Anen sprang to his feet and threw off the helmet and uniform jacket.  The helmet spun across the polished floor towards the chairman's table---whick, whick, whick.  The noise seemed quiet in the suddenly silent chamber.  Anen stood straight and proud.  He turned slowly so everyone could see the brown-to-green/gold eyes unique to the Dlinnyy's people.  The chamber exploded into sound and motion.  Kurharay Family men leaped up and down shouting, "Kurharay lives!  Kurharay lives!"  Men poured into the aisles, yelling, pumping hands, brandishing fists, arguing.  Friends of House Kurharay swarmed towards Anen.

"Order!  Order!" Chairman Zubrugov cried, and his gavel made sharp cracking noises against his desk.

But the noise only increased in volume.  Kosh Bubov worked his way to the Bubov benches, helped by a flying wedge of Panshin friends.  He gave Anen a triumphant grin and sank into the place Anen had just vacated.  Panshin men closed around Anen on three sides.

"We want you to live to tell your story, lord," one of the men behind Anen murmured.

Anen didn't turn from the scene in the middle of the chamber, but his "Thanks," was heartfelt.

He caught a glimpse of Gaito Moaekod before the crush of Family men hid the Moaekod bench from his personal sight.  The Heir of Moaekod had been livid.  Anen lost track of how long the shouting and shoulder-pounding went on.  His head began to spin with weariness and the noise, motion, smells, and bright lights in the chamber.  Suddenly, the lights went out.  There was a brief, surprised surge of noise, then silence.  Anen heard the breathing of his neighbors and the sighing of the ventilator fans.  HIs guard of Panshin men pressed closer and several of them stepped in front of him.

"When you're quiet again, lords and Freemen, the lights will come back on, and we'll resume the meeting."  The chairman's voice was harsh.

Nobody moved, nobody spoke.  The chairman banged his gavel twice and the lights came back on again.  Lord Astin stood.  His son appeared to be pulling down on his arm, to little effect.

The duke bowed to the chairman.  His face was flushed and shiny with sweat and he was breathing rapidly.  "It's a trick!  Anen Kurharay died aboard Zhernak.  Her captain will swear to that.  This damn fool boy is an imposter!"  The sound system brought the harsh rasp of his breathing to everyone.  "You know the Kurharays.  Do they breed slender, fine-boned sons?"

"No!" roared the benches of Moaekod and Panshin.

"Lido Pisaeosem Kurharay never brought his third son to Congress.  In fact, he exiled him to the Tarian system as soon as the child was old enough to travel there alone.  How many here know what that third son looks like?"

There were very few, and their memories of Anen Kurharay were of a small child.

Our House now pays for your conceits, sir, Anen thought bitterly.  I can't be personally identified even by my own vassals!

"He died in space, lords and Freemen, just as I reported." The duke struggled for a moment for air.  "Captain Ruzuqkdae of the Zhernak will verify what I say."

Anen waited for the roar that followed to die down, then walked into the open area between the chairman's desk and the prep tables of the Families.  He faced the chairman, touched head and heart in respect as was the custom among the member planets of the Republic, and turned to the benches of the Ten Families.  Even as he opened his mouth to speak, he heard voices from Moaekod and Panshin pointing out the alienness of that salute.  He straightened and lifted his head with the pride expected of a Kererr. "The Gild itself will give the lie to the Duke of Moaekod.  Ask the First Merchant.  I was supposed to die in space, lords and Freemen.  The Zhernak is now confined to an orbit above us, waiting for Vanguard investigators.  There were assassins aboard that ship, gentlemen, and you all know the Gild's philosophy about that."  He walked slowly around the circular space, looking across the ranks of Freemen and minor Houses as well as the benches of the Ten.  "Look at my eyes, lords and Freemen.  They are the eyes of my lady mother's people.  Of all the Puredorv, only my lady mother, my sister, and I have them.  This is well known."

A low mutter of agreement swept the chamber.  The sound affected Anen just like a stimulant.  I have more support here than just House Bubov!  For a few minutes he felt refreshed and wide awake.

