Clarise Vabatan's Diary : Volume 6

The Line of Succession : 12th Pruth, 3094 APC to 4th Mald, 3133 APC

12th Pruth, 3094 APC
I spoke to Penelope over a private lunch today. She understands my problems better than anyone now, including Zhao Yun Chi and including my husband. She had an interesting suggestion for me.
"Have you heard of Moon Pregnancies?" she asked me. When I confessed that I hadn't, she told me she was not surprised. "Few people have. And even fewer, here on Punjuki, I suspect. That is why I think we may be able to use the technique for a rather different purpose without raising suspicion.
"A long, long time ago, before the Sundering gave this world the name we now use, Magicians' End used to be called by a different name. In those days, humans and Fey called it Trinity Moon, in honour of our three moons, Lumina, Celestria and Triquetra.
"The Book of Ages tells us that the Enfolders sought spiritual solace from the rhythms of the orbits of the moons. They followed the Enfolded One and their religion spread from Tinturbean to Myruthea and Punjuki in the time of the New Kingdoms until it became the basis for the formation of the Trinity Moon Triple Enfolding, the first intercontinental empire this world had ever known. In this age, Katrapetch was a part of the Protectorate of Bress, having not long broken free of the old Empire of Bradalkut and it became part of the Trinity Moon Triple Enfolding with the Protectorate. Although the Trinity Moon Triple Enfolding was the largest political and religious power of its age, it did not control all the world. The Kingdom of Snowborne remained independent on Zisleth. Southern Punjuki was never part of the Enfolding, and perhaps less than half of Myruthea ever acknowledged their rule. But on the continent of Tinturbean they ruled without opposition from their glorious central capital of Goolsyn."
"This is all long before the building of the Royal Palace of Katrapetch and the assembly of the collections in the vaults. That did not happen until after the Sundering. So if you are wondering where the Crimson Codex was at this time, well your guess is as good as mine. It had already existed for many long centuries but it was lost. Perhaps it was still on Myruthea, or perhaps it had already made its way to Katrapetch to be held in some long forgotten intermediate library. The book can't speak so we will never know.
"But to return to the Enfolders and the Trinity Moon Triple Enfolding you know they were a mystical society and they had some strange traditions which are only hinted at in the Book of Ages. On Tinturbean, though, we have other sources. There are surviving manuscripts in Cynran which tell us more than is commonly remembered now. And one thing they discuss is the ritual of the Moon Pregnancies.

The Brides of the Moons by DMFW with Leonardo AI

"Before a Super Conjunction between the three moons, the sun and the planets, the Enfolders used to identify three virgins who would be anointed and prepared for a ceremonial role as the Brides of the Moons. In this role, a phantom pregnancy resulted from a kind of immaculate conception stimulated by moonlight, herbal medicines and arcane lore. It was not a real pregnancy in any sense, but the girls' bellies would swell with the mystical power they would symbolically birth at the time of the Super Conjunction, bringing down power from each moon.
"I've studied the methods the priests employed for these Moon Pregnancies from the perspective of medical practice. They interested me. Now I think they could be of use to you.
"You say that you think the problem you have with conception is probably yours and is some side effect of the Fountain of Life. Very well. If that is true it is a problem I now have too. And so you think Amarshiva is not himself infertile?"
"He could be," I answered. "Obviously Mehera was never pregnant, despite the false narrative you and I constructed to discredit Drithald Unkeld. So perhaps something is amiss with the Raja's seed. But I think he has just been unlucky with his wives, in that respect."
"Well then, how about this solution? We procure a surrogate - a fertile woman to carry his child. But we pretend that you are the mother. Not to Amarshiva himself. You couldn't keep that from him if he is doing the fathering. He'll have to agree to the plan. But for the rest of the world, I can fake your pregnancy using the techniques of the Moon Pregnancies. When the child is born, it will pass the tests of the Succession Ruby and can be brought up as your own. The succession problem is solved."
13th Pruth, 3094 APC
Lady Penelope Northberry's idea is intriguing but not quite as simple as she makes it sound. It depends on a number of assumptions and factors which are difficult to control. Firstly, I will need to persuade Amarshiva to try the plan. Secondly, it is all predicated on Amarshiva's own fertility not being the problem, and that is uncertain. Thirdly, there is the question of finding a discrete and suitable surrogate mother. Fourthly the child that is conceived must be a boy or the whole exercise is pointless. And finally I have my doubts about this whole "Moon Pregnancy" treatment. Just how reliable and realistic is it?
The fact of the matter is, though, that I don't have any better ideas and I'm getting desperate.
3rd Chiroth, 3095 APC
This is Galetta Solar. The young lady works as an intimate entertainer in the Amber Veil, which is the most exclusive and high class of the houses of intimate exchange close to the Royal Palace. She was nervous when she was summoned to our rooms yesterday evening to deliver a private performance for the Raja and Rani. We allowed her to dance first, even though we had something completely different in mind.

