Gronnus was up with the dawn. He had not slept very much at all.

He staggered over to the window, wiping his face with his hands. He raised the blind and stared bleary-eyed back towards the Manor grounds. Above the trees, the sky was tinged a salmon-pink color as the sun neared its debut. The storm had left crystal clear skies in its wake.

He turned away from the window with a sigh. He looked over towards the wall near the door, where the crossbow lay. He recalled Herdon's instructions to him.

For a moment, he considered disobeying them. It was unlikely Herdon would string the bow himself in front of Roquan. Yet he remembered what Herdon had done with the dagger. It was thus equally unlikely the assassin needed the crossbow. This just made him more nervous about why Herdon wanted to use specifically the crossbow -- his crossbow -- as the murder weapon.

Yes, he did have an answer for that. He simply did not want to see it.

Gronnus sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. No, he could not risk it. He had to do as was planned and hope that Roquan had figured out something to do. Perhaps he already had. Perhaps the plot had already been foiled. Roquan would arrive later and tell Gronnus that there was nothing to worry about.

The Overlord crossed the room. He picked up the bow and turned the crank. In his tired condition, it was a lot more work. Nevertheless, he finished it, and set the weapon down gingerly, as if afraid of triggering it accidentally. He glanced at the bolt and shuddered.

Gronnus grabbed his satchel and put it in front of the crossbow, hiding it as much as possible, at least from casual observation.

He sat down again heavily in his chair. He looked longingly towards his brandy but decided against it. He needed his mind sharp for whatever was to happen. There would be time enough afterward to get drunk.

He had a feeling he would need it. If he were still alive.

When Jollis rose that morning, he found Sirinna in a very anxious state of mind. This alone told him what he needed to know. Whatever was to transpire that morning, Amanda was now committed to it. This is as he had wished.

He shared Sirinna's anxiety. Amanda was indeed intelligent. She was indeed clever. But she was still a girl of fourteen. She was painfully young for this sort of responsibility. Very briefly, Jollis felt hatred towards his master for having him, if indirectly, put the girl into so much danger. It passed quickly, and he closed his eyes and silently begged forgiveness for his vile thoughts.

At the same time, he knew his master would understand.

Sirinna dutifully offered herself to him when he emerged from the bedchamber. He politely refused her. It would not be right. And to be truthful, he was hoping that saving himself until Amanda was available again would somehow bestow some luck upon her endeavors.

As Jollis left Sirinna's quarters, the first rays of the morning sun played upon the highest points in the Manor. As he squinted up at it, he was tempted to observe the bluff from a concealed location and find out exactly when the matter was resolved ... or was not resolved.

He decided against it. Fate would not be tempted or coerced by his actions. It was best to attend to this morning as if it were any other. There was no more he could do. It was in other's hands now.

Jollis walked away from Sirinna's quarters for what he hoped was not the last time.

Vanlo arose from his bed, rubbing at his temples in annoyance.

As with every morning nowadays, he awoke with a dull headache. It was a little better that morning. It had been a little better the morning before as well. It also seemed to clear a little faster each day.

The Healer forbade himself to make the correlation. He had made his decision to the Overlord and to the Guild. He was retired. There was no going back. His thinking had not changed. It was for the best. He was old and needed his rest now. He had to finally admit that he simply could not be as active as he once was.

Yet it did nothing for the one problem he had not considered: boredom.

Healing was his life. Even when a day went by where his services were not needed, there was always something he could find to occupy his time. In this it was an advantage that his days of sexual escapades were over. Many other Manor Healers used much if not all of their spare time indulging shamelessly in fleshy pleasures with the Overlord's slaves.

Vanlo had to fill his time in other ways, and the Manor was better for it health-wise. But now, without his Healing career, he had nothing.

After performing his morning ablutions and changing into a fresh robe, he found he could no longer resist the temptation. He left his quarters and headed for his former office.

