“What?
A Valezeth elephant carriage heading for the Senate?”
Ramar Cyrenica had just stepped out of a brothel.
He froze, then understood immediately and cracked his whip across a litter slave’s back.
“You idiot, what are you waiting for?
Get to the Senate.” He turned and lashed the slave who had escorted him out.
“Find Lady Clivna and Archon Vagado.
Tell them the Tigers have trouble coming and our people need to back the play.
Move!”
The slave scrambled toward the Vysama manse.
“Faster.” Another whip crack.
The litter slaves swallowed their rage and broke into a run.
“Gods’ arses.” Ramar loathed the Valezeth family’s bizarre customs more every day.
Volantenes kept slaves.
Every freeborn citizen owned at least five.
Slaves propped up the entire Volantene economy.
So Volantis built countless rules around them.
They believed only slaves and foreigners let their feet touch the filthy ground.
Nobles traveled by litter; the more slaves carrying it, the higher the status and wealth.
Freeborn commoners rode carts pulled by dwarf elephants.
Yes, the lands around Volantis bred dwarf elephants.
Citizens of means bought them.
The poor rented elephant carts.
House Valezeth did things differently.
One of the greatest noble houses inside the Black Walls, yet since Cleorius’s reforms, it held no slaves, at least in name.
Cleorius himself hated litters.
From his time onward, the family used faster elephant carriages.
He had made one concession to avoid standing out too much.
He had spent a fortune buying massive southern forest elephants from colonial towns on the mysterious continent of Sothoryos.
These giants lacked the dwarf elephant’s beauty, but each was formidable, at least twice the size.
After Lancel paid a price in prolonged anemia, House Valezeth successfully tamed two bulls and six cows.
They lived in the manse’s private zoo.
So the Black Walls saw a rare and strange sight that day.
Nobles who got word, Tiger and Elephant alike, abandoned their gilded litters if they lived far from the Senate.
More elephant carts poured through the Black Walls than on any day in memory.
“The old sorcerer’s son indeed.” Lady Clivna settled into her elephant carriage with her household’s help and looked across at Archon Vagado Cyrenica.
Vagado was a gaunt old man.
His silver-gold hair had frosted grey, but his eyes were a startlingly clear blue.
“Lady Clivna, whatever he intends, the Tiger fools have handed him a fine excuse to profit from our feud.”
“And we must help him.” Lady Clivna watched the senators hurry past without concern.
“Even during the Century of Blood, assassinating an opposing faction’s key figures was beneath the table.”
“Do you have proof Mogul Bentaro hired a Sorrowful Man to kill the boy?” Vagado studied her pale violet eyes with a hint of mystery.
“The Sorrowful Men’s Volantis chapter, the House of Sorrow, counts us among its investors.” Lady Clivna kept her voice low.
“We cannot influence their operations, but our eyes have seen Bentaro men enter the House of Sorrow.”
Vagado nodded slowly.
“It seems House Cyrenica’s intelligence work still falls short.”
“Elephant senators should stand together, Archon Vagado.” Lady Clivna smiled.
“Now, let us discuss the spoils.”
“Hard-nosed old woman.” Vagado sucked his teeth and grumbled inwardly.
“House Valezeth will take the largest share regardless.
Does my lady dispute that?”
Lady Clivna shook her head.
“Of course not.
But given Lancel Valezeth’s recent behavior, he will most likely choose gold as compensation.”
“We will cover the gold at its assessed value.” Vagado made his decision.
“Slaves paid out at value.
The land and estates stay.”
“What exactly is he planning?”
The Senate.
The chamber, modeled on the great Senate hall of the Valyrian Freehold, filled steadily.
Soon both factions’ senators packed the seats.
The Elephants held more, naturally.
They occupied nearly two-thirds of the chamber.
The Tigers were sparse.
Tiger Archon Belisario Maegyr sat composed at his archon’s seat.
The Bentaro benches stood empty.
The great doors swung open.
Clear footsteps echoed in.
“Scion of the Old Blood, Warden of the Seas, Grand Captain of the Silverblood Legion, Hereditary Lord of Volantis, Senator-in-Waiting, Lord Lancel of House Valezeth arrives.”
Aslan Londer announced the titles with full voice and stood respectfully at the side of the mosaic-floored rotunda.
“Lord Lancel Valezeth, for what cause have you convened this Senate session?”
Archon Lady Clivna spoke first.
“I bring accusation.
Someone hired a Sorrowful Man to murder a noble of the Black Walls.
Under the Great Code of the Black Walls of Volantis, I claim the right to demand this Senate conduct a thorough investigation and root out the culprit.”
“Lord Valezeth.” A Tiger senator raised a hand.
