Elysium's Multiverse

Chapter 222: (Book 2 releases tomorrow on Amazon!)

Chapter 222

“Prince Riven Wraithtide, Princess Allie Wraithtide, and Princess Kathrine Vonsilla Crushada the 9th, we have brought the requested prisoner.”

Jeltuna the Sarak was lead bound and chained into a large and elegant hall, filled with some of the most prominent faces on the planet. Despite having led insurrections in protest of his people’s treatment, enslavement, butchering and worse - he couldn’t help but go slightly pale at the sight of the vampiric nobles who were glaring at one another before sending smoldering looks his way. Immediately upon coming into their presence, he began to feel their auras slowly and passively bearing down on him.

Lady Riska, Count Amestrius, General Viku, Count Jaricock and Baron Orimus were all immediately recognizable through pamphlets and propaganda campaigns in the Luteski forums and on display crystals in the mines. The others were less so, but each of these Wraithtide nobles were far, far beyond anything Jeltuna had come to face in his rebellion’s battles against relatively weaker vampires.

The soldiers and civilians he’d fought and killed were middle E-grade at best, and those skilled enough to even reach E-grade at all were some of the most feared opponents Jeltuna had ever come across. They were machines of war, slaughtering hundreds of Sarak slaves who’d in turn been quarantined all their lives and restricted in their leveling. The best of the Sarak, including Jeltuna himself, had needed to pile their enormous number advantage onto these opponents just to bring a single one of them down. But here?

Here he couldn’t even recognize just what grade of cultivation any of them were at. Just a single one of them could have crushed entire armies of Sarak, which lead to the question - why hadn’t they done so? Were his attempts to buy freedom for his people truly pathetic enough that they not even bother metaphorically glancing his way?

Unfortunately he didn’t last long before the effects of their cultivation differences broke the tension resonating around his soul aperture with a thunderous internal crash. The mere presence of EACH of these vampires was astronomically high, excluding the four ghostly apparitions at the end of the table which gave off no signature at all. But the presence of the vampiric nobles weighed down on him like the weight of a world - crushing him abruptly as he gasped and fell to his knees. His eyes boggled, his heart began to frantically beat and felt like it’d explode, and his entire body began to quiver and spasm when a seizure began to take him.

“Please nullify your passive auras.” General Viku called to the other leaders of House Wraithtide in a stern voice that allowed no objection. “You’re going to kill the slave before he even gets to speak. As much as I’m sure some of you would prefer that, you will do as you’re told or I will suppress your auras for you.”

Baron Orimus glared daggers at the military man but did as asked, and soon all of the others had done so as well.

Jeltuna stopped seizing, but the bruising along his body had increased with small tears in his skin opening up at random. Coughing and gasping for air again, he was yanked up by his metal collar back onto a kneeling position. Head spinning and gaze shifting from face to face, his hatred for these vampires began to bubble up to the surface as a sneer took hold of him.

“Get that disgusting look off your face, maggot.” One of the two guards angrily glared, drawing his broadsword and putting it up to Jeltuna’s neck. The weapon flickered with unholy energy, and runes began lighting up the base of the blade with a hiss. “You are in the presence of royalty, and you will show proper respect.”

“Do not harm him.” A man’s voice called from the very end of the table, from one of the ghostly apparitions that sat in a chair with hands clasped on the wood.

The soldier immediately straightened and bowed. “Yes, sire. My apologies.”

The soldier stepped back, sheathing his blade and straightening to face forward.

Silence engulfed them, and Jeltuna used the ticking second to better get ahold of his breathing again. “Is this some kind of sick execution? Or are you playing mind games before you torture me to death like you do so many of my people?”

The sarak man spat in the table’s direction, but he was so weak from lack of food and beatings that it barely went a few inches and onto the floor; where a nearby servant quickly came over to wipe it off the polished metal with a handkerchief before returning to the wall.

