The man that was now rapidly approaching the Emperor's audience chamber was no stranger to the Imperial Palace, but the feel of it was very different this time.

Overlord Gronnus D'yoran was puffing lightly by the time he reached the great doors of the chamber. He had always been a little thick of body and face, but when this particular Overlord was stressed, he tended to overindulge at meals. Thus he was a little thicker than he had been, and it was affecting his stamina.

He had little choice as to the speed of his gait, however, as he was being hurried along by armed guards.

Any other Overlord would have taken great offense at such treatment, as it was an affront to Narlassi protocol. A sovereign either allowed unencumbered access to his person from a visiting dignitary, or he simply refused the audience. Anything in between -- such as this -- was considered a grave insult.

But Gronnus also knew that he had no clout with the Emperor. Even less so with his fellow Overlords. Any complaint would have fallen on deaf ears.

The doors were barely open before the Emperor was upon him, bringing his hawk-like nose to within a handspan of the Overlord's face. Gronnus tried not to flinch and failed.

"Well?" Z'haas demanded.

Gronnus glanced to one side and noticed that the Emperor had not bothered to dismiss the guards on either side of the door within the chamber. It was general practice to wave them away so that the Emperor can have a private conversation. If he were leaving the guards in place now, that was yet another tradition being breached. Each time he saw another tradition or protocol fall by the wayside, the more he feared the Emperor.

"What would you have me tell you, Z'haas?" Gronnus said in annoyance. He tried to maintain a hard expression against the Emperor, but his voice quavered nervously. "They trust me not. They confide nothing in me. They tell me little more than mundane matters."

Z'haas huffed, his eyes growing hard as diamonds. "And you do not have spies? You do not have slaves traded to other Overlords that can feed you information?"

Gronnus looked aghast, but he should have expected Z'haas to say such a dreadful thing. "We do not use our slaves as spies! I have told you this before. That would be a horribly taboo act to ..."

"You were not so worried about such a thing when you conspired with Freya to steal away Amanda from Roquan."

Gronnus felt uncomfortable. He really did not want to recall anything of his attempted dealings with Overlord Freya D'yros. Despite his antipathy towards Roquan, Gronnus would never again treat with the one that he often referred to as "that backstabbing bitch of an Overlord."

"Nevertheless, Z'haas, my point is that I have no information to give you and no means of obtaining it."

"Why? Tell me why, Gronnus, as I do not understand. And if I do not understand, I will start making my own conclusions. And that conclusion will be that you are conspiring to keep information from me, information that could be vital to preserving the Imperium!"

Z'haas' voice rose during his short speech, managing to make it more forceful without necessarily making it louder. Gronnus found this rather intimidating, but he tried hard not to show it.

Preserving the Imperium, Gronnus thought derisively. You mean preserving your rule of the Imperium, and to the hells with everything else!

Z'haas folded his arms. "Do not delay in answering me, Overlord," he said, speaking the title as if it were an epithet. "I take that to mean you are attempting to contrive a convincing lie."

"Great gods, but you are paranoid!" Gronnus finally blurted. When he saw the anger start to blaze in Z'haas eyes, he rushed with his next statement, stumbling over some of the words in his haste to put the ill-conceived statement behind him. "You want a reason, Z'haas, for why I cannot obtain information, but you ought to know it already. I had told you that Roquan knows of my involvement with the plot against his life! Do you seriously ..."

"And he has told the others?" Z'haas interrupted sharply. "Do all the Overlords know that you have betrayed Roquan? And when considering your answer, Overlord, be aware that I just might know the answer already, so do not let me catch you in a lie. You will not leave the palace alive if you do."

This statement shocked and frightened Gronnus so badly that he did indeed have to pause in his reply. He had had his suspicions that the Emperor was growing increasingly aggressive in dealing with people that displeased him, but this went beyond what he considered even remotely acceptable. He had only half-believed some of the things he had heard about the recent purge at the Imperium. Now he faced the possibility that it was just as bad as had been conveyed to him.

"As far as I am aware, Z'haas, he has not," said Gronnus. "Again, as far as I know. If he has told someone, I would know it only if the other Overlord confronted me about it, or enough of them heard to wish to call a new Conclave to discuss ... deposing me."

Gronnus hesitated on the word, and then shuddered slightly after he had said it.

Overlords generally were allowed a great deal of leeway by their peers so long as they adhered to proper protocol and tradition when training and dealing in slaves. Even when they did violate these unofficial rules, it was generally dealt with as a private matter.

But there were some rules that simply could not be broken. An Overlord that violated one could be deposed by his peers. He would be stripped of his Overlord title, and his Manor disbanded and the slaves sold at auction.

