The five altars of the gods took prominent positions of the main prayer hall. At the center of the hall, in the seat in front of Angshar sat Venerable Father Qizen in a higher platform flanked by the three Venerable Uncles. Rengu was one of them, wrapped in an orange cloak, sitting on a mat to the right of the Father. Next to them were the lower Augurers and all fourteen Peers of the Five Houses. While seated on a mat, seven-foot Guren still towered over everyone. The other Peers seemed out of place seated next to him. The main prayer hall was not built for large crowds, and so there was not much room for all who wanted to be present. Kidu knelt in a quiet corner next to Pengmou.
The door burst open and a red capped Kiennese official walked in and bowed before the elders. "Oh Venerable Father, Uncles, Augerers, Ministers, Peers and all. King Gordyn, fourth of his name, arrive to you this winter's day through his regal Herald, Menquist. When the Herald speaks, know that they are the words of the King himself, and therefore--"
Menquist pushed the official aside with his staff. "Enough now, they know who I am." Menquist walked up to the seated elders. "The wisdom in this chamber may never have been collected in a single meeting in SanKai history. How many hundreds of years of knowledge are in possession of those in this room? It lifts my heart to see all of you, but alas, I wish I come to you under a less heavy circumstance."
"I wish the King's Herald more oft comes under other circumstances," Qizen said, "Good news comes by way of messenger, but the Herald brings news of war, sorrow and strife. It does not mean we welcome you less, Menquist."
Menquist bowed before the elders.
"Six days since we heard from the messenger who rode ahead of your envoy," said Xuyan, the Venerable Uncle from Sui'Ping that sat on the left of Qizen. "Pray, Menquist, we have waited this long for your direct words relating to the fate of our beloved Mazi."
Menquist glanced at the eager faces of the elders, then turned to look at all the somber faces in the room. "Master Mazi served fruitfully and with compassion, not just to the king of Kienne but to the all the rulers of the realm. This you know. He was a friend and good counsel as far south as Nathamaket where he sat by Burulgi's Title-fur. He dwelled for a time on the peaks of the Iron Mountains with King Gorrick in New Berenhall in his fortress in the sky. With them he made much progress, as he had even King Gorrick's Ash Men believing in unification. In the desert wasteland of Gamesh he endured dry summers in the Smote to re-establish the trade routes with the Yghrs. He even ventured past the Aredunian city of New Hearth into the Purged Forest, toward the heart of Isnumur. Alas, it was in this corner of the world where Mazi found no friend."
"We've read this reports to the Capital," Uncle Xuyan said. "He found no friend, but he found an army instead?"
"Yes, an army that had been created for the purpose of wiping out the barbarians from the Sea of Run," nodded Menquist, "but he learned that their ambitions did not end there. They were preparing to invade east, beginning with the Republic of Aredun. The Sword of Erehu, the Isnumurti call their army, led by a terrible warlord whom it is said has knowledge of all the ancient arts of warfare lost to the commanders of our time. Mazi reported it to our King Gordyn, who sent a battalion of archers in haste to aid Aredun. They drew our forces into the unfamiliar forest terrain of the Purge where our men were slaughtered or worse, captured. The captured men, Mazi among them, were tortured for weeks. They were slowly drained of their blood, but kept them alive."
"Drain their blood!" one of the Augerers cried. "For what demonic purpose?"
"To feed Isnumurti cannibals."
"Cannibals!" someone shouted. Murmurs and chatter filled the room.
Menquist turned to face the rest of the crowd. "They knew Mazi was special, and kept him alive the longest. I cannot fathom the torment our hero endured. And when his body would replenish no more of his life essence, his life served no more purpose to the Isnumuri. They removed his head and sent both pieces to the doorsteps of New Hearth to mock us."
"Atrocious!"
"Mazi died discovering the atrocities of the jungle peoples of the south. A war is coming with an army of bloodthirsty cannibals that have been feasting on the descendants of Arkromenyons, those barbarians, for generations. I return your son to you--no, I return our son--and may he find peace in the eternal lands of the Five, but now I ask you to act in the name of the fallen."
"What Menquist speaks of is most unnatural," Rengu said. "The Five has always taught us the natural order of the world and its elements. We have been shielded from such evil for far too long."
"Master Rengu is right, as always," Menquist continued. "I tell you that something very unnatural stirs from beyond the Purge. The Aredunians for years tried venturing into the shadows of Isnumur but have never been successful. Now, the shadows are venturing out toward us."