“You would be wise to keep your tongue in check, slave.” Baron Orimus said with a click of his tongue. “Know your place, and perhaps your coming death will be less brutal than I’d originally intended it to be-”

“His death is not your decision to make, Baron Orimus.” The ghostly apparition at the end of the table announced, cutting the noble off with a wave of his hand.

The noble looked both cowed and irritated, but he shut up a moment later with a submissive bow to the apparition. “As you say, your highness.”

Ah. So this must be the prince. Jeltuna silently eyed the apparition with a wary gaze. “Is it you who called for me? The so-called prince? Why? What words could you possibly want with a man who you value so little - a man of a race that you use as a commodity rather than valuing us as real people?”

The man of the apparition sadly smiled. “Yes, I am a prince of the empire. My name is Riven, and you can call me as such. Though I never said that I viewed you or your race that way.”

The comment threw Jeltuna off slightly. Call the prince by his first name? He blinked rapidly, but then caught the glances shared between other vampiric nobility. They too had looks of surprise, and even anger. “Yet you enslave billions of us to work in your mines, on your farms, for blood sport entertainment and as sex objects to be traded like collectables in breeding programs.”

“An unfortunate aspect of my heritage, yes.” Riven said with a shrug. “I will admit, I even took part in enslaving an enemy force on the world I currently live on - but I also say that I let most of them go shortly thereafter. Now the only people who live as slaves from that particular group are the ones who can’t behave, and the ones who committed crimes too sinister to be forgiven. Now, most of those elves are living lives as second-class citizens… but citizens nonetheless. I’m here to tell you now that, if you cooperate with me here and make this as easy as possible for me by answering all my questions, the same can be said of your own people.”

There was dead silence for mere seconds after that while Jeltuna’s mind tried to comprehend what the prince had just said. His blank expression only twitched, until none other than Baron Orimus Wraithtide launched himself to his feet with a scathing snarl.

“This is an OUTRAGE! Did I just hear this right?! That you intend to elevate these CATTLE to the position of second class citizens in the empire!? THAT’S OUTRIGHT ABSURD!” The baron slammed a fist onto the wood - drawing the attention of all the others. His sleek black hair shimmered in the light of the chandelier, and though he raised his voice - he did not meet Riven’s gaze directly. “My prince, PLEASE rethink what you are doing here! You do not understand the ramifications of what you are saying because you did not grow up inside the empire’s border. I understand this and will happily educate you in areas where you are lacking, but giving citizenship of ANY kind to these creatures is equivalent to madness!”

“I… I have to agree.” Lady Riska muttered dubiously, for the first time in accord with what the baron was saying. “I admit that improvements to their lives and safety are needed in order to maintain our slave population, but giving them rights as any kind of citizen goes against the dogma and core values of The Blood Moon Requiem entirely. We do not have any citizen that is not vampire, in any house, on any planet.”

Riven raised an eyebrow at this, then glanced up to General Viku who stood as still as a statue. “Is that true?”

“It is.” Kathrine stated for the general, and Viku shortly nodded to confirm.

Riven sighed, then shot Allie a look. “What do you think?”

“Fuck the dogma.” Allie smiled with a shrug. “Kathrine, is it against the law to consider them secondary citizens?”

“I am not sure, it has never been attempted before. I doubt, however, that the queen would allow it.” Kathrine replied uncomfortably.

“Then there’s a simple work around.” Riven replied indifferently. “They’re all my property, correct?”

“That is correct.”

“And I can treat them however I want to, correct?”

“Correct.”

“Then as long as they stay on this planet, a planet that I own, and are themselves property that I own, I can treat them the same way I would treat citizens of the empire. They just wouldn’t be officially recognized as such off world in different parts of the empire I don’t directly control. Correct?”

Kathrine hesitated, but nodded yet again. “That is correct.”

“Good.” Riven smiled smugly, leaning back and folding his arms. “Problem solved. Now, that doesn’t mean that I’m just going to bankrupt the entire house by giving freedom to all the slaves at once mind you - we’ll keep the mines running, but the quality of life for these people is going to be up to standards with any other citizen on the planet starting this week.”

