She was on the last few when the Chamberlain entered her room. He looked very uncomfortable, mainly because nobody outside of the Princess' inner circle had ever seen her personal bedchamber. Such a momentous occasion made him wonder if she had had him summoned in there so she wouldn't have very far to drag the body.
"Good," she said without looking up. "I've been waiting for you, Lord Chamberlain."
"What business do you have with me, your Highness?"
"I want you to deliver these messages for me, my Lord Chamberlain," she said calmly, not bothering to look at him as she addressed the last one, then set it aside so the ink could dry.
"Why me?"
"Because you are the Lord Chamberlain," she said simply. "If anyone else delivered the messages, they may not get to the people they're meant to go to. But if the Lord Chamberlain personally appears at someone's doorstep and hands them a message, it's going to be read right then and there."
He glanced at the messages, and it didn't take him long to put the pieces together. "You wish me to deliver these?" he asked. "These are addressed to the heads of all the noble houses."
"Yes, I do," she said, looking right into his eyes. Keritanima had the feeling that this Chamberlain may be worthy of a little trust. He had shown signs of compassion towards her, so he wasn't like the usual Eram servant. Her father had probably hired him in haste after she had his first set of advisors and servants killed off, and she hoped that he would be what she thought him to be.
"I think I can arrange the time," he said slowly. "Would right now be too inconvenient for her Highness?"
"It would be perfect, my Lord Chamberlain," she smiled. "There's no need to wait for a response. Just deliver them and move on."
"Perhaps her Highness would be kind enough to tell me if this has anything to do with the army of Vendari that marched in last night?"
"Do you really want to know?" she asked with a dangerous smile.
"Ah, no, nevermind," he said. "I'll deliver your messages, your Highness, personally." He gathered them up and neatly stacked them, holding them in the crook of his arm. "And may I add that I look forward to serving her Majesty in the future," he concluded, just before turning and walking towards the door.
And that was why she kept him alive.
After sending the Chamberlain off to do his work, Keritanima drifted down to the kitchen for breakfast. In the kitchen, she happened to cross paths with the buck-toothed rabbit Wikuni, Jervis. She hadn't so much as seen him since getting off the ship, and that fact had nagged at her just a little bit over the months. Jervis was her father's best spy, and it seemed logical to her that he would put him to work watching her again. But then again, he had failed twice now trying to keep up with Keritanima, so it was possible that her father had taken him off her tail because she knew him too well. Which was indeed the case, but because of his experience, he would still be the best person to take on the task of countering her. Not having to step around Jervis had made things much less complicated for her.
"Jervis," she said in some surprise. "I haven't seen you in a long time. Where have you been?"
"Stormhaven, your Highness," he replied with a fluid bow. "Your father had business for me to attend there."
"So much the better for me," she winked.
"So I've heard. You've tied the Palace in a knot, your Highness. You really should try not to cause so much trouble."
"I haven't done a thing, Jervis," she smiled.
"And the Queen of Sharadar is a Bruga," Jervis said calmly.
Keritanima laughed. "Well, I may have done a little here and there," she admitted. "It's just been lucky for me that my father started seeing invisible friends."
"He absolutely insists you're doing that to him, Highness," he said. "From what I know of Sorcery, it's entirely possible. I told him as much."
"He's wearing a magical charm that prevents my Sorcery from affecting him, Jervis," she said calmly. "I can't do anything to him."
"And you know because you tried?"
"I know because he told me so," she said evenly. "I don't need magic to get under my father's skin, Jervis. All it usually takes is one defiant remark, and he's screaming at the top of his lungs and chewing on the furniture. I'm making sure he feels my displeasure over being dragged back here against my will."
Well, I assure you that he's feeling it," Jervis confided. "Quite a large breakfast, your Highness."
"I'm the designated waitress, Jervis," she winked. "This is for Miranda, Zak, and Binter too."
"Where's Sisska?"
"She went to visit family in Vendaka," she replied. "She felt that Azakar was suitable protection in her place while she was gone."
"She has good sense," Jervis smiled. "I've never seen a human that could hold his own against a Vendari before. The boy's a marvel."
"He's appreciated, Jervis, believe me," Keritanima assured him. "I need to get back to my room. I'll see you later."
Jervis bowed to her, and she carried breakfast back to her room.
The waiting was the worst part. She had to be where the noble heads could find her, because she knew they'd be coming to talk about her message. To pass the time for that, Keritanima had Miranda go out with Azakar with a message for Ulfan. There were two men that absolutely had to die today, the sooner the better. The first was Field Marshal Kubran, the commander of the army. Without him, the army would be in disarray, and she needed the army to be in disarray right now. The second was High Admiral Yath, commander of the navy, and she wanted him dead for the same reason. Both men were recent appointees by Damon Eram, and she didn't trust either of them to calmly accept the new order of things. She couldn't touch them before, because the stability of the army would help keep Damon Eram on the throne, but now that was no longer a restriction. She had had the military liaisons and the lower generals and admirals killed the first time, to keep her father from getting any ideas and restricting the capability of the military without destroying its ability to pose a threat to the noble houses. Now she was going to crush the head of the snake.
The first noble head to reach her was none other than Sheba. She was wearing a gown that was buttoned up the wrong way, and her hair was still damp. She was only wearing one shoe as well. It was clear that she had literally run over when she received the message, and she held it in her hand like it was a live snake. "Kerri, are you nuts?" Sheba demanded after barging through the twenty Royal Guards at her door and intruding on her quiet. "You have to be as crazy as your father!"
"That remains to be seen, Sheba," she replied calmly, going back to the book on comparative theology she was reading. "I hope the message wasn't too difficult for you to understand."
"I'm about to spank you, you little brat," Sheba growled. "I understand what it says, but I understand what it means a hell of a lot more."
"Then you'd better choose which side you intend to be on," she said calmly.
"You're a first class bitch, do you know that?" Sheba snapped.
"I'm my father's daughter," she replied calmly.
"You're going to break Wikuna over your knee, girl! There will be civil war!"
"Then you'd better have a good supply of gunpowder handy," Keritanima said bluntly.
"I don't believe this!" she raged. "Could you just die, so you'd stop making my life hell?"
"Not until after you decide," she said, closing her book and looking up at the panther Wikuni calmly. "If it helps you come to a decision, Sheba, those ten thousand Vendari that marched in here last night-"
Keritanima was interrupted by Binter and Sisska entering with the largest Vendari that Keritanima had ever seen. He was nearly a head taller than Binter and Sisska, wearing nothing more than a simple kilt of homespun wool and a crossing pair of bandoliers over his scarred chest. His build was every bit as massive and imtimidating as Binter and Sisska, but he had a large, wicked scar across the top of his snout. Keritanima had seen him before. He was sashka, the subject kinglet of Vendaka, the ruler of his people who answered only to the throne of Wikuna. Keritanima stood immediately in his presence, and grabbed the hem of her skirt to curtsy to him, but he held up a tremendous hand to stop her.