Gaito Moaekod bent his smooth, dark head to his sire's and whispered something.  The duke shook his head, pushed himself unsteadily to his feet, and pointed a shaking finger at Anen.  "He's wearing special lenses that change the real color of his eyes.  They're easy to find off-world."

Gaito Moaekod's mouth pursed in disgust.  He turned away from his sire and crossed his arms over his chest.  The Paladin of Mirsk rose and stalked around the front of his table.  He pointed a quivering finger at Lord Astin.

"I'm no friend to Kurharay, as you well know, Astin Moaekod, but I'm not a fool!  We're Family here, not serfs, and we will not be put off with stupidities!  Your House has already engaged in enough stupidities the last few days to last it a full generation!" The Paladin pointedly turned his back to Moaekod and sat down again.

"My lord Pymazhenko," said Anen, "may I still speak?"

The chairman nodded.  Anen turned toward Moaekod.  

"Milord, we both know that who I am is not the issue.  The issues are assassination and siege."

There was a sudden intake of breath in the chamber and then a wave of whispering in which "siege" was the most audible word.  Anen waited for the whispering to fade, then spoke quietly, forcing his listeners to pay close attention.  "The Moaekods try to divert your attention to defend themselves, lords and Freemen.  Unmarked fighters, directed by Gaito Moaekod, whose voice I myself heard, attacked my flight over Ghor and s hot down my flitter and all of my escorts.  With Moadekod troops holding Castle Buruq and city under siege, Kurharay could tell no one what was....."

"Point of order," Gaito Moakod cut in.

"What is your point, milord?"

"Lord Chairman, Anen Kurharay isn't a member of Congress and therefore has no business speaking."

A young man of House Panshin stood.  "Malmil of Panshin, my lord Chairman.  A man has his title and position on Congress by birthright and not by Congressional permission."

"He is underage," Gaito corrected smoothly.

"He's a legal representative of his House," Malmil retorted.

"Minors have no say in Congress."

Chairman Pymazhenko rapped sharply on his desk. "Milords!  You have neither one been recognized except to state the point of order, and Frem Rasnar Barugov has risen."

"A Freeman?!"

"This is a question for the Families...."

"What business do Freemen have...."

"Allow him to speak!" Pymazhenko roared.

"Thank you, milord."  Rasnar Barugov stepped down from his seat in the tiers of Freemen and walked to the speaker's post in the aisle.  He wore the traditional tights and short-sleeved draad of Freemen.   The badge on his chest said he was an alderman for the freecity of Kuzgruniak.  "Freemen, lords, and minor Houses, Anen Kurharay's right to the title and to a position on the Congress are the business of the Houses alone, but he said 'siege,' and that is our business."

Gaito Moaekod stood again and bowed gracefully to the chair and to Barugov.  "Frem Barugov, we of the Ten appreciate the Freemen's willingness to guard the laws of feud, but this is a minor matter, easily settled by discussion and negotiation."

Gaito's polished manner and courteous speech impressed the older members of several of the Ten, who smiled and nodded agreement.  Anen watched them and hoped savagely that some of them were smiling at Gaito's inadvertent pun on his age.

"Out of order," Grand Duke Bubov muttered under his breath.

Barugov leaned towards the pickup, so his voice came into the room louder than it had.  "I did not yield the floor, milord Gaito."

Barguov stared at the Moaekod heir coolly.  Gaito's eyes narrowed, and his mouth tightened.  He returned the stare, then shrugged and sat again in his place.

"Thank you," Barugov said dryly.  He turned slightly sideways so he could look across the tiers of Freemen as he spoke.  "We have laws that govern feuds for the protection of the rest of the planet.  We maintain our Freemen's neutrality only by insisting that these laws be observed.  There has been on 3D notice of siege, no 40-day truce for noncombatants to leave, no call for peace talks.  There must be no secret sieges!" He turned to look fully at Chairman Pymazhenko.  "The Freemen insist that the young Kererr speak."

Pymazhenko spun his chair to face House Moaekod.  "Your point of order is overruled.  Kurharay's position is not the question at this time.  He claims to have witnessed an illegal siege and to have survived an unlawful attempt at gang assassination.  He may speak as a witness no matter his age.  Lord Anen."