Lady Riska slumped her tensed shoulders in relief, but the Baron was not as easily swayed from his anger.

“Treat the sarak cattle like vampiric citizens?” Baron Orimus let his jaw drop, only to pick it up with a spluttering snort and throw out his arms to the others at the table. “Are the rest of you hearing this!? Are the other elders of our house hearing this lunacy? He’s ALREADY implemented child labor laws, has stopped butchering cattle in favor of regular blood drains, has built schools and created free healthcare for any slave that needs it! These two siblings have angered the other noble houses in ABUNDANCE, we have House Barimont on the verge of forming a trading blockade on the edge of Wraithtide space, the siblings have NO experience in running a planet and all of a sudden they make massive changes to our way of life after having lived less than a century!? THEY ARE MERE BABES! This is utterly absurd! This will be the downfall of our house and lineage if we let it slide!”

Mutters of agreement spread amongst some of the house elders, while others remained stoic and silent. Riven and Allie merely watched too, waiting for the baron to continue - and when the baron finally looked in the direction of the prince - Riven waved him on as if to say keep going.

“You obviously have a lot to say on the matter, Baron Orimus. Please, go on if you have anything more to say. I’ll listen.”

Seemingly encouraged by these words, the baron straightened slightly and loudly huffed. “Not to mention that for all the good you have shown these animals, how do they repay you - my prince?”

He swiftly shoved a finger in Jeltuna’s direction, accusingly. “This man and many others spearheaded rebellions all across the planet, ending in the death of not only hundreds of thousands of slaves - but just as many vampires! Your loyal citizens - TRUE citizens of the empire like you and I! You cannot think of giving those barbaric animals that would so carelessly slaughter your innocent citizens another free ride!? If anything, you should retract the gifts you have already given them for their lack of gratitude!”

“Do true citizens of the empire plot against the royal family? Or is that just you?” Allie spoke out, a crisp edge to her words. “I’m curious. Enlighten me, oh esteemed elder of mine. General Viku - if you would.”

Once again the room became dead silent, and General Viku sat a solid black cube on the table. He pressed a couple buttons, and a recording of his talk with Baron Orimus Wraithtide while on the command deck of the supercarrier went on display.

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Recording of Past Events (Concerning the reader, feel free to skip if you wish to do so):

The cube in his hand gave off a steady vibration again, and then began to blink. It drew his red eyes down to stare at it, and from underneath his helmet - a small smile crept over his lips to display his fangs.

Finally.

“General Viku!” One of the house elders, a man by the name of Baron Orimus Wraithtide called out while walking onto the elevated platform of the command deck. His wiry posture moved like a practiced snake in burgundy robes, and his eyes glinted mischievously under slicked-back chestnut hair while glaring at the screens on the general’s sides. “I see the rebellions are going well. The agents we planted are supplying as necessary, not too much but enough to cause trouble. Are the damages being quarantined to the designated areas?”

General Viku nodded gravely. “Yes. The production facilities and mining operations are all still under our protection, we’re letting the slaves sack the Bezin and Norcof districts where our poorer citizens reside. It’ll be enough vampiric blood to get quite a reaction out of the rest of the empire, they’ll be calling for a culling.”

His eyes shifted to the other, well groomed vampire as Baron Orimus Wraithtide nodded in approval. “Do you really think it wise to go against a high ranking prince like this? Sheline’s son, of all people?”

The baron scoffed indifferently, watching as cargo ships from other sectors in the galaxy warp in through a spatial gate before changing course to dock at the space station nearby for check in. “Sheline is dead, and her son made it very clear to the rest of us that he can’t be trusted to lead the family when he gave those sarak cattle rights. Can you believe this list of changes to the laws that we have to abide by? Just listen to this!”

