Aquitainus Attis into his house must be viewed in a manner every bit as suspect as his declaration of Octavian's legitimacy."
"Hah," Amara said, baring her teeth in a grin and pounding her fist on Bernard's thigh. "He saw it."
Bernard enfolded her fist in his hands. "Easy, love, you'll leave bruises."
"Aquitainus Attis," Theoginus continued, turning to speak to the seated Senate at large, "is without a doubt one of the finest examples of talent, ability, and effective leadership that the Citizenry has to offer. His skill and personal courage in battle against the vord cannot be questioned." He drew in a deep breath, and spoke in a voice like thunder. "But those facts give no one the grace to defy the law of the Realm! Not Aquitaine. Not the Citizenry. And not the Senate." He turned in a slow circle to face each of the seated Senators. "Make no mistake, honored Senators. To defy the will of Gaius Sextus now is to betray the laws that have guided the Realm since its founding - laws that have allowed us to overcome centuries of turmoil and war."
"For tradition's sake," interrupted Valerius, "we ought to needlessly throw away the lives of our fighting men. Is that what you're saying, Senator?"
Theoginus faced Valerius squarely. "Half of our Realm is gone, sir. Lives beyond counting have been lost. Alera Imperia herself has fallen and been devoured by earth and fire. But most of what is left of the Realm is beyond the reach of any foe. It is carved into the intangible bedrock of the mind and heart - the law. It is within the good steel of those Legions outside the city walls, ready to give their lives in Alera's defense. It flows within the veins of her Citizenry, called to arms and ready to face whatever foe should try to harm her people." He swept his hand in a dramatic gesture, to the west. "And it is out there, in the living monument of the House that has guided the Realm since time immemorial. It is in Gaius Octavian."
True silence had fallen on the amphitheater. Theoginus knew how to speak to a crowd. He knew how to draw upon their emotions - and the constant hum of low fear that permeated all of Alera in these desperate months left them primed for just such an approach.
Theoginus's eyes raked the gathered Senate again. "Remember that, when you vote. Remember the oaths you have sworn. Remember the simple truth - that Sextus's lawful heir is coming to defend our lands and our peoples. Turn aside from the law, from what the Realm has always been, and Alera will be no more. Whether we stand, whether we fall, Alera will be gone. And we here will have murdered her: murdered her with quiet words, loud speeches, and raised hands. Remember."
Theoginus gave the Senator Callidus a glare that might have set the man on fire. Then he took his seat once more and folded his arms.
Valerius stared at his opponent for a long, silent moment. Then he gazed at the rest of the Senate. Amara could practically read his thoughts. Theoginus had employed a dangerous gambit. One could never be sure that an impassioned speech would move an audience in the intended direction - but the Ceresian senator had spoken well. The power of his words still resonated in the room. Any opposition Valerius raised, at this point, would earn him nothing but angry glares. His best course of action was almost certainly to move ahead and count upon the support he'd gathered in the days previous to this confrontation. It was a close vote. He might already have done enough to tip the scales.
Valerius nodded slowly and raised his voice. "I call the vote of the Senate upon the issue of the legitimacy of Gaius Septimus's alleged marriage to one freeman Isana of the Calderon Valley. A vote of yes will confirm the legal status of the marriage. A vote of no will deny it."
Amara found herself holding her breath.
"All those who would vote no?" Valerius asked.
Hands began to rise, scattered throughout the seated Senators. Amara found herself counting them furiously.
"How many?" Bernard whispered.
"They need thirty-six," she replied, still counting. Thirty-two. Thirty-three. Thirty-four.
Valerius added his hands to those raised.
"Thirty-five," she hissed.
"Those who would vote yes?" Valerius asked.
Hands began to rise - and trumpets began to howl.
A wave of worried whispers washed up around Amara. Heads began to turn. One distant trumpet was joined by another, and