Naturally, it had not been touched. It was exactly as he had left it. As he walked in, however, a sense of guilt came over him. What did he expect to do here? He could no longer function in his capacity as a Healer. Anything he did here would come to naught. It was likely that the new Healer would want to change everything around. He frowned at this. For him, everything was arranged perfectly. He could not imagine any other arrangement.

He wandered into the treatment room. Above him, the milky skylights glowed reddish-pink from the touch of the first rays of sunrise, casting everything in the room into a vision of soft pastels.

Vanlo looked around longingly, as if expecting to see patients lined up for him. His shoulders slumped. He turned and started back towards the inner chamber.

Just as he was about to leave, something caught his attention on the counter.

It was a very tiny black spot, well over in one corner. He might not have noticed it, save for the way the morning light diffusing through the skylights made it easier to spot.

Vanlo, who was neat to a fault, moved to brush the offending bit of dirt from the counter. Just as his hand came down, he caught a faint sparkle and stopped.

The Healer paused. He crouched and took a closer look at the spot. The detritus appeared granular. He picked up the tiny grains in his fingers and let them fall again. There was a faint, familiar odor.

Vanlo straightened, his brow furrowed. No. That made no sense whatsoever. None. Nevertheless, his curiosity was piqued enough to investigate.

He opened up one of the drawers and drew out the small cloth pouch that contained the Jonalla. He opened it and peered inside. He stood there for a long moment and finally lowered the pouch.

If he had more trust in his mental faculties at that moment, he would think that there was less Jonalla in here than he remembered.

However, he did not trust his mental faculties at that moment. Yet his mind refused to let go of the idea. Jonalla was not to be trifled with. It cannot be used willy-nilly in any potion or preparation without a specific purpose and without being carefully measured and weighed against the other ingredients.

Vanlo closed the pouch and put it back. He again paused for a long moment.

"So I cannot perform my healing duties," he said with a thoughtful stroke of his beard. "Perhaps I shall occupy my time with a full inventory of the healing supplies. Surely my successor will wish to know what he has available to him, no?"

Vanlo turned and proceeded into the inner chamber to fetch a parchment and a quill.

Golden rays of morning light began to play along the path as Roquan walked from his quarters towards the bluff. He kept his gait slow and sure, maintaining an air of confidence and propriety around him.

Remarkably, he maintained an inner sense of calm as well. He was treating this as any other large decision he had made in the past concerning his Manor or his slaves. There was no use in fretting over it. Once the decision was made, his energies were better spent in carrying it out.

Was he afraid? Yes. Roquan was no fool. Only fools do not fear. What would have made him a fool at this point was to openly display that fear.

No one attempted to intercept him as he walked into the bluff area. He spotted Doran and Rennis near the gazebo and nodded a simple greeting to them. There was nothing they could do at this point anyway, even if this were just an ordinary Point of Order debate.

He turned away from the gazebo. Unknown to him, Rennis continued to watch him. Thus when he saw Roquan suddenly turn from the path and stop before Freya's quarters, he frowned. He nudged Doran and pointed this out to him as well.

Roquan knocked crisply on the door frame. In short order, Freya opened the door, giving him a sultry smile as she stood in her robe. It was left wide open, displaying her nude body beneath.

"Yes?" she asked in a sexy voice.

"I wish to borrow Amanda."

"Oh? Do you now?"

"Yes. You will grant this request."

Freya smirked. She leaned against the door frame and thrust one leg out, tilting her hips seductively. "Will I?"

"I will not spar with you over this. I am the Overlord of this Manor. I can invoke special privilege if I need to, and I will if you force me."

"Ooo! Special privilege! Is that just a nice way of saying you wish to share a bed with me again?"

Roquan took a deep breath and let it go, trying not to bristle. "Do not play games with me, Freya, this is too important."

Freya considered for a long moment, studying Roquan's face. "Hmm ... yes, I suppose it is," she said in a more subdued voice. She lifted her hand. A chain clinked softly as Amanda came up from behind her, already cuffed. "Take her, then."

Roquan could not disguise the surprise in his face. He hesitated a moment before taking the end of the chain. He recovered, and looked at Freya. "You know."