General Viku rolled his eyes while turning his head so the baron wouldn’t see. He knew very well what the changes were, and to him they weren’t all that big of a deal - but to an old timer like Baron Orimus Wraithtide it appeared to be the end of the gods damned multiverse.

The old vampire pulled out a list, then put on a pair of reading glasses while loudly clearing his throat and staring at the hastily scribbled on parchment down the bridge of his nose. “Ahem! Where is it… Ah yes. Just to BEGIN the list, we have protection for the cattle children!”

Baron Orimus Wraithtide raised an eyebrow and scoffed again in disbelief, glancing at the general who continued to stare down at the planet from their perch on the flagship’s deck. “Do you realize what that means, Viku? It means no child labor which cuts down production by an entire 9 percent worldwide. No delicacies at the Rouge Cafe that I so frequently visit or ANY OTHER high end establishment on the planet. No training them for unique positions such as concubines or slave warriors. No pets for our own vampiric children. It’s absurd! Utterly absurd! And that’s just the CHILDREN of these cattle!”

The baron smacked the paper again with mouth agape, shaking his head violently and huffing loudly. “No gladiator battles between slaves, no torture without reason, oh - here is one of my favorites - NO BUTCHERING CATTLE IN FAVOR OF REGULAR BLOOD DRAINS!? IS THIS MAN SERIOUS!? I nearly got up and left THAT VERY DAY after reading this ridiculous list! We literally BREED SARAK in some specialty lineages to become fatter so we can EAT THEM! WE HAVE TO SPARE THEIR LIVES AND JUST USE THEM AS RENEWABLE BLOOD BALLOONS? THIS IS RIDICULOUS!”

General Viku stared straight ahead, trying to give off apathy, but inside he was struggling very hard not to smirk. He’d never liked Baron Orimus Wraithtide very much, but since the ruling lady of the house left many years ago never to return - the baron was one of three of the house nobility that was in contention for Patriarch of Matriarch due to Lady Sheline’s absence. It was Viku’s great misfortune that he had to listen to this idiot babble, otherwise he would have hung him from a tree many months ago due to political games ramping up when Riven and Allie had first appeared.

The baron continued to rant, jabbing an old wiry finger into the paper with each thing he listed off. “We have improved slave housing which has cost us trillions, compensation built into our tax system for slaves who donate more blood over the course of a year than others, ability to attend NEWLY BUILT CRAFTING SCHOOLS that also cost us a fortune, FREE HEALTH CARE, and a clause that allows slaves to own basic property? HE MIGHT AS WELL MAKE THEM HONORARY CITIZENS! And that doesn’t even BEGIN to touch upon the fact that he and his sister are being auctioned off to the highest bidder AS WE SPEAK, with the conclusion of the bids in coming months allowing a FOREIGN vampiric noble house the rights to be WED to them?! We might as well just hand away the keys and pack up all our belongings now! I hear that House Crushada is especially invested in obtaining Riven and has even managed to get their daughter to seduce him on that integrating planet! This is the end for our lineage if we don’t do something about it now, Viku! And I’ll be damned if it happens while I’m still alive! It may take a couple underhanded schemes and maybe a couple years but eventually if we’re able to prove incompetence we can petition the crown and have him removed. If it were anyone else without the bloodline, I’d just have him assassinated, but the queen would have my head faster than you could say sarak cattle shit if I even tried. So though I do not want to go up against a prince of our own house, I do not believe I have a choice in order to maintain our way of life. Sometimes, dark deeds must be done to correct for the greater good of the family.”

The baron reached out and put a hand on General Viku’s shoulder pauldron, patting him twice. “I know I can count on you to do the right thing, Viku. Just remember what we’re fighting for, and why we’re letting this happen. I expect your full cooperation in this matter, and in future ones. We cannot let outside forces like House Crushada interfere in our internal affairs, unless we want to be absorbed by them. I know they’ve been in contact with you, and I hope you see past their lies. Do you understand?”

