Abi felt tired. Dispensing justice took a lot out of her. She wasn't exhausted or about to faint, but her rocking chair looked inviting. She walked back to it, climbed in, and started to rock.
"Girl," said Consort Chen.
"Yes?" asked Abi brightly.
"You can let them up."
"Oh!"
Abi released her gravity field. The official procession climbed back onto its feet. No one knew what to do. Abi felt the anger radiating from the Grand Preceptor. Well, let him stew. He was too accustomed to being treated with respect anyway.
"You want to lecture me, Grandiose Precept," she said. "So do it. The rest of you: go away. Without another word. Except you of course, Left Attendant. Let's play cards after my nap."
The procession hesitated. Jihûn prepared to say something. A gesture from the Grand Preceptor conveyed the urgency of leaving without speaking. It took a few moments for them to shamble away. Abi wanted to fall asleep, but there were still battles to fight.
"You've made a bad situation worse," said the Grand Preceptor.
"I saved Richan and Edrus from dirty rottens."
"Your grandfather was not going to kill his own grandchildren."
"There is no relation."
"Adoption counts."
Abi reclined all the way in her chair and closed her eyes. Nhao shrank down to kitten size, jumped into her lap, and started purring.
"That kind throws away any agreement that becomes inconvenient," said Abi. "Old Red Bird is where he belongs. Thank you for helping me tonight, Consort Chen. I appreciate everything you do for me."
"I needed the exercise," replied Consort Chen.
"Madame says exercise is important," observed Abi.
"Madame is always right," said Monsieur.
Consort Chen vanished in a cool breeze. Left Attendant studied Abi's chair, then began a quiet conversation with Monsieur in Elvish about the genius of simple mechanisms.
"Are you trying to pretend you didn't know anything, Grandiose Precept?" asked Abi.
"I let life happen," the old man replied, "and don't try to spoil its endings by peeking."
"How convenient."
"Despite your jibes, Old Red Bird was not going to harm the Tenth and Eleventh Princes."
"Is that so?" asked Abi.
"The loss of the Empress and Crown Prince affected him deeply."
"You mean it ruined his plans."
"It affected him deeply," repeated the Grand Preceptor. "Don't read too much into what you think you see. There are phantoms in the future."
"Spying on the future isn't how I rock," said Abi.
"How do you rock?"
"That's none of your business. Who sent the people who came here before you?"
"Moonlight Chamber."
"Alistaire went rogue?"
"He over-interpreted," said the Grand Preceptor. "You've been unjust."
"Is that so?" asked Abi.
"The agents were not here to kill anyone."
"No," agreed Abi. "They were here to frame my family."
"Your family is untouchable."
"The Charlatan has started to wonder out loud if that's still true," said Abi. "He was hoping that his clever minions could solve some problems on their own initiative."
"Moonlight Chamber intended to take the princes to Gargogryeo," said the Grand Preceptor. "But I suspect you know that."
"Consort Yeon and Jihûn are lovable," said Abi. "Being lovable got them used by bad people."
"Richan and Edrus would have enjoyed living in a mountain valley surrounded by ancient giant ruins," said the Grand Preceptor. "It would be any kid's dream."
"For a little while."
The Grand Preceptor sighed and closed his eyes.
"Has how you rock revealed a darker fate?" he sighed.
"Compared to his nine brothers," said Abi, "and his awful father — who was not actually his father — the Charlatan was wholly unremarkable. But cleverness combined with an absence of martial prowess created a man who manipulates minions well. If you really don't like spoiling things, I imagine you don't know half their number."
"You do?"
"I know more than half their number," said Abi. "The Charlatan couldn't risk Edrus returning to Xanxi with Old Red Bird. Framing us with kidnapping them works great. Hiding them in Gargogryeo also works. But there are tunnels through the mountains. What if Northern King got tempted?"
"The North has always prioritized northern things," said the Grand Preceptor. "It has never shown any interest in ruling over all."
"Irrelevant," said Abi. "If the Charlatan imagines a bad outcome, he feels compelled to counter it."
"Irrelevant," said the Grand Preceptor. "Not even the Dynasty of Ten Thousand Years tried to conquer Gargogryeo. The Emperor would have only been sending minions to their doom. You've saved them. You've also done the Emperor a great service by banishing Old Red Bird to Hell."
"Purgatory."
"Problem solved."
Abi chuckled.
"If Langya had a list for Schemers," she said, "the Charlatan would be Most Incomparable. I'm sure he considered the possibility that I would rid him of one threat."
"Which you did."
"I'm also sure he thinks he can just try again with Ten and Eleven."
"Girl," said the Grand Preceptor. "I can't let you banish our Emperor."
"Debase yourself however you like," said Abi. "The Charlatan is not my Emperor."
"He succeeded. Twenty years of peace…."
"Peace for some," said Abi.
"Millions!"
"'Greater good' is how cowards spell 'lesser evil.'"
"There is no good in suffering."
"There is insight in suffering," countered Abi. "All the priests say so."
"People can't eat pretty words. Society isn't perfect, but improvement takes time. Our Emperor has given society time."
Abi patted the armrests of her rocking chair.
"It's time for you and me to settle things," she said.
"You should have asked Consort Chen to stay if you want to settle things, Abi d'Ilga."
"Hermes helped me prepare in advance."
"Hermes…?"
"Hermes Charleslouis," said Abi. "No ordinary grand master can hear him. But you are no ordinary grand master. If you listen really, really, really carefully, you might catch a giggle or two. It sounds like dueling pipas."
The Grand Preceptor listened.
After a few moments, it was clear to Abi he heard the little blond imp giggling. The Dynasty of Ten Thousand Years never truly ended. Abi's ancestors had merely been caretakers. The present dynasty wasn't even that. Mons Imperii Flavi still belonged to its last true Emperor — even if he was ten.
"Left Attendant?" asked Abi.
Left Attendant and Monsieur stopped discussing the genius of rocking chairs.
"Mademoiselle?"
"The Charlatan attacked us," said Abi.
"Girl," groaned the Grand Preceptor. "You're exaggerating."
"The Abdication Compact is broken," continued Abi. "Because the Charlatan never performed the rites to administer Mons Imperii Flavi, I reclaim the easement."
"Abi d'Ilga!" protested the Grand Preceptor.
"Ask all Attendants to return to the Arsenal," continued Abi. "Before she takes her leave, however, ask Right Attendant to tell the Charlatan he has three months to vacate the Mound."
"If he fails to vacate?" asked Left Attendant.
"I will evict him myself," said Abi. "Let's see if this present dynasty can make do without the legacy of giants and elves. As for you, Grand Preceptor…."
The Grand Preceptor encased himself in a geodesic dome of shifting symbols.
"It's futile," said Abi. "The array has been in place for days. You came down from Heaven three hundred years ago to conspire against my family."
"You have a knack for invention."
The courtyard flared with arcane energy. Nhao poked his head up. For a time, the Grand Preceptor held himself in place. Commendable. The direction of conflict was clear, however.
"I'm sending you back up," said Abi. "Once I've settled things down here — Minerva is next."
The arcane energies built to a crescendo and fired into the sky. The Grand Preceptor was gone. Now Abi d'Ilga really was exhausted. She fell asleep right there.
Monsieur kept her chair rocking.