Oryon (Tornians Book 3.5) (7 page)

“And your offspring would not do the same thing?”

“They would, but if there can only be one…”

“You would sacrifice for your older brother.”

“For my future Lord.”

Isis reached out and touched Vali’s cheek. “You are a good male Vali, fit and worthy. Your brother is lucky to have you as his second.”

Vali felt his cheeks flush at his mother’s heartfelt words.

“Together we will all do our best to help Ull see that Ynyr’s being chosen as a Lord, and Abby’s choosing Ynyr, no way reflects on his fitness as a male or future Lord.”

“That may be a difficult task Mother.”

“Then let us start now with showing him the beauty of the House that he will one day rule.” Slipping her arm through her offspring’s, they went in search of Kaspar.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

 “You…” Kaspar sat behind the desk in his office and looked at Lady Isis in shock. What was she doing
approaching
him like this? Why was she
speaking
to him? Why was Vali allowing it? “You what?”

“I said I wanted to know why House Rigel’s rooms haven’t been properly cleaned,” Isis repeated herself.

“I personally oversaw the cleaning of your chambers my Lady,” Kaspar told her stiffly.

“I wasn’t talking about
those
rooms, Master Kaspar. I was referring to the rest of House Rigel. Why are the windows in the entrance hall streaked? Why are the floors dirty? The furniture not properly polished?”

“The entrance is as my Lord desires it,” Kaspar responded through gritted teeth.

“You are saying that
my
Lord directed you to leave dirt on the floor? To
not
have the windows cleaned?”

“Of course not!” Kaspar snapped.

“Then why aren’t they?” Isis demanded, and Kaspar could do nothing but silently stare at her with blazing eyes. “Gather your males, Master Kaspar,” Isis ordered, “and meet me in the entrance hall. There is work to be done, and
I
am going to make sure it’s done properly.”

“I… you…” Kaspar finally stuttered out unable to believe she thought she could order him around. “You need to return her to her chambers,” Kaspar ordered, turning to Vali.

“
Lady
Isis is here with the full approval and support of Lord Oryon,
Master
Kaspar.” Vali said in a hard, cold voice, letting the smaller male know just who was in charge here. “
She
is the Lady of this House and
her
orders are to be followed. Unless,” Vali raised an eyebrow at Kaspar, “you wish to explain to your Lord why you have disrespected his Lady… and my mother.” Vali ended on a growl.

“No! Of course not!” Kaspar instantly denied.

“Then gather your males!” Vali growled.

“Yes, of course, Warrior Vali.” Kaspar rose from his desk to leave but Vali’s next words stopped him.

“You are leaving without showing your respect for your Lady?”

Turning back, Kaspar found Vali’s hand gripping the hilt of his sword and realized the seriousness of his offense. “Pardons,” he quickly said, bowing to Vali then shifted to bow to Isis for the first time. “Pardons, my Lady, I will gather my males and meet you in the entrance.”

“That will be fine, Master Kaspar.” Isis, while gracious at Kaspar’s slight, made sure he knew who was in charge. “I’ll see you there in ten minutes.”

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

“Thank you for your support Vali,” Isis spoke quietly as they walked toward the entrance hall she wanted cleaned.

“He had no right to disrespect you so.” Vali growled his anger at Kaspar’s slight. Who did that male think he was? “You are his Lady and my mother!”

“Yes, but it will take time for everyone to adjust to all the changes, not only here but throughout the Empire. There are going to be… misunderstandings.”

“That was not a
misunderstanding
. That was Kaspar totally disregarding your position.
You
are Lady Isis of House Rigel.
He
is only the Master of it. He is here to do
your
bidding,
not
question it.” Vali looked down at his mother and gave her a slight smile. “I was impressed with how you forgave the slight, and yet you still let him know who was in charge.”

“It is something my manno told me many years ago. He told me that when dealing with Tornian males, I would need to speak softly but carry a big stick.”

“What?”

The expression on Vali’s face had Isis chuckling. “You would need to know my manno to understand.” She looked at Vali. “I wish you could have known him.”

“He died not long after you Joined with manno, didn’t he?”

“Yes, shortly after I presented Ull. There was some sort of accident in his shop. It was never fully explained to me, but he was alone and somehow injured so severely that he died before a Healer could reach him.”

“His shop? What kind of shop?” Vali quizzed.

“My manno was a master cabinetmaker.” Isis said proudly, then frowned at Vali. “You did not know this?”

“No.”

“He loved the feel of adhmad beneath his hands, loved to cut and carve it, to sand and polish a piece until it revealed what it was always meant to be.” She paused in the doorway of the entrance hall and looked around the sparsely furnished room. “I have several of his pieces in my chambers. They would fit perfectly here in the hall.”

“You wish to bring
female
furniture into the
entrance
hall?” Vali asked in disbelief.

“What’s
female
furniture?” Isis asked, trying not to laugh at his aghast expression.

“I… well… small… dainty… fragile… poufy….”

“Is that how you really see females? Even after this last week?” Isis tipped her head to the side, giving him a considering look.

“I… well no, but your furniture…”

“I think you will be pleasantly surprised, and once this room is properly cleaned,” Isis glanced around the dirty room they’d entered. “I will show you the pieces your mother’s manno made, and then you can tell me if our males will find them comfortable.”

