She moved closer and, taking his big hand in both her smaller ones, said softly, “And the Undying Lady Aldora will be both happy and deeply honored to take part in your investiture, my own thoheeks, and she will feel fierce pride when all the capital sees you ride your great horse forward to salute your High Lord, hear him recount your glorious exploits to the assembled Holders of the Cat, then receive from his hands the jeweled symbol of the Confederation’s gratitude. But I alone will know that there be far more to this newest member of the Order of the Cat than only courage and expertise at war. I will know that your stark ferocity be tempered with tenderness, your bravery with love. My only regret will be then, as it now is, that all the wonders we share must so soon end… .” Her voice broke then, trailed off, her shoulders and head drooped.
“But why,” he demanded bursquely, “why must our … our love end, Aldora? I can let my brother, Tchahrlee, rule Morguhn, can have him declared thoheeks and chief, can come to Kehnooryos Atheenahs and be with you as long as I live!”
“Yes, my Bili, as long as you live.” She raised her head, brushing her long black hair away from her heart-shaped, now tear-streaked, face, fixed his hurt and angry blue eyes with the gaze of her black, swimming eyes. “And each new day would see my love for you grow in depth and intensity, and each new day would see you one day older, one day closer to death. And as advancing age set hateful teeth to gnawing painfully at that splendid body, I would be the same as I am now. And you could not but resent such an injustice, my love, and so even as my love for you increased, your love would be souring from resentment to dislike to hate and—no, be still, let me finish.
“I know what you were going to say, the denials you were about to make, but please believe me, love, I know the truth of what I have said, for I have seen and experienced it … many times. If we Undying be truly cursed, as the Ehleen priests avow, this be the curse: an endless time of loneliness with but brief, tantalizing snatches of real happiness or love.
“Then there is this, Bili. You are a rare man, a rare and wonderful combination of assets. It would be the most terrible of misdeeds not to bend every effort of will in persuading you to breed soon and often, that your precious strain may be carried on to the enrichment and glory of the Confederation in coming generations. Nothing would give me more joy than to be able to bear your sons and daughters, sweet love, but we Undying can neither sire nor conceive, even among ourselves.
“And so, my Bili, you and I have a year or two, mayhap even three, but then Milo and Mara and my own conscience will insist that we get you wedded and bedded to some Kindred maids of good mindspeak stock and proven fertility.”
All at once, she threw her wiry, well-formed body against his with such force that she bore him onto his back. Savagely, she ground her mouth on his lips, while her hands frantically grasped and kneaded his body, mindspeaking, “Oh, my own dear love, three years is so very little time, let us not waste a second of it Oh, love me, Bili, please, please love me!”
Slowly, the late or delayed noblemen trickled into Morguhnpolis and, by the waning of the Wine Moon, all the thoheeks of the archduchy were assembled, along with most of the Kindred and Ehleenoee landholders—all save Thoheeks Djehs of Vawn and his kin.
And this last very nearly precipitated strife amidst those assembled, since it was necessary that a surrogate be named to fill the chair of the missing duke. As it was quite likely, judging from the testimonies of those few Vawnee taken alive, that the surrogate would be confirmed Thoheeks of Vawn in the end, and as Vawn was a rich duchy, what with its mines and high leas full of sheep and goats, all of the great nobles proposed a younger son or a favored kinsman for the needed surrogate. But to approve one would be to offend all the rest, and Milo could see this enterprise—organized to promote unity amongst the nobles. Kindred or Ehleenoee—dissolving into hotheaded recriminations and, possibly, blood feuding.
Bili of Morguhn arose from his place at the council table. “My Kindred, I, too, wish to propose a surrogate for Thoheeks Vawn of revered memory.”
Thoheeks Hwil of Bailee of Blue Mountain smiled tightly, his bald pate reflecting as much lamplight as Bili’s shaven one. “We are sure you do, young Morguhn. But you must realize that after the reconquest of Vawn, a man with both a strong hand and mature judgment is going to be needed in that duchy. All your brothers are just too young.”
Bili’s wolf grin answered the old thoheeks” smile. “Just so, Kindred, just so. That is why I propose Chief Hwahltuh of Sanderz as surrogate Thoheeks Vawn.”
While the “noble gentlemen” shouted, snarled, cursed, pounded the tabletop and similarly carried out their polite discussion of the proposal of Morguhn, Milo mindspoke Bili on a level to which none of the others could attain.
“Why the Sanderz, Bili? Because he seems intent on wedding one of your mothers, or simply because you like himr
“Neither,” replied the young duke. “Who my mothers choose to wed is their affair. And while I respect the Sanderz for his fighting skills, his leadership abilities and his horsemanship, among other things, I sometimes find him a damned hard man to stomach. So I can’t say that I like him.
“No, I am just weary unto death of this squabbling, this senseless wrangling over Vawn. When first I met most of these men, I was almost in awe of them, but this business has shown me their other guises. They’re like wild dogs snarling and snapping over a rotted carcass.
“Since Chief Hwahltuh be True Kindred, my lord, why not give him and his clan Vawn? Why make him go on to Kehnooryos Atheenahs to swear his oaths to you when he can do so here? Admittedly, I be ignorant of many of the finer points of custom and the Law of the Tribe, but this course seems practical and, if we act now, mayhap we can get this war done by harvest time.”
Milo mindspoke dryly, “But how to get such practicality across to your peers? Be not too harsh in your judgment of them, though, Bili; the chiefs who were their many-times-grandsires were no less petulant and quarrelsome, yes, and just as grasping at times.”
“ENOUGH?’ snapped the ahrkeethoheeks disgustedly. “Our young Kinsman’s proposal is the best I expect to hear. I, for one, am in favor of immediately adopting it. I say we name Chief Hwahltuh surrogate Thoheeks Vawn. To simplify matters, why not combine the names—Thoheeks and Chief of Vawn-Sanderz. Eh?”
Squat, muscular, black-haired Thoheeks Djaimzos of Duhnkin slapped horny palm to table. “Not so fast, Kinsman, not so fasti Part of the Agreements of Confederation states, if I recall properly, that new-come clans will not be given the lands or any parts thereof already settled by Kindred. The High Lord may correct me if I be wrong, but I believe that he has, in times past, given such newcomers recently subdued border lands for their duchies; in fact, I think Vawn was originally one such, years agone.
“No, we must look amongst the old, established Kindred for a proper surrogate, and I can think of none better than my brother Tanist Petros’ son-in-law, Vahrohneeskos Ahrktos Baikuh!”
“That dimwit?” snorted Thoheeks Hari of Baikuh, his brick-red mustachios quivering, his gray eyes flashing. “My cousin—my own mother’s sister’s son—he be, yet I must tell you that Cousin Ahrktos cannot find his arse with both hands! Quite frankly, we had almost despaired of finding a noble Kinsman stupid enough to suffer a daughter to marry the moron, until”—he grinned slyly—“we lucked onto the House of Duhnkin.
“No, if a Baikuh’s to be chosen—and what House better qualified?—my second-oldest brother, Komees Lupos, who—”
“Who,” Thoheeks Alehk of Skaht sneered, “anytime you or even your horse farts, shouts ‘Here I be, my lord!’ Oh, true, he obviously knows his name and station, but the Vawn went to Wind bravely and in honor. Can we choose a lesser man for such a chiefs surrogate?”