Anen swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke directly to Chairman Pymazhenko.  "When my flight was shot down over Ghorr, only Pilot Bubov and I survived.  We walked, lords and Freemen, for three days to reach my Holding, only to find Castle Buruq surrounded by Moaekod's armies."

"You are lying, you bastard!" Astin Moaekod shouted.

Anen looked over the Houses in the semicircle of the Ten, from Khikak to Moaekod.  "We stole a fighter, Bubov and I, in order to get to Congress.  The fighter was silver, unmarked by the colors of any House, just like the ones that attacked us in Ghorr, but this one was guarded by men in these uniforms."  He kicked the gold uniform jacket to join the helmet in the middle of the floor.  "You all saw House Moaekod acknowledge us when we came in. What other evidence of responsibility is needed?"

He waited for the outraged clamor that followed his question to die down.  He stood a little straighter and looked around the chamber to gauge the reactions of the members of Congress.  The leaders of the Ten each conferred with members of their Family.   Among the Freemen and minor Houses, men moved restlessly.  Some had twisted in their seats and were whispering urgently to their neighbors.  Many were staring in unconcealed anger at Astin Moaekod.  Anen spoke to the Freemen.  "All of you know of the long feud between Moaekod and Kurharay.  It's always been fought within the laws---until now.  But Astin Moaekod hates my House so much he has besieged us without notice.  He even arranged assassination attempts while I was under Gild neutrality.  To kill me he risked Gild embargo for our whole world!  It's vital to our planet that House Moaekod be penalized for violating our laws!"

"Liar!  Liar!  I know noth---" Astin Moaekod gasped, then bent over his prep table, clutching its edge.

Moaekod men rushed to his side.   The few men on the Moaekod benches roared their anger.  Men of four minor Houses sprang up, demanding to speak.

"Lords and Freemen," Anen shouted above the uproar, "I haven't finished."  Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gaito Moaekod's mouth form the words "You are finished," and knew his meaning.  There is the danger in that House, he told himself.  He looked away from the Moaekod benches to the chairman. "Milord?"

Chairman Pymazhenko nodded and began pounding for order.  When the noise had subsided a little, Anen spoke.  "I say again, House Moaekod has violated the basic laws of clan feud.  I demand the full punishment under the law---life in prison for the instigator and Congress trusteeship for the House."

The room fell into total silence.  Astin Moaekod lay on the front bench of his House, a black-robed physician at his side.  Gaito Moaekod stood beside the prep table, rolling a stylus across the table and back, his eyes narrowed and fixed on Anen, his handsome face grim.

"You may go to the clinic for proper medical attention, milord," the chairman said.  "An accused House is disqualified from voting on the accusation anyway."

"No." Astin's voice was thick, and his breathing labored.  "I'll stay and hear the vote out."

The physician whispered something to him, but Moaekod just shook his head irritably.  Gaito moved to his sire's side.   Rasnar Barugov, who had been talking to a soldier in Congressional cement-gray, straightened and walked down the Freemen's aisle to the chairman's table.  He spoke quietly to Pymazhenko, then returned to his seat.

Gaito Moaekod laid his hand on his sire's shoulder.  "I'll speak for my House until my sire recovers his strength."

Astin shook his head weakly and made several small, floppy motions, as if he were trying to rise and his body would not obey him.  Gaito didn't even look down.

Pymazhenko motioned to a Congressional soldier stationed near his table.  "Summon the bailiffs.  See that they prepare the ballots immediately."  Pymazhenko stood, so that all members of Congress could see him well.  Rasnar Barugov, freecity of Kuzgruniak, informs me that the Gild confirms by satellite pix that Moaekod troops do, in fact, surround Buruq and Castle Buruq.  This siege violates our most basic laws, and action must be taken on this issue before any other.   Have you other evidence for your charges, Lord Anen?"