What Gronnus had done -- conspiring with an assassin to kill a fellow Overlord -- was considered a grievous act warranting being deposed. If he wished, Roquan could inform the other Overlords of what Gronnus had done. Instead, only Roquan, Rennis, and Doran knew about it. It was a huge weight hanging over Gronnus' head.

"And again, I ask you, why can you not obtain information from more direct methods?" Z'haas demanded.

"Hellfire, Z'haas, you are not listening to me!" Gronnus cried in exasperation. "If Roquan ever suspects that I am poking into places he does not want me to be, he can hold that knowledge of my collusion over my head!"

"And do you not have something to hold over him? What of Amanda? What of the fact that she has not had the Draught? I thought that was another of your precious traditions."

Despite his fear of the Emperor, he almost bristled when he heard the sneer in Z'haas' voice on his last two words. "I cannot use that against him," Gronnus said in a low voice, almost growling the response.

"Do not test my patience, Overlord. You will explain any answer you give me. Why can you not use this against him?"

Gronnus' face was tinged red in his growing anger and frustration. By all rights he should have been able to get Roquan deposed for training a slave who had not been given the Draught of Forgetfulness after being brought into Narlass. It was done to all those that were taken as new slaves. By making them forget their past life before coming to Narlass, it made them more tractable and easier to train.

Amanda had never taken the Draught. Freya had discovered this, but would not let Gronnus use the information. Instead she had insisted on using it for her own little power play, and for the trophy of Amanda herself. By the time Freya's plans had collapsed, Roquan had manipulated events so that he would be held in high esteem while Gronnus would be made to look like the fool.

"Roquan is far too influential at the moment," Gronnus replied.

"Nonsense. Even the greatest Noble can be brought down to the gutter by discovering his improprieties and whispering them into the right ear."

"You do not understand, Z'haas, and that has been the crux of our disagreement all along. Roquan is impervious to slander at the moment. It is too soon after the Conclave. Events are still fresh in the other Overlords' minds. If I were to accuse him of such a thing, I would be laughed at!"

The embarrassment in Gronnus' cheeks was evidence that he was telling the truth. It was also an admission that the others thought him the fool. It was something he rarely would admit even to himself.

Z'haas stared at the Overlord for a long, hard moment, as if searching for something to use against the man, something in the reply that he could throw back at Gronnus. When he found nothing, he turned on his heel and clenched his hands into fists at his sides in frustration.

"Roquan is an Overlord," Z'haas said through clenched teeth, the barely contained fury in his voice evident. "Nothing more, nothing less. He has no true power in the Empire. He never did, and he does not now." After a moment's pause, he whirled around to face Gronnus again, and gave vent to a little of his rage. "So why are you all treating him like a gods-damned MESSIAH?!"

The last word echoed through the cavernous chamber for a few moments before it was again quiet.

Gronnus swallowed once as he looked into the Emperor's narrow, burning eyes. "I have no answers for you, Z'haas. So ... so order your guards to strike me dead now, if that is what you desire, if you believe I am of no further use to you. End my frustrations. End my sleepless nights. End my ..."

Without taking his eyes from the Overlord, Z'haas raised a hand and gestured. As one, the two guards left their posts on either side of the door and stepped up behind Gronnus. Another gesture, and there was the sound of sliding steel as the blades were drawn.

Gronnus' eyes shimmered as he stared at the Emperor, his corpulent form visibly quaking. His gaze tracked the Emperor's hand as it rose again and hung in mid-air. His lips parted, but his throat locked up when he tried to speak. All the while, the Emperor never stopped giving Gronnus a cold stare.

"Make no mistake about this," Z'haas said in a low and deadly voice. "I will do so if I feel you are conspiring with the Overlords against me. I will do so if I feel you are somehow working against the Imperium. I will do so if I suspect you are even remotely trying to delay or inconvenience me. You will understand, here and now, just how important preserving the Imperium is to me. You have failed to comprehend this."

"S-so what I have heard ... about the purges ..." Gronnus croaked.

"I do not know what you have heard, and I do not care. But I have indeed rid myself of people that I suspected of moving against me, or that would move against me given the chance. But I fear that I have not rooted out all of them. The Overlords will not roll over and play dead. They will continue in their efforts to usurp the throne. That must not happen. I will stop it at all costs. Even the cost of a life. Or several lives."

Gronnus looked at the Emperor in a new light. He now felt that Z'haas was truly mad. No Emperor had ever taken such a line. An Emperor was concerned with caring for the nation, not his own personal power. No matter what the threat to the realm, a good Emperor was willing to step aside if new leadership was needed. It was why nearly all Overlord-initiated or Nobility-initiated coups in the past were bloodless. The Emperor never put up armed resistance if the conspirators managed to penetrate the Emperor's inner sanctum.

