General Teach now leaned against the inside of the door as though bracing it against an expected attack. “They want peace. Of course they do. We have the upper hand.”
Calder walked over to a chair opposite Kern, but Bliss stayed crouched on the ground where she’d greeted Lily. “I do not like the idea of reconciliation, but my motivations are primarily personal.” She considered that for a moment. “…yes, I’d say I’m motivated mostly by my desire to see Nathanael Bareius surrender. If I set that aside, I would be willing to work with the Regents and Independent Guild Heads for the sake of suppressing the Elders.”
Cheska eyed Bliss. “Well, that’s one vote.”
Calder looked back out to the sky, where the dark hairline fracture was visible even in the bright of day. He preferred it when clouds covered it up. “Have we made any progress on the crack in the sky?”
When no one answered him, he took that as his answer. “Then we need the Regents.”
“We can’t trust them,” Teach put in.
“We can’t trust the Regents?” Kern asked. “If Estyr Six isn’t loyal to the Empire and the human race, no one is.”
“How can you call splitting up the Empire loyalty?”
Cheska stretched across the length of the couch. “It’s all about the terms. Now that we’ve got the upper hand, we should be able to squeeze them for something good.”
“Too dangerous,” Teach said firmly. “The Regents aren’t the only ones we’re dealing with. I know the Consultants’ new Guild Head, and we may as well grab a snake by the tail as squeeze her for benefits.”
That was news to Calder. “You know her?”
He had heard, of course, that the Consultants had appointed a Guild Head. There was historical basis for it; many classical historians had referred to a singular Guild Head of the Consultants, and Calder had assumed her modern nomination was an attempt to add legitimacy to their Guild during a crisis.
But he hadn’t heard who it was.
Teach wore a sour look. “So do you. Shera of the Gardeners.”
Calder’s stomach tightened, and his memory treated him to the sight of a black-haired woman pulling a shining emerald dagger out of Urzaia’s chest. A green light hung in the air, the product of her Soulbound power.
A power that reminded him of Jerri’s. They were different shades of green, and Jerri’s powers were more flames than hazy lights, but he had more than once tried to draw a line between the two Soulbound in his mind.
Of course, no matter how little he trusted Shera, he was certain she wasn’t working with the Sleepless.
Calder’s dream of peace wavered. “Will she consider a treaty at all?” His impression of Shera was of a remorseless living weapon dedicated solely to accomplishing her objective, but he had made a connection with her partner Meia.
And had been close to a deal with the Gardener Lucan before Jerri ruined everything.
“She will consider it,” Teach said. “But she doesn’t keep her word.” Her blue eyes flashed hot, as though she remembered some pain in her past. “We will need to force her to hold to the treaty, or we can never trust the Consultants as long as she is their Head.”
Cheska spoke up from the couch. “We can make that happen. We tie her up in agreements until she can’t ignore us without losing her allies and the support of the Council of Architects. I know a Soulbound who can write mesmerizing contracts.”
Calder gathered himself up, looking over the four Guild Heads. He was supposed to be leading these people. None of them expected him to do so, they only wanted him to represent their interests and serve as a figurehead, but he could embrace that. Make it real.
“We will pursue a peace treaty,” he said, projecting unassailable confidence. “It’s foolish to continue squabbling among humanity while the Elders gather overhead.”
Kern glanced at him, then back at the floor. Bennett gave a microscopic shrug, as though acknowledging that he had said something to consider. Teach didn’t look at him at all.
Bliss still crouched on her heels in the middle of the floor, chewing on her thumbnail. “Bareius also cannot be trusted. He will twist our words in order to make the most money. I am biased, but I do know him well.”
Calder tried again. “We don’t have to trust them, but we have to pursue a working relationship. It’s with them or with Kthanikahr.”
He evoked the Great Elder’s name in order to scare them, but Kern only held out a hand as though to tell him to settle down.
“The cornerstone of any agreement will be the Regents,” the Champion said. “We will rely on them to hold the Guild Heads in line.”
“Then how do we stop them from taking over?” Teach asked.
“How are we stopping them now?”
It was the nightmare of all the Imperialists that the Regents might fly in and destroy them at any moment. They had only speculation why it hadn’t happened already; for one thing, the Regents had all expressed reluctance to lead the Empire. Maybe they were holding themselves back.
Calder believed that the ancient Soulbound were being cautious. They were powerful, certainly, but that didn’t mean they could ignore several powerful Guild Heads and a collection of Champions.
He had plenty of time to consider his personal beliefs in silence as the Guild Heads continued the discussion without him.
He’d known what he was signing up for when he allowed the Guild Heads to use him as a banner despite his relative lack of influence, but them openly ignoring him was starting to ignite his anger.
As Sadesthenes had once written, “A true leader’s words are not easily ignored.”
Or as Estyr Six had put it, hundreds of years ago: “If you’re not giving the orders, you’re not the one in charge.”
“I don’t know that I can meet face-to-face with the Regents,” Calder said. “I’ve had my share of…dark dealings.” He focused on not rubbing his forearm, where Kelarac’s six-fingered handprint was burned into his skin.
The Guild Heads looked to him, then one by one dismissed him.
“With Elders?” Cheska said with a snort. “I’d like to see them find a single Navigator who hasn’t.”
Teach glared at him. “Keep it to yourself.”
Bliss examined the back of her fingernails as though checking to see which she should chew next. “I have one of Tharlos’ bones in my pocket. You have an Elder chained to the bottom of your ship. A ship you stole from us, by the way. I worked very hard on that ship.”
She glared at him, though it had happened eleven years ago.
Kern laced blunt fingers together. “If the Regents can Read shady backgrounds, I’d say we’re all in trouble.”
“Do you think they can see into our pasts?” Bliss asked curiously. “I don’t imagine that would be very pleasant for them.”
Calder wasn’t sure it was possible to overestimate the Regents. He had something of a reference for the Emperor’s powers from the Imperial relics he had Read in his past, and the Regents were supposed to be his peers. Especially Estyr, who was held up in both myth and history as the Emperor’s equal.
“Whether they can or not, anyone in the same room with them is at risk,” Teach said. “We’ll have to hold some Guild Heads in reserve or find a way to meet with only one Regent at a time.”