Chapter 2

"He did WHAT?!"

The Imperial Guard was trained for bravery and courage in the face of danger to protect the Emperor from all threats. Yet even they cringed slightly at the bellow from the ancient Mage that now cast two burning eyes at them from his lined and wizened face.

"My apologies, Mage Q'yros," said one of the guards, bowing in respect. "I only know what my orders are from the Emperor."

"I do not have time for this!" Q'yros thundered, his voice booming despite his aged frame. His gnarled fingers gripped the shaft of his staff hard enough to make his hands tremble. "I need to return to the Guild Hall by this afternoon. You will power the Emperor's Portal for me!"

"I am sorry, I cannot," the Guard replied, his voice increasingly nervous. "I have my orders from the Emperor, you..."

"Shut up."

The guard immediately fell silent, even though technically only the Emperor could order him to do anything. Yet he knew it was only a fool that argued with a Mage as angry and as powerful as Q'yros.

Q'yros paused and took a deep breath to calm himself. He thumped the staff once. The crack it made against the stone floor seemed to reverberate through the room. It activated the spell on the door of his quarters, which opened as he approached it. He reached it before it had fully opened. In his anger, he whacked it with the top of his staff, sending it careening backwards on its hinges and smashing loudly against the stone wall. When it swung back towards the anxious guards after Q'yros had left, the thick wood had been splintered badly in several places.

The passages noticeably emptied as he stomped through them on his way to the Emperor's audience chamber. Before he turned the corner and headed down the passage to the chamber itself, he paused to compose himself.

It was best not to approach the Emperor in an obviously agitated state. The guards that directly protected the Emperor were far more experienced and brave than the ones that had been sent to Q'yros' quarters. While he doubted they could seriously injure him, it was best not to give them reason to react negatively to him. It would not bode well for his dealings with the Emperor.

After sufficiently toning down his fury to acceptable levels, Q'yros approached the large double-doors to the Emperor's chambers. As he had hoped, the guards opened the doors for him immediately, meaning that Z'haas was in attendance and available.

In fact, the man himself was already walking towards the opening doors just as Q'yros stepped inside. In his agitation, Q'yros was unable to wait for the Emperor to give him leave to speak, causing the guards in the room to unobtrusively lay their hands upon the hilts of their swords.

"My Emperor, I need to discuss an important matter with you," Q'yros said, letting the end of his staff thump lightly against the floor. His voice quavered in his barely contained infuriation. "In fact, I hope that a grave error has been committed."

Emperor Fenric Z'haas of Oceanus merely glanced at the Mage, hands clasped behind his back, holding his head regally erect. Torches along the periphery of the chamber reflected slightly from his balding pate. "Of course. I can have you moved to larger quarters much more befitting your title."

Q'yros paused to let that sink in. Great gods, he DID do it, the Mage thought with a mixture of shock and indignation. "My Emperor," Q'yros said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Is this wise?"

The Emperor raised his head slightly, making his nose look even more hawk-like and his overall demeanor more like that of a predator. "If you do not wish the more spacious accommodations, Q'yros, I can..."

"That is not what I mean!" Q'yros blurted. He paused and forced his voice lower. "My Emperor... is it wise to keep me away from the Guild Hall like this?"

"Most men would consider a position on the Imperial staff an honor," Z'haas said carefully. "Is this not the case?"

"Yes, my Emperor. I am indeed honored you have bestowed the title -- nay, dual titles -- of the Emperor's Personal Mage and Adviser Prime upon me." His grip on his staff tightened as he forced the words out. "But would not..."

"This is so much simpler. You no longer have to make the trek back and forth from the Guild Hall in order for me to consult with you."

"Be that as it may, my Emperor, I have been involved in the study of these odd Portal energies we have seen coming into your realm. That is more properly conducted by me at the Guild Hall."

"Surely your peers are capable of continuing this research without you there every moment. When I first voiced a concern that you were not spending enough time there, your own words to me were 'they need no babysitting from me.'"

Q'yros quietly fumed. Damn the man and his selective hearing! The Emperor had no understanding of the politics at the Mage Guild Hall.

Q'yros had his eye on the Guild Master position. It was a post he had already held some years ago before voluntarily stepping down to devote more time to the pursuit of magical research. Since then, however, he had grown disenchanted with the policies of the current Guild Master, and wished to reclaim the post for himself.

But he would not get it unless he were fully immersed in the politics of the Hall. The longer he was gone was more opportunity for the opposition to spread their influence. Already Q'yros had discovered that he was losing ground. If anything, he desired to spend more time at the Guild Hall, not less.

"My Emperor, why did you confer this honor upon me?" Q'yros asked in a tone of forced calm.