"No, the shadows venture toward Aredun," Qizen clarified. The room quieted. "Tell me, Grey Herald, how many thousands of miles are there between our shores and the Purge? I know if this were up to you and Rengu, we would be marching off to war now. But if I need to remind the Kienne King's Herald, we owe our allegience to Kienne, not to Aredun."
"If the Republic of Aredun falls, the rest of the east follows," Menquist said. "So it has gone for thousands of years. Aredun is the hallowed ground of ancient Menathinion, and the tide of wars have been turned in that country."
"And what of our wars, herald?" Qizen asked. "For years we have defended ourselves against outlaws and brigands who have set strongholds in the mountains. Farmer folk, the king deems them, not worth his attention. But their tactics for warfare seemingly grow more sophisticated. Some would say they receive support from the king's dissenters in the mainland. Kienne nor Aredun has offered any help with the bandit lord Brandarm. Why should we offer aid in return?"
"But we have given you aid, more aid than you can repay," Menquist said. "The House has accumulated quite a bit of debt in your fight against the bandits, haven't you? More debt than you can repay, Father Qizen. As for the bandits, I hear you have a great deal of them locked up in your prison, isn't that so?"
"Yes," Qizen answered. "They surrendered in the morning dark, seeking safe passage to the mainland and subject themselves to the King's judgement. Shall you hear them now, or is it the custom of the King to let us deal with them ourselves?"
Menquist pursed his lips. "We are here not to talk about the bandits, but I see table has been set for us to deal with this here." He glanced sideways to Rengu, who shrugged. Menquist nodded, bobbing his braided hair. "Very well, bring us the bandit for the King's judgement."
A staff was struck on the floor twice and one of the Peers led the bandit Sood by the arm. Sood was bound in chains by his feet and hands, but his hair and clothes were neat and in order. He knelt before the herald with his palms facing forward. The room fell to silence as the bandit straightened his back and held his scarred chin high.
"Herald of the great kingdom Kienne, homeland of both conquerers and builders," Sood said, showing his chains as he knelt. "I submit to you as a humble servant of your great kingdom, and ask only this: just as the noble SanKai who had sought asylum and migrated from the south many years ago onto these islands, we ask that we be afforded the same asylum as we leave these shores into servitude of the benevolent King Gordyn."
"And what do you offer in return?"
"A similar contract as the SanKai," Sood said. "Every year we shall offer the best among us to serve at the King's will, and we ask only for a dedicated corner of the country to call our own, to raise our sheep, and to foster our children. We ask this to be made to law."
"Very well spoken plea, and you make a compelling case," Menquist replied. "Enough, the show is over. Return the man to his cell."
"My lord!" Sood pleaded as he was lifted off the ground by two monks.
Menquist turned toward Sood. "If you understood Kiennese law, you would know that the Scales is an independent jurisdiction. The King's Law does not apply here unless the King invokes it through what is called King's Right, which has not been invoked. So go on, take the man back to his cell where he belongs.
Sood stared blankly as he was pulled away and removed from the room. The chains rattled until the door was closed and muffled laughter could be heard from the crowd.
Menquist waited until the noise died down. "Now that he's out of the room, I hereby invoke the King's Right."
The room erupted.
Kidu turned to Pengmou. "King's Right...is that the same as calling the banners?"
"No," Pengmou answered with a dead stare. "This is bad. The calling of banners is the gathering of SanKai forces under circumstance of emergency. King's Right is a stated intent to overthrow our government and supplant our leader with another. King's Right has been invoked in rogue territories, but never been invoked here."
The Venerable Father rose from his seat. "You cannot claim the King's Right! We are a sovereign country!"
"But I can, and I just did," Menquist announced. "Qizen e'Hanzo of Angshar House, by King's Right on this day I claim your seat. Belgred, take note."
The redcapped Kiennese official scuttled next to Menquist and began writing notes on a parchment. "On the 28th of the closing of the Moon month, of the year 2254 of the Third Age, in the hall of Angshar House, by the Rights of the Just King Gordyn the Fourth of the Unified Kingdom of Kienne, does he hereby lay claim to the seat of the Scales."
"By virtue of claiming the Scales, we erase the debt owed to the King," Menqust said. "Unless you plan to repay today.'
"You've turned these islands into a crypt," Qizen cried.