Instead, the Emperor would negotiate with the usurpers. Sometimes the Emperor remained in power as a result, if he agreed to redress their grievances.

Z'haas had alluded in the past to some sort of threat to Oceanus, one that he felt he alone could handle. Thus he was intent on staying in power. Several times Gronnus had asked the Emperor to be more explicit about his fears, so that the Overlords could help. Each time the Emperor refused and simply stated that the Overlords could be only a hindrance and never a help.

With Roquan it had been worse; Z'haas had claimed that he was colluding with the enemy directly. Whoever this nameless enemy was.

After a long moment, Z'haas completed his gesture. Gronnus gasped and tensed, but rather than being run through as he had expected, he instead heard the sound of swords being sheathed, and of footsteps as the guards returned to their posts.

Gronnus let out a sigh of relief. His knees shook briefly.

"You are still of a use to me," Z'haas said as he turned and walked towards his throne, his cloak billowing behind him. "But only if you can get me the information I desire."

"Then give me a specific task," Gronnus said in a shaky voice as the Emperor ascended the dais to his throne. "I cannot continue foundering as I have been simply waiting for choice bits of information to fall into my lap, because it will not happen. Nor will arbitrary spying."

The Emperor turned and sat down regally on his throne. He rested his arms on the sides and gave the Overlord a haughty look. "The Overlords will be making a move. Find out what it is."

"I need something more than that."

The Emperor's eyes blazed, but he otherwise remained outwardly calm and thoughtful. "They will need a contact in the palace. Find out who it is. Find out who the Overlords may be sending to the palace or what message they may be trying to pass."

"That is still too broad. I cannot ..."

"That is all I can tell you. You will have to figure out the rest yourself. For your own sake if nothing else. Now ... leave me."

There was again the sound of weapons being drawn, though the guards did not advance from their positions at the door.

Gronnus paused a moment. He glanced towards the guards and then back to the Emperor. He knew that if he tried to attack the Emperor, he would be dead before he took more than a handful of steps. He almost considered it, if only to end the nightmare that his existence had become. Instead, he turned from the throne and headed out of the chamber, the guards standing down as he passed out of the room.

Z'haas waited until the doors had closed fully before he spoke again. "Your opinion?"

"You kept your cards close to the chest, my Emperor. Very well played."

The Emperor casually turned his head. Q'yros stepped more fully into view. "As you," the Emperor said.

The Mage gave him a sly smile. "Oh, you mean this little technique of mine? A mere parlor trick for me."

"And it was my understanding that invisibility was no simple feat."

"And it is not. For that is not what I had done. True invisibility is the stuff of myth and nothing more. But it is much easier to make oneself inconspicuous. A part of the shadows. A section of the wall. Eyes tend to simply slide past without seeing."

"In any case, Mage ... care to expand on your statement?" Z'haas said crisply.

Q'yros stepped up to the throne and placed his hands over the top of his staff. "You know more than you let on to Gronnus. That much is certain."

"Was I that obvious?"

"To me. But only because I know you so well. Gronnus did not suspect."

Z'haas frowned. "Gronnus is truly a fool. I was very tempted to end his life as he seemed to wish it just moments ago. It would have been a small loss."

Q'yros looked thoughtful. "I believe you were wise in letting him live. He is truly your only contact in the Overlords' camp."

The Emperor sneered. "Do not remind me of that. I wish it were otherwise."

"So, were you indeed baiting him?"

"I was. Consider it a test of his loyalty."

"So you know of the new conspiratorial elements already?"

"There are some I chose not to purge," said Z'haas. "But they are of little consequence in the hierarchy. Their use is limited to this."

Q'yros nodded once. "Again, well-played."

Z'haas' expression hardened. "Now ... if only the Nobility were as easy."

"Ah, but are you meeting with resistance there?"

Q'yros had tried very hard to keep the amusement from his voice. Some of it may have come through anyway, for the Emperor glared at him. "Some are questioning my decision, yes," he said through clenched teeth.

And how could you have expected they would not? Q'yros thought acidly. "How many?"

"Enough to potentially make things difficult."

"And your response?"

A long pause. "I have not finished contacting all the Nobles yet. And some wanted to consult their advisers before responding to me. As if I had given them a choice! This is not up for a vote or debate, yet some of them insist on treating it as such!"

Q'yros was glad that the Emperor did not appear to be thinking about moving against them in a military fashion. It showed that Z'haas had at least some restraint remaining.

Z'haas sighed. "Leave me, Q'yros, I need to think of my next move in light of any possible resistance from the Nobility."

Q'yros inwardly bristled at being dismissed so readily, but he simply nodded and turned to leave.