Z'haas turned away, his cloak billowing behind him as he walked. Q'yros was forced to fall into step alongside him and follow his Emperor on a slow walk around the periphery of the chamber. "That should be obvious, Q'yros. I am needing your council more and more, and to be honest, your protection as well."

Q'yros raised an eyebrow. "Protection? Surely that is what the Imperial Guard is for."

"Yes, but now we have Overlords actively planning to usurp the throne."

"You already saw to that. You have already quite thoroughly purged the Imperial court." Q'yros tried to hide the contempt in his voice. He thought Z'haas had gone too far. It was one thing to imprison those that he suspected of harboring sympathies towards the Overlords, or who simply wanted a regime change for reasons of their own, but Z'haas had many summarily executed without following proper Imperial judicial procedure.

"Yes, I have, and that should be enough," Z'haas said with an increasing edge in his voice, his eyes blazing. "But then, Roquan should not have been able to come back from his severe disadvantage at the Conclave, and yet he managed it!"

Q'yros could hear the bitterness in the Emperor's voice. It seemed to be the only emotion Z'haas was capable of these days. "Nevertheless, you had a perfectly competent Mage. I had recommended him myself to you some time ago."

"Yes, he is perfectly competent, but not nearly as powerful as you. And I still require an adviser."

"And you seriously believe there will be a threat to you requiring my Magicks to stop?"

Z'haas came to a sudden stop and whirled around to face the Mage, having detected even the slight bit of sarcasm in Q'yros' voice. "You underestimate our foes to our terrible peril, Q'yros."

Q'yros was very tempted to respond that perhaps that meant he was not competent enough himself to be the Emperor's personal Mage, but he doubted that would get him very far. The last thing he wanted was the Emperor to be angry with him, given how easily Z'haas could order people to their deaths.

"Really, Q'yros, you cannot give me a single reason why you should not be retained as my Mage and Adviser," said Z'haas in a very offhand manner.

Q'yros' fingers again tightened reflexively around his staff. He did not like the idea of being "retained" like a common lackey. Nor did he like the Emperor taking this liberty without at least consulting him first. Again, Z'haas had disregarded protocol. It was considered proper to request one to serve in a particular role rather than simple bestow the title upon him.

Q'yros knew that Z'haas would scoff at his concerns over being away from the political games at the Guild Hall. He would claim that the Mage's duty to his Emperor trumped all other concerns. While Q'yros still very much supported Z'haas as the Emperor, even he was starting to chafe under the man's heavy-handedness.

"If there is nothing more to discuss on the matter of your appointment," Z'haas said stiffly, and then proceeded without waiting for so much as an acknowledgment. "On to more important matters. I wish to move against Colos. Soon."

Q'yros rested his hands on the end of his staff, one draped over the other in a very casual stance, which belied his true feelings on the matter. "You are to put out the call to arms, then, to the provinces?"

"No."

One of the Mage's eyebrows arched.

"I will be using the Imperial Guard."

Q'yros frowned. "Begging your pardon, my Emperor, but are their numbers sufficient to move against Colos? Yes, I know they do not have a large army as it is, but surely since you severed relations with them they are re-arming..."

"I will be fielding more men for the Guard very soon. I will be putting out a call, yes, but not to the general realm."

Q'yros looked quite askance at this. "You will be fielding your own army instead of requesting the Nobility to provide the necessary men at arms?"

"Yes. Loyalty to the throne will be paramount." Z'haas glanced at his Mage. "You disapprove."

"No, my Emperor," Q'yros lied. "But realize that the Nobility will not care for this move." And it is against the Charter, you idiot! Q'yros added in his own mind.

"That will not be of consequence."

"Begging your pardon, my Emperor..."

Z'haas sighed theatrically. "Yes?"

"If you wish to go to war with another nation, is it not prudent to secure the support of the Nobility in your endeavor? Not to put too fine a point on it, but you are already worried about a move from the Overlords. Do you wish to push the Nobility into their camp as well?"

"The Nobles will be reminded that I am the Emperor and they are beholden to me, not the other way around," Z'haas said in irritation.

"You don't intend to threaten them into submission..."

"Do not take me for a fool, Q'yros. I will communicate my intentions with each of the major Noble Lords via Farview, starting today. I will then remind them that I am in charge here."

Q'yros considered this and nodded thoughtfully. "They may appreciate you contacting them directly like that and seeking sanction."

"I am seeking nothing from them except their continued loyalty," Z'haas declared, his eyes set hard. "This is not a matter that will be open to debate. If they see it that way, perhaps I will happen to let slip what the Overlords are planning and see how they like that."