General Viku spared the old man a glance, keeping eye contact and clicking his tongue before turning heel and beginning to head down the bridge. The cube in his hand was vibrating again, and he had an appointment to keep.

“General Viku!” Baron Orimus Wraithtide called out, a little more harshly than usual, and he rushed to catch up to the larger man while deeply scowling. “I expect an answer! Let me hear you say it!”

“Say what, exactly?” Viku said with an exasperated sigh, turning to face the smaller, thinner man as officers from along the command bridge curiously shot glances their way. Viku brushed the hand Baron Orimus Wraithtide put on his shoulder again, and he gave an irritated grunt. “If you’re looking for me to turn my back on the head of this house, you have me mistaken for a blood traitor - Baron.”

The baron’s eyes went wide, and his pale face deeply reddened while he took a step forward. “I would watch your words, general. You are essentially calling me a blood traitor by association, and I do not take such offense lightly.”

“Are you threatening me?” General Viku’s figure stepped forward to meet the shorter man, towering over him as his hand drifted to the broadsword at his hip.

He stood there glaring down at the Baron, and the older man’s eye twitched when he saw the general’s hand on his weapon. Other soldiers in the room were now dead silent, watching to see whether or not the baron would keep his head on his shoulders. Viku was an A-grade warrior, nothing to be scoffed at by anyone, and if he wanted the baron dead - the baron would no doubt be dead very soon.

“Let me make something very clear to you.” General Viku said with a sneer. “It was not you who elevated me to this position. Nor was it any of the still living elders of this house. This house is a shadow of what it once was, thanks to you and people like you. Now that the main bloodline has finally returned, I no longer have to answer to you. My position is due to Riven’s mother, a true leader, and I owe her everything that I am. Everything that I have is due to her, and here you come years after she disappears to threaten what is rightfully her children’s inheritance? In what world did you think I would agree to such schemes? Ask yourself one more time, Baron Orimus Wraithtide, is what you are doing wise?”

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When the recording ended, Baron Orimus was as pale as a sheet. His fists were clenching and unclenching, and a sincere look of fearful rage had overcome him when his eyes landed on General Viku only a table’s length away. “You… You recorded our conversation?”

The Baron’s fists began to tremble, and like a caged animal he leapt back - whirling around to stare one by one at soldiers who’d placed hands on swords while looking to the general and the royals for confirmation. Power in the form of blood mana began swirling around him - and his chest began to rapidly rise and fall with eyes going wide.

“Sit down, Baron. You are not going to be killed today.” Allie called out, getting a confused and scared stare from the baron while other nobles and elders of House Wraithtide sat in rigid positions along their own seats. “I said sit, and I will not say it again. Unless you truly do want to have your head removed - which could be arranged. Riven has given me full leeway to decide your fate, along with the other fates of traitors currently sitting at this table with us. There are more than just you, the reports - which were going to be entirely unfolded here for everyone to witness in the open, have for the mostpart been put aside after my brief review prior to entering this room. Instead of wasting time, I’ll just summarize.”

Allie shifted her gaze to a number of the other nobles, one by one. “Lady Riska has been skimming off the coffers for her own gambling problems, an addiction if I’ve ever seen one, by astronomical amounts. Lord Wyvern has bought his own moon with Wraithtide funds. Count Jaricock has an entire sheet of well hidden schemes that range from smuggling drugs that the High Queen herself has outlawed, to attempting to sell pieces of the planet off to other noble houses. Duke Hazith and Dutchess Ova take a slice of every trade negotiation they make - depositing 6% or more directly into their own coffers and telling all the rest of you it never existed. Viscount Adian blackmails lesser officials regularly to sleep with their daughters. Baroness Julasi also participates in smuggling and is even a part of an illegal syndicate, most often dealing in the movement of exotic treasures stolen from other murdered or kidnapped nobles of the empire. Baron Eethinsa has a bad habit of killing random people for fun and then covering it up. Count Amestrius takes bribes from almost all of you in order to look the other way, and he is currently holding General Viku’s own daughter as a hostage to make sure Viku does what he wants - with the threat of removing Viku from power should he attempt to subvert the ‘will’ of our house. The ONLY ones who do not have any dirt on their names are husband and wife, Lord Ruim and Lady Nulasta Wraithtide. Did I miss anything, General Viku?”