Galetta Solar Entertains by DMFW with Night Cafe

Galetta is the latest candidate for the role of surrogate mother and the only one so far to have passed the stringent filtering criteria Penelope has been enforcing on our behalf. As well as detailed background and health checks, they include some subtle dream tests to gauge the likely reaction to the proposal we wish to make. This is, after all, a very delicate subject and it was not in our interests to rush things. We're in agreement, though. She is to come for a formal interview tomorrow and that is when we will make our final decision.
5th Chiroth, 3095 APC
"I understand that you come from Bradalkut, Ms Solar, and that you have not lived long in Katrapetch?" I began.
"Only since Kerax last year," she said, confirming what I already knew from my own background checks.
"They think highly of you at the Amber Veil. I have it on good authority. And I understand you are popular," my husband said, which actually made the young lady blush.
"Can you be trusted to be discrete, though?" I cut in. "What we are about to discuss must go no further than this room. But if you are agreeable, and if everything works out, you could receive a fine settlement that would give you a life time of financial independence without needing to work anymore."

Galetta Solar by DMFW with Leonardo AI

I explained what was required. I explained how, if she agreed to it, her job would be to give birth to the heir to the throne of the city as a surrogate mother, giving her son to me to be raised as if he was a legitimate child of mine. I explained that her part would then be over. No word of this arrangement could come to light so that the integrity of the royal family would not be questioned. I said that she would be very well rewarded but would need to move out of the city. She could return to Bradalkut or go elsewhere - anywhere she desired - so long as it was far from Katrapetch and she told no one of her role.
"If you agree, you must bear me a son", Amarshiva interrupted, emphasising the obvious. "If you do not conceive or if you bear a daughter then you will still be well paid for your silence but the rewards cannot be as great. You understand? I know it will not be your fault but I need a son to raise to be the new Raja."
She isn't stupid. More importantly, she is amenable. From next Lumday, Galetta will move into a discrete room in the palace, close to our bedroom. She will cease to consume the contraceptive medicines that the Amber Veil provides and she will be given two months to prove her fertility. For better or worse, the deal is done.
14th Chiroth, 3095 APC
My husband was inappropriately cheerful this morning, after spending the night working to secure the line of succession.
"You look tired," I commented critically, pursing my lips. "Is Galleta wearing you out?"
He smirked as he tucked in to his breakfast and even though I've worked to set this whole arrangement up, I can't deny I was irritated.
"Don't strain yourself. You're not as young as you used to be," I remarked rather obviously which made him give me an odd look. I bit my tongue, realising I'd potentially opened up a taboo topic. The subject of our own apparent age disparity is one I normally avoid at all costs, but of course he realises there is something strange about my seemingly eternal youth now, as does the whole Court Circle. I prefer it when people keep their curiosity and speculations to themselves.
"Don't be cross, Clarise," he said. "I'm just doing my duty, as we agreed."
But I wasn't in the mood to let that somewhat disingenuous remark go entirely unanswered.
"Well I'm sure miss Solar is very good at what she does," I reply, "and you needn't pretend you don't enjoy it. Its hardly a chore is it? Just remember I am still your wife!"
The idea of indulging myself with Giles Northbury or even Tamubar Roo briefly crosses my mind but I know it won't satisfy me. What's wrong with me? I'll have to learn to curb my jealousy.
6th Findil, 3095 APC
Galleta is pregnant and it is a boy! Lady Penelope Northberry confirmed an earlier provisional test at the beginning of the month and conception has been retrospectively calculated as occurring somewhere close to 20th Chiroth. Perhaps this whole succession plan is going to work. I'm starting to believe it really can.
If all goes well, miss Solar should give birth sometime in the middle of Glim next year and I will soon need to start the treatment for my own parallel fake conception, following the methods used in the ancient Moon Pregnancies. It sounds like a weird process. I hope Penelope understands it properly.
7th Findil, 3095 APC
It's important now to get Galetta out of the Palace and out of the city, where she won't be seen. What we need is a discrete location for her confinement - just until the baby is born.
The Royal Retreat is ideal. It's close enough to the city so that my husband and I can visit, and so can Lady Penelope, all without arousing any suspicion, yet far enough away so that Galetta is removed from casual meetings and gossip. In fact, it's time for her cover story of moving on from the Amber Veil to come into effect. All her friends need to know is that the Raja, having enjoyed her attentions for a short while has grown tired of her and she of the life of the courtesan and that she's decided to move on to Juki island, where she claims to have relatives. Her friendships in the city aren't that deep, since she's not been here very long. Intimate entertainers tend to come and go quite rapidly at places like the Amber Veil. She won't be missed.
10th Findil, 3095 APC
My Moon Pregnancy was induced today in a private ritual. Penelope offered me a choice but she knew what I was going to select. I had to pick one of the three moons but I was always going to opt for Celestria - the red moon, the blood moon. If there is any sympathetic magic to be extracted from this ancient custom, Celestria will be the vector, bound as we both are in the rites of blood.
The date was carefully chosen to be one when Celestria is new. If we couldn't have a full Super Conjunction, then at least we could have the right conditions for my chosen moon.

