the scribes watching
him
before he’d dealt with his parents. That Lord Advisor Ephaim Noll had probably been furious that he lacked details when he confronted Kambil about the incident, and Kambil had shown his usual stupidity by assuming that Noll had had ordinary spies. No, the spies weren’t ordinary or out in plain sight, and Delin had caused the new one listening beyond the walls of his tiny room to go into a permanent paralysis after tearing up what he’d just written down. That was right after Delin had been freed, of course, and his skulking around had kept any other of them from following him to the kitchens where he’d killed the servant woman with a heart attack.
He’d had to kill only one more of the scribes, the one he’d forced to bring him all the transcripts of what had been going on since the new Five had taken over. Those transcripts had been piling up, since the only Advisors who knew about them were now dead, and Delin had actually done the scribes a favor by reading them. The scribes could have gone on until the last one died of old age, piling up pages that no one knew about and therefore could not read. There was no one for the scribes to report to, but Delin had killed the last one anyway, to keep the man from
finding
someone to report to…
So Delin knew exactly who Kambil’s enemies were, and of course the fool had left them alive. The man seemed to think that power was for waving in the faces of people you disliked, and then you simply took your power and walked away from those people. It seemed that Delin alone knew that power enabled you to bring before you those who merited death, a fate you gave them after causing them the additional agony of telling them about it beforehand. That way they were
not
left able to store up resentment against you while they plotted your downfall.
Too many members of the nobility knew in their bones that any noble Blending on the Throne had been put there rather than having won to the place, and that despite
their
supposed win. That meant most of the nobility thought of the Five as servants of the empire and therefore of themselves, rather than the rulers of it and them the way Kambil believed. The fool had no idea how many plots were being hatched against him by those he’d exercised
his
kind of power against, and Delin wouldn’t have told him even if he’d asked. It would be much more amusing to watch to see which of those plots actually managed to succeed.
But he, of course, would keep himself out of the path of them. If the others of his groupmates were taken down along with Kambil, well, that would just be too bad. They’d all had a hand in adding to his torture, and even though they couldn’t really be considered responsible, they’d still had that hand in. If they ended up savaged, Delin would shed no tears of remorse.
And now
, he thought as he stretched just a little,
it’s time for my evening gruel.
After that he would sit thinking for a while, and then he would go to bed as usual. The new scribe watching him would also settle down for the night, but would stay awake even though nothing would be expected to happen. Delin would put the man to sleep when he was ready to get up again, and would waken him again after he’d finished his night’s work.
And he’d have to do the same thing to the scribes watching his groupmates, assuming he decided to present the four with a small gift. If he did, a time would come for Delin to mention those gifts openly, but for now it would be enough that he gave them—if he did. And if he did then one day the four would learn about the gifts, and then it would be Delin’s turn to laugh…
* * *
Lady Eltrina Razas walked into the small suite in the very exclusive inn she had frequented many times, glancing around to see how the sitting room was furnished. Each of the inn’s suites were furnished differently, of course, but the one she usually occupied was unfortunately already taken. This one was a bit
him
before he’d dealt with his parents. That Lord Advisor Ephaim Noll had probably been furious that he lacked details when he confronted Kambil about the incident, and Kambil had shown his usual stupidity by assuming that Noll had had ordinary spies. No, the spies weren’t ordinary or out in plain sight, and Delin had caused the new one listening beyond the walls of his tiny room to go into a permanent paralysis after tearing up what he’d just written down. That was right after Delin had been freed, of course, and his skulking around had kept any other of them from following him to the kitchens where he’d killed the servant woman with a heart attack.
He’d had to kill only one more of the scribes, the one he’d forced to bring him all the transcripts of what had been going on since the new Five had taken over. Those transcripts had been piling up, since the only Advisors who knew about them were now dead, and Delin had actually done the scribes a favor by reading them. The scribes could have gone on until the last one died of old age, piling up pages that no one knew about and therefore could not read. There was no one for the scribes to report to, but Delin had killed the last one anyway, to keep the man from
finding
someone to report to…
So Delin knew exactly who Kambil’s enemies were, and of course the fool had left them alive. The man seemed to think that power was for waving in the faces of people you disliked, and then you simply took your power and walked away from those people. It seemed that Delin alone knew that power enabled you to bring before you those who merited death, a fate you gave them after causing them the additional agony of telling them about it beforehand. That way they were
not
left able to store up resentment against you while they plotted your downfall.
Too many members of the nobility knew in their bones that any noble Blending on the Throne had been put there rather than having won to the place, and that despite
their
supposed win. That meant most of the nobility thought of the Five as servants of the empire and therefore of themselves, rather than the rulers of it and them the way Kambil believed. The fool had no idea how many plots were being hatched against him by those he’d exercised
his
kind of power against, and Delin wouldn’t have told him even if he’d asked. It would be much more amusing to watch to see which of those plots actually managed to succeed.
But he, of course, would keep himself out of the path of them. If the others of his groupmates were taken down along with Kambil, well, that would just be too bad. They’d all had a hand in adding to his torture, and even though they couldn’t really be considered responsible, they’d still had that hand in. If they ended up savaged, Delin would shed no tears of remorse.
And now
, he thought as he stretched just a little,
it’s time for my evening gruel.
After that he would sit thinking for a while, and then he would go to bed as usual. The new scribe watching him would also settle down for the night, but would stay awake even though nothing would be expected to happen. Delin would put the man to sleep when he was ready to get up again, and would waken him again after he’d finished his night’s work.
And he’d have to do the same thing to the scribes watching his groupmates, assuming he decided to present the four with a small gift. If he did, a time would come for Delin to mention those gifts openly, but for now it would be enough that he gave them—if he did. And if he did then one day the four would learn about the gifts, and then it would be Delin’s turn to laugh…
* * *
Lady Eltrina Razas walked into the small suite in the very exclusive inn she had frequented many times, glancing around to see how the sitting room was furnished. Each of the inn’s suites were furnished differently, of course, but the one she usually occupied was unfortunately already taken. This one was a bit
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