“Good evening, darling.” Kelsey’s voice rang out from the second floor landing as Kilthanis removed his travel clothes. “I trust everything went well at the palace?”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to place my trust, my dear,” Kilthanis replied, walking up the stairs. Seeing the quizzical look on her face, Kilthanis detailed the meeting between himself and the Emperor. Initially, she looked shocked, but as his tale wore on, her expression darkened to one of anger.

“This is an outrage, Kilthanis! You must not stand for it!”

“I have no intention of standing for it dearest. I will fight any charges the Emperor chooses to level against me.”

Her eyes softened and her lips drooped as her expression vacillated between anger and concern. “But what if you lose?”

He tried to look comforting. “The law is on my side. I have faith in the system.”

“The same system that you just proved can fail on a massive scale? You’re going up against the Emperor, Kilthanis. Maybe you should flee.”

“Flee? Don’t be absurd. I am an officer of the Court and I have a duty to respect and uphold the law, even when its gaze is leveled at me. Besides, where is there to flee to? The Empire spans the continent. There’s no escaping the reach of the Emperor or his griffin cavalry.”

“What about Et’alash?”

Kilthanis paused. Et’alash was the newest of the Imperial provinces, having fought the longest against what they locally described as the “imperial yoke.” They were still fiercely independent. And of course, Kilthanis’s family had strong ties in the kingdom, his great-grandfather having led several units in open rebellion against the Empire, which Kilthane had so recently thrown in his face.

“No. I can’t run. Especially not to Et’alash. Aside from my respect for the law, there’s the fact that I would just be proving the Emperor right. He already tried to libel me with my great-grandfather’s actions. Running there would just play into his hands. No, I must remain here, if for no other reason than to try and check back any further excesses the Emperor may take.”

“There are other lawyers, Kilthanis. You need not launch a one man crusade against the Emperor.”

“But none with my relationship with his Majesty. And if I ran to Et’alash, that’s exactly what I would be accused of. I have no intention of launching a crusade, Kelsey. Things may look bleak, but we’re not anywhere near that point.”

“Are you so sure? The Emperor sounds like he’s gone mad with power. You know he hasn’t been himself since the attempt on his life.”

“His wife was murdered.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to ignore his place in the Empire!” Kelsey snapped. “Yes, he’s the Emperor. But he is still responsible to the law and the expressed will of the people. An Emperor who forgets his place is perhaps no longer fit to hold the office.”

“Kelsey, hold your tongue! Talk like that is treasonous. The Emperor may have overstepped his bounds, but that’s no reason to speak of rebellion!”

“Bah! You know as well as I do—“

But Kilthanis never heard what it was Kelsey believed he knew. For suddenly, there was a loud and authoritative pounding on the front door.