"Follow me, please."
The creamy voice brought Lara out of her thoughts. A young man stood in front of her.
"Sorry about that; I'll follow you."
As they walked, she saw the portraits of the Consuls of the Republic on the walls. The servant stopped in front of a wooden door, covered with fine gold sheets and finely crafted.
"You may enter," he said, opening the heavy door.
A little anxious, Lara entered the room.
A bright light dazzled her, and her vision took a few seconds to adapt to it. She was at the entrance to a circular room. About ten meters away, was Lisandro, the current Consul of the Republic. Sitting in his golden wooden seat, his forehead surrounded by the double golden hoop, the symbol of his rank, he led the meeting of the twelve Kaisers of the Republic. His hair was curly and black, like the carefully maintained short beard he wore. His green eyes were alert and contrasted with his skin tanned by the sun.
It was difficult to realize his high stature and athletic physique in his sitting position. Lisandro wore his formal uniform, black pants decorated with two golden vertical lines, and a jacket cut from thick blue fabric with golden embroidery. On his collar, rested a pin representing a phoenix.
Divided into two hemicycles, the representatives of the twelve domains each stood in a small lodge struck with the symbol of their Domain. They were most often accompanied by two or three assistants. They also wore their official uniforms, in the colors of their respective territories. The Aselions of the First Domain dominated with their height. The skin of the Critoqs of the Second Domain shimmered in the sunlight that filtered through the high windows. Their tiny blue-green scales illuminated as they moved. The wings of the Phemacians rose behind their backs, carefully folded.
Intimidated by the solemn atmosphere, Lara saluted as she had learned, wishing more than anything to be elsewhere. Her gaze went over the expressions of the Kaisers. She read satisfaction, wariness, and contempt.
The silence in the room made her uncomfortable. She had no idea why they had summoned her. And by Elhain, why was Aydan standing alongside another Herald, three steps behind Phemacia's Kaiser?
Consul Lisandro finally spoke.
"Lara Darc, daughter of the Twelfth Domain, I decided to name you Scion. The twelve Kaisers already validated my choice. Do you accept it?"
She remained silent. Her brain couldn't process what she just heard. She felt her hands shake and hugged them to hide her confusion. She swallowed her saliva with difficulty.
"There must be a mistake," she whispered weakly.
"There is no mistake," Consul Lisandro replied in a compassionate tone. "Rather an honor to serve the Republic."
Disbelief, joy, and fear battled inside her.
Being the Scion meant living in the Palace, which meant maids and servants. She could never keep her secret here. Kaligula's minions would find her in a heartbeat. She carefully avoided meeting Aydan's gaze. How could he have done this to her? She was sure he knew. He hadn't come for her but for the Scion. She clenched her fists. She was furious he hadn't told her anything. Where was the honor there? She felt betrayed.
"No, I can't accept," she mumbled.
She looked up to face the surprised whispers of the Kaisers. She tried to control her emotions despite the tears that threatened to pour out.
"Is there a valid reason for your answer? Lisandro gently asked.
His hands joined under his chin.
Lara bit her lips and shook her head.
"Maybe… but I can't tell you."
"Oh…"
His hand came to caress his short beard in an unconscious gesture.
"We did not expect a refusal."
"I'm sorry," she replied with a pale smile.
"Could you consider a period of reflection before giving us your final answer?"
"I have time to think about it?" She repeated, surprised.
"You could discuss it with your father, or any other person of your choice," The Consul added.
"Seriously?"
"Yes. I can understand how overwhelmed you feel right now. Do not make such an important decision for the rest of your life, for the unity of the entire Republic, on hasty thinking."
"Thank you," she said. "May I leave?"
"Certainly. Feel free to come back when you deem it necessary. But we need an answer in three days at the latest."
"Thank you," she repeated.
She said her goodbye and took the three regulatory back steps before turning to walk towards the exit.
Calm down, walk slowly, she kept repeating herself.
She closed the door behind her as gently as possible and allowed herself a sigh of relief. Her heart was pounding. She had exposed herself dangerously. She had to plunge back into anonymity as quickly as possible. Her father would know what to do. They had to leave immediately.
*****
"Well, it didn't go as planned," Franz of Critoq said.
"She is young."
"No more than I when I became Scion back in the day," Lisandro replied.
He ran a hand over his face, worried.
"What will we do if she doesn't change her mind?
"We will choose another candidate," Lucrezia, High Priestess of Elhain and representative of the Tenth Domain Slesudor, replied. "It will not be the first time, even if it happens rarely."
"But we are not the only ones who know she was chosen to be the Scion. The palace staff will eventually let the word out. We must put her under protection."
"I agree," Jafar said.
He was concerned about the girl's untimely refusal. She was more in danger than she thought.
"I told you she would refuse, Aydan whispered.
He stood motionless behind the Kaiser of the Ninth Domain, his hands crossed behind his back, Abbas at his side. Some hope returned to the Kaiser of Phemacia.
"I imagine you already have a suggestion for us." Chirone, the Kaiser of the Fourth Domain, said to Jafar.