“Many things.” General Viku said, staring ice-cold hate in Count Amestrius’s direction as the other vampire’s fingers went rigid gripping the wood of the table. “Give me the word and I will execute as many of them as you’d like.”

Meanwhile Lord Ruim and Lady Nulasta both looked rather smug, snickering at the other house elders who’d begun looking sick to their stomachs.

Allie chuckled bitterly. “I see. Lord Ruim and Lady Nulasta will be rewarded for their loyalty and will be promoted to a position ahead of all the rest of you, to run the planet with General Viku when we are not here. An order to the military forces under our control has already been sent out to inform them as we speak, should any of you try to undermine them, but we’ll get to that later. The first order of business in the present, Baron Orimus, is sitting down. Then we can discuss just what we are going to do with my dear distant relatives - but no, I do not intend to kill you even if it is what the general here would like.”

Baron Orimus was outright shocked, just as many of the others were, and he hesitantly let the power building at his fingertips fade before walking to the table and sitting down with a dumbstruck expression.

“Count Amestrius, you will immediately release General Viku’s daughter.” Riven announced for the room to hear. “She will be put on a ship and within General Viku’s possession before you leave this supercarrier. If you do not comply, you and your entire branch will be executed for treason - and your estate will be burned to the ground. You will also be forced to find compensation for the harm you have done to him and his family, until General Viku is satisfied. Try anything like that again, and I give General Viku permission to kill you on a whim without my say so, and if you try to escape you will be labeled an outlaw with a bounty put on your head.”

The count gave a sharp nod, then pulled out a tablet and began to transcribe a message - hands shaking slightly under the rage-filled gaze of the military officers surrounding him.

“My prince! My princess! I would like to explain…” Lady Riska began with a sheepish smile.

Allie shook her head. “No need to explain. Let me be frank, despite the things you’ve all done here - it has been made clear to us by not only General Viku, but also by Princess Kathrine, what roles you all play in running the planet. Most of you have major problems and are very corrupt, but you - Lady Riska - are probably on the lower end of offenses. Mere gambling with house money is problematic considering how much it was, but it is reported that you otherwise did a fine job. Please be at ease.”

She visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

“For the rest of you… you’ll be able to keep your positions, but needless to say this all ends now. You’ll be given a one time pass for the crimes you committed in our absence with two exceptions.” Allie’s words struck home, gathering all of the attention of the surrounding nobles who looked both very surprised and just as relieved as Lady Riska had been moments before. “Viscount Adian, you will immediately stop blackmailing lesser officials and will be spending a temporary amount of time in prison for what you did. You will also be paying the families a solid chunk of change for the emotional damage you likely did to them. Baron Eethinsa, your murdering spree hobby is going to stop. Immediately. You too will be spending a solid amount of time in prison, but will be let out on good behavior if you agree to the terms I set out. I’d rather not have an internal family struggle but if you have a problem with our terms, you’re free to try and run or fight. General Viku assures me that he’ll easily put either of you down like a dog if push comes to shove, despite the private soldiers you two keep in your branch family estates.”

“I willingly comply with your decree, princess.” Baron Eethinsa, the murderer stated with a tight-lipped bow. “Your judgement is more than I could ask for in any normal circumstances, far more lenient than I would have thought possible. May I ask why? Your reputation on Panu is one of malice and brutality, if I may be frank.”

Viscount Adian nodded in agreement. “I too accept your terms and will spend my time in prison as you suggest. Thank you for your mercy.”