Celestria - Moon Pregnancy Drink by DMFW with Leonardo AI

I took a drink to begin the process. The taste was sharp but not unpleasant.
"Not rhyne," I said, "although it looks a lot like it. Doesn't taste like it."
"Not rhyne and it doesn't even contain any phryne leaves," Penelope confirmed. "Not every red drink on this world has to contain phryne," she laughed.
"The statue is ancient and belongs with the ritual. It was recovered from the ruins of the Temple of the Triple Moons at Goolsyn a long time ago but it only came into my possession relatively recently. Can you see the slight swell in the belly of the woman, indicating the early stage of pregnancy? If you look more closely you'll see she's not quite fully human. The feet and the tail mark her as a member of the Katelathes, a mythical warrior race said by the pagans to serve Celestria in battle. But you don't need to worry about that. You must follow me now into the incantations, chanting the words I shall sing. Are you ready?"
The song was hypnotic and soothing and it came with actions that invoked the sensations of conception. They were not unpleasant either, although they made it difficult to hold the notes.

4th Kerax, 3095 APC
A fire broke out in the east wing of the Royal Palace last night. It started in the Long Kitchen some time around the 2nd bell, when the ranges and pits should have been dampened. Unfortunately it was not brought under control until dawn and there has been some loss of life. I believe six or seven staff, sleeping in an adjacent dormitory, couldn't be roused in time to evacuate before the smoke suffocated them.
The flames have torn through the upper floors, breaking the east wing in half, but it was possible to save most of the artwork and fine furnishings, thanks to quick thinking from the firefighters.
It's going to be a significant rebuilding job, the work of several years I wouldn't be surprised, if the palace is to be restored to its former glory but it could have been a lot worse.
1st Authon, 3096 APC
The phases of the moons are not normally important to me, but under this Moon Pregnancy I feel I need to mark them more carefully in this year's calendar.

19th Chiroth, 3096 APC
My false pregnancy is showing a pronounced bump more or less in line with the swelling of Galetta Solar's belly, although only Amarshiva,Penelope, Galetta and myself are in a position to make the comparison. The synchronisation is pleasing because it makes the deception easier. I am getting some sympathy and approval for my "condition" around the Court Circle and it seems to be convincing.
Kieran and Taalika do not offer their congratulations, unsurprisingly.
16th Findil, 3096 APC
Celestria is full tonight, casting a baleful red light over the palace gardens. Was it my imagination that when the light touched my belly, I thought I felt a kick inside? Probably.
18th Findil, 3096 APC
Galetta was moody today when I went to check on her. She has too much time to think, because she is being kept in conditions of isolation that are really not far from imprisonment. It must be difficult.

