“Then there is this, Dili. You are a rare man, a rare and wonderful combination of assets. It would be the most terrible of misdeeds not to bend every effort of will in persuading you to breed soon and often, that your precious strain may be carried on to the enrichment and glory of the Confederation in coming generations. Nothing would give me more joy than to be able to bear your sons and daughters, sweet love, but we Undying can neither sire nor conceive, even among ourselves.
“And so, my Bili, you and I have a year or two, mayhap even three, but then Milo and Mara and my own conscience will insist that we get you wedded and bedded to some Kindred maids of good mindspeak stock and proven fertility.”
All at once, she threw her wiry, well-formed body against his with such force that she bore him onto his back. Savagely, she ground her mouth on his lips, while her hands frantically grasped and kneaded his body, mindspeaking, “Oh, my own dear love, three years is so very little time, let us not waste a second of it Oh, love me, Bili, please, please love me!”
Slowly, the late or delayed noblemen trickled into Mor-guhnpolis and, by the waning of the Wine Moon, all the thoheeks of the archduchy were assembled, along with most of the Kindred and Ehleenoee landholders-all save Thoheeks Djehs of Vawn and his kin.
And this last very nearly precipitated strife amidst those assembled, since it was necessary that a surrogate be named to fill the chair of the missing duke. As it was quite likely, judging from the testimonies of those few Vawnee taken alive, that the surrogate would be confirmed Thoheeks of Vawn in the end, and as Vawn was a rich duchy, what with its mines and high leas full of sheep and goats, all of the great nobles proposed a younger son or a favored kinsman for the needed surrogate. But to approve one would be to offend all the rest, and Milo could see this enterprise-organized to promote unity amongst the nobles. Kindred or Ehleenoee-dissolving into hotheaded recriminations and, possibly, blood feuding.
Bili of Morguhn arose from his place at the council table. “My Kindred, I, too, wish to propose a surrogate for Thoheeks Vawn of revered memory.”
Thoheeks Hwil of Bailee of Blue Mountain smiled tightly, his bald pate reflecting as much lamplight as Bili’s shaven one. “We are sure you do, young Morguhn. But you must realize that after the reconquest of Vawn, a man with both a strong hand and mature judgment is going to be needed in that duchy. All your brothers are just too young.”
Bili’s wolf grin answered the old thoheeks” smile. “Just so, Kindred, just so. That is why I propose Chief Hwahltuh of Sanderz as surrogate Thoheeks Vawn.”
While the “noble gentlemen” shouted, snarled, cursed, pounded the tabletop and similarly carried out their polite discussion of the proposal of Morguhn, Milo mindspoke Bili on a level to which none of the others could attain.
“Why the Sanderz, Bili? Because he seems intent on wedding one of your mothers, or simply because you like himr
“Neither,” replied the young duke. “Who my mothers choose to wed is their affair. And while I respect the Sanderz for his fighting skills, his leadership abilities and his horsemanship, among other things, I sometimes find him a damned hard man to stomach. So I can’t say that I like him.
“No, I am just weary unto death of this squabbling, this senseless wrangling over Vawn. When first I met most of these men, I was almost in awe of them, but this business has shown me their other guises. They’re like wild dogs snarling and snapping over a rotted carcass.
“Since Chief Hwahltuh be True Kindred, my lord, why not give him and his clan Vawn? Why make him go on to Kehnooryos Atheenahs to swear his oaths to you when he can do so here? Admittedly, I be ignorant of many of the finer points of custom and the Law of the Tribe, but this course seems practical and, if we act now, mayhap we can get this war done by harvest time.”