The Mage almost hoped that the Nobility would do something to put the brakes on Z'haas' plans, at least for a short time. Q'yros really needed to find out more about what kind of enemy they were dealing with. Z'haas was slowly revealing more information to him, but he had to keep pressing for more. The Mage Guild was learning some alarming things about the Portal energies that were recently used within the confines of Oceanus. He needed to know how the two were related.

Maybe then he could make sense of the Emperor's paranoia and obsessiveness.

"Really, this is getting to be something of a nuisance now," Duric said with a small sigh in a slightly strained voice.

His proclamation did little to disturb the actions of his slave Tanyee. As she had not been addressed directly, she assumed that the comment was not directed at her. She continued rocking her body back and forth in time to his thrusts. Her rear slapped lightly against Duric's body each time his manhood slid into her from behind, Tanyee's pussy making a soft, wet sound with each thrust.

"Hmm?"

Duric looked to his distracted adviser with a wry grin. It took a few moments before he finally opened his eyes and gazed at his Lord. "Oh, my apologies, my Lord," the somewhat stocky man said in a sheepish tone of voice. He cracked a tiny smile. "Your slave tends to make me forget where I am."

Duric chuckled at this. Farro J'rin, Duric's most trusted adviser, stood facing his Lord with Tanyee stretched out between them on all fours. Tanyee's lips were wrapped tightly around his cock, her mouth sliding up and down his shaft in the same rhythm as the rest of her body. Tanyee was panting lightly and trembling with increasing excitement. Her tongue pressed tightly against the underside of Farro's manhood, stroking it deeply with each movement.

Farro uttered a low moan and started to rock his hips a bit in time to Tanyee's movements. When Duric had first been assigned as Keyas Governor, Farro had been quite taken aback by the man's willingness to share his slaves with his staff. The previous ruler had jealously kept them to himself, barely even allowing his underlings even so much as a peek at them.

Yet once people got over their initial awkwardness, it had the effect that Duric had wanted; it helped cement their loyalty to him.

"Yes, Tanyee is quite good at capturing a man's attention, is she not?" Duric said with obvious affection in his voice.

"So what is the problem, my Lord?" Farro asked, making the effort to concentrate on his Lord's words.

"I am being summoned to a Farview audience as we speak."

"Oh, not the Emperor again!"

"No. Lord K'vaarik."

Farro frowned and snorted. "The man is a complete boor."

Farro knew it was safe to say this, for it was what Duric thought of him as well.

Duric grinned. He gave Tanyee a light swat on the ass and gripped her hips with his hands. Tanyee uttered a moan through her nose and quickened her pace. This made her mouth work Farro's manhood faster. Farro moaned softly and ceased moving his hips, letting Tanyee do all the work. He started panting as his pleasure rose higher.

"He may very well be, Farro," Duric said, his own voice straining as he pounded into Tanyee harder. "But he is quite influential, and must be listened to closely ... but in a moment ... there are more pressing matters to attend to ..."

Farro could not help but smile at this. It was getting harder for him to concentrate on anything but the pleasure that Duric's slave was giving him. She was so far more skilled than any Narlassi woman with whom he had ever consorted. However, he sometimes wished this were not the case. Eventually, he was expected to marry a nice young Narlassi woman, and he would hope that the lass would satisfy him in bed.

Unfortunately, many Narlassi women found some of the techniques that slaves used to be quite scandalous.

Duric's smile widened and his eyes closed as he felt his pleasure building towards a peak. Tanyee's tunnel was so wonderfully tight around his manhood, even with as long as he had been thrusting into her. Tanyee seemed quite impossible to out-endure, though he had tried on occasion.

Duric felt Tanyee quiver as the slave began rising as well. He felt little telltale squeezes around his cock that told him she was properly holding herself back from orgasm as he had instructed her. Climax was a reward for doing a good job, so he had her withhold it from herself until he was satisfied with her. So far, he always found reason to reward her.

Farro was panting hard, his own body straining as he rocketed upwards. He tried to hold back as long as he could but already knew it would be in vain. He uttered a guttural groan, his body shuddering massively as his manhood began to throb hard inside Tanyee's mouth. Tanyee stretched her neck and enveloped his cock almost completely with each forward stroke, letting him spurt his seed deep into her mouth briefly before pulling back with Duric's stroke into her from behind. Despite how fast her mouth moved on Farro's cock, she managed not to let a single drop ooze past her lips. She used her momentum to milk his cock dry before she finally let him drop from her mouth. She tilted her head forward enough to swallow slowly and obviously.

Duric gave Farro a knowing grin and redoubled the pace, slapping against Tanyee fast and hard. Tanyee moaned deeply, her eyes sliding closed. She dropped forward, bringing her shoulders almost to the floor to let him inside her as deeply as she could. She trembled with delight as Duric's cock filled her completely now with each stroke. Her lips parted and she gasped out her rising pleasure.