"Oh, I bet he's going to find us a Mecen," Franz said with disdain.
"Do you have a problem with that? Consul Lisandro calmly inquired.
"No," the Kaiser of the Second Domain promptly replied.
"It's decided then… Unless someone has an objection."
Only silence answered the Consul.
"Good. Jafar?"
"Aydan, you follow her. Don't leave her side, and bring her back when she makes her decision. I'm counting on you."
"At your command, Kaiser," the young Herald replied with a salute.
He only took a few seconds to disappear into one of the many corridors.
"A simple Herald?" Franz questioned, skeptical.
"A kid nonetheless…" The Kaiser of the Eighth Domain added. "What are you thinking, Jafar?"
"She knows him and will trust him."
"A good choice," Lucrezia approved, with a smile for her old friend. It would be much more suspicious to assign her an old Harbinger. The Herald is about the same age, that's good.
"If you say so," the Kaiser of the Eighth Domain said as he sank into his chair.
Perhaps he should dispatch one of his agents for discreet surveillance. The Mecens were certainly elite soldiers, but they weren't perfect either. It was better to play it safe.
****
Lara only stopped running once inside her home. For good measure, she locked the door behind her, before leaning against the frame, exhausted and short of breath.
"Lara? It's you?" Lask asked in a worried voice.
"Yes," She managed. "Everything is fine."
"Are you sure?"
Her father soon appeared in the doorway which overlooked the entrance, carrying a large cloth in his arms.
"Tell me we have to leave soon," she implored him.
"Is it so serious for us to leave?" Lask promptly got rid of his fabric on the first table within range.
"Yes… No… I don't know," She whispered, letting herself slide to the ground, her head in her hands.
Lask walked toward her, squatted down, and gently caressed her cheek.
"We will find a solution together, alright? We always do. Give me time to close the store, then we'll talk. Can you make tea in the meantime?"
"Ok." She whispered.
"Good. I won't be long." Lask promised.
Left alone, Lara got up slowly and finally took the time to take off her coat and gloves. What pushed her to panic like this?
She went to the kitchen and poured water into the kettle before heating it. Then, she took out two mugs and two small spoons. She grabbed the cake box and the honey before putting everything on the table. She didn't resist the temptation to bite into an almond cookie.
The kettle whistled. She removed it from the fire before adding a handful of tea leaves.
Lask came back not long after and sat on a chair.
"Alright. Tell me everything, kiddo."
The girl summed up her meeting with the Consul and the Kaisers of the Republic.
"They want me to be the Scion," she concluded.
She added some honey to her cup and held it with her hands, letting the heat spread in her.
"I see," Lask whispered, taking a sip of the hot drink.
"You don't seem surprised," Lara observed.
"I expected it," he admitted.
"And you didn't tell me?"
A trace of anger flourished in her. He knew from the start! And he never told her about his suspicions.
"Lara…"
"Can you imagine me stuck in the Palace at the mercy of the Bourges? Alone? And how would you like me to hide the color of my skin still?"
Her tone had risen as her complaint progressed.
"One day this secret will no longer be one."
She remained speechless.
"Since your birth, I have only sought to protect you," he went on. "But, there comes a time when running is no longer useful. Perhaps this is a sign that you must accept your destiny."
"But…"
"I thought about it a lot, Lara," he said. "We have traveled a lot, and it hasn't allowed us to avoid danger. Camouflaging your appearance has never allowed us to go completely unnoticed. The Emperor's soldiers always ended up finding us. Other times, we aroused enough suspicion to have to change places again. Your appearance is just the tip of your ancestry, Lara. In you lies a power that only waits to be awakened."
"I don't want it. I just want... I just want to be normal. Having friends without worrying about who will betray me. Go to the thermal baths, and take a simple hot bath in an inn without fear of being discovered. You can't understand. I only show the world a face that is not mine."
"Do you think you are the only one to complain about your appearance? Have you not seen during our travels that was the case for some young people your age? What about the Odirians who adorn their forehead with the symbol of their profession? And I'm not even talking about the centaurs of Jaborith. They are the only people of the Republic who cannot unite with others! Do they not feel alone, excluded too? Don't think you're alone in having a secret. They are different from person to person, but everyone has a burden."
Lara felt anger invading her. The discussion wasn't going as planned at all! She had hoped to find support in her father, but he was trying to prove to her just the opposite.
"I'm going upstairs," she suddenly said, cutting the conversation short. "I'm tired. Goodnight."
Lask held back a sigh while his daughter climbed the stairs. He felt the full weight of her dissatisfaction in the thud of each step. Adolescence was really a complicated time to manage. All these changes, and no one but her father to talk to... Not to mention the developments in her ways of understanding the world. Her bitterness in the face of injustices, her impression that her destiny had been set since her birth... She had to learn that Elhain wasn't controlling everything and that it was up to her to take charge of her life. He shrugged his shoulders, a bit fatalistic. Life would eventually teach her what he was trying to convey with his words.