Freya nodded once. "Whatever you have planned, try not to screw it up. I don't fancy having the burden of bidding on your slaves if you depart this world."

"Far be it for me to inconvenience you, Freya," Roquan said, though there was not as hard an edge to it as there might have been. He gave the chain a soft snap. "Come along, Amanda."

"Yes, master," Amanda said, her voice a combination of eagerness and anxiety.

"Oh, and Roquan?" Freya said before he could turn away. "Make sure you understand. This is for the morning, for whatever you need to do. She is still mine. I still intend to take her with me when I leave. Nothing excuses you from that deal."

Amanda looked to Roquan. The Overlord said nothing for a moment. Then, finally, in a slightly acid voice, "Perfectly understood, Freya. I would wish you away from the Manor if for no other reason than so I do not have to witness your treatment of this girl."

Freya's eyes widened in indignation. She slammed the door in Roquan's face.

"Master?"

Roquan glanced to Amanda. "Yes?"

"Will I still have to go with her?"

A pause. "I dearly hope not," he said simply. He snapped the chain again. "Come."

"What in hellfire does Roquan think he's doing?" Doran exclaimed as he watched Roquan lead Amanda away from Freya's quarters. He looked over to Rennis.

Rennis was shaking his head. "I have no idea. Just like I have no idea why Freya gave her to him."

Doran snorted. "Does he seriously think Gronnus will be swayed by a sharing a bed with that slave?"

Rennis frowned. "I doubt that's the case here."

"Then just what is going on? Bah! Every time I think we have everything settled, Roquan turns around and does something odd!"

"It's unlikely odd in his mind."

Doran just threw up his hands and turned away. "I simply give up! The rest of this Conclave will go as it wills. I can do nothing more."

Rennis looked back down and watched Roquan and Amanda enter Gronnus' quarters. He had the distinct feeling that control over these proceedings had slipped away from them some time ago. Yet he also wished he knew what Roquan was up to.

Was Doran right after all? Was Gronnus planning something, something into which Roquan had gleaned some insight? Now he wished this had not been such an early morning meeting. He wished he had had a chance to talk to Roquan first.

Rennis was about to turn away when he thought better of it and remained where he was. He leaned on the railing that circled the perimeter of the meeting area and waited, glancing down at Gronnus' quarters now and then.

If something were indeed being planned, this meeting would be short. He figured he did not have long to wait.

The moment the door was opened, Amanda was suddenly struck blind by bright morning sunlight and came to a stop. Roquan bumped into her, similarly affected. "Gronnus, if you would ..." she heard him say.

"What? Oh, sorry ..."

Amanda closed her eyes tightly until her eyelids no longer glowed from the blinding glare. When she opened her eyes, she could see nothing but a large purple spot before her. She blinked a few times as shapes slowly began to resolve themselves again in her field of vision.

They began to recover in time to see Overlord Gronnus step away from the window where he had just lowered the blind.

"I keep forgetting that," he said nervously.

Roquan also needed to pause a moment before he could proceed. He gave Amanda a gentle nudge on her shoulder to move her ahead a few paces so he could close the door behind him.

"Well?" Gronnus said anxiously.

"Well what, Gronnus?" Roquan said in irritation.

"Did you stop him? Did you stop this madness from happening?"

"I have been unable to do anything as yet."

Gronnus' eyes widened, giving Roquan a stricken look, but he said nothing in response.

"Your collaborator made it very difficult to do anything," Roquan said icily.

"My ... what??"

Roquan stepped out from behind Amanda and approached Gronnus. Gronnus swallowed and backed up a step, nearly stumbling when he bumped into the chair. "Do not deny this," Roquan said in a deadly voice, his eyes piercing. "How else would you have created the perfect setup for this unless it was planned? How else would you know the details of the plot?"

"I-It was not my decision to make, Roquan!" Gronnus gibbered. "I-I told Z'haas this was a bad idea when he first conceived it ..."

