Someone laughed. Senejess looked for the reflection. Kieret Hur.
“Very prudent,” said Kieret, grinning. “Prudent as always, Senejess Shin. Wait for developments while the rest of us scheme our schemes without any information. Careful planning, it is what your family is known for.”
Armetrethe's ears dropped flat against her scalp. “Were you referring to any particular part of our family, Wise Sister?” She drew the courtesy out sharp and cold.
“Certainly not, Wise Sister. I meant only to be complimentary to the blood and soul.” Kieret smiled softly and waggled her ears.
Slowly, Senejess turned around. “Yes, the blood and soul in this room is special, is it not? All of us have stood out against the Queens. All of us have spent the last year trying to work around this insane Confederation and show what a bad idea it is.” She let her voice drop. “All of us are being brought to heel like recalcitrant children. All of us are very close to losing property, liberty, and family if we aren't careful.”
Kieret opened her mouth, but the room's single door opened at the same time. Eyes and ears swiveled to the entrance of the three black-robed Queens-of-All.
“I am always pleased to hear you speak of caution, Senejess Shin.” Vaier Byu glided across the room in front of Senejess to accept a glass of tea from one of the servers. “It is admirable and necessary in these times.”
Armetrethe closed her eyes and raised her empty hand up respectfully. The stump of her arm stirred under the cloth of her shirt. “If I may inquire, Majestic Sister, what times are these?”
“The worst times.” Ueani Byu picked up a glass off the serving table, inspected its contents, and gulped them down.
“Not quite the worst,” said Aires Byu, from her position in the doorway. She skirted the gathering, surveying it with a discerning eye. Senejess felt her skin twitch. She had the distinct feeling her Majestic Sister Aires was memorizing who was standing near whom. “Although they have been bleak, with our Great Family teetering in despair and division. But now our Great Family has rallied with hope and confidence.” She sat down on one of the room's three low sofas, without relaxing either her spine or her vigilance.
‘It's about time.” Ueani Byu rubbed her ears and the back of her head. Senejess glanced at Armetrethe. Armetrethe closed her nostrils briefly. She didn't trust this sudden casualness either.
“We have done more than anyone in history. Ancestors Mine!” Ueani Byu spat on the floor. “We have stood arm in arm with the Getesaph. We have sworn to grind out anyone who disagrees with our Confederation. Not for blood, not for property or vengeance, but because they disagree with us!” She slammed her glass down on the serving table. “Look how well the Humans teach us their ways already!” Hands, feet, and ears all curled, her skin spasmed with anger.
“Ueani, we are dying.” Vaier Byu laid her long, chapped hand on her sister's wrist. “The Getesaph will be paid back for everything they have done, but we must be alive to make it happen.”
“Do you not agree, Senejess Shin?” inquired Aires Byu from her station on the sofa.
It was all too perfect, with each Majestic Sister playing a caricature of herself. Senejess found herself wondering how long they had rehearsed this scene. However, she just raised her hands and closed her eyes. “My Majestic Sister knows just how perfectly I agree with all that has been said.”
“Perfectly and precisely, Senejess Shin.” From her private darkness, Senejess heard the edge in Aires Byu's calm voice. “Because you know how little we can afford to lay siege to each other's standings now, when we are all needed to watch the collective health and well-being of t'Theria. Our familial-sisters have taught us this.”
A low murmur drifted through the room. If it wasn't cautious agreement, it certainly sounded like it. See, Majestic Sister, our side can act, too.
Armetrethe cleared her throat. “If I may ask, Majestic Sisters, how long do we plan to continue the flow of largesse to ease our familial-sisters’ fears?”
Senejess opened her eyes. Aires Byu stared hard at Armetrethe, but Armetrethe just stood there, her demeanor as innocent as her tone.
“As long as they are afraid and ill,” growled Ueani Byu.
“We will attack their problems. We will lead, and we will require that our Noblest Sisters do the same.”
If Aires Byu's attentions were like having a scalpel used on you, Senejess thought, Ueani Byu's were a club: blunt, unmistakable, and, for certain jobs, eminently practical.
“Can we expect new directives then?” asked Kieret Hur. Senejess, and the rest of the room, turned toward her. Senejess's eyes and nostrils widened. She wouldn't have thought Kieret had that much insolence in her. Kieret closed her eyes, almost as if in pain. “Will there be instructions from our Majestic Sisters as to whom we are to lead and how?”