“I’ll be with you in a minute, honey,” Xandra said, and it infuriated Orenda. Xandra had a thick Urillian accent, and it flowed like molasses. Orenda didn’t know if it made everything she said sound patronizing, or if she, specifically, was being patronized.

“No,” Orenda marched forward, “I promise you that nothing you think you’re doing is more important than what I have to say.”

“Klin, daling,” Xandra asked, and Orenda turned to see Klin calmly walking up the carpet toward her, “Who is this young lady?”

Klin clicked his heels together, folded one arm in the small of his back, and fisted his other hand over his heart. He bowed slightly, leaned forward, and said, “Oh, y’all caught them rabbits.”

“Darling,” Xandra said again, a little more forcefully, “Who is this young lady?”

Klin looked pale. Orenda thought, as he studied her, that he may pass out. But he regained his composure quickly and said, “This is Lady Orenda Firefist the second, granddaughter of the High Priestess of the Sacred Mountain Temple. She, uh, she,” he shook so badly his entire body trembled and he said, “She has pulled the Sacred Staff from the Sacred Flame at the Temple, I uh… I think.” A servant approached him holding a tray of drinks, and Klin took a glass of wine. He sipped it politely, but for so long that he drained half the glass.

“Is that right?” Xandra asked.

“I reckon,” Klin shrugged.

“That is right!” Orenda shouted, so that her voice could carry to the rest of the nobility, “I am the Chosen Child of Thesis, the avatar of a god among mortals! And the bearer of the Sacred Fire Stone! You stand in the presence of a god! I have come to demand that the empire withdraw its claws from my homeland! If this is not done, we will remove you by force!”

“You want to return to the way that place was when we found it?” Xandra asked, “You want us to leave and take everything we brought with us? You want to abandon reason, medicine, and technology so that you can go back to worshiping a volcano and praying for rain?” Orenda felt her body vibrating with rage, felt the room heating up with the force of it. “We have brought you, kicking and screaming, into enlightenment, and you want to set the clock back for your people? You want to go back two centuries?”

“No,” Orenda said, “We can't go back. It is impossible to go back. We can only rebuild. And I will not stand here and be insulted. I do not believe the lies you tell of my people- we were never as primitive as you say, and we did not need your help! Do you know what I really want, Xandra?”

“Her imperial majesty,” one of the guards corrected.

“Xandra,” Orenda continued, “I want your miserable army out of my homeland. All of it. I was raised on the Fire Continent, but I was born right here in the capital. I came into the world, right here. I was born here, and this place calls out to me. So what I really want, Xandra, is to show everyone in this room today that I have to come to take back my home. These two,” she motioned to the Brigaddons, who were swaying so badly that Sonny fell forward and hit the ground, then struggled to right himself again, especially with his hands bound, “were born here. This is our home. And I have been chosen by Thesis himself to right your wrongs. I am not here to argue with you. I want you to get out of my chair. I want your crown, your throne, and your pretty little madman- because you've been hiding behind him too long. Now, get up. I am claiming my Divine Right to Rule. I have been chosen by a god! So either take this staff from me, step down, or I challenge you to Right by Combat.”

“Excuse me?” Xandra said, staring at Klin, “You want us to believe that you were chosen by Thesis because you show up with some staff that you claim you got out of a volcano on the other side of the world? Klin, why haven't we arrested this girl yet?”

“I think, um,” Klin said, and Orenda could tell he was trying very hard not to break down in front of the court, “I think we tried and um... the whole second floor is-”

“You sent your pathetic mortal soldiers after me,” Orenda told Xandra, “And as much at it pains me- and it does pain me- I was forced to smite them.”

“Are you admitting that you are guilty of murder in front of god and everybody?” Xandra asked.

“I'm admitting it in front of god,” Orenda said, “I don't respect the authority of 'everybody'.”

“Klin, darling, arrest this girl!” Xandra sounded exasperated, as if she shouldn't have to say it.

“The...” Klin looked down at his feet, “The thing is... I... I...” He steeled himself, and Orenda watched his shoulders square as he pulled himself to his full, unimpressive height. “My queen, when I traveled to that temple, I tried to retrieve that very staff. I couldn't do it. The Sacred Flame rejected me. She... she has a point.”

“Klin,” Xandra's eyes narrowed, and Orenda thought something was going on that she neither understood, nor cared about.

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“I know,” Klin said. “I'm... I'm sorry.”

“We're so close,” Xandra said.

“No,” Klin shook his head, and despite himself began to cry, “No we're not. You know that. I sent letters. You know I-”

“Klin, pull yourself together!” Xandra demanded, “And do something about the girl standing in front of me, making outrageous claims and threatening me!”

