Tarshahzon, Mazyan scowling from a short distance nearby. The Emissary proclaimed that it was the manifest will of the Living Flame that Prince Kutal take the throne of his father. Before his assembled nobles. Sulaman recited the oath of coronation, promising to defend his subjects from all dangers, to see that justice was done fairly, to favor neither rich nor poor nor weak nor powerful, to see to the welfare and prosperity of his realm, to succor the widow and the orphan in their hour of need.
The crowds cheered, loud and long, and the emirs bowed as the new Padishah of Istarinmul took the seat of his fathers.
Tanzir Shahan, resplendent in the formal robes and turban of the Grand Wazir, stepped forward, an Alchemist trailing after him. The Alchemist cast a spell to amplify Tanzir’s voice, and the Grand Wazir started reading the decrees of the Padishah.
First, war was declared upon the Umbarian Order for the monstrous treachery of Cassander Nilas. Istarinmul was in no shape to wage war against anyone, but the Starfall Straits were closed to the vessels of the Order, while ships of the Emperor could pass freely, along with any privateers wishing to prey upon the fleets of the Umbarians.
Caina, remembering Cassander Nilas’s plan to destroy Istarinmul and send the Umbarian fleet through the Starfall Straits to attack Malarae, smiled at that.
Tanzir read more of the new Padishah’s decrees. The ancient alliance of Istarinmul to Iramis, broken by the treachery of Callatas, was reaffirmed once more. For aiding Cassander, the Brotherhood of Slavers was declared outlawed, its treasury and the palaces of the cowled masters to be used for the rebuilding of Istarinmul and the housing of those left widowed and orphaned by the recent upheavals. Slavery was not outlawed, and neither were the gladiatorial games, but the buying and selling of slaves were banned, and only volunteers were allowed in the games, and the Padishah hoped that the practice of slavery would soon wither away without violent revolution. Tanzir read a letter from the Master Alchemists, pledging their loyalty to the Padishah and asking him to appoint a new Grand Master to oversee the College and rebuild it from Callatas’s misrule.
After that, the Padishah gave rewards and gifts. Individual soldiers and nobles received the praise of the Padishah for their valor in the siege and the battle. A stipend was given to the Sisters of the Living Flame to see to the care and recovery of the wraithblood addicts. The arid steppes around Istarinmul proper, once useless even to the nomads, would become prosperous farmland thanks to the sudden new rainfall, and the Padishah announced that any man wishing to serve in the army of Istarinmul would receive a grant of land once his service was done.
“Lastly,” said Tanzir with stentorian flair. He had developed quite a knack for public speaking, a far cry from the timid man Caina had met in Malarae years ago. “For their part in insuring our victory, the Padishah is pleased to grant Damla of the House of Agabyzus, Nerina Strake the locksmith, and Malcolm the armorer remission from taxes for the remainder of their natural lives. Furthermore, the scribe Agabyzus is at this moment appointed to the post of Chief of Scribes, to oversee the scribes of the Padishah’s household.”
Caina laughed a little. “I suppose they can’t be spies any longer, either.”
“There are worse fates,” said Kylon.
“To Kylon of House Kardamnos,” said Tanzir, and Kylon frowned in surprise. “Countless soldiers of our army watched you defeat Rhataban in single combat, and you led the attack upon the walls that allowed us to enter the city. For your bravery, the Padishah is pleased to grant you the rank of an emir of Istarinmul, and should you wish it, the estate and magistracy of your choice.”
Kylon offered a deep bow to the throne, and Tanzir continued reading his decrees.
“You could become the lord commander of the Istarish navy,” said Caina in a low voice.
“If you don’t have something else in mind for me to do,” said Kylon.
Caina frowned. She wondered what that meant. He was smiling at her. So was Nasser, come to think of it.
“What?” said Caina.
“It is not often that we can surprise you,” said Kylon, “but…”
Sulaman raised a hand, and a hush fell over the Court of Justice.
“By ancient tradition,” said Sulaman in his quiet voice, the spell of the Alchemist carrying his words to the crowd, “the Padishah of Istarinmul addressed only the gravest and most serious