"When he first conceived it? You knew of this a long time before now?"

Gronnus swallowed hard. "Roquan, please ... Herdon will be here any moment! What are we going to do? And ... and why did you bring Amanda?"

Roquan was no longer listening. His eyes were looking around the room.

"What are you looking for?" Gronnus asked crossly.

"The instrument of murder. It must already be here. He cannot walk across a Manor with an exposed weapon."

Gronnus pointed towards the satchel.

Roquan looked down and spotted the crossbow. Amanda peered as well and blanched as she recognized what the weapon was. She exchanged a look with Roquan, and he knew she understood what it was.

"Indeed," said Roquan. "And you even cranked it for him. How thoughtful of you."

Before Gronnus could answer, there was a polite knock at the door.

Gronnus stared at Roquan with pleading eyes.

Roquan's lips thinned. He took a quick, deep breath. Beside him, Amanda tensed, looking nervously between the two of them. Quickly he snapped Amanda's chain and motioned for them to step to the side. "Play it as you would have," Roquan hissed softly to Gronnus.

Gronnus nodded and tried to collect himself. "Enter."

The door opened. The assassin stepped into the room.

"Good day to you, Overlord Gronnus," Herdon said, smiling. His gaze shifted to Roquan, his smile fading slightly as his eyes darted briefly to Amanda as well. "Good day to you as well, Overlord Roquan."

Gronnus swallowed again and tried to smile, stepping over quickly to Herdon as the door closed behind him. "Ah, Herdon, um, good of you to come. Uh ... I hope between all of us we can come to a satisfactory deal."

Herdon nodded at this. His eyes narrowed slightly as he again looked over to Amanda. His gaze swept her, as if looking for something. "If I may be so bold as to ask, your Lordship ... Is the lovely young slave here for you?"

Gronnus glanced over to Roquan with a desperate look.

"It is entirely possible, merchant," Roquan said smoothly. "As you may know, the vote of the Conclave is important to me. As I see it is to my opponent."

Herdon appeared to pause. It was clear he was not expecting this. "Will you be keeping her at your side during the proceedings, Overlord Roquan?" he asked respectfully.

Roquan allowed himself a small smile. "Do you find her presence overly distracting, merchant?"

Herdon smiled as well. "Quite possibly. May I ask that she be placed off to the side for the time being?"

Gronnus looked away for a moment, trying not to show his growing fear and despair.

Roquan glanced over to the side, towards the wall opposite the window. Amanda did as well, then looked towards the other. She blinked as a sliver of sunlight struck her face from between the edge of the blind and the side of the window. She glanced at the window, the bed, the floor ... and then snapped back towards the window again.

Her mouth fell open as inspiration struck.

She turned towards Roquan, but he was still looking at the opposite wall. He raised a hand and gestured towards it. "Would this be sufficiently out ..."

Amanda whirled her head back towards the wall with the window and coughed a few times.

Roquan had the presence of mind to stop and glance towards Amanda. He saw her staring at the other wall and paused. Daring not to let his own eyes flick in that direction, he said, "I do hope you are not catching a cold, Amanda."

Amanda looked at him, nonplussed for just a moment. "Um, no, master, I feel fine."

"I would certainly hope not," Roquan said officiously. He turned to the merchant. "On second thought ... the other wall would be better. I can better secure her chain to the bedpost. Perhaps the fresh air from the window will clear whatever is making her cough."

Herdon appeared to approve of this. Especially the part about securing her. He smiled. "That would work out. Thank you for being so accommodating, Overlord."

Roquan nodded once and turned. Amanda felt a small measure of relief that the Overlord had understood her hint. However, she did not know what she would do next. All she had was a very general idea in her head. She had not worked out any details at all.

Herdon's eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Gronnus. Gronnus gazed fearfully back but said nothing. Gronnus' fear increased as Herdon turned away and reached down behind the satchel.