Duric's eyes closed tightly and his fingers flexed, digging a bit into Tanyee's skin around her hips. Finally he let out a long, loud moan and thrust forward hard, his cock starting to pulse strongly inside Tanyee's folds. Tanyee mewled in pleasure, her muscles tightening to let her approach climax but not quite make it, making her body quiver and squirm.

Duric slowed his movements, panting as his climax wound down. He paused a moment, his still semi-hard manhood buried inside Tanyee's tunnel. He could feel her muscles tensing, holding her back from orgasm. He smiled at this and slowly withdrew as he looked towards Farro. "Well?"

Farro kept his eyes level with those of his Lord. That was another thing he had to get used to was Duric's openness about sex. The very first time Duric had proposed that the two of them take their pleasure with Tanyee at the same time, Farro had balked. Now it had become business of usual, and he never thought twice about it. "Most satisfactory, my Lord. As always."

Duric nodded at this. "Tanyee?"

"Yes, Master?" replied Tanyee, still panting. She remained on all fours, as her Master had not told her to rise yet.

Duric reached between Tanyee's thighs and placed his fingers against Tanyee's still very wet and needful folds. Tanyee gasped as he stroked her. Her body quivered again as she strained short of release but did not let herself crest.

"You have pleased us well, Tanyee," said Duric.

"Th-thank you, Master ..." Tanyee said, her voice breathless.

Duric paused another moment, never slowing his strokes. "You have earned a reward. You may cum now."

Tanyee's breathing quickened even more as she eased the tension on her muscles. Her back arched and she let go with a cry as her pussy throbbed. She pressed her sex against Duric's hand as she knew he liked her to do at this point. Duric slipped his fingers deeper into her folds and then into her tunnel. Tanyee moaned constantly as her orgasm played out slowly. When she was finally spent, Duric withdrew his fingers.

"Have yourself a nice, warm bath, Tanyee," said Duric. "I may join you a little later."

Tanyee slowly rose to her feet. She beamed at her Master. "Thank you! I am happy I have pleased you and Master Farro."

Duric smiled and stroked her cheek once before gesturing for her to leave. As Tanyee passed him, he gave her a playful swat on her rear. Tanyee giggled happily before disappearing into the bathing chamber.

"The Overlords never cease to amaze me, my Lord," said Farro as he began to dress.

Duric's gaze lingered on entrance to the bathing chamber for another moment. "Oh? In what way?" he said as he turned to face his adviser.

"How they can pluck young girls from their former lives on other words and turn them into such things of grace, beauty, and pleasure."

Duric chuckled at this as he casually set about laying out his clothing for the day. He took his time, seeming to have little qualms about appearing nude before his underling. "I thought you might give me a different reason for that statement, Farro."

"Oh, do you mean this Conclave nonsense?"

Duric paused and raised an eyebrow. "Nonsense?"

"Yes, my Lord, nonsense," Farro said. There was a twinge of nervousness to his voice. Yes, Duric did encourage free thinking among his advisers, but Farro had not really pushed it very far. He was not sure where the limits were. "You seem a bit too concerned about it. There are other pressing matters that need your attention."

"Oh, such as Emperor Z'haas?"

"Exactly, my Lord."

Duric paused to look over the clothing he had laid out on his bed for a moment before starting to dress. He finally looked back up at Farro. "And you assume the two are not related in some manner?"

"Have we not been concerned about the Emperor's actions even before that?"

"Yes. I am not speaking of cause and effect here, Farro. It could very well be that the Conclave met because of the Emperor's actions."

Farro did not looked convinced. "Bah. Why would they concern themselves with such things? They care little for the entanglements of Imperial politics. So long as their slave trade thrives, it should be of little concern to them where the Imperium decides to go."

Duric paused to finish dressing. "Unless, of course, Z'haas has interfered with that commodity as well."

Farro frowned. "I have seen no evidence of this. If anyone would know, it would be me."

Duric nodded in assent at this. Farro was indeed in charge of monitoring trade and commerce for Keyas, and beyond if Duric so ordered it. Recently, Duric had been very interested in what was happening in the rest of Oceanus, so naturally Farro would be up to speed on the latest information.

But Farro had little experience in dealing with Overlords, if any. Duric could at least claim something there. He also could draw on the experiences of other members of the Garon clan, who had a long standing relationship with the Overlords, many with Roquan in particular.

The thought of this particular Overlord made the corners of Duric's mouth rise.

Farro, who was becoming familiar with his Lord's mannerisms, noticed this and narrowed his gaze. "My Lord, is there something you should be telling me?"

Duric considered. "I am not quite sure I have enough to tell you, to be honest."

"Please try me, my Lord."

"It is what I have already implied. I believe that the timing of the Conclave had something to do with the Emperor's actions. Perhaps they, too, were not pleased with something that Z'haas had done."