Q'yros looked shocked at this and lifted a finger in admonishment, not caring if it got him into trouble. "Take great care with that, my Emperor," he said carefully, though there was no mistaking the warning tone in his voice. "The Nobility are very loyal to the Overlords. Yes, they will gripe, grumble, and complain about Overlord influence. They will protest the Overlords' attempts to initiate a change in regime, just as they have done in the past. But they will do nothing to stop it. Again, just as they have done in the past."

Z'haas stepped up to Q'yros, eyes burning. Q'yros did not look the least bit perturbed and held his ground, raising his own level gaze to that of his Emperor. "Do not presume that just because you now have an official title at the Imperial Palace that you may talk to your Emperor in that manner! Your loyalty is as important as it is from everyone else in Oceanus."

"You confuse debate with disloyalty, my Emperor," Q'yros said calmly.

Z'haas fumed. "And I will have no debate either." He turned and walked away from the Mage. Q'yros made no attempt to follow. "You are here to advise and not to question my authority or my decisions."

Or your rationality, Q'yros added in his thoughts. "Far be it from me to do so," he called out. The Emperor finally stopped and turned when he realized that Q'yros had not followed him. "But to advise you I must confide my opinions in you. I apologize if they are not to your liking."

"I find it rather interesting that you never offered any 'opinions' to me when you so readily colluded with me against the Overlords a season ago. You never questioned me then."

Q'yros sighed. Yes, Q'yros had assisted the Emperor in a plot against the Overlords, specifically against Roquan D'ronstaq. The idea was to infiltrate the Manor with an Imperial Agent disguised as a slave and transport his best Trainer -- Sirinna -- to the Imperial Palace, where she could train more agents to act as proper slaves.

"I am merely concerned with attempting to abide by the Oceanus Charter," Q'yros said placidly. "The little excursion against the Overlords falls outside that venue. The Charter mentions little about them and does not lay down any guidelines in dealing with them. And you will recall that I agreed with your assessment that the Overlords wielded too much power."

"Perhaps now the same could be said of the Nobility," Z'haas declared.

The Mage said nothing in reply to this and remained silent.

"Leave me, Q'yros," Z'haas declared as he turned and headed towards the passage to his personal chambers. "I will summon you when I wish to speak with you again."

Q'yros waited until the Emperor had disappeared down the passage. His face then grew stony. He lifted the staff in his hand and cracked it hard against the floor in his frustration, the sound echoing through the chamber. In its wake was the sound of metal sliding from a scabbard.

The Mage turned and placidly looked at the two guards, standing now with swords drawn. Q'yros sighed and waved a hand of dismissal at them. "Put your weapons away. Had I wished to actually do anything with Magic, you would not have stopped me by now."

The guards exchanged a look and then slowly sheathed their weapons.

Q'yros shook his head and sighed again. He exited the chamber, the guards that moments ago looked as if they wished to run him through now dutifully opening the doors for him as he passed.

Q'yros was not at all happy with the current state of affairs in the Imperium. He thought Z'haas' planned military venture into Colos to the west was ill-conceived and a disaster waiting to happen. Not a military disaster; even in in the best of times, Colos did not have a large army. Sprawling across what on an Earth map would be from the American Midwest to the California coast, they were land-locked from the ocean on the east, thus Oceanus was the only threat. Until recently, Oceanus had been at peace with Colos for over two centuries.

The breaking of relations had come as a shock to them. They had no way to defend themselves against an Oceanus attack. In fact, Q'yros suspected that they still did not expect an attack. Instead, they most likely expected a diplomatic overture to explain what Oceanus' true grievance was with them.

No, this was a political disaster. The Emperor liked to think that only one Overlord was inconvenienced by the severing of a westward trade route. The Mage could guarantee that the Nobility were already grumbling about it. It would be about now that any stockpiles of luxuries they had imported from the west would be running out, and if that supply was not reestablished, they would be calling Z'haas to task on it.

Q'yros paused at the end of the corridor to the audience chamber and looked back. He shook his head sadly.

You are a fool, Z'haas, he thought acidly. If you continue to rule this realm with blinders on.

The mental nudge of a Farview audience summoning was a gentle one. It manifested as something between a stray thought and an urge. How much it compelled the person to respond to it truly depended on the disposition of the individual. Some found the summons a great annoyance and did everything they could to answer it quickly. Others had learned to mentally put it aside temporarily and respond to it at their leisure. Many of the higher Nobility fell into the latter category, and the man who was still enjoying his morning bath was no exception.

Lord Duric K'garon, Royal Governor of the Keyas Province of Oceanus, uttered a soft sigh that combined the contentment of the gentle treatment at the hands of his slave with the annoyance of the timing of the summons.

"He will simply have to wait," Duric said.

"Master?"

Duric craned his head at the almond-eyed naked beauty tending to his bath, her sponge still sliding down his back even as she pondered her Master's statement.

