Well of the Damned

Chapter 5





“They’re already assembled in the council chamber, my liege,” the boy said.

“Aw, hell,” Gavin muttered. The meeting. He was expected to name a new Supreme Councilor of the Militia, with three people hoping to be appointed. Someone was going to be unhappy but hopefully not disgruntled enough to leave his service. He rode back to the rear door of the palace, where a stable hand took Golam to be wiped down, and serving staff awaited with towels and dry slippers. Two women followed him, wiping the trail of water from the polished marble floor as he walked to the residence wing, where he continued to dry off and dress for the day.

The clothes made for him were styled like the loose-fitting tunic and trousers he’d preferred as a warrant knight, though they were adorned with elaborate stitching that seemed to him a waste of thread. His adviser and longtime friend, Edan Dawnpiper, had insisted he dress more like a king than a battler, and so Gavin offered the compromise. The high-collared jacket with narrow cuffs he couldn’t abide for anything but formal occasions, not only because during the late summer it was too hot, but because it was too snugly tailored. Despite having a contingent of ever-present guards, his years as a battler had developed and reinforced certain habits, and dressing in clothing that didn’t hinder his movement was one of the strongest — and one he wasn’t willing to change. This occasion, however, warranted the jacket, and so he let Quint hold it while he shoved his arms into the sleeves.

Dressed in clean, dry clothes and with his hair toweled and combed, he slid his sword into its ceremonial scabbard, the only dry one he had left, and went downstairs to the meeting room where the new councilors gathered, argued, and occasionally agreed on the topic of the day. He apologized for his tardiness and then took his seat at the head of the table.

Halfway down on the left sat Jophet Renaun, formerly Captain of the Guard for the Lordover Tern. Lilalian Whisperblade of the Viragon Sisterhood sat across from him, her hard, blue eyes unwavering beneath a pale-blond brow while she waited for him to begin. Beside Lila was Tennara, an experienced battler with wisdom lines beside her eyes and thin mouth. Edan sat on Gavin’s right, quill in hand and paper and ink before him. He’d taken it upon himself to record meetings until he could interview and hire a suitable scribe. The ever-watchful Daia Saberheart was present as well, sitting in her customary seat to his left. Her eyes were so pale a shade of blue that nearly everyone who found themselves a target of her steady gaze couldn’t help but squirm. The candidates kept their eyes on Gavin, conspicuously not looking at each other, or at Daia.

“We’re here to form the new Council o’the Militia,” Gavin said, “starting with me naming the new Supreme Councilor. Afore we start, does anyone have anything to say?” No one spoke. “Awright. We have three people interested in the job: Jophet Renoun, Lilalian Whisperblade, and Tennara Sikuaral. Let’s start with Jophet.”

He looked at Jophet, a man he’d first met when attempting to free Daia from wrongful imprisonment by her father, the Lordover Tern. Though his brown hair had grayed at the temples, and his blue eyes were framed with wrinkles, he exuded strength and competence.

Jophet cleared his throat and stood. He talked about receiving instruction in swordsmanship from his father, who’d been an armsman for the Lordover Lavene. He’d been a warrant knight in his youth, giving aid to people on the hope of payment by valour-gild. After taking a bride, he pledged service to the Lordover Tern and was promoted through the ranks, eventually earning the title Captain of the Guard thirteen years earlier. “In my eighteen years of loyal service, I’ve trained many armsmen, some of whom were happy to join the royal army, and some who preferred to remain warrant knights. I believe I’m most qualified for the position because of my many years serving in a similar capacity for the lordover.” He nodded and took his seat.

Next, Gavin looked at Lilalian, a stern blonde whose unwavering stare matched the sort of intensity and perseverance he looked for in a leader. She’d inherited command of the Viragon Sisterhood when its previous leader had been murdered by Brodas Ravenkind, but she’d also turned the Sisterhood against Gavin and his allies under Ravenkind’s influence. She’d recently begun cropping her hair very close to her head, probably to eliminate the need to braid it or otherwise keep it out of her way. Though Gavin could understand the practicality of it, he found himself hoping Daia wouldn’t do that to her hair. “Lilalian,” Gavin said, “you’re next. Tell us why you’re the right person for Supreme Councilor o’the Militia.”

Lilalian stood and bowed to Gavin, thanking him for his consideration. She spoke of co-founding the Viragon Sisterhood with Aminda Battlehard and serving as second-in-command for twelve years, of developing the training program, sash hierarchy, and the trials to determine promotion readiness. “In my capacity as captain, I was personally responsible for training most of your guards as well as your champion. Anyone can see they’re impressively strong, skilled battlers.” She hesitated as if she were about to say something else and then sat down.

Finally, Gavin lifted his chin at Tennara. He liked the calmness he saw in her haze, admired her strength and maturity, and appreciated her skill as a fighter on the mornings he watched from a window while his battlers exercised and practiced in the courtyard. “Go ahead, Tennara.”

The elder battler stood. Like Lilalian, she bowed to the king, and then also nodded at Daia and Edan. “I have a great deal of respect for both Jophet and Lila for their accomplishments. As for myself, I have no experience leading groups of battlers, nor training them in swordplay. I was the first woman ever to serve as a warrant knight in Thendylath, and I did so for eleven years. When I heard about the formation of a guild of women battlers in Sohan, I relinquished my warrant and joined the Viragon Sisterhood. I was the third battler to join the guild, and I was witness to many of the problems Aminda faced. I became her confidant and sounding board, though in an unofficial capacity, and helped to make most of the policies and choose some of the officers.”

