It was Karin's turn to lift a placating hand. "There is something you don't know, and more," she said, unperturbed by the interruption. "The miners have joined with the Kallathik. And there are others. They are moving against us even now. Some of you may have heard that already. Well we can confirm it's true."
There was a stir across the hall.
"Even now, they are marching toward these estates, prepared to take from us everything that the Prophet has granted us, preparing to rip away the very fabric and the order of our society. You know me. You knew my brother, Roge. If he were here today, he would be the one standing here before you. But he's not here. Nor is my father, Leannis Men Darnak. We are without a Principal. So, I stand here before you, representing the family of Men Darnak, representing that tradition that has kept us alive on this world since the day when the ships first crashed from the sky. Yes, I am Men Darnak. Do you hear that? I am Men Darnak. I am my father's daughter, and you, all of you, need to understand what that means."
"What do you mean the miners have joined with them?"
"Just what I say," she said. "They have taken up weapons, as have the Kallathik. But that is not all..." She had them now; she could sense it. One by one, she looked around the faces in the hall, pausing at one or two, making the briefest eye contact with others, but touching each of them with her glance. "They have banded together with the Atavists as well. There is a combined force heading our way, led by Tarlain, my younger brother--"
There was a stir across the hall at the mention of his name, but she spoke over it, driving the words home. "--and they mean to take us and everything that is ours, to overthrow our social order. We cannot allow that to happen. By the Prophet and in the name of the First Families, we cannot allow that to happen. The very nature of everything we believe in is under threat. We, all of us, must work together to crush this heresy, to place these fools back in the place they belong. Does not the Prophet tell us that everything in this world has its place?" She spread her palms wide, pausing to let the words sink in. "Now. Are you prepared to listen? Are you prepared to act? Are you prepared to do what we must to restore the proper order to things? You?" She swept one arm in a wide gesture. "Have a duty to your Guild, have a duty to the other Guilds, have a duty to the Prophet's teachings and the traditions of the First Families."
Several of the Guildmasters were on their feet. "What do we have to do?" called one.
"How can we fight the creatures?" said another.
She gestured for them to resume their places and glanced back at Ky Menin, giving him a brief nod, before turning back to the audience. She could not let her satisfaction show. Not yet. But the daughter of Leannis Men Darnak finally had the Guilds.
"Each of you has men. Each of you has household staff and members of your Guilds living on your estates or nearby. We must prepare. Guildmaster Ky Menin has some plans. He also has one or two surprises that will help us win this conflict quickly and efficiently. If you are all in agreement, I will defer to the Guildmaster to share his thoughts, and we can plan together as a group. Then, make no mistake, we will fight. We will fight and we will drive them back to where they came from and we will restore the proper order."
Seeing no dissent, she nodded to Ky Menin, and then stepped around the edge of the low table to take one of the chairs herself. She looked out over the faces of the Guild leaders as Ky Menin started to speak. They were absorbed in what he was telling them, and she sat back, at last letting the sense of victory work within her.
Two of the group had their attention not on Ky Menin, but on her. Yosset still watched her and her alone, a slight narrowing of his eyes still evident. The other face turned toward her was that of Jarid Ka Vail. She met his eyes, gave him a long, pointed look and then looked away.
She would deal with Jarid when the time came, just as she would deal with her husband and with Karryl Ky Menin. Slowly, she savored the words in her head. Principal Men Darnak. She gripped the arms of the chair and bit gently on the inside of her lower lip. Principal Men Darnak. Principal Karin Men Darnak.
Thirty-Three
