The Vampire & Her Witch

”Now that the Southern Steppe has joined us, there are only a few more matters to settle tonight,” Ashlynn said. ”The first is a reminder: we have yet to make selections for several key positions within the Verdant Hills. Otker Canyon and the entire north-eastern corner of the Heart is a place of significant concern for the empire as it represents the most likely avenue of any attempt by the forces of Gaal to strike at the heart of the empire itself.”

”Lord Commander Savis will take his Second Army to secure the protectorate that includes Iriso, Otker, and Saliou,” Nyrielle declared. ”He will act under the direction of Master Isabell, along with Lord Gardener Wes Iriso, who will assist her in preparing the protectorate for the challenges it may face before we have a chance to appoint a Lord Governor.”

Nyrielle’s announcement was met with several understanding nods along with a number of whispered questions. If Wes Iriso wasn’t going to be appointed as the Lord Governor, why had he been given a seat at the central table? Was his appointment as Master Isabell’s assistant meant to signal that he was being groomed for a position, or was it a signal that the empresses lacked confidence in him and that there was a Lord Governorship available for an ambitious lord to contend for?

No one knew, but Ashlynn didn’t give them long to ponder those questions before she moved on to the next topic.

”A similar problem afflicts the central protectorate where the new Rides of Maeril and Kermeen join Rundel and Aleese, should the lands of Aleese remain part of the Verdant Hills,” Ashlynn said, nodding briefly at Dirar. ”I’ll be looking for the right lords to appoint to these positions in the coming year, though the urgency is slightly less than it is with the north-east corner.”

”There are, however, a few appointments that you should all be aware of as they concern the entirety of the empire,” Ashlynn said. ”Likewise, there are vacancies that some of you may wish to contend for, though none of these positions will hold any lands.”

”By longstanding tradition,” Nyrielle said. ”True Vampires take a Seneschal who can execute their will during the day while vampires are bound to sleep. A person trusted to speak with their master’s voice and execute their master’s will. When we met, I took Ashlynn as my Seneschal, though she has become much, much more than a voice that echoes my will,” Nyrielle explained, reaching out to caress Ashlynn’s face with a tenderness that almost made people forget the way she’d threatened Lord Garrik Maeril just minutes ago.

”To rule the Bloodroot Empire, we require experts who can implement our will and whom we can entrust with some of the most important decisions our realm will make,” Ashlynn explained. ”These people will form our cabinet of ministers, and we will name three of them tonight,” Ashlynn said, sweeping her gaze over the central table and the one placed closest to it.

”I’ve met too many people with extraordinary talents and no place in the old order because they weren’t warriors,” Ashlynn said. ”Others were denied opportunities to display their skills because they weren’t born into a position of privilege.”

”That ends here,” Ashlynn declared. ”Lord Ministers need only prove themselves capable enough within their realms of expertise to advise both the Crown and the High Table. The quill is their sword and a scholar’s keen mind is their battle training.”

Listening to Ashlynn talk, Adala sat up straighter in her chair. She’d seen how the offices of ministers were awarded both in the Iron Kingdom and in Gaal. In the Kingdom of Iron, these positions were doled out by the king to factions within the aristocracy that were the most loyal or who had performed some act of great service for the Crown. In Gaal, it was much the same, but the positions were handed out by the Ruling Council of Dukes.

In Gaal, that resulted in appointments intended to strengthen or weaken one of the shifting factions on the Council or in the Royal Court, and in both kingdoms, the politics driving these appointments had resulted in a number of frivolous offices. The Kingdom of Iron had a Minister of Games who oversaw everything from horse racing to card houses, and while everyone agreed that the work had some value, in practice, the Minister of Games was little more than a tax collector with a fancy title.

The empire, it seemed, was unwilling to dull the sharpness of this particular sword with a system of patronage, and Adala carefully watched Ashlynn’s eyes sweeping over her table, looking for a hint as to who might find themselves appointed to the cabinet and for what purpose.

”Over time, I expect that our cabinet of ministers will grow,” Ashlynn said. ”But the most essential offices to fill are ones that will be familiar to most: the ministries of the Treasury, Commerce, and Education. These ministers will be joined by positions that have no analog in the Kingdom of Gaal: the Lord Minister of the Commons and the Ministry of Mysteries.”

”In addition, one minister will hold responsibility for convening both the cabinet and the High Table,” Ashlynn said, walking over to the table closest to the central table to rest a hand on Hugo’s shoulder. ”Hugo, I can’t think of anyone better suited to the role of Lord Steward than you,” she said, smiling confidently at the young lord from Hanrahan.”

”Are you certain, your Dominion?” Hugo said, hesitating as he met Ashlynn’s emerald gaze. ”Your Lord Steward sits at the head of two tables. Shouldn’t it be someone who is more...” he started to say, glancing first at Thane and then at Isabell before coming back to rest on Ashlynn’s face.

”Don’t you need someone who is a more experienced leader?” Hugo asked. ”I feel like there’s a wide gap between serving as your Steward and serving as the Lord Steward of the entire empire.”

”The difference is smaller than you think,” Ashlynn reassured him. ”And you’re already performing many of the duties I would expect of our Lord Steward. Your work has always been important, Hugo, whether you did it for me, for Owain or for your father in Hanrahan. You just haven’t been given the credit you deserve for the things that you’ve done.”

”At the same time, the work itself hasn’t been respected,” Ashlynn said. ”We’ve glorified warriors and champions, and the leaders we’ve celebrated have been the ones who led conquests. We have plenty of people who can lead our soldiers in battle to defend the empire, and many who will take the field themselves.”

”What we need,” Ashlynn said, giving Hugo’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. ”Is someone who can be a great organizer. Someone who can bring together a group as diverse as the ones sitting in this hall now and help them work together. We need someone who can gather the facts and figures that support wise decisions, and at the same time, we need someone who remembers the people who will be impacted by those decisions.”

”So tell me, Hugo,” Ashlynn said. ”If the person we need isn’t you, who could it possibly be?”