Revolt. The idea was abhorrent, against nartil, the law of fealty, respect, and obligation; it was ar-demmin, acting against the honor that Brodaini society prized above life. The very fact of Tastis’ rebellion was shocking, and Tegestu knew that the welldrani very much wanted to believe that it had been provoked by the merchant princes of Neda-Calacas, and that the provocation had been so bitter, so insulting, that Tastis had seen no alternative but to revolt. The other possibility was too appalling: that Tastis, supported by his aldran and his Brodaini, had simply seized power. That fear remained unvoiced by the welldrani: it would have been too disturbing even to have raised the possibility.
Tegestu tried to keep the discussion under firm control, refusing to allow speculation as to Tastis’ motives. These were explained in his private communication, and that was under ban.
In the end the aldran ended its meeting unresolved, except to await events and the reports of Cascan’s spies, and in the meantime to increase their security. It was an unsatisfactory meeting in many ways, not the least because the body designated to direct Brodaini affairs found itself unable to do anything except react to events rather than control them.
After the autraldi had been called back in to sing the final, ceremonial hymn — prayers to the gods were to be sung by the human voice, unadorned by instruments or any other artificial thing — the six members of the aldran not belonging to kamliss Pranoth quietly rose and left the chamber. The rest could properly deal with Tastis’ message.
Sent kantu-kamliss, under the ceremonial ban that made it improper for anyone not bearing the surname of the Pranoth to read, touch, or even comment on it, the message was barred to some of Tegestu’s most valuable advisors, including his wife, who though married to a Pranoth was still technically a Dantu. Also under the ban were his chief of cambrani, Cascan, and even Castu, Tegestu’s dentraldu — chief priest — one of his chief supporters, and, like Cascan, a Tosta.
Nevertheless it was Castu, in his distinctive white robes, who brought Tastis’ document, carrying it in its case so that his non-Pranoth hands should not defile it. It had been kept in the demmis-dru, the shrine where all treaties, wills, and secret documents were kept under the protection of the dentraldu and his autraldi, Brodaini priests who had forsaken the life of active warriors and the pursuit of demmin in order to attend their meditations, praise the gods, and guard the demmis-dru with all the considerable ferocity at their command. They had the one chief task, to guard the holiest place in the keep, and that task was pursued with singleminded fanaticism.
“Many thanks, cousin,” Tegestu said as the container, a leather cylinder, was placed on the table before him. The case was heavily decorated with abstract Brodaini patterns, whorls and jagged lightning-symbols as well as the badge of the clan of Pranoth. The elaborate seals that had been placed on it in Neda-Calacas had been broken when Tegestu had first read it, and replaced by a simple white seal, dated and stamped, affixed by one of the autraldi when the document had been placed in the demmis-dru.
Castu bowed and withdrew, and Tegestu broke the seal. The vellum scroll unrolled itself heavily in his hands. Though it was not embroidered or illuminated it was a neat copy, the vertical Brodaini script executed with a careful hand within almost-invisible guidelines. There was no sign that it had been written in haste.
“Hail cousins, kamliss-Pranoth-sa-Arrandal,” Tegestu read, “greetings from Tastis Senestu Tepesta y’Pranoth, drandor y kamliss-Pranoth-sa-Neda. May your demmin increase; may your arms never fail.
“Let your council witness the fact of revenge executed by kamliss-Pranoth-sa-Neda against persons who were our betrayers and secret enemies; let your witness extend to our sorrow and triumph, and to a disobedience required by self-respect.
“Understand that the leaders of Neda-Calacas were unwise in their actions and often insulting, but that, knowing they were ignorant of nartil, we refrained from taking offense against ar-demmini, knowing their insults as harmless as the threats of so many cattle, or the insults of the black hangman-birds that flock in jeering numbers among the eaves of the city. Yet there came last month an insult we could not ignore: one of our own, Norvenan Tolmatus Tepesta y’Pranoth, a lady of the spear and a Brodainu of some respect, was savaged and raped by a gang of city youths. Though she fought she was overcome by numbers; despite her distress she was able to identify her attackers. Some belonged to the family of the deissu Spensas, and the rest to his household.
“Spensas, informed of our complaint, agreed to punish the attackers, but we later learned that the punishment consisted only of confinement within the deissu’s palace. Upon being informed that the punishment was inadequate, Spensas referred us to the Abessu-Denorru Nadielas, who in turn informed us that our complaint was out of order.
“At his point Norvenan fell on her sword, feeling herself ar-demmin. Shamed by this, our aldran determined to take action, and declared angu with Spensas, Nadielas, and their houses. Eight days followed the decision, our plans completed, we took the city.
“We are now in full command. Surprise was complete, and resistance insignificant. Spensas and those of his family who participated in the incident have been dying since their capture; we shall use our skills to keep them dying as long as possible. Their family has been purged; their banking house and its assets have been seized; and their goods confiscated. All shall be given to the population of the town, that all might see we acted for our demmin and not for gain.
“Nadielas Abessu-Denorru was allowed a swift death, as were certain of his supporters. The Denorru-Deissin is disbanded, and several of the bearni bands have been disarmed and dismissed from service of the city. They were not ashamed by their capture, but angered only: ar-demmin creatures indeed.
“Action was supported by the full membership of the aldran, including those who do not belong to kamliss Pranoth. We do not desire angu with the other cities; we are not dai-terru who desire merely conquest. We desired only to guard our own demmin; we shall continue to guard it.
“Witness, kamliss-Pranoth-sa-Arrandal, our action in defense of our self-respect; witness the end of Spensas and his household; witness whether it was fitting. Hail, kamliss-Pranoth-sa-Arrandal, and bear witness.”
“Aiau!” breathed one of the welldrani — Amasta, and white-haired, lined, ferocious old woman who sat at the end of the table. “That was aspistu indeed. This Norvenan must have been a woman of great respect.”
Aspistu — the discipline of artful and imaginative vengeance. Amasta had herself practiced aspistu in her youth: her cold, imaginative retributions, merciless and deliberate as the stalk of a giant cat, were still spoken of with respect and private shivers. The idea that an entire city was taken as aspistu for a single Brodainu woman was impressive.
“Shemmina,” Acamantu said quickly. Long-faced, thin and long-limbed, he echoed his father in physical caste and also in distaste of excess. “There is no demmin to be gained in revenge taken on ar-demmin beings, beings who cannot appreciate aspistu or its beauty. Simply killing them would have sufficed. Taking an entire city was excessive.”
Amasta looked at Acamantu with pale, pitiless eyes. “Circumstances had to be taken into consideration,” she said. “The city would not have tolerated a raid on two of its ruling families. Tastis was correct to take precautions against retaliation.”
“Such precautions are irrelevant to aspistu,” Acamantu said. “They reek of dai-terru; Tastis reached too high. Proper behavior would have necessitated the death of these criminals and their protectors, and then the publishing of the decision so that the population and the Denorru-Deissin could have understood. If the city chose to take offense, then any further violence would have been the fault of the city.