Columba was a paunchy man of thirty twelvemonths and a height of six feet and four inches. His hair had left him by the time he was twenty, his green eyes were the same shade as jade, his nose resembled a squashed piece of fruit and his mouth was so used to frowning that a smile looked unnatural. His was richly attired, wearing a bright green tunic and robe, many golden ornaments, a number of emerald rings and a jade amulet.
Sitting opposite of Minos in the Chapel of the Earth Bull, Columba inquired in his low-pitched voice: "You are positive? Taurus is dying?"
"He has not risen from his bed since the day of Falco's return." Minos replied, taking a sip of wine from his goblet. "Mm, very nice. Two and eighty twelvemonths you say? Exquisite. Now, if the coup is to be a success, I need you to switch your support from dying Taurus to someone who is in perfectly good health and that means me, myself."
Columba stared at Minos for a moment before saying: "I am not supporting a coup led by anyone who owes me money."
Minos opened his mouth only to close it once more. He then looked to the statue of the Earth Bull before as if he was going to get an answer of from a statue of lapis lazuli with horns of silver. Looking once more to Columba, Minos asked: "H-How much?"
"Five hundred pieces precisely."
"That can't be right!"
"You shouldn't gamble if you don't have the money, Minos!" Standing up, Columba grabbed his goblet, threw the wine into the clergyman's front and then hurled the cup at his head. "My wife and I will give you no support! A coup under your leadership has no chance of success!"
Stomping out of the Chapel of the Earth Bull, Columba grumbled to himself, sounding less like a man and more like a grunting ape. Giving his support to the High Priest of the Earth Bull just to save his own skin only for it to turn out that Taurus' final days were upon him. What trick of the gods was this? Why did they do this to him? There was no doubt Tigris and Oda knew about him supporting Taurus and with Minos saying that Falco had returned there was no doubt the Crown Prince of Aether knew of his treachery as well. When Tigris died and Falco ascended to the throne, the latter would probably make sure he was punished for his treacherous support of the High Priest of the Earth Bull. There was no chance of them forgiving him. He would not forgive someone for such an act, why would they?
Walking down the hallway came Scholastica, that exiled princess from Leto. Immediately Columba's eyes narrowed. Along with her brother Alboin, Columba found Scholastica to be completely useless. What was the point in granting asylum to exiled royalty? If there was no reason to help them get their kingdom back it would have been better to just put them to death.
Scholastica was fifteen twelvemonths of age and stood at a height of five feet and three and a half inches. She was slim and fair-skinned with brown eyes and long light brown hair that she kept in a ponytail with a golden clasp. Like Rowena, Scholastica wore a breastband and perizoma yet her attire was green in colour. She had some jewellery upon her body such as a golden arm ring on each arm and a golden anklet on each ankle.
There was nothing out of the ordinary of attires such as Rowena and Scholastica's. Women and girls who wore such attires were those who had taken interest in acrobatics, dancing, athletics and acting, all things that Columba and his wife Eithne considered to be absolutely vulgar. It was a view of a minority.
Striking Scholastica aside, a cruel grin spread across Columba's corpulent countenance as she cried out and hit the wall. Gazing over at the girl as she struggled to stand, a hand upon her head as she got up, Columba looked her over and thought that as long as no one else was around, he could just remove her from Aether's population.
"Columba!"
His shoulders hitching and an expression of horror spreading appearing on his front, Columba turned as he saw that his brother-in-law Falco had arrived on the scene with his fiancée Rowena, as Minos had informed Columba, and that creature Kenneth.
As Rowena helped Scholastica up, Falco approached his brother-in-law who said: "Ah, why if it isn't my brother-in-law, returned from his diplomatic mission to Tethys, named regent, engaged and very soon he will be the Divine Deucalion of Aether. Speaking of which, when you ascend to the throne, might I be given a prominent position? Perhaps Governor of the Palace? Or how about naming me Aether's master builder? Maybe both."
"Well, since you know that me and Rowena are engaged to be married, I suppose we can skip that." Falco uttered, scratching his right cheek as he looked aside. "As for my ascension, my father is fine. He is just ill and when he does pass on to the next life and I do ascend the throne, I will most certainly not be putting you in charge of running the palace or in charge of construction projects." Looking to Scholastica he inquired: "Are you alright, Scholastica?"
"I'll be fine, Falco." Scholastica replied. "Just promise me that he will not be at your wedding."
"Well, we were planning to ban Taurus from the wedding, so Columba can keep him company." Rowena uttered, a blank expression upon her countenance.
"I don't think I will, Rowena." Chuckled Columba. "I have heard from Minos himself that Taurus has not risen from his bed since Falco's return. He is dying!"