Galetta Solar Pregnant by DMFW with Leonardo AI

"Not long now, for both of us," I say, attempting to cheer her up. "We'll both be pleased to get rid of this, eh?" I patted my false baby bump. "And then you can finally be free."
I clearly didn't strike the right tone since she burst into hot tears in the warm rain. She's regretting our arrangement. Maternal feelings aren't so easy to control, I guess.
7th Glim, 3096 APC
The boy is born. A hard birth I am led to believe but mother and child are both doing well. So now at last I can relinquish the trappings of my own fake pregnancy. To keep things simple, the story has been put about that I have retired to the Royal Retreat to go into labour, and so the real birth and the false one will both take place in the same location. I will emerge with the baby in a few days and Galetta Solar will disappear.
Amarshiva and I have decided to call our son, Aadi. I need to bond with him over the next few days, but I will still let Galetta act as his wet nurse for now. There is no point in letting her milk go to waste.
11th Glim, 3096 APC
It was time for my own Moon Pregnancy to come to term.
"This would normally only happen at a Super Conjunction," Lady Penelope reminded me. "So let's hope there are no side effects from warping the purpose of the original ritual. I've done the best I can by delaying your 'delivery' until Celestria shows no light in the night sky. That is as good as we can get."
I wasn't reassured. In the event, though, the "delivery" proceeded smoothly and without pain as the phantom child of Celestria brought their gifts of magic into the world. Symbolic or not, I did feel the discharge of stored arcane power. More blood magic. With my knowledge of the Crimson Codex, my experiences with the Sisterhood of the Blood Iris and now this pregnancy from the blood moon (which surely confers his blessing on me) there can't be any living mage with more expertise in this particular form of arcane learning.
12th Glim, 3096 APC
The Moon Pregnancy caused hormonal changes in line with those expected in a real one and that includes enabling the ability to feed the non-existent baby. Except in my case there is a real baby and this artificially induced lactation is a desirable side effect which I intend to put to proper use.
Over the last few weeks, I've been aware of my breasts gaining mass just as Galetta's have. Now this morning for the first time, I suckled Aadi myself. I may not have been able to give my husband a child but this much of motherhood I can do.
It was an odd experience, handing the boy back to his birth mother. I felt almost reluctant to return him, even after such a short contact. Galetta was eager to take Aadi back, and she looked at me resentfully, although she did not reproach me verbally.
20th Glim, 3096 APC
"You know what we have to do and we must do it today."
Lady Penelope Northberry was resolute and right of course, but then this was a reward for her as well as a duty. A reward for both of us actually, since we had agreed to share miss Solar's blood. Poor Galetta! She'd done everything expected of her and now it was all going to end in a most unfortunate manner, since she had become surplus to requirements.
Aadi is a quiet baby. He sleeps with relatively little disturbance, but that ability was tested beyond its limits this afternoon. It is as well that he will remember nothing of this when he is older.
We timed the draining for just after lunch, when the boy was sleeping in his crib and the mother was dosing lightly too. A little special herbal addition to her cryne prepared by Penelope left the blonde docile and confused, so she was easy to overpower. To stop Galetta from waking the baby, we gagged her first, reducing her shocked and befuddled protests to heavily muffled moans as her eyes opened wide and she started to struggle. With two of us working together, though, there was nothing she could do to prevent the start of the ritual. I quickly and efficiently established the necessary arcane wards whilst Penelope secured the physical bindings that augmented our magical work and ensured our lovely if hysterical mother had no chance to escape us.
It had been thirteen years since my last fateful experience of the Fountain of Life at the Fereundun Falls when I'd taken the life of Mehera Rajput. I suspect that the traumatic end to that killing had subconsciously made me fear to drink again, but if so, the experience of taking Galetta's blood has fully resolved any secret fears I might have been harbouring about my reaction to another draining. She was a wonderful treat!
Penelope and I took it in turns to work with our victim, and each session gave me that rush of renewal and pleasure that I am sure is as addictive as the years of life they add. Eventually, Galetta seemed to resign herself to her fate. I think maybe she had realised for a while that it was not politically possible for her to live after the birth and that's why she was moody and tearful in those last weeks of her pregnancy. It wasn't all hormonal.
So given that her death was inevitable, she should have been grateful to have two such skilful mistresses of magic to provide her with a path into oblivion that passed through so many supreme moments of enforced pleasure. But I rather fear she wasn't. Not that I cared.
Galetta's processing took five hours or so. Towards the end, there was a moment when the boy woke, fretful and anxious from his sleep, as though he might obscurely have sensed the peril of his mother. Penelope was supervising the operation so I was free to attend to him. I picked him up and held him close, rocking him as I watched my partner in crime continue her work. His lips moved instinctively to suckle and I let him feed. It was only right. He'd never be able to take his mother's natural milk again, but in drinking the product of my Moon Pregnancy he was indirectly taking some of her energy via the profoundly unnatural route of the Fountain of Life, which nourished me with her blood. There was something pleasing about that thought.
"Hush, hush," I soothed the fractious baby at my breast. "You mustn't cry. I'll take good care of you from now on. You can trust me!"

