Thanks to the nature of mental communication, Suliel understood what the phrase meant. Even though the words made no sense and she had never heard them before. She also understood that the last-minute change that Kelsey had made was not the normal formulation, which rather buried the point of making the substitution in the first place.
What was even the point of bringing scatology into it? For the briefest of moments, Suliel imagined a world where murder by guns was so common that people needed to add depravity to their gun-related threats.
It was a distracting thought and helped Suliel keep her anger at bay when she looked at her mother again.
Suliel checked that her smile was still in place. She had frozen, slightly, while her mother returned her greeting. Distracted by Kelsey, she’d paused for a bit too long, and everyone was now waiting for her to say something. Not ideal, but not out of line with the icy persona that she was projecting.
“Obviously, I’d welcome rapprochement with my mother,” she said. “But I’m not sure the issues that need reconciling should be aired in front of the entire court.”
“There are private chambers for just such an occasion,” Lord Brankil assured her. “Shall we?”
Suliel nodded assent and the entire group started moving. Murder was still an option, Suliel thought to herself. She was still carrying her derringer and while the princess must have speculations, she didn’t know what Suliel could do. No one else had the faintest clue.
Of course, by suggesting murder at the first opportunity, Kelsey had made it far harder for Suliel to give in to the urge. Suliel had primed herself to regard any suggestion that Kelsey made with suspicion.
It was possible that was why she had suggested it. For a remorseless killing machine, Kelsey could be quite subtle at times.
A feeling of amusement from Kelsey was a sign that Suliel’s thoughts were leaking. She tamped down on them.
The private chamber was as richly appointed as the rest of the palace. The main furniture consisted of two couches, wide enough to seat three, facing each other across a low table. Narrow tables and a few chairs were set around the walls.
Lord Brankil and Suliel’s mother took one of the couches, while Suliel and the Princess took the other. As a friendly gesture, Suliel directed the Lazybones to stand by the door, instead of directly behind her.
The rest of Lord Brankil’s entourage took seats around the edge of the room, as far away from the skeletons as possible.
Suliel blinked and focussed on the two maids who had been in the room when they arrived. Suliel had noticed them, but they were just a part of the room. Suliel was used to allowing servants to overhear her, but they were her servants. She trusted them.
“Do you think we could do without refreshment for the length of this discussion?” Suliel asked. “I don’t fancy the servants overhearing this discussion.”
She was amazed by the looks of surprise she got. Her mother looked at her as if she had not even considered the possibility that a servant could be a spy. A similar look from the Princess made Suliel feel dismay.
Shouldn’t she know about this already? Suliel thought.
Lord Brankil did not show any surprise. Instead, he looked at Suliel speculatively.
“That would be wise,” he said. “Wait outside,” he told the servants.
Since Lord Brankil was looking at her, Suliel cast a glance over at his entourage and raised her eyebrow.
“I suppose I could,” he allowed. “Will you be sending your attendants out as well?”
“If you wish,” Suliel replied. “They still follow orders once out of my sight—”
“—But I cannot predict the reactions of those that see them unattended.”
“A fair point,” Lord Brankil conceded. “I suppose they aren’t likely to go tattling to the gossip mongers.”
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He inclined his head towards the door. His followers took the hint and filed out.
“Now that we’re in private,” Lord Brankil said, “I should start by expressing my displeasure that Baron Nos has sent his wife in his stead.”
“My Lord has—” Suliel started, but Lord Brankil waved her to silence.
“I’m aware of the reasons,” he stated. “I just want to make sure that he intends to show up at some point to make an account of himself.”
“He does,” Suliel promised. “As soon as he returns from his mission.”
“Very well,” he said. “Now, where should be start with… this.”
“Perhaps with an apology,” Suliel said icily. Her mother bristled.
“I will not apologise for trying to protect my daughter from her own foolishness!” she insisted.
“Now now,” the princess said, laying a hand on Suliel’s shoulder to restrain her hot response. “No one could deny a mother’s desire to protect her child, Lady Anat, but there are limits are there not? My understanding is that you locked her in her room after she attained her new Class.”
“She only did that to defy me! To break off the marriage arrangements that I was finding for her!”
“Still,” the princess said. This time there was a touch of steel in her voice. “It was a Tier Two class, was it not?”
“It was—” Suliel’s mother broke off under the princess’s firm gaze. “It was,” she admitted.
“A Class that she earned by her own efforts, with no fell magics granting it unduly?”
“There was! Just look at it!” Lady Anat pointed at the animated skeletons. “The foulest of magics, that has festered under our town since time immemorial!”
Kelsey sent.
