The Way of Things: Upper Kingdom Boxed Set: Books 1, 2 and 3 in the Tails of the Upper Kingdom by H. Leighton Dickson Page A

the home of
the Chancellor Angelino Devine d’Fusillia Ho. They were not greeted in the
conventional fashion - that being a message carried by sentry from the outer
wall through the gardens to the house proper. Rather, the Chancellor met them
himself at the gate, clothed in a scandalously lush bearskin cloak and he
accompanied them inside the garden wall. They remained outside under the
careless, sleepy gaze of the moon and the new star, bright as a child of the
sun.
    It
was a winter garden, a study in contrasts, expressly designed to be viewed
under a blanket of snow. Hedges and shrubs formed dark accents to geometric
carved stones, the path soft and white. Lanterns burned from many lamp stands
and candles were hidden under bushes and mounds of rock. The high stepped
courts and black winged rooftops of Pol’Lhasa were visible from here and
its distant windows flickered with light. This garden was a place of wonder and
secret. The Chancellor did much of his business here.
    “Well?”
he said in a quiet voice. One of the figures, clad in sweeping black and silver
robes, motioned to the other in brown at his side.
    “This is Yahn Nevye. Yahn Nevye
meet Chancellor Ho.”
    The
two men exchanged bows, the man named Nevye’s being deeper, with the formal
fist to palm salute, for he was nowhere near the Chancellor in status. This did
not stop the Chancellor, however, from a bow of his own. Etiquette was one of
the many things that separated cats from animals.
    “You
are aware of the situation?” the Chancellor asked.
    “I
am, Magnificence.”
    “And?”
    “It
is a tragedy, Magnificence.”
    “This
is not our doing,” said the Chancellor. “We did not cause this. I will have you
know that before we proceed. What has happened is not only tragic, it is
sacrilege, a crime against the Kingdom that we cannot begin to comprehend. I
myself know Petrus Mercouri. He is a dear friend, and cousin to my wife’s
mother. If he dies tonight, if he dies...”
    The Chancellor broke off and the
two other men allowed him his silence. A long moment before he took a deep
breath.
    “If he dies tonight, then something
I cannot accept will follow. I will not accept. It would be worse than
no Council at all. I am led to believe you share my sentiments.”
    Nevye glanced at his companion
before nodding.
    “What happened two years ago was
also sacrilege, Magnificence. From Untouchable to Brahman. That is unnatural. I
too know and respect Petrus, but his decision has compromised the Council. It
should not have been allowed.” He raised his hands. They were gloved in thick
leather. “I was but one voice.”
    “So
you left Sha’Hadin?”
    “Yes,
Magnificence.”
    “And since then, you have been at Agara’tha?”
    “Yes, Magnificence. The First
Mage’s dream is upon us.”
    “The
First Mage has as many dreams as he has wives,” said Ho. His face was smiling.
His voice was not. “To which of them are you referring?”
    The
man in black and silver spread wide his hands. “Indeed, I have many dreams, Magnificence. But the first and last, best dream
is to see our Kingdom strong and without compromise. To see our people strong
and without compromise. To see our Empress strong and without compromise. This
situation may serve all three.”
    “I
trust you have someone already in place?”
    “Of course.”
    “Kunoichi?”
    “The
best. Perhaps, the very embodiment of this dream.”
    The
Chancellor turned to Yahn Nevye. “Is this so?”
    “It
is.”
    “Very
well. As I have said, we did not cause this, but we can use it. Two of our
worst tribulations will collide in very short order, if they haven’t yet. I
believe we are being tested, being given an opportunity to take Bushido to the highest level. We must not fail.”
    “But
Magnificence,” Nevye looked nervously at the Chancellor. “None of us is Shah’tyriah. We are not warriors. Bushido is not ours to serve.”
    “We
are all warriors for something, sidi,” said the First Mage.