As Isis finished speaking, ten males stomped into the room. It was obvious from their annoyed expressions that they weren’t happy to be there, and Isis knew exactly who to thank for that, and he was following directly behind them… Kaspar. Well, she wasn’t going to let him control her dealings with the males in
her
House. No one would, not any longer.

“Good morning males.” Isis stepped forward, letting them know that
she
was in charge here. “I am Lady Isis, as I am sure you are well aware,” she smiled at the stunned looks that she was receiving for speaking directly to them. “As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, drastic changes have occurred in our Empire during the last weeks. Changes such as a female speaking to males she has no wish to Join with.” Ignoring their shocked gasps, Isis continued, making sure her eyes met each male. “I do not yet know all your names… but I will.” She let that hang there for a moment. “Not, as I have already stated, because I wish to Join with you, but because you are part of
my
House. Part of
my
Lord’s House and
he
has chosen you to be here.
He
believes that not only do you belong, but that you are an
asset
to his House.”

Her words had the desired affect. Every male straightened their shoulders and puffed out their chests.

Her eyes fastened on Master Kaspar. “Yet this room… it shames the Lord who has shown such faith in you.” She saw the shock on every male’s face as their eyes frantically traveled around the room.

“Betelgeuse is the ‘Hunter’s’ planet. Our males learn to hunt, track and train here, and become some of the most feared warriors in the universe. That is not an easy thing to accomplish, nor something you can do and remain clean. Yet that does not mean that the place they retreat to after a hunt, the place where they discuss and learn from their ‘brothers in arms’, must also be filthy. They deserve better than that, and we are going to give it to them.”

“You.” Isis pointed at a random male. “What is your name?”

“Jael… Jael, my Lady,” the young yellow skinned male stuttered.

“It is an honor to meet you, Jael. Now tell me, what do you see when you look around this room?”

“My Lady, I see the entrance hall for House Rigel.”

“What else, Jael?” She saw his eyes move to Kaspar. “You are speaking to
me,
Warrior Jael, not Master Kaspar.
I
am asking your opinion.”

“I am not a Warrior, Lady Isis,” Jael told her, bowing his head in shame.

“You are still in your training?”

“Yes, my Lady.”

“How long have you been in House Rigel?”

“Two years, Lady Isis,” Jael replied.

“Then I would say you are on your way to proving yourself, Jael, as those found unworthy are quickly weeded out by my Lord. Now tell me if this,” she made a sweeping gesture around the room, “was a room that reflected on you personally, what would you change?”

“I, well my Lady, the windows. The dirt on them blocks the light, but if they were clean…”

“It would make the floors look that much worse.”

“Yes, my Lady,” he said, ducking his head as if he were waiting to be punished for speaking the truth.

“You are correct, Jael.”

Isis’ words had Jael’s eyes shooting to her in shock.

“Jael, I want you and three others to go retrieve ladders so the windows can be cleaned. The rest of you,” Isis turned her gaze on the remaining males, “I want you to move this furniture to the side so the floors can be properly cleaned, and that means the entire floor, including every corner. There will be no dirt left in this room.”

Silence reigned in the room for several tense seconds before Jael grabbed the arms of the two males next to him, and after giving Isis quick bows, they headed out to get the ladders. Another group went to move the furniture. While several stood next to Kaspar, who hadn’t moved.

“Is there a problem, Master Kaspar?” Isis asked, her eyes narrowing on the unmoving males.

“No, my Lady,” Kaspar replied.

“Good, so since you forgot to bring the necessary cleaning supplies with you, why don’t you and the males at your side go retrieve them. That way they will be available for those that
are
doing as I requested.”

“Yes my Lady,” Kaspar said through clenched teeth, then giving her only the slightest of bows, spun on his heel, storming from the room quickly followed by three other males.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Oryon stood hidden in the shadows of the upper corridor that overlooked the entrance hall, his gaze following Kaspar. He had trusted that Vali would see to his mother’s safety, but still… he needed to make sure for himself, and the private corridor that led from the Lord’s Wing to his command center was the perfect location to observe from. The corridor allowed a Lord quick access to his command center in times of trouble. It also allowed a Lord to see and hear who was in his hall without being observed. Over the years, Oryon had learned a great many things this way, such as Kaspar’s barely shown respect for his Lady.

He would have to keep an eye on the male, for while Kaspar had been with House Rigel for many years, he was known to have a short temper and didn’t take criticism well, especially not from those he felt were beneath him.

Oryon had tolerated him because he had believed Kaspar ran House Rigel well. Now he would have to rethink that, with Isis pointing out things he had missed. Perhaps it was time for a change.

Seeing Vali look his way, Oryon realized his second male had known he had been there all along. Vali was good that way. He trusted his senses. Turning, Oryon proceeded on to his Command Center, confident Vali had everything under control.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Kaspar couldn’t believe he was following the orders of a
female
.

Lady
of House Rigel or not.

He
was Warrior Kaspar, Master of House Rigel.
He
had been making sure this House ran efficiently for
years
. That this
female
thought, she had the right to criticize how he carried out his duties was an outrage! She had ordered
him
to fetch the cleaning supplies as if he were a
train
…

Lord Oryon should have gotten rid of her years ago, after she presented him with a second male. For after that, there was no reason to keep her. If he had, Kaspar might have been able to secure a female of his own, but no female would consider him, no matter what he had to offer, because
she
was in this House.