There was a long pause, Farro looking intensely thoughtful. Finally his eyes widened. "My Lord, you don't think that the Overlords are planning ..."

He let his words trail off, as if afraid to state it outright. Duric, however, had no use for such hesitation and folded his arms. "Say it, Farro. Do not fear the words."

Farro's lips pressed tightly together for a moment. "All right, my Lord. Are you suggesting that the Overlords are plotting a regime change?"

"It would not be the first time in Oceanus' history, now, would it?"

"With all due respect, my Lord, that does not answer my question."

Duric chuckled. "I know. That is because I do not have an answer for you. All I know is this: the Conclave met about something they considered to be very critical, and somehow Roquan was at the center of it."

Farro looked surprised. "Roquan? Roquan D'ronstaq? Tanyee's Overlord?"

"The very same."

"Why him? What is his importance?"

Duric stepped up to Farro. "Ah, that is what I do not know. And that it why I need more time to find out."

Farro nodded slowly. "Perhaps you should Farview him ..."

Duric was already shaking his head. "Not yet. I prefer him to come to me."

Farro gave Duric an odd look. "Come to you? For what?"

Now here Duric was sure he wanted to play his cards close to the vest. He had his reasons why he thought Roquan would contact him, but the last thing he wanted to do was alarm Farro. And what he was thinking was sure to alarm the fellow. It was best to be sure first. "I only have a hunch that he will come to me for something," Duric finally answered. "As to what exactly ... I am not sure."

Farro gave him a wary look. "But you have some of your own ideas."

"I may."

"But you're not going to tell me."

"Not at the moment."

Farro sighed. "Well, I suppose there is not much more for me to say on that topic, then."

Duric sensed the testiness in Farro's voice and grinned at him. He clasped a hand on Farro's shoulder. "Rest assured I will inform you as soon as I am more sure of a few things. In the meantime, I have some more research to pursue. And right now, I have a Farview audience to attend."

Farro nodded. "As you wish, my Lord. I am always at your disposal."

Duric watched his adviser turn and leave the room.

Duric forced a small smile in the man's wake. He did not like keeping things from Farro of all people. Farro was his most trusted. But he did have a tendency to react before learning all the facts. Often his instinct served him well; in this case, when it came to dealing with the Overlords, Duric felt discretion was better.

Duric took a moment to visit the bathing chamber. There he found Tanyee sitting in the water, steam rising lazily from the surface. She smiled at him in anticipation.

"I have a Farview to attend to, Tanyee," Duric said. "Pleasure yourself gently until I return."

"Yes, Master," Tanyee said in a husky voice.

Duric lingered long enough to watch his slave draw her feet towards herself under the water and drop her knees to either side. She reached down to her folds and began stroking herself slowly. Her eyes became half-lidded and she uttered soft, panting sighs.

Satisfied, Duric turned away and smiled to himself. Yes, he knew Overlords better than Farro ever would. One in particular, in fact, or at least ever since he had made it a point to learn more about the man. There was much rumor floating about Oceanus about Roquan D'ronstaq. It was hard to keep things a secret anymore for very long these days.

Duric headed into his audience chamber, the same one in which he had taken the audience from Emperor Z'haas. It was debatable whether this one would be any less taxing. At times, Lord Uras K'vaarik could be more vexing than Z'haas. Uras was the oldest of the Lords of Oceanus, and thus this afforded him a great deal of influence. Add to this the fact that the Vaarik Clan itself was practically ancient, and that allowed him to command a great deal of attention and respect from the others.

Uras' influence was such that wags often referred to him as the "Vice Emperor" of Oceanus.

Duric glanced down at himself and smoothed his tunic. He grasped the sides of his cloak and fluffed it out behind him a bit more, removing a few remaining wrinkles. He held his head aloft and intoned, "I will receive the esteemed Lord Uras K'vaarik."

The words were barely out of his mouth when a form shimmered into existence before him, and a dour man with a face reminiscent of a bulldog glowered at Duric with dark and narrow eyes below crisply combed silver hair. "You certainly took your sweet time of it, Duric," he said in a booming voice, his jowls swaying with his mouth movements.

"My apologies to you, Uras," Duric said smoothly, the smile never leaving his face. "Affairs of state. We live in interesting times, it appears."

Uras snorted loudly. "They could be far less interesting and it would be far, far better for all concerned! I do not have the time to prattle, Duric. I'll get to the point."

Duric took his seat on the throne. "Perhaps I can get there ahead of you. This is about the Emperor, is it not?"

Uras' expression became dark. Despite the fact that Duric's leaps of faith as to what the older Lord wished of him were often correct and sped up the conversation considerably, Uras did not care for the behavior. Duric knew this as well. It was his way of maintaining just that slight bit of leverage on the older Lord.