“You must provide this body proof that an assassination attempt occurred.”
Lancel nodded toward the doors.
Lynn Valtaken walked in without a word, dragging a head still attached to a ruined body.
He dumped it on the mosaic floor.
The blood-caked face still bore strong Qartheen features.
Senators murmured among themselves.
“What does a corpse prove?” an Elephant senator shouted.
Lancel looked toward the voice.
Ramar Cyrenica.
Lancel gave a slight nod.
“Honored senators, you all know my father commanded certain abilities beyond ordinary men.” Lancel swept his gaze across the chamber.
Volantene nobles were no strangers to magic.
During the old Valyrian dominion, Volantis had been the dragonlords’ favorite colonial city, one of the busiest ports in the world.
Sorcerers from Asshai had demonstrated their arts in its streets.
The red priests of the great temple often showed their fire magic.
Many nobles even kept sorcerers in their households.
“He left me a potion that can make the dead speak.” Lancel took a bottle of faintly reddish liquid from Lynn.
“Mostly my blood mixed with a few other things.”
He said it only to himself.
He poured the potion over the corpse.
A grotesque sight followed.
The body convulsed violently, as if something were trying to grow from the places that had been cut away.
A rasping but perfectly clear voice scraped from the dead throat.
“Bentaro.
Kill.
Boy.
The small one.
I am sorry.”
Silence gripped the chamber.
The potion’s effect faded.
The corpse stopped twitching.
The budding flesh ceased its growth.
“Honored senators.” Lancel looked around.
“Is further evidence required?”
He had no fear that the two Bentaro deaths would disrupt his plan.
Alexio’s death was his own doing.
Young Cavido had shown no trace of poison in his body.
Every physician, even the red priests, could only conclude he died of heart failure from excessive drinking.
And Mogul had not even attended the Senate session.
“I am sorry.” Tiger Archon Belisario bowed his head.
“Lord Valezeth, we knew nothing of this.”
He turned to the Tiger senator beside him.
“Where is Mogul Bentaro?”
“Archon.” The senator answered.
“Lord Mogul met misfortune on his way here today.
A runaway dwarf elephant struck the Bentaro family’s gilded litter.
Lord Mogul was trampled to death.”
“Lord Valezeth, I regret that the law cannot punish the guilty party.”
“Then I claim compensation, Archon.”
“Lord Valezeth, by law, the Bentaro family’s assets are all eligible as your compensation.” Archon Vagado offered the helpful reminder.
“Lord Belisario, I trust you will not shield a criminal colleague.”
“Of course not.” Belisario shot Vagado a flat look and spoke pleasantly.
“Lord Valezeth, as you see…”
“I am not greedy.” Lancel faced the three archons and raised his voice.
“But House Bentaro attempted to murder my brother.
That crosses House Valezeth’s final line.
Furthermore, my family is preparing to send its fleet once more to sweep the pirates from Lys and Tyrosh and protect Volantene trade routes.
At this critical moment, House Bentaro’s actions are beyond endurance.”
“He’s going pirate hunting?” Lady Clivna thought.
“What does that have to do with liquidating assets?
Unless he’s building a fleet.”
“I therefore demand of this Senate that, after confiscating House Bentaro’s landed property, House Valezeth be compensated with sufficient gold and ships.”
He formally announced House Valezeth’s plan to the Senate.
“I will continue my father’s work.
After clearing the trade routes, I will launch a new Great Voyage, securing the routes to Yi Ti and Asshai, and further open the southern passage.”
“So that’s it.” The same thought struck all three archons at once.
No wonder he was in a rush to liquidate.
He meant to carry on the old sorcerer’s Great Voyage enterprise.
Support him.
They had to support him.
Whatever else it was, a Great Voyage grew the pie for everyone.
For Volantis, it was pure gain.
As for House Bentaro, they had already agreed to strip it clean.
Why hesitate now?
“Lord Valezeth, we wish to join your Great Voyage.”
“Lord Lancel, I can provide ships.
Please, you must consider our house.”
“Get lost.
You’re a Tiger.
What are you doing mixing with us Elephants?
Lord Lancel, we can provide ships and funding too.”
The moment a new Great Voyage was mentioned, the nobles lost all restraint.
A venture of high risk and higher profit, and some fool was willing to bear the burden?
Perfect.
The Senate erupted into noise.
“Order…”
Vagado Cyrenica’s full-throated bellow barely beat the clamor down.
“As you wish.
House Bentaro’s assets shall be rendered to you as gold, warships, and merchant vessels.
As for your Great Voyage, does it require the Senate’s assistance?”
“Not yet.
But when we return from this voyage, a Senate resolution may be needed.”
Lancel smiled.