"Only the word of the other witnesses, milord." Anen's mouth felt dry, his hands were sweating, his knees felt weak.  My long walk and short nights, the tension---Sentinels! Help me!  I have to hold up a little longer.  The debate must continue, and I must seem strong and courageous.  Otherwise, the Families will fall upon my House like a Zel cat on a he wu. He looked over at the Bubov table and wished he could sit there again, with friends, but it was vital now to take physical possession of his Family's place.  He walked to the Kurharay prep table and sat down, alone, at the head of the nearly empty benches.

The chairman gave him a small nod of approval, for which Anen felt grateful.  "Are there other witnesses, besides young Bubov, willing to take oath and testify on this matter?" the chairman asked.

"Objection!  Kurharay was not sworn!"

The chairman frowned.  "I trust House Chenzzan recalls that minors need not be sworn."

"Czars-of-House always are."

"He is not yet Czar-of-House, Voman Panshin, as you yourself pointed out not long ago.  He may not vote."

"Nikolai Bubov, have you anything to add to Kurharay's testimony?"

"I do not, milord.  It happened as he said."

The bailiffs arrived and scurred along the aisles, passing blue ballot paper to everyone present save Anen and the men of House Moaekod.  Bubov explained the vote.

"The law requires Congress sentence. You, lords and Freemen, must decide if Astin Moaekod is guilty of siege outside the law.  If he is, and we now have the Gild pix if you questioned Kurharay's word, the sentence is imprisonment until his death, plus a Congress trusteeship for House Moaekod for as long as Congress deems necessary.  Vote now, please."

The Congress chamber became very quiet.  Anen watched members of Families cluster, quietly discussing their vote, and assumed such must be the custom.  His hands, hidden under the table, clenched and unclenched.  Do the members of Congress hate my sire's roughshod tactics enough to doom his House? Anen wondered grimly.  If the Moaekods leave this room without penalty, Mirl'da V will be plunged into civil war and House Kurharay will be its first casualty.  His eyes swept around the chamber.  Rows on rows of men of the minor Houses and of the Freemen bent over their writing boards or sat motionless in thought.  Those men are my hope, he reminded himself.  They're 2/3 of Congress, and if they vote against Moaekod I've got a chance to save my House.

"Voting time is ended," Pymazhenko announced.  "The bailiffs will collect and count all ballots."

The concrete-gray-coated bailiffs rapidly picked up the ballots and disappeared to count them.  Anen spread his hands on the tabletop and stared at the long brown fingers, Grand Duke Bubov stood to be recognized.

"Nikita Bubov, House Bubov.  Will the Congress discuss the assassins in Ghorr while the vote is tallied?"

"We still have that issue on the floor, Grand Duke."

Stubbornly Anen resisted the urge to clench his hands into fists, watching the muscles tighten and the knuckles turn white with the pressure he exerted against the table to keep his fingers still.  To the left of the Bubov benches someone stood for recognition, but Anen didn't look up to see who it was.  He concentrated on his hands and the table surface that lay beneath them.  It was black with centuries of use and abuse, scarred, dented, and stained.  Beside his right thumb someone had jabbed a hunting knife point again and again into the surface, exposing the bright brown ochre wood beneath the polished surface.  The mark had to be very old; weapons of any kind had been banned from the Congress chamber for generations.  Beside his right hand was a round dent, just the right size for a powerful man's fist, pounded hard in some ancient debate.

The cold, thin voice of the speaker just recognized broke Anen's absorption.  "Abdul Masxad, House Masxad.  Hard evidence of an attack by assassins does not exist."  Masxad sat again.

Anen turned toward Masxad.  He studied the man's severe, patrician profile and wished he knew House Masxad's alliances.  Is Abdul the Elder Superior?  Surely, in his middle fifties, the man is too old.  Although if Masxad has no powerful clan enemies he might....

Anen silently cursed Lido Pisaeosem Kurharay's arrogant refusal to give his 3rd son a political education.  All Anen knew about Masxad was that it was related to House Bubov by marriage, and he had not learned that from Lido Kurharay.  You had four sons, sire, Anen thought bitterly, and I'm the one left to save our House."

