. “He needs some time to come to terms with this knowledge.”
“I did not tell him previously because I knew how impossible it would be to retrieve his brother. I wasn’t sure which would be worse: searching endlessly elsewhere or knowing that he is here but just out of reach.
I decided it wasn’t my knowledge to give or withhold.
Eventually someone else around here who is old enough would’ve remembered the legend and told him.
I didn’t have the right to make the choice for him, in any event. ”
“I’m sure he is glad you have told him. And maybe there is a solution. It will just take some time to come to it.”
“Maybe. Jileana, I must thank you for bringing him here. I don’t know if I’ve done that yet, but I must. His advice to me has been invaluable and he gave it freely without expecting anything more in return. We had already negotiated the building of Weysa’s temples, so he had nothing more to earn.”
“I am glad I brought him. But I must thank you, for the situation with Barban. Tradition is for the father to approvexor disapprove of the mate of his daughters; you could have upheld that tradition.”
“That tradition is dust and bones, where it should be. None of the fathers I know force their daughters to marry someone they do not wish to. Not even in the high houses, where marriages are advantageous. Certainly there is gentle coercion, but nothing more.”
“It is standard practice now to let each daughter choose for herself and then have that choice approved by the father or parent. It seems my father was being forced away from that practice. After all, he dare not say no to the second-most powerful man amongst our people.”
“Horgon is going to have to get used to hearing no. He will be hearing it a lot soon. His son as well. If they give you any further trouble, simply come to me and I will handle the issue more forcefully.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Now I am hungry. Let’s eat something.”
The courtiers agreed and the food began to be served. The entire meal was spent with courtiers jockeying for positions on the blossoming council. The empress heard each of them thoughtfully in their turn.
Jileana, however, barely heard any of the exchanges. Her mind had walked out of the room, along with Jaykun.