“That’s a lie!” Lilalian blurted.

All eyes turned to Lilalian. The hush of shock settled over the room. Even Edan’s quill stilled for a moment before it took up its scritch-scritch across the paper once again.

“May I continue?” Tennara asked calmly.

“Go on,” Gavin said. “Try to control yourself, Lila.” He meant it as a jest, but no one even smiled.

“Though I don’t have the experience of group leadership in an official capacity, I believe I have the qualities you’re looking for: perseverance, integrity, and the understanding of what it takes to be an exceptional battler.” With that, Tennara looked directly at Daia and gave a slight nod. “I’ve identified such individuals whom others wanted to dismiss, and advocated for the dismissal of women our trainer promoted — women who, when faced with difficult circumstances, embarrassed the Sisterhood with their cowardice or lack of expertise.” She sat back down, and all eyes turned to Gavin.

“That’s unfair,” Lilalian said, standing. “Biela was accepted into the Sisterhood on a trial basis, and paid for her training with no guarantee that she’d ever be accepted. She was on her first mission — with two other, more experienced battlers — when that incident happened. She ran off, ending her provisional membership.”

“Lila, the details don’t matter right now,” Gavin said.

“She just attacked my credibility and suitability for this position. The other woman—”

“Sit down.”

Lilalian took her seat but shot Tennara a glare first. “I beg your pardon for my outburst, Your Majesty. I stand behind my decisions as captain.”

“Including the decision that led to Aminda’s death?” Tennara asked. “You’ve never had to account for your actions that day.”

Gavin looked at Daia. “Is that true? Have you ever heard the story o’how the guild leader died?”

“No,” she said. “Cirang named me a murderer, and the Sisterhood was hunting me, remember? By the time you released Lila from Ravenkind’s influence, I’d already left the Sisterhood and pledged fealty to you.”

“Shall we get back to the matter at hand?” Edan asked. “If King Gavin sees the need for a hearing, we should schedule it for another day.”

“Yeh, you’re right,” Gavin said. “This is going to be a tough decision. I have three excellent candidates here. Is anyone present willing to speak on their behalf?”

Daia stood. “I am. I have personal experience with all three. Jophet served the Lordover Tern with honor and dignity for many years. In the last three weeks, he’s been invaluable in coordinating assignments for the battlers who’ve come to join the king’s service, providing structure to a somewhat chaotic environment.

“Lilalian served as captain at the Sisterhood during the eight years I was a member. She has provided exceptional training, discipline and guidance to me and dozens of battlers and prospective battlers.

“Tennara is an excellent battler, and she stood up for me when other officers in the guild were inclined to dismiss me solely on the basis of my family name. She’s calm and rational, able to quickly evaluate any situation and respond appropriately to get it under control.”

Gavin nodded as he stood, and Daia retook her seat. Each had qualities he valued and needed, but one stood out from the others as the best choice. “Jophet, you got a lot o’experience leading and training men as the lordover’s captain. You gave me your loyalty the first time we met, risking imprisonment for defying the Lordover Tern’s order, without any guarantee o’support from me. You’re a natural leader, and when you see something needs doing, you do it.

“Lila, you have many years of experience that would be very useful, but I have concerns about your judgment. We don’t know the facts o’what happened to Aminda, but we know she was murdered in your presence.

“Tennara, your experience, skill and calm head make you invaluable to me, but you’re more suited to serve as my wife’s champion. I’ll be considering battlers for the role soon. I hope you submit your name.

“My choice for the Supreme Councilor o’the Militia is Jophet Renaun.”

Gavin offered Jophet his hand, which the new Supreme Councilor shook firmly and enthusiastically, while maintaining an optimistically stern expression. “Congratulations, Jophet.”

“I’ll serve you to the best of my ability for as long as you would have my service, my king,” Jophet said, pumping Gavin’s hand firmly.

Lilalian reached across the table and offered her hand as well. “I respect the king’s decision, and I offer my service in whatever capacity would suit you.”

Once everyone had offered his congratulations to Jophet and took their seats, Gavin said, “As Supreme Councilor o’the Militia, you’ll report directly to me. You’ll attend the cabinet meetings every week and be ready to report your status. You can say a few words now if you want.”

Jophet stood and bowed to Gavin before beginning. “I humbly thank you, Your Majesty, for this tremendous honor. And for the rest, thank you for your support. The first thing I have in mind for the militia is to appoint two council members to aid me in developing and implementing a training program, so that all our soldiers will be not only skilled battlers, but men and women who unite around a set of rules of engagement and conduct both on the field of battle and off. I believe experienced battlers with leadership skills will be most appropriate for these positions, and I’ll increase their number as our militia grows.”

He went on for a while, talking about his strategies for training people and promising to judge all battlers on their skills and not their gender.

Gavin watched Lilalian with his hidden eye the way the mage Jennalia had taught him. He hoped Lilalian would put the decision behind her and work to make herself invaluable to Jophet in his new role, perhaps as one of his new councilors. While on the outside, she appeared to accept and even support Jophet, her haze, the mystical bubble around her body, said differently. It was white, like most human hazes were, but with sparks of red like bloody lightning in the clouds.