"Rachid Árpád, House Panshin, lord Chairman." The man was only a little older than Anen, stocky, and short.  "The Gild's evidence hasn't been fully investigated, but the uniforms and the silver fighter give backing to Lord Anen's accusation.  Personal armies or their members may not participate in assassinations, milord.  It's the law.  We all know it.  Therefore, the attack in Ghorr violates the law, and a guilty verdict on this must influence of Congress trusteeship."

"Who says there'll be a trusteeship?" Abdul Masxad sneered.

"We do, lords of Families!" said a harsh, angry voice from the benches of the Freemen.  "Ernest Doukas, freecity of Rolma, lord Chairman.  The Gild satellite took pix of the illegal siege.  Whether or not there are pix of fliers over Ghorr, the law has set the sentence for illegal siege and the law must be observed."

"The Freemen have never interfered b...."

"And we don't 'interfere' now, Lord Árpád.  Alderman Blagoz, freecity of Vsekan.  The law the Families made will be observed.  We, the free people of Mirl'da V, will see to that!"

"Barugov, freecity of Kuzgruniak. 'Noble' Ten, your serfs are rebelling, your duels and feuds are escalating.  We won't permit your lawlessness to draw Freemen into war, nor will we permit you to alienate the Gild.  We'll enforce the laws of feud, my fine lords, to defend our families and cities."

A bailiff hurried down the aisle between the Freemen and the minor Houses.  Pymazhenko held up his hand.  "Lords and Freemen, the verdict."

The angry Freemen sat reluctantly, glaring at their opponents among the Families.  Pymazhenko read the tally sheet to himself quickly, then held it high for all to see.  "Astin Moaekod has been found guilty of illegal siege and is therefore sentenced to spend the rest of his life at Velivropol, the Retreat House nearest his Holding.  The floor is now open to discuss the name of the trustee and the length of trusteeship for House Moaekod.  Paladin Abdul Masxad may speak first."

Anen felt relief at the sentence, which promised breathing time, but the wave of relief broke the iron control he had kept on his exhausted, overtense body.  He had to leave before he brought shame upon his House.  He left the chamber as fast as propriety allowed and, once alone in the hall, ran to the nearest sanitary, where he was miserably sick.  He retched past emptiness, then sat on the cold tile floor with his drumming head between his hands.  When he felt a little better, he leaned back against the wall and focused on the cart-flower on a tile across the room.  He set himself into the pattern-for-stress that every Taurian cadet learned his first year, centering his attention on the flower, and let the tension slowly drain away.  When his head quit hurting and his shoulder blades no longer felt pinched together, he got slowly to his feet and went out into the hall.

The Congress had adjourned, for the hall flowed with lords and Freemen.  Anen forced away both hope and despair and looked around for someone he knew.  Watching the brightly dressed Congress members was a little like looking through a kaleidoscope, and he did not want to test his stomach against the swirling, shifting colors for very long.  Several paces down the hall, a brown-sleeved arm waved to him over two heavily feathered purple hats. The hats swayed apart and Anen saw the grand duke, who beckoned him to join a small group of men clustered around the glazed wall near the central doors to the Congress chamber.

The grand duke drew Anen into the group.  "You already know Arad, Paladin of Panshin, do you not?"

Anen nodded.  Arad Panshin had been one of Lido P. Kurharay's favorite hunting companions.

The grand duke turned to the other men in the group.  "Kuz Bajor, Huey Zeltser, and Smurz Popov."

Anen nodded acknowledgment.

Bubov continued in his brisk way.  "Congress demanded Moaekod left the siege immediately, of course.  Blanket embargo against his House if he doesn't, you know.  Trusteeship only lasts until the Gild reports its findings about the Zhernak incidents or until the Thawtime Congress, unfortunately."

"By the Four Sentinels!" Anen exploded.

"Yes, a light sentence.  Moaekod has powerful friends, and the Freemen wouldn't take sides in 'Family' business, you know.  But you gained yourself time.  And Astin's paralyzed.  Won't live out the trusteeship, physicians say, and Gaito can't rule, officially, till Astin's gone, you know."

"Not 'officially,' but he'll damn well rule.  That is, if he's still the Gaito I remember." Anen's voice was bitter.

"Masxad is trustee, not the worst choice for you," Zeltser offered.