Overlords were not the only ones that played games at protocol.

"Yes, this is about that insufferable lout that sits upon the Oceanus throne!" Uras thundered, his face tinged red. "Do I need to waste my breath going over what he has done, or are you versed in it already?"

"Oh, the scoundrel has contacted me as well, Uras," Duric said, sensing the mood of the older Lord and adjusting his language accordingly. "I must say, it took him long enough."

"I beg your pardon?"

"But it was obvious he would make this play. Surely you saw it yourself. It was obvious the moment he started his saber-rattling at Colos."

"Yes, yes, yes, of course it was! It was plain as the nose on your face!"

Duric smiled and nodded. It was clear that Uras had come up to speed on what was happening only when the Emperor had contacted him about it. Influential Uras was; well-connected with current events he was not. "What is your opinion on it, Uras?"

"Do I even need to answer that? What profit is there in the Emperor's actions? He can obtain far more from trade than he could ever obtain from conquest! That is what has allowed us to remain at peace with our neighbors for two centuries! Why change this now?"

Inwardly, Duric agreed. But he had already given the outward appearance of throwing in his lot with the Emperor and had to play up to that, even if it meant earning Uras' wrath. Duric made a point of looking thoughtful for a moment before he responded. "I am sure that the Emperor has conveyed to you the gravity of the situation. The imminent threat that faces Oceanus."

"Imminent threat?! Bah! He has given me nothing but vague statements and supposition! Bones but no meat! He expects me to be swayed by mere statements of his sovereignty over me!"

Duric thought it amusing that Uras would use that very same argument to keep his vassals in line. "This is true. But ... is it not the responsibility of the Emperor to protect Oceanus from such threats?"

"Only when they are not mere shadows that he insists the Lords jump at. No, Duric, do not be swayed by him. If there is indeed a threat to the nation, let him tell us what it is. Then we will gladly send the Emperor what he needs!"

"He apparently has that covered already."

"And that, I tell you, is utter hogwash!" thundered Uras. "He cannot conduct a campaign without our support! And I am not ready to give him that support until he explains himself!"

Duric pondered this. The problem was, if the intelligence that Duric received was correct, Z'haas indeed could conjure up the supplies and manpower that was needed to conduct a campaign, assuming the Emperor stuck to limited goals as opposed to a complete occupation. With as small an army as Colos had, occupation would not be needed to make them roll over and pay homage to ... well, whatever it was Z'haas really wanted from them.

But still, if the Emperor did not have political backing at home, this could spell serious trouble for his chances of remaining on the throne.

"I assume you are aware, Uras, of the purges that have happened at the Imperium lately?" said Duric in a more serious tone of voice.

"Yes, and what of them?" demanded Uras impatiently.

"That would seem to me to indicate that he is consolidating power."

"That is obvious."

"And that would forestall any attempt to remove him from power."

Uras looked aghast. "Whoever suggested that we would do such a thing?!"

Uras knew as well as Duric did that the Overlords were not the only ones willing to initiate a regime change. But it was unusual to speak openly of such things.

"Certainly not I, Uras. I was merely making a statement as to what his motivations would be in such a situation. He believes that someone will make the attempt, thus he acted in this manner."

Uras huffed. "Show's he's paranoid if anything if you ask me."

This was exactly the point that Duric was trying to get across. The problem was, Uras did not value the input of younger Nobility, despite technically being his peer. If Duric had stated that the Emperor was paranoid, Uras might have disagreed out of spite. Instead, Duric got Uras around to his way of thinking by making Uras believe it was his own idea.

That was how the game was played with this man.

"Your insight is brilliant as always, Uras," Duric said respectfully. After a pause for effect, he added, "You do know that the Overlords have recently held a Conclave ..."

"They shall keep their noses out of this business, is what they shall do. We cannot have them running about making political decisions for the rest of us! That is old hat. It went out with the last generation. No, Duric, we will handle this ourselves."

"A wise decision, as always." It was interesting to note, Duric realized, that had the Overlords had the subject of regime change on the agenda of their Conclave, then by all rights, Z'haas should no longer be on the throne. Did something go wrong? Did an attempt fail and now Z'haas was alerted to future attempts? Was the Emperor forewarned?

The Overlords were nothing if not efficient. Things were not boding well, and it was clear that Uras was not privy to the same intelligence that Duric was. If the Overlords had acted already, Uras would have made the expected indignant noises about the idea of Overlord interference, there would be much muttering and nodding of heads from the other Lords on the matter, and then it would be quickly forgotten.

Duric would not be surprised if old Uras secretly hoped that the Overlords would take of their problem for them.