He smiled gently at her. "Someone wishes a Farview with me. Nothing to concern yourself with, Tanyee."

As any person would be, Tanyee was curious about who would be Farviewing her Master so early in the morning. But like a good slave, she knew how to obey. Her Master had said it was nothing to concern herself with, so she did not. Nevertheless, it was a slave's place to insure that her Master was spared any inconvenience. "I can speed up your bath if you wish it, Master."

Duric grinned like a child. In a way this was not too far from the truth, at least by Narlassi standards. At 25, he was considered very young to be holding such a high position. "Now don't you dare do any such thing, Tanyee," he said in a tone of mock-indignation. "In fact... I have another duty you will need to fulfill quite shortly, and I will insist you take your time with it as well."

Tanyee smiled. She had already seen her Master's arousal even through the surface of the soapy water. She looked forward to it eagerly, her nether regions already tingling with the idea of pleasing him.

Tanyee was quite happy these days, more so than she had ever been. It was a far cry from the days not too long ago when Duric had sent her back to the D'ronstaq Manor in anger for her disobedience, a crime that ultimately had not been her fault. She had been overjoyed when she heard that her former Master wanted her back.

If she had any regret at all, it was that she could not tell her friend Amanda how happy she was. The girl had seemed so worried over whether or not Tanyee were indeed happy being a slave.

Duric lingered in his bath a bit, having Tanyee work his arms and his legs again. Especially his legs. While his manhood was already quite hard in anticipation of Tanyee's attentions, he liked the way her touch continued to arouse him, and the look in her eyes when she glanced at it eagerly. In a way he was teasing her as much as letting her tease him.

It would serve you right, Z'haas, if I answered the summons with my nubile slave between my legs, Duric thought in smug satisfaction. While he was grateful to the Imperium for this appointment, he did not feel that it meant he had to be at the Emperor's beck and call. Especially not with some of the things he had heard going on recently.

Duric was young and inexperienced, but not stupid. He knew the Emperor likely appointed him as someone that could be easily influenced. It did not take long for him to prove the Emperor wrong on that score.

By the time Duric signaled to Tanyee to stop, it was apparent that the slave girl was quite excited herself, just from the look in her dark eyes. He truly loved that look. He rose from the marble pool and carefully stepped out. In seconds Tanyee was there with a large towel, draping it over his shoulders, the other end trailing almost to the floor.

Duric turned and faced Tanyee, cupping his hand under her chin. "Dry yourself off, then join me in my bedchamber."

"Yes, Master."

He let his eyes linger on her, his gaze sliding down over her full, round breasts and the triangle of her sex, already damp with something other than water from the bath. Finally he turned and left the room, reentering his spacious bedchamber.

Duric felt the summons again as he slowly dried himself off. He ignored it again for the time being. It was easy to do when one already had a distraction, and one far more pleasant. "Really, Z'haas, where are your manners?" he asked of no one in particular with a somewhat smarmy smile.

As he finished drying himself off, he wandered to his desk, where several parchments lay. Duric liked to keep a clean desk, in that he wished nothing on it. He expected underlings to take care of day-to-day matters of running his province. The fact that there was so much that constantly needed his attention was not good. It was even worse when most it of had to do with the Imperium.

Duric draped his towel over the top of the chair and picked up one of the parchments. He smirked as he skimmed it. Another merchant clan delayed from arriving at the palace because of interception by Imperial Guardsmen looking for black market contraband. "You're up to something, Z'haas," he commented. "And I'll bet that summons has something to do with it."

"Master?"

Duric put down the parchment and turned. Tanyee stood at the entrance to his bedchamber, her hands folded demurely before her.

He smiled at her. He did not have to say a word to her. He simply sat on the edge of his bed and his slave knew his desires immediately. Despite her eagerness, Tanyee carried herself properly. She did not rush or act with anything but care and grace. She came to him slowly and knelt before him. She slid her knees apart, letting one hand slip between her thighs, fingers sliding gently over her slick folds. At the same time, her other hand reached up, fingers curling around his cock, caressing it lovingly at first rather than outright stroking it.

Duric smiled and placed a hand lightly on Tanyee's head, letting it slide down one side, fingers combing her long fall of straight, black hair. He heard a very soft sigh of pleasure from his slave as she let her fingers sink into her now fully aroused pussy. She gripped him more tightly as her lips brushed the engorged head of his cock.

Tanyee remained like that until Duric held the back of her head and nudged her forward lightly. Her lips parted as she let him into her mouth, his manhood slowly sliding over her tongue, her breath drawing inward excitedly as his taste and scent tantalized her senses.

Duric closed his eyes and removed his hand from her. His action of pushing her onto his manhood was symbolic more than anything else. Tanyee knew how to best please him and needed no further guidance.