For a long moment, no one said anything. The throne room was utterly silent. Geth looked around. There were a lot of confused faces watching him-and a lot of angry faces as well.
Then a voice like cedar smoke rose from the throne room. “I witness it!” shouted Ekhaas. “As it was in the age of Dhakaan, I witness it!”
“I witness it!” Dagii stepped up beside Geth. The young warlord gave him an uncertain look, but his stance was strong. Geth looked to Munta. The old hobgoblin’s ears flicked and stood.
“I witness it!” he said, then jerked his head at other warlords around him. Their voices rose as well.
“I witness it!” came a strong voice from the front of the room, and Geth looked down to see Tariic looking back at him. The hobgoblin gave him a short smile, then stepped onto the lowest step of the dais and faced the court that had been Haruuc’s. “Let none say that we do not respect tradition. Geth who bears Aram shall hold the throne in trust until a new lhesh is chosen. It is what my uncle would have wanted.”
He turned back to Geth and bent his head, meeting Geth’s eyes as he straightened up. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said softly.
“I’m doing what I have to do,” said Geth. Behind Tariic, a sea of heads was nodding in respect. He glanced over at Haruuc’s body. Ashi was still kneeling beside it, staring up at him. Geth set his jaw grimly and brought the Rod of Kings protectively against his chest. Raat shan gath’kal dor. “The story stops but never ends.” — Traditional closing of hobgoblin legends.