"But, Duric, tell me," Uras began, lowering his voice and fixing his penetrating stare on the younger Lord, a gaze still as sharp as cut diamond even over the Farview. "It is my understanding that you, of all people, have come over to Z'haas' side."

Duric's suspicion had been confirmed, that Uras had only played at not knowing that Duric had been contacted already. It was obvious that the Emperor had made good on his comment about mentioning Duric's apparent agreement with his plans. "Indeed I did, Uras, as I was concerned about this possible threat to Oceanus. The Emperor seemed very worried about it. I felt that it was in my interest to support him. It was not like he gave me much choice."

"Yes, he tried that ham-handed approach with me as well. Hmph. See where it got him. Nowhere! I did not cow to him so easily, Duric. If you are to amount to anything as a Lord, you will need to learn better as to when to stand up to the Emperor. He is nothing without us!"

"As you have pointed out, though, did not the Emperor mention he needs nothing from us?"

"More hogwash! He needs our political support if nothing else!"

Duric did not feel that the Emperor believed he needed even this. "And your suggested course of action?"

"That should be obvious. We shall call for a Caucus of the Noble Lords!"

Duric raised an eyebrow as if quizzically, even though he knew not only what it was, but that Uras would suggest it. He could read the elder Lord like a book.

"We, the Lords of Oceanus, will request ... will demand a Caucus with the Emperor. This is something he cannot turn down. He cannot refuse us. We will force him to meet with us and explain himself and his policies. Then, and only then, if we are satisfied with his explanation, we will vote in favor to support his policies."

Duric nodded slowly, putting on a dubious face. On the one hand, this is what he had hoped would happen. If the Emperor refused to meet with the Nobility, it would be seen as a vile insult to them. All the Noble Clans would cut off all contact with the Imperium. All Merchant Clans would embargo the Imperium lest they be shut out of the Kingdoms the Noble Clans ruled. The Mage Guild would cease to perform any services for the Imperium, lest the Merchants refuse to trade with them. It was a cascade effect that would shut down every essential service to the Imperium. It was like cutting off the head from the body. No Emperor in his right mind would risk it.

At the same time, the act of calling a Caucus was itself like a call of no-confidence against the Emperor. He could no longer feel he could trust the Nobility to let him run the Empire as he saw fit. He would feel he had to keep looking over his shoulder. Indeed, at least one coup in the past was preceded by a Caucus. Despite the Emperor giving appearances that he would bow to the will of the Lords, they elected to remove him from power anyway.

But in this case, Duric was not sure a Caucus would work. The Overlords had already Conclaved and nothing had happened. Yet it would prove to be a distraction to the Emperor that could not be ignored. It would delay Z'haas' plans if nothing else, so that the real work could be done of removing him from the throne.

Work that did not involve sitting in a stuffy chamber mired in endless debate.

"That is likely the most wise course of action, Uras," Duric said, trying to sound resigned. "I yield to your greater wisdom in this matter."

"And well you should! Now ... this will take some doing. I will need to gain consensus from the other Lords."

"What do you need me to do?"

Uras' eyes blazed at him over the Farview. "Nothing! Keep quiet! Do not spew your pro-Imperial views to anyone and taint them against the right course of action. And when it comes down to a vote, my boy ... you and I will have a long talk."

Uras gave one final huff as his image faded from sight.

Duric smiled in the older Lord's wake. He always liked it when things went exactly as he wished them to without him having to lift a finger to make it work.

But that took care of only one part of the equation. He still had to work on the other part, the part involving the Overlords. And one Overlord in particular, the one who's name kept coming up all the time.

Duric turned and headed out of the chamber and back towards his private domain. The problem was, he had turned up all he felt he could about Roquan. He had no new leads to pursue in that area without directly talking to the man, and he wanted to hold that in reserve. He needed a few cards in his own pocket before he did that.

Instead, he decided to take up a new lead. And a new name, another that had popped up quite often recently in the intelligence reports he was receiving.

Duric headed into the bath chamber. There Tanyee was panting hard, her body quivering and causing ripples in the water around her. Her head lolled to one side as her fingers continued stroking wet folds now desperate for release.

Duric watched her for a moment before saying, "Good girl, Tanyee. You may cum."

Tanyee tilted her head back and let out a loud moan as her body shuddered and her pussy throbbed. Duric waited until her fingers slowed and her breathing began to return to normal. She lifted her head and smiled at him.

"Come out of the bath and dry yourself off, Tanyee, and then we will have a little talk."

"Talk?" Tanyee asked with concern as she stood and stepped out of the water. "Have I done something wrong, Master?"

"Not at all, Tanyee. All I wish to do is find out how much you know about someone."

"Who would that be, Master?"

"A young girl named Amanda," Duric said with a smile. "I wish to know all about this apparently remarkable person ..."

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