"Congress also accepted Lido's Will," Popov added.  "The Dlinnyy is regent until you come of age.  But Congress will give your House no protection."  Popov's voice shook with anger.

Anen felt the blood leave his head.  Grand Duke Bubov shot out a steadying hand. "That's why we're here, you know." He shook Anen gently.  "My House will send a Brotherhood right away."

"I'll send anyone who volunteers," Panshin said.  "The rascals on my back benches, most likely.  I couldn't stop them if I wanted to, short of disinheriting them."

"We'll send what we can until you can hold your oath-feast," Bajor said, and Popov and Zeltser nodded agreement.

Anen drew a deep, shuddering breath of relief.  He was no longer alone in his fight to survive.  "Thank you," he said, but his voice trembled.  You're showing weakness, the harsh voice of Lido P. Kurharay's ghost snarled. Anen straightened by force of will, his knees shaky and unwilling, and looked at the adult men around him.  He scared up a smile.  "Trust me, I haven't the words to thank you enough.  My House is at your beck and call if you ever have need of the Ten." As he spoke, Anen backed, ever so casually, against the wall just centimeters behind him.  The smooth, firm tile felt good to his weary back and relief-weak knees, but he knew he could not hold together much longer.  He ran a hand through his already rumpled hair.  "Your men will receive all the hospitality my House can give them."  The hall started spinning slightly, in spite of the wall's support.  "I must excuse myself, friends. My personal family is waiting for me at home."  Anen let the warmth he felt for these new friends flow into his words. Then he bowed formally to the men and turned carefully towards the exit and the flitter pad.

Grand Duke Bubov accompanied him, walking close but not shaming him with actual help, reeling out bits of Family gossip and political tidbits in a deliberately monotonous fashion quite unlike his usual manner, but which Anen found oddly calming.  Halfway to the lift, Kosh joined them on Anen's other side, his down, his mouth twisted in thought.  The grand duke kept up his monologue all the way to the pad and a maroon-and-green Bubov flitter.

The grand duke stood at the flitter's wing, available, if necessary, to help his nephew or Anen up.  The inane string of stories flowed on, but the grand duke's eyes were sharp, his posture alert, as he watched the two young men.  Anen hauled himself onto the wing, then extended a hand to Kosh.  The pilot hesitated, but allowed common sense to triumph and accepted their assistance.  The grand duke's face became grim.

"I wish you'd let a Congressional physician set that arm correctly, Kosh."

Kosh's mouth twisted into a wry grimace.  "It's not so bad.  Dr. L'tdauo can take care of it when I get to Buruq; a pilot's peace is with his lord, Uncle Nick."

"But you can't fly him home."

"Nonetheless, Uncle."

Unstated but understood by all three was the likelihood that if Kosh stayed behind, he might not be able to Castle Buruq at all. Gaito Moaekod might not obey Congress's orders unless militarily forced to.  The tightness in the grand duke's features lasted a moment longer, then his monologue continued.  Anen looked down at him, caught his eye, and winked.  The grand duke's bland social expression abruptly gave way to hysterical laughter.

"You're sharp, Anen Kurharay.  Thought you needed a cover for your condition.  You stood up amazingly.  I don't know anyone else who could have done as well.  You'll be safe until you get home, you know, and likely be safe there for a while, too.  Even Gaito Moaekod needs time to think about the new conditions in his House.  The Lord be with you."

Anen smiled and lifted a hand in respectful salute.  "And with your spirit."  He ducked into the flitter.

Kosh had already reclined in the passenger seat, arranged his splintered arm as comfortably as possible, and closed his eyes.  "If he'd known we were coming," he said drowsily, "he'd have brought a transport, but since he didn't the Panshins have promised to fly escort.  Punka and Rachid Árpád plan to stay." Koh settled deeper into the seat.  "As Uncle Nick said, not even Gaito would attack you again so soon after Congress sentence.249Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcl8DGEanQ

Moments later, Bubov was asleep.  Anen brought the flitter up off the pad and set the auto-pilot's course for Buruq.  He took one final look at the sparkling white landscape below, then he, too, closed his eyes.