Roquan brought Amanda over towards the wall. Amanda glanced off to the side and jerked her head very slightly towards the window. The Overlord understood and smoothly maneuvered her closer, until she was standing just to the side of it. He took the end of the chain and secured it to the nearby bedpost.

As he did so, for a brief moment, the same sliver of sunlight made him squint. At once, he understood.

Roquan's fingers alighted on her arm and slid downward. "Remain still and quiet, Amanda, and do not disturb our proceedings," Roquan said.

Amanda nodded. "Yes, master."

Then to her surprise, Roquan reached down and slapped one of her ass cheeks. She yelped and flinched.

"Do not make me punish you again for misbehavior. You have caused me enough trouble this morning. Do you understand?" His hand slid up and brushed her cuffs.

"Yes, master, I ..."

Click.

" ... understand."

Her eyes widened slightly as Roquan's hand came away. Very carefully, Amanda tried to move her wrists. One of the cuffs had been unlocked. She could slip that wrist from it if she needed to and have her hands free.

Roquan gave her a meaningful look and then turned around ...

... and found himself staring at a loaded crossbow.

"Step away from your slave, your Lordship," Herdon said in a cool voice. "Now."

Roquan tried to look surprised. "What is the meaning of this, merchant?" he said darkly.

"You will know very soon. Now do as I say."

Roquan paused, then slowly stepped to the side, keeping his eyes fixed on Herdon. As Amanda was able to see more of the scene, her mouth fell open, and her heart hammered in her chest. She swallowed and trembled.

Now Amanda had the beginnings of an plan. But at the moment, she was not sure how to do it, or if it would work. If she did not hurry and decide, Herdon may not be the right position anymore. Yet right now, Herdon's eyes flicked over to her as much as they remained on Roquan. She had to wait.

"I'm sorry, Roquan," Gronnus said sincerely. "This was out of my hands. It ..."

"Overlord Gronnus," Herdon said loudly. "If you would join him."

Gronnus paled and stared at Herdon. "What ...?"

Herdon leveled the crossbow at him, fixing the Overlord with a cold glare. "Walk over to Roquan and stand next to him. Do not make me repeat myself."

Herdon appeared distracted. Quickly Amanda turned her head and looked at the window shade. It was a simple mechanism. The shade hung from a thin wooden pole. To open it, one rolled it up and tied the cord around it that hung near one end. Immediately she saw the flaw in her plan. It would take far too long for her to lift the shade.

As soon as she turned her head towards the others again, she saw Gronnus crossing the room. Just a split second later, Herdon's eyes rested squarely on her. She simply stared back in fear. Did he see her looking at the shade? She bit her lip and held her breath.

Herdon took his eyes from her and turned his attention back towards the two Overlords. Amanda breathed a short sigh of relief.

Gronnus tried to laugh. It came out as a croaking noise. "So what are you doing to do, Herdon? Kill the two of us with but a single bolt? Then who are you going to frame for it?"

Herdon smiled. "And why do you think that is the plan?"

"Why else would you want to use my crossbow rather than stashing your own here?"

"But the problem with that, your Lordship, is that you can still claim you did not pull the trigger, and you would be believed precisely because you are an Overlord." He sneered. "I happen to find that disgusting, by the way. Overlords are treated as if they were on par with Nobility."

Roquan resisted reacting to this.

A terrified look came over Gronnus' face as he understood. "And wh-what is the purpose of killing me?!" he wailed.

Herdon did not reply. He was not about to tell them every exact detail of his plan. He did not want to give them any chance to find a weakness to exploit.

Keeping his crossbow leveled on them, he pulled out a dagger. He intended to shoot Roquan in such a way as to make it appear that he lunged at his attacker just as the crossbow fired. Next he would bury the dagger in Gronnus' chest. Gronnus would die instantly, and Roquan would not live long after. Herdon knew how to hit someone so as not kill him on the spot, but to rupture a major vessel and let his lifeblood drain from him. Roquan would be dead even before anyone responded to his shouts.