Allie merely gave a sly smile. “I intend to use each of you instead. I will give you a single chance to prove yourselves starting now. It is true that nearly all of you are, simply put, ready for the noose… but each of you has a vast amount of experience in politics and knowledge on how to run businesses, a planet, and our house that I simply don’t have. Think of this as an olive branch, the only one you will ever get.”

“In other words, your actions will be closely monitored and most of you are one step away from losing everything.” Riven cut in with a raised finger, then he pointed at Jeltuna kneeling on the floor. “And I’ll hear no more bullshit about how I treat my own slaves either. Not from you people.”

Sufficiently cowed, the nobles and their muttering had quickly silenced.

Baroness Julasi, a platinum blonde woman wearing a black and yellow dress, cleared her throat nervously and tapped her fingers on the table before speaking out. “Your highnesses… May I ask what you are to do with me, specifically? Regarding the syndicate… if the High Queen found out about smuggling, kidnapping, and murders of other nobles in different houses…”

Her voice trailed off, unsure of what else to say.

Lady Riska snorted in derision. “Here I thought my gambling problem was bad, and I’m sitting in the same room with a bunch of treacherous demons. No offense meant, Lady Fay.”

Fay gave the vampiric woman a brief smile of acknowledgement. “None taken.”

“You will continue as you have been, but your loyalty will be to this house - not to the syndicate. You will feed us information regarding syndicate activities around the empire. Anything saying otherwise will lead to a swift execution without warning.” Allie stated as matter of fact - getting more looks of surprise from not only the nobles - but from General Viku and the surrounding soldiers as well. “Let me be clear. I’m not sure who my allies are, and who is truly my enemy. My great grandmother the High Queen does seemingly have good intentions for us in some ways, but in others I am questioning just whether or not I am simply a pawn for her. As was seen in the most recent attempt to sell my hand off in marriage. Was that her? Or was that Elder Thune? I don’t know, and I don’t pretend to know. Some of you might call this borderline treason itself by speaking such words, but that’d be rich coming from the lot of you. This room was also completely sweeped by General Viku and his men, so there won’t be any recordings of what is said leaking to the public by any known means available. The soldiers and servants were personally picked by the general as well, and I have full faith in his abilities to maintain their wellbeing - to take action against those that might think disposing of them for knowing too much is a good idea. Should any of them mysteriously die off for knowing your secrets, I’ll start ordering heads to be removed - starting with the lot of you. I want to avoid any political upheaval in this house, but don’t think that I will shy away from it just for the sake of maintaining experience. Riven, did you want to add anything?”

Riven coughed, then nodded and leaned forward again. “Yes. Back to the topic of slaves and slave rights. I’ve written a draft of what I want changed and have already given it to the general here, who will enforce these laws. As stated earlier, General Viku will have absolute authority in our absence while Lord Ruim, along with Lady Nulasta, being placed firmly at the top of the house hierarchy underneath General Viku starting immediately. House Crushada and House Wraithtide are to sign a mutual agreement of self defense in case of an internal blood feud regarding recent events at the vampiric compound on Panu, and exclusive trade rights will be given to House Crushada as a way of thanks.”

Kathrine’s eyes rose in surprise, and then delight as a wide smile exploded across her features. “This is news to me! I thought you’d not wanted to talk to my family about such things yet!”

“I’ll tell you about it later.” Riven grinned her way. “Long story, you can join us for dinner tonight at my manor for the details. Oh, and one more thing.”

Riven gestured to Jeltuna, the sarak man with purple skin, who had been completely forgotten by many of the nobles in the room. “Jeltuna is going to be promoted to a position called ‘The Voice of the Sarak’ - starting immediately. I believe that he was hailed a hero by many of his kind, and I’d like him - despite your poor attempts to push the deaths of these rebellions upon his back alone - to be the man who thinks of ways to better the livelihood of the slave population. Congratulations Jeltuna, your rebellions seem to have paid off - despite them originating from Baron Orimus for quite the opposite reasons.”