"Sic Transit Femina"

[Aekal Donatra 0]

"Fvadt!" A cup went flying to shatter against the hearthstones of the elegant fireplace adorning one wall of the old manor room. "The llaudh, the hnoiyika! How dare he -- treacherous piece of scum!"

 

Crossing his legs, Dhiemm tr'Raedheol, leaned back into the soft, well upholstered couch. The luscious green, velvety hues highlighted his light olive skin. Despite his inward feelings, he kept his voice calm and flat. “H'nah,” he said gently, but steadfast. “Au must keep au voice down... io of the media could hear au.”

 

"Let them hear!" Rh'vaurek tr'Donatra wished feverently for something else to throw, and settled for kicking a chair instead. "Let them all know exactly what kind of dog they'll be 'electing' Praetor!" He kicked the chair again, then thumped down into it, tension bleeding from his frame. "Besides, the servants are keeping them outside the estate boundaries."

 

Exhaling, the grey-haired Rihan conceded, Aekal's brother had a point. “I have to admit, I didn't think he'd stoop to using poison. His family has always been ambitious, but at least his forefathers were... creative.”

 

"He was desperate," Rh'vaurek growled. "He knew there was no way he could win the election fairly."

 

Dhiehmm nodded his agreement. “Still,” he said. “I would have thought he could have at least been more creative. A shuttle accident. Something less crude than poisoning. I guess cunning skips a generation. Look at how obvious his sister was, even the Tal'Shiar wouldn't entirely let her off the hook for having her parents executed.”

 

"I suppose he thought masking the poison as something natural was sufficiently devious. Fvadt!" Bouncing up out of his chair, Rh'vaurek began pacing again. "I'd like to feed him a few doses of taavae berries."

 

Dhiehmm's eyes followed the younger Rihan, he took a breath and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Perhaps you will get your chance."

 

Rh'vaurek's head snapped around, his eyes lighting with unholy glee. "What do you know that I don't?" he demanded.

 

He considered for a moment the merits of telling Rh'vaurek what he was preparing to tell him, and despite every fiber of his being saying it was a bad idea, he took another deep breath. “As au know, the date to get any io else on the ballot was yesterday. As such, my sources inside the N'Dak Campaign are telling me he's continuing on the assumption that he is h'nah Praetor-elect.”

 

Pausing, trying to get the taste of that miserable word out of his mouth, Dhiehmm held up his hand before continuing. “He wants to speak with you before making an official announcement.”

 

A muscle in tr'Donatra's jaw clenched, twitching ominously. "I'll kill him," he hissed out from between his teeth.

 

Stable, calm and rock-jawed, Dhiehmm held back a sigh. He really couldn’t blame Rh'vaurek, honestly, he wanted to find the little hnoiyika and strangle the life out of him as well. "Na that any io could blame au... but perhaps..."

 

"Perhaps what?" Rh'vaurek demanded. "Perhaps I should sit and smile at my sister's killer?"

 

"Perhaps au should play his gambit," Dhiehmm said calmly. "Rh'vaurek, he's offering to talk to au, there will be na better time to find out what he's hiding. Once he's Praetor... au know this whole thing will be sent to the Tal'Diann and we'll never get any resolution."

 

Rh'vaurek paced across the room to the hearth, grinding one of the cup fragments under his heel, and was silent for a long time. "I want to make a statement," he said abruptly.

 

"And what will au say?"

 

"I'm not sure." He rested his forehead against the ancient stones, breathing deeply. "I'm not the speaker Aekal was, Dhiehmm. But I can't just let this go without a word."

 

Dhiehmm forced a smile. "There will be time for words, Rh'vaurek. H'nah is na time for them. Au sister would na want au turning this into a crusade that could plunge the Empire back into civil war before her body was even cold."

 

"Am I to let a murderer, a coward, and a traitor ascend to the Praetorate without a word, then?" He spun on tr'Raedheol, eyes blazing.

 

The smile faded and for the briefest moment the strong facade of the seasoned political aide who'd served as a close advisor to Aekal for years cracked. “Once we have buried her, once we've had time to catch our breaths... that... that kllhe will pay, Rh’vaurek. I give au my word, I will na rest until he is brought to justice.”

 

"It'll be harder once he's Praetor. Especially he -- you know he'll rewrite the laws."

 

"He does na have the backing of the lower Senate," Dhiehmm reminded him gently. "We will have to move quickly, but our allies will na allow him to act unilaterally."

 

Pausing, he reconsidered his approach. "I understand au are angry... I am too... but the last thing Aekal would have wanted was for the Empire to be plunged into Civil War again in her name. Do na under estimate the Hnoiyika. He has powerful allies and the support of the Galae."

 

"But not the backing of the people."

 

"And he will know that. He will have to be cautious. For all of his... shortcomings, of which there are many, his skill at navigating danger is formidable. This will give us time to uncover the information we need to prove him guilty of this atrocity. Once we can do that, then we will bring him down, but we will do it the way your sister would have wanted -- through the rule of law, not through resorting to his methods."

 

Rh'vaurek hesitated, then shook his head. "I cannot let it go silently, Dhiehmm. House S'Donatra has been attacked today; we must answer."

 

"Then at least promise me you won't make accusations aimed at Destorie," he said finally. "You can make remarks about her 'killers' but do na mention him by name or make references that would easily identify him. Perhaps the words au do na say will be more important than those au do."

 

"I will.... think about it," Rh'vaurek agreed grudgingly.

 

Dhiehmm decided not to press any further and accepted that as a small victory. "I promise au, I will see him brought to justice for what he has done here today."

Edited December 31, 2008 by Aekal Donatra