The plan was simple and neat. From what the others would see in the bloody aftermath, it would appear that Gronnus had drawn the crossbow on Roquan, but Roquan lunged with the dagger. Gronnus squeezed off the shot just as the dagger came down.

Herdon knew it was a bit of a stretch. It might not hold up were it to be taken to an Imperial court of law. Instead, he counted on the Overlords' staggering complacency and desire not to air their dirty laundry outside their own circle. They would simply not investigate it very closely if there were no evidence of Imperial entanglements. It would simply be a case of two Overlords going too far in a dispute. It had happened before.

Even without voicing his plan, the sight of two weapons in his hands raised tensions in the room. Amanda guessed that more than one was to die today and paled. She shifted closer to the window. Herdon's gaze flicked in her direction briefly and then back to the Overlords.

"And you expect me to sit still while you kill me?" Gronnus said haughtily. "And what of Amanda? A witness! You intend to do away with her as well?"

Amanda shivered as Herdon glanced at her.

"You might as well cease your bluster, Overlord," Herdon said with a sneer. "And as for the slave ... I do not need weapons to kill. Perhaps they will assume she died of fright."

Amanda fought to quell a surge of panic that rose up from inside her. Even though she succeeded at this, for the next few moments she was too frozen with fear to think about doing anything. All she could think of was finding a way to escape.

"You appear to be very cold and calculating about this, merchant," Roquan said disdainfully. "Is that a trait that the Emperor looked for specifically in hiring you?"

"I am doing the will of the Emperor," Herdon declared. "Nothing more. It is that which guides Oceanus. Which should guide Oceanus! Not your lot!"

"You have a great deal to learn about history."

Herdon laughed.

With tremendous effort Amanda overcame her fear enough to seize advantage of Herdon's brief distraction. She looked back towards the shade again. Her eye darted up, back down again. She turned her gaze forward again before Herdon had noticed.

The wooden rod looked thin. Thin and breakable. She also now had an idea how far away she stood from it. She knew she would have one chance at this. Now she was saving her own life as well as that of Roquan's and the other Overlord.

"Emperor Z'haas is making history, Overlords," Herdon said, his eyes flicking between the two. "He is saving us from a threat greater than any it had ever faced before."

Roquan raised an eyebrow. "Us? The Overlords, a threat?"

Gronnus' eyes shimmered as he looked from Roquan to Herdon anxiously, his body visibly quaking. He was unable to speak.

"Don't flatter yourself. Yes, he knows about the purpose of your Conclave, but that is not what concerns him the most. He speaks of a greater threat. One which you should be familiar with."

Roquan raised an eyebrow. Gronnus just stared at him.

Herdon snickered. "Don't look so ingenuous. You know exactly what I am talking about ..."

He began to take a step forward.

He was moving. It was now or never. Just like with Sirinna when she was about to be taken by Yanna, Amanda ceased to think. She simply acted. Everything that happened after that occurred in a few blinks of an eye.

She whirled around and grabbed the left edge of the shade. Herdon saw the movement, and turned his head, the crossbow sweeping towards her. Roquan lunged forward.

Amanda pulled on the shade with all her strength. The rod snapped easily, and blazing morning sunlight flooded the room and squarely into the merchant's face.

Dazzled by the light, Herdon's crossbow swung wide just as Roquan reached him. Gronnus shouted something incomprehensible.

And at that moment, Amanda realized that acting without thinking can have its disadvantages as well. Only now did she see the danger she was in. She turned to dive out of the way.

A crossbow bolt sliced the air.

Amanda crashed to the floor as something tripped her. It took a second more for the searing hot pain to reach her, and when it did, her body shook uncontrollably. Her stomach threatened to heave from the intensity of the torment. When her queasiness had passed, she tried to move. She felt a calf pinned to one of the support poles, and a new wave of torturous pain swept over her. She wanted to scream, but it came out only as a weak whimper as her head spun.

She reached a shaking hand to her leg. She felt the shaft of the crossbow bolt, and something liquid and warm on her fingers. When her hand came away, it shone brightly with blood.

Mercifully, she passed out.

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