“Dungeons aren’t— they aren’t Outsider evil,” Princess Elara said patiently. “They are sent by the gods to test us, and provide us the resources we need.”
“It's been killing my family since the beginning,” Suliel’s mother said bitterly.
“But they don’t cheat the system,” the princess said. “Suliel earned those levels, earned that Class. When she confronted you, she was an adult, and the inheritor of the estate.”
“Now, now, it’s not so clear cut as that,” Lord Brankil interjected. “Lady Suliel’s status as an adult was established, yes, but she was about to marry the lad that was there. He should be considered the presumptive Baron.”
“He may have presumed, but I was never going to marry him,” Suliel spat.
“Had it been a few days earlier, you would not have had a choice,” he said flatly.
“But it was a few days later,” the princess put in. “She was an adult and considered capable of making her decisions.”
“But one cannot blame a distraught mother for ignoring something that just happened, and was the result of a choice she rejected.”
“One can forgive a mistake, but first it needs to be acknowledged that a mistake has been made.”
The two nobles stared calmly at each other. The count was the one to back down.
“A mistake was made,” he admitted.
“What? No!” Suliel’s mother protested.
“Clena, face facts,” the count said. “You meant well, but you were in the wrong. If we want to maintain a relationship with our dear cousin, we will have to admit to wrongdoing.”
“But I—”
“And we very much do want close ties with our family, do we not?” he said firmly.
Lady Anat didn’t say anything further, just stared at her Lord. He stared back, implacable and calm. Finally, she slumped.
“I was wrong to lock you in your room, my daughter,” she conceded.
“And you were wrong to capture the castle,” Suliel said coldly.
“Yes, that was a mistake. I’m sorry,” Lady Anat admitted.
“And you were wrong to try and kill Anton,” Suliel said.
“That was an honourable duel…” Lady Anat said, looking at Lord Brankil for support.
He shook his head.
“Yes, wrong,” Lady Anat said. “I’m sorry for that.”
Suliel felt a strong wave of emotion flow through her.
“I think we can agree,” Lord Brankil said, “That the acts that Lady Suliel committed against her mother, while regrettable, were the acts of a wronged noble seeking to regain her inheritance. No permanent damage was done to those represented here. The Mage Guild and Captain Oldaw might disagree, but they are outside of this discussion.”
“I think we can agree to that,” Princess Elara said.
“Wonderful,” Lord Brankil said. “Then, Baroness, I think it is your turn.”
“I—” Suliel started, before choking up. The words wouldn’t come. There was so much anger, she couldn’t let go of it.
Kelsey’s answer to everything. Suliel felt a spike of amusement shoot through her. She didn’t laugh aloud, but it skewered the knot tying up her throat.
She took a deep breath.
“I accept your apology, Mother. I forgive you.”
It did feel better.
“Excellent,” Lord Brankil said. “I hope we can—”
He was interrupted by Clena lunging across the table to embrace her daughter.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she sobbed. “I didn’t know what to do!”
Suliel hugged her mother back. “It’s done with now, it’s all right,” she said. She felt tears forming in her eyes.
----------------------------------------
It felt a bit anti-climactic to continue with the meeting after that, but there were still a few things to discuss. For one, her mother would come back to Kirido with Suliel, but she would continue staying with Lord Brankil for now.
Suliel promised to stay in the city until Anton could get there and meet his new Lord, but she insisted that she could take care of any baronial business that the Count had for her. Some of the notes in her father’s study had concerned the tax arrangements for the barony.
She was able to get assurances that the previous arrangements would continue, once she established that she knew the details of them. Lord Brankil looked a little disappointed but did not complain. Suliel expected that he’d have even less to complain about once the tax revenues started being collected. She expected the new industries would more than make up for the losses from the raid.
She didn’t mention this yet, of course. There was no point in promising revenue that might not materialise. The Count didn’t press her, admitting he expected a revenue hit.
He didn’t mention the guns.
By the time the meeting was over, the dry and tedious discussion had wiped away the emotional moment that it had started with. Suliel felt nothing but tired when she was done.
“Thank you for your help,” she said to Princess Elara as they were leaving.
“It was my pleasure,” she replied. Then she made a face. “Well, the first bit, anyway. The second half was enough to make me glad that I don’t have any landholding responsibilities.”
“Just your presence was a help,” Suliel murmered. “I don’t know if Lord Brankil would have been as accommodating if you hadn’t been there.”
“Perhaps,” Elara allowed. “We should go out on the town to celebrate. I can—” she cut herself off as a servant dressed in a higher quality of livery approached.
“Lady Nos,” the man said, bowing. “You are summoned to meet with the King.”