“LORD TOLITH GLENLEN,” the announcement did not come from the man at the door, but rather from Tolith himself who came sprinting down the carpet, followed by several Urillians in uniform. “GRAND DUKE OF THE COLONIES OF THE FIRE CONTINENT, FIRST OF HIS NAME, COUSIN TO THE EMPRESS, WHO HAS EVERY RIGHT TO BE HERE SO GET OUT OF MY WAY AND STOP TRYING TO ARREST ME!”

“Toli?” Orenda asked as he skidded to a stop behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Lord Glenlen?” Xandra stood from her throne, finally, staring down at him with both hands over her mouth.

“God,” Klin sounded as if spoke before he could stop himself, drained his wine and motioned for a servant to bring him another glass, which he downed in one long drink, sat back on the tray and picked up another. “Sure, why not?” It was obvious that he was getting tipsy and a little less nervous, “That makes as much sense as anything else that's happened today. Why not?”

“The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” Tolith stepped in front of Orenda.

“And your mother?” Xandra asked as she stepped off the platform to approach Toli.

“She's dead,” Tolith said, “She was killed in battle, by a djinn. My father was killed by Captain Nochdifache. I come here, seeking asylum.”

“Your face,” Xandra said.

“Xandra, I come here for my people, for my colony,” Tolith said, “If we don't give the rebels what they want- they have a djinn. They're slaughtering us. My people are dying. We have to make peace. I've brought a notice of surrender. That's what we have to do.”

“That man is a traitor to the crown!” The soldiers who had been chasing Toli caught up to him, and three of them tackled him and jerked him, unceremoniously to the ground. “This pirate is the one who sank the ships at the harbor!”

“Bull-shit,” Toli said, enunciating each syllable, “You can't pull that! Xandra has met me! She and my mother were dear friends!”

“Tolith?” Xandra asked.

She cupped his face, tilted it, and stared into his eyes.

Klin lost all color, as if his blood had stopped flowing, clutched the neckline of his tunic with his left hand, and seemed to be trying to remember how to breath.

Toli's eyes began to glaze over, and he seemed to go into a trance.

“Stop that!” Orenda demanded.

“I see,” Xandra said. She stood, turned, and walked back to the throne. “I understand. Thank you, Lord Glenlen. Lock him away to await his trial. He's guilty of so much more than treason. Tolith, your poor mother must be spinning in her grave. She would be so disappointed in you. You... you had so much potential, darling.”

“Lady Glenlen does not have a grave!” Orenda told Xandra as the soldiers pulled Tolith to his feet, “There wasn't enough left to bury.”

Toli was too loopy to walk, and Orenda wondered what that woman had done to him.

“Klin,” Xandra told him, “Do something about this girl.”

“I...” Klin looked as if he was going to cry again, “I don't know what to do, my queen.”

“How much have you had to drink?” Xandra whispered.

“I'm not drunk,” Klin said defensively. He hopped onto the platform to stand behind and to the left of where Xandra sat, and leaned in to whisper something to her. Orenda thought he looked completely out of his element, as if he was struggling. Xandra whispered something back, and Klin looked as if she had just stabbed him. He was almost certainly going to cry again, but he was trying to maintain his composure in front of the court. Xandra seemed to have as little patience with him as Orenda did herself.

“If you don't believe me about the staff,” Orenda said, “Klin, give me the sword!”

Klin looked around the room, even more uncomfortable with all the eyes on him.

“Klin, arrest this woman!” Xandra demanded, as if his reluctance was ridiculous and she was running out of patience, “She's the leader of the rebellion! She's a Knight or Order!”

Orenda balked at the suggestion.

Then she realized that Tolith had lied for her, and that his lie had made perfect sense. She didn't know how he had clouded his thoughts, but he- what he had told Xandra, in his mind, had made her believe that Orenda was the leader of the Knights. Xandra could believe that taking out Orenda would mean something, and stop looking through his mind for information.

Tolith, Orenda remembered, was very good at making himself believe things that were not true. Tolith had believed that Orenda really had been a princess, and that he really could be an adventurer. He was so good at believing that which was not real that he could lie to himself.

“I'm sick of this,” Orenda said, and stepped onto the platform with them. The soldiers moved to stop her, but Klin threw up a hand, afraid that she would set them on fire, and they backed up instantly.

They were afraid of him. Of course they were. Only a fool would stand against the Emerald Knight.

Orenda reached over his shoulder and pulled his sword from the sheath. She took one step back, stood in front of Xandra, and spoke.

“I am the Chosen Child of Thesis. I am claiming the throne by divine right. Now either take this sword from me, or get out of my chair.”