calm and rational, able to quickly evaluate any situation and respond appropriately to get it under control.”
Gavin nodded as he stood, and Daia retook her seat. Each had qualities he valued and needed, but one stood out from the others as the best choice. “Jophet, you got a lot o’experience leading and training men as the lordover’s captain. You gave me your loyalty the first time we met, risking imprisonment for defying the Lordover Tern’s order, without any guarantee o’support from me. You’re a natural leader, and when you see something needs doing, you do it.
“Lila, you have many years of experience that would be very useful, but I have concerns about your judgment. We don’t know the facts o’what happened to Aminda, but we know she was murdered in your presence.
“Tennara, your experience, skill and calm head make you invaluable to me, but you’re more suited to serve as my wife’s champion. I’ll be considering battlers for the role soon. I hope you submit your name.
“My choice for the Supreme Councilor o’the Militia is Jophet Renaun.”
Gavin offered Jophet his hand, which the new Supreme Councilor shook firmly and enthusiastically, while maintaining an optimistically stern expression. “Congratulations, Jophet.”
“I’ll serve you to the best of my ability for as long as you would have my service, my king,” Jophet said, pumping Gavin’s hand firmly.
Lilalian reached across the table and offered her hand as well. “I respect the king’s decision, and I offer my service in whatever capacity would suit you.”
Once everyone had offered his congratulations to Jophet and took their seats, Gavin said, “As Supreme Councilor o’the Militia, you’ll report directly to me. You’ll attend the cabinet meetings every week and be ready to report your status. You can say a few words now if you want.”
Jophet stood and bowed to Gavin before beginning. “I humbly thank you, Your Majesty, for this tremendous honor. And for the rest, thank you for your support. The first thing I have in mind for the militia is to appoint two council members to aid me in developing and implementing a training program, so that all our soldiers will be not only skilled battlers, but men and women who unite around a set of rules of engagement and conduct both on the field of battle and off. I believe experienced battlers with leadership skills will be most appropriate for these positions, and I’ll increase their number as our militia grows.”
He went on for a while, talking about his strategies for training people and promising to judge all battlers on their skills and not their gender.
Gavin watched Lilalian with his hidden eye the way the mage Jennalia had taught him. He hoped Lilalian would put the decision behind her and work to make herself invaluable to Jophet in his new role, perhaps as one of his new councilors. While on the outside, she appeared to accept and even support Jophet, her haze, the mystical bubble around her body, said differently. It was white, like most human hazes were, but with sparks of red like bloody lightning in the clouds.
Chapter 6
The lordover’s office was tidy, almost to the point of being stark. He had neither paintings of his family on the walls nor honors he’d received in his youth for bravery or intellect or skill with a weapon. The deep red cherry desk was wide and heavy, possibly built or assembled in the sizable room, for it looked too big to carry through the doorway. In fact, everything looked bigger than usual — the chairs, the bookcase, even the oil lamp on the desk looked large compared to similar items in other homes and offices.
“Couldn’t you have cleaned her up before bringing her into my office?” the lordover asked. He wiped the dark ink from the tip of his quill and set the pen on a wooden plate as he looked Cirang over.
Dashel Celónd was a lean redhead with light-blue eyes under highly-arched brows. His finely chiseled features made him a handsome man by any standard, but his age showed plainly in the deep-set squint lines, the worry lines on his forehead, and frown lines framing his chin. He had an admirable set of square shoulders that added to the determined look of him. Cirang wondered whether he could be seduced.
The notion of willingly lying with a man shocked her. As the Nilmarion man Sithral Tyr, she’d never thought of men in an intimate way, yet as Cirang, the thought had come naturally. She didn’t know whether