He entered the War Council room and everybody was still there. They were all backing the door, facing the window where his usual place was. He walked slowly on the path dividing the houses, two on the left and two on the right. The fifth was not present as it was the rival house of the Warchild and the city of Beran was the most distant and there were not many Shadows's Assassins allowed in his castle but the one representing the House and his monk and he was in Beran right now. Lucky for him, his newborn child coming into this world would save his life...
Who knew?
He did not intend to kill the members of his council either...but if he would, well.... he would make sure that the house of Shadows's Assassins would be there too, as it was the only one that could be considered opposed as power and ranks as only this house has been given most of the kings of the Shadow people. The royal blood was split between the houses but for the last 120 years there were only the Warchild kings who held the throne. The last Shadows's Assassins king was challenged by the Warchild as the low would require and was only the law who gave the right to rule. The first law of the shadows was that they would only keep what they could take. And make no mistake, when it came to taking, the shadows could take it all and even more.
The shadow people were warriors living in their fortresses and they would rarely descended from the mountains to people's cities. They were usually descending when they were sent in missions or when they would go to war, which was what they were actually build for. They were not peasants who would work the fields or miners who would be found in the mines. They were warriors and their life was the war.
They would kill just as they breathed and they were always ready to go to war as if they would just have a meal. They were also ranked, as the lower shadows were the impure ones, those conceived by shadows and humans. Usually shadows would not take a human mate as they were thinking to be below them, humans being only meanings to whatever shadows would need them to do. Usually they would just take a human as they pleased. But not many human women could resist giving birth a demon child so it was known that they would die before they could even see their children. The shadows had in common the power of taking the human energy life, so when the half breed was born, they usually breath the mother's life out of her before they could even open their eyes in this world.
After the impure ones came the full shadows as they would be born from full shadows parents. A shadow woman could resist the birth so they would be very treasured in this shadow world, but as they were warriors, many would die on the battlefield or they would be bided as doing the dirty job as great assassins. The ones that were married would have almost a slave like positions to the husband they were belonging to. To be a woman in the world of the shadow was nothing. They would treasure more the war horses that would be taking them to war instead of treasure their women. Women had only duties and before their husband they would always answer to the king first. When the husband would die, they would marry into the husband's house, to keep the bloodline secure and bear heirs to the same family, to the husband's brothers.
The full shadows would be summoned only by the royal Houses that were always in a cold war, only weaving strategies into the net of power, trying to grab the power status of the elite. The Elite was the descendants of royal blood, heirs of the throne and Lords of the five houses. Each house had a few elite families gathered under the same flag and seal, and counted by the male Lords but there was also one Lady left, a child, and she was belonging in the House of Shadows's 'Assassins. Her parents were killed in the missions the King had sent them, it was usually that the kind would reduce the elite ranks by sending them on war missions and reducing them would only secure the throne for him.
As for the present, as he had killed the entire council members in a blink of an eye, out of being impulsive, he had lost his war Generals, the experienced ones. But without worries, he sighed carelessly thinking already that these sons already had the mental connection with the deceased fathers, which increased the knowledge inherited from them by gathering all the information held by the generals until then, with the obedience of the young people that he could control better. They were not yet experienced in life as their fathers were, and he knew they were looking at him with admiration and adulation as who would not be wanting to be the King's privileged right hand?
What they did not know it was that the position would not be available at any time, as the King would be the only one to think and decide on the matters of the kingdom. He was territorial, and what was his, no one would dare to touch. The law of the shadows was actually that "do not touch what does not belong to you".
The King reached to sit on the throne placed in the back of the room. He sit and in silence gazes upon the young boys who would became Lords of their houses now that their fathers were gone. The older was not more than in his latest twenties. The younger was maybe around 17? close to that, he thought. Children easy to manipulate at his will, he thought. Good.
-You are to swear your allegiance to me, the King said. Then we can discuss about changing to that stupid old law of yours, he said.
-The Old laws can not be changed, My King, the Monk behind him bowed his head and knelled on the right side of the throne.
-Are you saying I am not the King Monk? his eyes turned towards his monk and his voice stated the anger.
