“The point being…” Andross growled.
“The point, dear father, dear friends, is that I won’t stand for these people to suffer any more than absolutely necessary to make their new lives. In the resolution we just signed unanimously, this council has declared Satrap Garadul’s satrapy illegitimate. Rask Garadul was installed legitimately, was corresponded with as a legitimate satrap for a time. If he became illegitimate, but not through his personal treason, it is because his satrapy itself is illegitimate. Which is a simple acknowledgment of truth. Tyrea has not been a real satrapy in sixteen years. It had caretakers in its former capital, and its seat on this council was seized by another satrapy. So this is as it should be. However, a satrapy can only be dissolved by a supermajority vote of this council. We have so voted.”
“That’s a lot of interpretation you’re layering onto a simple document,” the White said. She didn’t, Gavin thought, necessarily disagree with him, but she didn’t like at all how he’d done it.
“Yes. But it is the Prism’s prerogative to define satrapies, and I have already done so. I settled the refugees of Garriston onto Seers Island—a place where they will not be flooding your cities with their destitute tens of thousands, for which I hope all your satraps thank you endlessly. And me. And I declared Seers Island a new satrapy. The new satrap, I’m afraid to say, could only be Corvan Danavis.”
They knew he hated Corvan. They knew he’d fought against him, and had lost friends in those fights. That Corvan might be the new satrap was at least one thing that undercut Gavin’s personal power—so they thought.
“By endorsing that we are indeed still seven satrapies, you’ve endorsed my new creation.”
“This is an outrage,” Carver Black said.
“I think we can all agree that what you’ve just tried to do is, is, is unacceptable,” Klytos Blue said.
“Surely he doesn’t have the power to establish new satrapies on his own,” Tisis said. “High Lady Pullawr?”
The White shrugged. “Look at any history, it will tell you the Prism established the Seven Satrapies. Of course, things have changed greatly since those times, but it clearly was in the Prism’s purview, of old.”
“And has never been removed from the Prism’s purview, as you put it, High Lady,” Gavin said. Of course it hadn’t. There wasn’t anywhere else to put another satrapy, and no one would ever agree to splitting their own.
“Let’s just vote to undo this,” Tisis said.
Several other Colors voiced their approval.
“I agree,” Gavin said, “but pardon me, I’m still presiding here today, and we’ll still follow the proper procedure. You wish to dissolve Seers Island as a satrapy?”
“Yes!” Tisis said.
“Then you’ll need a supermajority to pass your resolution. As we’ve just said, dissolving a satrapy requires a supermajority.”
“Fine.” He could see others looking around the table, sliding the beads. Would anyone hold out on this?
They brought the resolution. Several of the Colors looked at Gavin like he was insane. Why would he pull such a thing, and then allow it to be rescinded immediately?
The White knew. He could see it in the tightness of her face. And Andross knew. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose, where his heavy dark spectacles had worn lines into his skin.
Tisis, furious, dictated the resolution. Gavin made no objection. When the head scribe brought it to him for his inspection, he nodded and handed the document to Tisis first.
“And on whose behalf are you signing, Tisis?” Gavin asked.
“My own,” she said, as if it were a trap.
“Our service on the Spectrum is never on our own behalf, child,” the White said. She sounded tired.
Tisis sneered. Unwise. She was mad at Gavin, not the White, and it never paid to sneer at the White. “So be it. I sign on behalf of…” All the blood drained out of her face. Her voice dropped to a whisper. She was Ruthgari and her seat was used for Ruthgar’s benefit, but it was a seat held in protectorship. “I sign for Tyrea,” she whispered.
“There is no satrapy of Tyrea,” Gavin said. “Your position no longer exists. As this meeting is a closed meeting of the Spectrum, you’re excused.”
Dead silence fell on the room.
“You can’t do this,” Tisis said.
“Not alone. We did it together. You helped.”
Gavin’s Blackguards were at his side, somehow sensitive to the imminent threats.
Tisis looked around the table in disbelief.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be right back,” Klytos said. “We’ll have the vote immediately. It’ll be five minutes.”
Tisis sneered. “You idiot, you think he took it this far without a plan?” She stood sharply and strode out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
“As the satrap of Seers Island hasn’t yet appointed his Color, the Prism holds his vote in trust,” Gavin said. “And believe me, he wouldn’t want me to use his vote to disband his satrapy.”
Two votes then for him. He gave them a second to finish the arithmetic. Tisis was gone. They needed a supermajority of five, so Gavin only needed four to stop them. No tie was possible, so the White couldn’t vote. The Black could never vote. They knew Delara would vote with him because she needed his help on the war. Jia Tolver always voted with him. Four.
And that was if all the others broke Andross Guile’s way.
“Is there anyone who wishes to call the vote?” Gavin asked. Daring them. Supremely self-confident.
“I do,” Klytos said immediately, finding his courage somewhere.
“Is there a second?”
“Raka,” Andross Guile said to Klytos. It was a heavy insult. “You want to put a loss in the records and establish precedent?”
Klytos paled, then stared around the room, looking for allies. Even those who might have voted with him turned away.
“I—I—wish—”
Rather than let him withdraw the motion, Gavin said quickly, “The motion fails for lack of a second.”
“I move we adjourn,” Arys said. “I’ve a babe to nurse, and I think all of us have messengers to send.”
Gavin had expected as much. “One moment. I want to say one thing,” he said as the Colors were scooting their seats back, getting ready to leave. “You did this. It didn’t have to be this way. If you’d listened to me, Tyrea would still exist, and the Color Prince wouldn’t be rampaging across Atash. If you’d sent a bare thousand soldiers or a hundred drafters, we could have defeated King Garadul. But you, you sent a delegation to study the problem.”
“Peace should be maintained at almost any cost,” Klytos interrupted. “As the blessed Adraea Coran—”
“War is a horror, yes. I know. I know. And pacifism, which you claim to value so highly? Pacifism is a virtue indistinguishable from cowardice.” He sneered. “This war could have been ended before it began in half a dozen ways. If you’d taken your boot off the throat of Tyrea one second before it got strong enough to throw you off, this wouldn’t have happened. I tell you this, if you won’t do what’s right, I will. Things are going to change around here.”