with your devastated state in the
vid. The contrast should convince them of the brutality of Ardreath’s attack.”
I frowned at my
reflection in the mirror. Despite all the other emotions already churning
around inside me, I managed to feel panic at the idea of appearing before an
alliance council meeting.
“Don’t wrinkle
your forehead like that!” Lolena scolded me. “You’ll ruin your makeup.”
She worked on my
hair and makeup with professional speed and skill, and was just helping me into
my toga when her lookup chimed. She glanced at it and nodded. “You’re wanted
now, Lolia. Follow me quickly, because alliance council won’t like being kept
waiting.”
She hurried out
into the corridor, and headed for the portal. I chased after her in a panic. “What
do I have to say?”
“As little as possible,”
she said. “Lolek will give you your cues.”
My cues?
Everyone kept acting as if we were making a vid, and I should obediently follow
the script I was given, but this was real life, this was my life!
When we reached
the portal, Lolena dialled our destination. She didn’t bother to hide it from
me, there was no point because I knew exactly where we’d be going. The Breck
clan headed the alliance, so alliance council would be meeting in the Breck
clan hall.
When we stepped
through the portal into a corridor, I saw Lolek standing there waiting for us,
wearing the white toga with thick gold edging that proclaimed his status as a
head of clan.
“Lolia, listen
carefully,” he said. “I was right about Ardreath. He hadn’t told his clan about
hitting you. When I made the accusation, Ardreath’s father, Arden, denied it. I
then showed alliance council the vid of you. Arden accused me of faking it. I
challenged him, demanding both you and Ardreath should face a truth test, and
he had no choice but to agree.”
A truth test?
But what if I was asked about the fluid patch, or …?
“During the
test, you must only answer my questions,” continued Lolek. “Don’t be drawn into
responding to anything Ardreath or Arden says to you. Our clan’s position in
the alliance depends on you following my instructions exactly. Do you
understand?”
I gulped and
nodded.
“And don’t shame
our clan by stammering!” said Lolek.
He turned and
swept off down the corridor. I followed him, glancing over my shoulder for
Lolena, and saw her vanish off through the portal.
When I faced
forward again, I discovered Lolek had stopped by some ornate double doors. I
barely managed to avoid bumping into him, and he gave me a scathing look before
lifting his right hand into the air.
The double doors
opened in response to his gesture, and we went through them into a huge room. I
saw a circle of gilt chairs, holding about thirty men and women in formal
togas. Three chairs were bulkier and more imposing than the rest. The two women
and one man in those chairs would be from the Breck clan. The other people must
be the leaders of the other clans in the alliance.
Lolek sat down
in the single empty chair, and I saw him look across the circle at where Arden
Eastreth Calvart, the head of the Eastreth clan, was sitting. I felt a stab of
pain when I saw Ardreath standing behind his father’s chair, looking
classically handsome in an elegantly draped toga.
“The girl has no
right to wear a toga,” said Arden. “Togas may only be worn by members of
officially recognized clans. Now my son has registered his divorce, the girl has
returned to her original status as a gutter clan brat.”
He paused. “In
fairness though, she is merely following Lolek’s example. He has no right to
wear his toga either.”
Gutter clan
brat! I lifted my head and glared at Ardreath. Yesterday, I’d been his wife,
and now he was standing there, calmly listening while his father insulted me! I
knew I mustn’t say anything, but …
“Both Lolia and
I wear togas to show proper respect for the alliance council,” said Lolek
calmly. “If alliance
vid. The contrast should convince them of the brutality of Ardreath’s attack.”
I frowned at my
reflection in the mirror. Despite all the other emotions already churning
around inside me, I managed to feel panic at the idea of appearing before an
alliance council meeting.
“Don’t wrinkle
your forehead like that!” Lolena scolded me. “You’ll ruin your makeup.”
She worked on my
hair and makeup with professional speed and skill, and was just helping me into
my toga when her lookup chimed. She glanced at it and nodded. “You’re wanted
now, Lolia. Follow me quickly, because alliance council won’t like being kept
waiting.”
She hurried out
into the corridor, and headed for the portal. I chased after her in a panic. “What
do I have to say?”
“As little as possible,”
she said. “Lolek will give you your cues.”
My cues?
Everyone kept acting as if we were making a vid, and I should obediently follow
the script I was given, but this was real life, this was my life!
When we reached
the portal, Lolena dialled our destination. She didn’t bother to hide it from
me, there was no point because I knew exactly where we’d be going. The Breck
clan headed the alliance, so alliance council would be meeting in the Breck
clan hall.
When we stepped
through the portal into a corridor, I saw Lolek standing there waiting for us,
wearing the white toga with thick gold edging that proclaimed his status as a
head of clan.
“Lolia, listen
carefully,” he said. “I was right about Ardreath. He hadn’t told his clan about
hitting you. When I made the accusation, Ardreath’s father, Arden, denied it. I
then showed alliance council the vid of you. Arden accused me of faking it. I
challenged him, demanding both you and Ardreath should face a truth test, and
he had no choice but to agree.”
A truth test?
But what if I was asked about the fluid patch, or …?
“During the
test, you must only answer my questions,” continued Lolek. “Don’t be drawn into
responding to anything Ardreath or Arden says to you. Our clan’s position in
the alliance depends on you following my instructions exactly. Do you
understand?”
I gulped and
nodded.
“And don’t shame
our clan by stammering!” said Lolek.
He turned and
swept off down the corridor. I followed him, glancing over my shoulder for
Lolena, and saw her vanish off through the portal.
When I faced
forward again, I discovered Lolek had stopped by some ornate double doors. I
barely managed to avoid bumping into him, and he gave me a scathing look before
lifting his right hand into the air.
The double doors
opened in response to his gesture, and we went through them into a huge room. I
saw a circle of gilt chairs, holding about thirty men and women in formal
togas. Three chairs were bulkier and more imposing than the rest. The two women
and one man in those chairs would be from the Breck clan. The other people must
be the leaders of the other clans in the alliance.
Lolek sat down
in the single empty chair, and I saw him look across the circle at where Arden
Eastreth Calvart, the head of the Eastreth clan, was sitting. I felt a stab of
pain when I saw Ardreath standing behind his father’s chair, looking
classically handsome in an elegantly draped toga.
“The girl has no
right to wear a toga,” said Arden. “Togas may only be worn by members of
officially recognized clans. Now my son has registered his divorce, the girl has
returned to her original status as a gutter clan brat.”
He paused. “In
fairness though, she is merely following Lolek’s example. He has no right to
wear his toga either.”
Gutter clan
brat! I lifted my head and glared at Ardreath. Yesterday, I’d been his wife,
and now he was standing there, calmly listening while his father insulted me! I
knew I mustn’t say anything, but …
“Both Lolia and
I wear togas to show proper respect for the alliance council,” said Lolek
calmly. “If alliance
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