Only about half of the people in court bowed to the King.
"I don't remember allowing you to hold your private little court, daughter," Damon Eram said scathingly.
His tone and attitude irritated Keritanima, and she decided to put him in his place immediately.
"I did not summon you, father," she said coldly. "Go back to your room."
"How DARE you!" Damon Eram exploded. "Shan, bring her down from there! On the point of your sword if necessary!"
Shan didn't move.
"This is treason!" Damon Eram screamed, nearly hysterically, brandishing his sceptre like a sword and pointing the end at the Captain of the Guard. "Guards, arrest him!"
"The guards will not obey you, Damon Eram," the sashka said as he stepped into the center aisle.
"I didn't summon you from Vendaka, sashka! What are you doing here?"
"Righting an old wrong, Damon Eram," the sashka said in a brutally cold tone. That he didn't call him king or your Majesty was all that had to be said about his loyalties.
"How dare you speak like that to me! Afford me the respect I deserve!"
"You deserve less than what I give you, Damon Eram," the sashka hissed. "You have no honor."
That brought Damon Eram up short. If anyone understood that that was as good as a death sentence in Vendari society, Damon Eram did. The deposed monarch shrank deeper into the protection of his guards, and for the first time he looked around and saw the many Vendari warriors standing along the walls and flanking the dais. "You'll not get away with threatening me, sashka! Your treaty with us-"
"Stipulates that the Vendari will obey who they deem to be ruler of Wikuna. I say Keritanima-Chan is ruler of Wikuna. Prove me wrong."
Damon Eram gave the sashka a strangled look, then glared at his daughter. "It's not that easy, sashka! I'm the annoited king! My rule is absolute!"
"It's not as absolute as you may think," Vora Planton spoke up from the side. "Keritanima has raised a legal and valid challenge to your rule. The law demands that the matter be settled."
"What insanity is this?" Damon Eram demanded. "There is no law that allows a sitting monarch to be deposed!"
"There was no law allowing it," Keritanima said calmly. "Since you have your Clerk of Law here, he can settle it quickly and easily. Since the High Priest of Kikkali is here, who can divine the law with magic to state truth, it will be even easier. Second Volume of Laws of the Crown, year 1397, second decree. You'll find a decree there that states that a monarch can be forcibly removed from the throne if three quarters of the rulers of the noble houses swear before a High Priest of Kikkali that that monarch is unfit to rule. The law was repealed in the First Volume of the Laws of the Crown, year 1431, first decree. But the repeal of that repeal was enacted in the Fifth Volume of Laws of the Crown, 1826, ninth decree. As your Clerk of Law will tell you, the repeal of a repeal of a law causes the original law to become a binding law again."
"1826? That's this year!" Damon Eram protested.
"Yes, and guess who repealed the decree repealing that law?" Keritanima asked with a wicked little smile.
"I never repealed such a law!"
"Yes you did," Keritanima purred. "It was the decree that stated that any crime committed against the Royal house would be considered a capital crime, and would be punished by death without benefit of trial. Does that sound familiar?"
Damon Eram was eerily silent.
"You didn't read the entire decree. If you had, I would never have been able to use this law against you now."
Damon Eram stared at her.
"Isn't it ironic, father? You set the stage for your own abdication. Perhaps you had a touch of madness in you long before the rest of us saw it."
Damon Eram glared viciously.
"Begging your Majesty's pardon, but the Crown Princess has correctly cited the law," the High Priest affirmed after a moment of muttering under his breath. "The law she cites is a valid law, and that gives this proceeding legal weight. By the stipulations in the law, you may not speak on your own defense, nor can Keritanima lobby or threaten to garner votes. She can only state fact."
Damon Eram stared daggers at the large bull, but said nothing.
"Well, I do suppose you have a right to be here, father. You are a ruler of a noble house, so you get a vote in the matter. Do you want to vote for me?" she asked with a winsome smile.
"Vote? Vote? I am the king! My word is law, and my law is absolute! If any of you weak-minded fools actually went in with this charade, I'll-"
"You'll do nothing," Vora Planton interrupted him. "Keritanima already has twenty-one votes on her side. Only one of the remaining eight houses has to vote on her side, and you are deposed. Would you care to make a bet on whether you're wearing that crown in another hour?"
"This is treason, Vora!" Damon Eram hissed ominously. "I won't forget this!"
"I don't think you'll be in any position to do anything about it," Vora sniffed.
The next entrant into the Hall was none other than Shareese Tarn. She looked very uncomfortable, clutching the message Keritanima sent her, fully aware that absolutely every eye was on her. The fact that Keritanima was standing on the dais and Damon Eram was not was clear on her graceful face as she came up the central aisle. "Duchess Shareese, I order -"
"Silence!" Keritanima shouted vehemently, which brought her father up short and made Shareese Tarn's face draw in shock. Damon Eram glared death at Keritanima, but retreated even more when the Vendari closed ranks just a bit in front of the dais. Even standing on that raised platform, Keritanima's head was still below the Vendari in front of her by a good two feet. "Duchess Tarn, as you can see, we're in something of a situation," Keritanima said. "Listen to what I'm about to tell you. Don't listen to anything but the facts, and then make your decision. And if my father speaks again, I want you to go over there and gag him," she commanded.
The sashka nodded sagely as he seemed to realize that Keritanima wasn't putting any more pressure on Shareese than there was already. She wasn't dumb, she knew that something very serious was going on, probably an attempt to depose Damon Eram. She listened intently as Keritanima explained the law, and explained why she had sent the message, but didn't tell her how many nobles had voted, or for which side they voted. "It comes down to a simple question, Duchess. Do you feel that Damon Eram is fit to rule? There's no other question you have to ask yourself, and there will be no repurcussions one way or the other in your decision."
Shareese Tarn was quiet only a moment. "Considering that he thinks I'm some kind of loose tart, I'd have to say that he's crazy," she said scornfully, glaring at Damon Eram. "I swear before the High Priest that I believe that he's unfit to rule."
Damon Eram's fur stood almost straight up. "This is treason! Treason!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Guards, kill my treacherous daughter!"
The Royal guard surrounding him took one look at him, one look at Keritanima, they looked at each other, then they simply walked away, leaving Damon Eram alone and unprotected in the hall. He stood there with his crown, robes, and sceptre, staring at them in absolute shock, jaw hanging and eyes bulging. The sashka barked a single command in the Vendari language, a command both Keritanima and Damon Eram understood. "Seize him!" he ordered.
Damon Eram managed to turn around before huge Vendari hands grabbed him. The crown was yanked from his head, the sceptre wrested from his hand, the robe literally stripped off of him by rough Vendari hands. One Vendari female held onto the former king steadfastly in the middle of the Hall as the other Vendari warriors delivered the crown, sceptre, and robe up to the High Priest of Kikkali.