Role

Chapter 7

Convincing the Council had been as easy - and as difficult - as I had expected.
The meeting with Venphoria was the easiest - her disdain for Ckath had been fairly
evident for quite a while. She even interrupted my carefully prepared speech for
why this wasn't betrayal of the Empire, why I was the best choice, and so on, to
tell me "Save your speech, you have my vote already. What is your plan?"

That was actually a little annoying. I'd worked hard on that speech. But I think
she might have smiled at me at some point. That much emotion displayed by the
cold, calculating Dread Lady might as well have been a deep, wet kiss by any other
woman.

I know she will vote for me, and will not waver.


Vintus wasn't difficult either. He valued strength, of course, but also he valued
allies. Ckath is strong, but what good is that strength when it is never around to
be used against our enemies? With me, Vintus knows what he's getting. Someone who
will listen well to his desires, who is not off sleeping in his bedchambers more
often than not, and has a strong successor for the War Master spot.

Vintus pledged to vote for me. One who is such a strong priest of Lord Enlilth is
not likely to make a pledge and then break it.

Plus, he knows that if he doesn't vote for me, Ckath might win, which will mean all
of us are Anathema.


Dhugral. Ah, Dhugral, you backed the wrong horse. Ckath's untimely knowledge of the
Vote can only mean that you clued him in. All the while telling me that if I voted
for you, you'd vote for me. You were playing it too cagey.

It'll make me a bit sad to make you Anathema. If it comes to that. Word in the taverns
is that you've already taken your own life. Likely you saw how matters were going to
play out and knew you were doomed.


My first act as Emperor will be to have a drink. Or several.


The part Ckath does not understand, nor will he ever, I think, is that of course I'm
not the best choice for Emperor. He'll probably make one last-ditch effort to change
the minds of Venphoria and Vintus. He'll say I'm weak. I'm a drunkard. I'm a betrayer.
Lazy. Shiftless. A scoundrel. The list may go on and on. But nothing he can accuse me
of, true or false, will overcome my greatest asset, the greatest reason to vote for me:

I am not Ckath.