-I am saying the old law states the duty of the King to repair one bloodline of the houses, which is a good thing for our kingdom as this is the chance to secure your bloodline with an heir My King. The Monk had spoken in a low, soft and calm voice so he would not raise the anger of the king even more.
-Or i can just kill the New Council... the king mocked all the audience that froze in the room. He could swear no one was even breathing in there, waiting for the silence to break.
-You could, My King, the monk said softly. But then again, the same law would be standing and you would just kill more of your pure Lords. The monk was stated the obvious, saving them all. He was really telling the king there was no option he could grab now, no other choice but to marry ??? That was unbelievable. No one alive would be willing to testify that Sheng Zung could ever be forced to do something he did not want to do and marriage was not ever what he would chose. A woman he did not need as any would be more than willing to satisfy him at the at the slightest glance or allusion thrown in their direction.
But after the satisfaction he needed nothing from them. Little children were not his thing, maybe at some point when he would be old and take a woman to get him one and of course she would take care in raising the brat. But he needed no wife, because that was a liability and a weakness and he could not bear the thought of him being weak.
-I do not need a woman Monk and if i were to need one, i could chose it myself, he said.
-We know, My King, but the law is coming handing for the kingdom. Is not a woman demanding you to take, but only to grow the power of the king. It is a wife who would bear you a son.
-So are you saying i should chose a house to bring new blood in? But i already have my house and when i will take a wife i will bring it in, he tried to get away.
-Your house was not wronged, My King, the monk said.
-Who is saying I have wronged you?? the king's voice thundered in the room looking at the frightened young Lords. None of them dared to look up at him, yet they were still standing there demanding in silence for a right.
See monk? No one. Or maybe you want to say something? an ironic smile lifted the corner of his mouth as he looked at the monk who was still standing with his head bowed at the right of his throne, right behind him.
-My king, he dared to look up towards the king's face, but careful not to look him in the eyes. You will benefit from new alliances like this, and you get the chance to win an heir too. The Old laws protects the kingdom and the kingdom is you, My King.
-Why do I need protection monk? Is anyone threatening me?? the king was mocking him now.
-Sometimes Your Highness, the King himself is becoming a threatening, the monk bowed his head again, speaking calmer. He knew he was the King's right hand and he would be the only one the King would really listen to, but even so, he could not guarantee there was reason in this because he was thinking he had the trust of the royal blood, yet when it comes to proof, he had none. The King really had trust issues and it was justified thinking that betrayal was the only thing that scared him as only that could lead to his death. In battle he had no match, no equal in was strategy either so the only thing that could really threaten his life was if anyone would betray him. Therefor, he could not trust anyone.
King lost his patience as he got bored playing with these peasants. So he just said:
-I chose the House of the Assassins. Get me the Lady Anaty.
Everybody looked up in confusion as they would have never expected him to really accept the law and take the responsibility for his impulsive actions.
-My King, the monk started again, Lady Anaty is a child. She is maybe 14? not yet strong enough to bear your son?
-She is pure blooded, is she not? he asked the entire council. He saw one of them young Lords looking at him and what he read in his eyes pleased him. You there! answer me, as u seem to know the answer at my question?
-Yes, My King.
-Well, see monk? The King spoke to the monk but still looking at the impact of his words on the face of the young Lord. If she is pureblooded i can take her as my wife and put an heir in the Assassins bloodline now. Would that be what the Old Laws stated?
The young Lord was boiling in silence but his eyes would speak louder his thoughts. He liked the Lady? So that was his weakness...Good....
-So it is settled. Let the Houses know that the King is doing his duty and the Union will be prepared and done with it as soon as the House of Assassins sends the Council here and we decide the terms of it. And i expect the House of my wife to be well represented in my War Council.
Council dismissed! and Monk, with me! The King got up and left the room walking fast, with the monk trying to keep up to his room. They got there and The King got inside, stop in front of the opening serving as a window looking at the waterfall with his hands closed at his back.
-Well are you coming in or sleeping in front of the door? he asked mocking without even looking back at the monk's face who just entered the room and closed the door behind him .
-My King...? he did hid bidding and now was waiting for him to break out angrily. Would he lose his head tonight, at least he had done his duty, as the King would have finally accepted to secure the bloodline. He could now embrace his death as he was ready.