Immediately a look of shock appeared on the countenances of Falco, Rowena and Scholastica. Kenneth's expression did not change however, he simply continued to stare at Columba with narrowed orbs. He was flicking his tail back and forth and his ears were flattening against his skull. The news that Taurus was dying meant nothing to Kenneth at the moment. For him, Columba's striking of Scholastica was enough to focus on and he did not trust his master's brother-in-law to not try and strike her again.
"What?" Falco asked, uncertain if he had heard correctly.
"Taurus is dying." Columba answered, crossing his arms as he stared down at his brother-in-law.
"How? Why? Taurus is only seven and thirty twelvemonths old!" Falco exclaimed.
"And your paterfamilias is only fifty and yet he is dying." Columba countered as he proceeded to walk past the four. "Good day to you."
Falco and Rowena knew well that Tigris was not actually dying. It was not unlikely the same held true for Taurus. The question was what was wrong with Taurus? A problem with the thorax and abdomen that was either carcinoma or a problem with the heart was in no way contagious, meaning the cause of Taurus' illness was something completely different. The only question was what?
That the illness was of divine origin was a serious possibility. If the rumours were true that Taurus Minor had slain his patriarch Taurus Major, then his patricide gave reason for the gods to render him bedridden. As for his murder of Rowena's father and Hannibal, Taurus had committed those crimes in the Chapel of the Great Mother and no doubt she would be angered about such an act being committed in her chapel. Taurus' father had been said to have been killed by leprosy sent by the Sun God for beheading a statue of him, yet the possibility of Taurus Minor's illness being fatal was something that Falco, Rowena and Scholastica were uncertain of. In his seven and thirty twelvemonths of existence, Taurus Minor had committed a fair number of crimes, most of them alleged unfortunately, and he always managed to escape punishment, because most of his crimes were alleged.
Watching as his brother-in-law walked away, Falco heard Scholastica give the joyous exclamation of: "I heard from Alboin that you two are getting married! Congratulations! I am so happy for you!" Looking over to the Exiled Princess, Falco saw her clap her hands together. "When are you going to get married?"
"We were thinking in the next week or so." Rowena answered, looking to her fiancé with a warm smile.
Falco smiled back, gently took Rowena by the hand and uttered: "Hopefully, my father will have recovered at least a little bit by then."
"Speaking of your father..." Scholastica said. "I had come from the port and a ship from the Ulgen Khanate has come with gifts for your father. Buri sent a message to his khan of your father's condition and Lupus has sent fruit and mountain snow."
Gifts of fruit and mountain snow were the traditional gifts to ill monarchs. That Lupus, Ruler of the Ulgen Khanate, recognized this while Leo of Hyperion sent a hitherto unknown scion to rub Hyperion's success in the nose of an ill rival, showed how different those two monarchs were. The contrast was made even greater by the fact that when Lupus and Leo had been ill, Tigris had sent them the traditional gifts. All this proved was that Leo was both arrogant and ungrateful while Lupus was a grateful man who recognized traditions.
Lupus had ruled the Ulgen Khanate for four twelvemonths. He was a man the same age as Falco's mother Oda, having succeeded his elder brother. He was very focused on maintaining good relations with his khanate's allied states and defending it from the conquering states such as the Commodian Republic. Falco, Rowena and Scholastica had met Lupus when he had personally visited Aether two twelvemonths prior. He was a hard, but fair man, who established himself as someone willing to listen to criticism and who would not endanger the lives of his subjects needlessly.
"May the gods continue to bless Lupus, Khan of the Ulgen Khanate." Falco commented. "Him, his family and his domain... I wish I had been sent to the Ulgen Khanate rather than Tethys."
"Oh, how was your diplomatic mission there?" Scholastica inquired.
"He told me when he got back." Rowena answered. "Cheerless, colourless, very dreary."
"It sounds like somewhere I'd never want to see then." Commented Scholastica as she fidgeted with her right arm ring. "Do either of you think Taurus is dying?"
"It sounds too good to be true, Scholastica." Replied Falco with a sigh. "It just sounds too good to be true."
Gently squeezing his hand, Rowena looked to Falco and said: "Well, if he is ill, we need not worry about a coup from him."
"Or Minos!" Scholastica added. "No one is willing to support a man who owes them money."
"How many people does he even owe money to?" Falco asked, scratching his head with his left hand. "I always hear a different number from everyone else."
"From what my estimations fifty to sixty percent of the palace's population." Scholastica commented.
Falco could only nod while Rowena said: "Yes, indeed." With Minos owing so many people money, the possibility of people backing a coup led by him was unlikely. Still, Minos was no more harmless than Taurus was and so Falco and Rowena were left to wonder what Minos would get up to while the High Priest of the Earth Bull was ill.