In the north west corner of the Royal Retreat estate lands, beyond the formal lawns and carefully cultivated gardens there is an extensive patch of wild woodland, with a few rough paths crossing uneven ground. Areas of subsidence and the occasional hole open up to dark hollows beneath. Some of these have become animal dens. It's a very quiet location, within the encircling walls that protect the estate but out beyond the areas where workers frequently go, since they have no real business here. Penelope and I had already found a spot where a suitable opening under the roots was perfect for dumping miss Solar's body. Penelope helped me to move our victim there at dusk, in an old wheelbarrow. With some rocks and soil to plug the entrance and some simple wards to distract any casual interest, the site will conceal our crime until nature finishes the job.

Galetta Solar's Grave by DMFW with Midjourney

23rd Glim, 3096 APC
Amarshiva was furious when he came to the Royal Retreat to see Aadi only for me to explain to him that I'd silenced Galetta permanently. I didn't go into the details. He still has no idea about the Crimson Codex and what really happened to his first wife and the mother of his son. He knows better than to ask questions and it is not something I can share. I just coolly told him that precautions had been taken to ensure our deception could never be exposed by our surrogate (as I chose to impersonally call her).
I am sure that my husband was just a little bit in love with miss Solar. At least he was very protective of her. Just as our surrogate had unfortunate maternal instincts I expect he had inappropriate instinctive sympathies for the true mother of his child.
"Listen darling," I said to him, "surely you understood that Galetta couldn't be allowed back out into the world, blabbing to anyone about our scheme for the heir? Even if she kept her word and kept her silence, the risk was just too great that at some unknown time in the future she'd change her mind. I've simply tidied up a loose end."
"That wasn't what we agreed!"
"No," I admitted, "just like we didn't agree to the death of Drithald Unkeld, but as you said at end of the trial it was a necessity. You did say that didn't you? So you must follow the same logic here. We can't allow for a long term weakness. Preservation of your power demands it."
Strictly speaking it was the preservation of my power that was at stake, not his, but of course I wasn't going to phrase it quite like that.
Was it wrong of me to take a certain perverse satisfaction in reminding him of what he'd said after Azhad Daruwalla had passed sentence on the Senior Magician of Katrapetch? Perhaps. Perhaps there was a certain bitter sweetness, or even a kind of twisted revenge in my attitude towards his overly sensitive feelings.
What it amounts to is that Galetta Solar was just a high class whore. My husband's pleasure notwithstanding, she was employed to serve a very specific purpose and now that purpose has been fulfilled she had to be disposed of. If that quenches my incidental jealousy, well that's just a small bonus for me. It's not important. And neither is Amarshiva's reaction as I shall make him understand eventually. In any case, the deed is done whether he understands or not and whether he likes it or not.
1st Tivith, 3096 APC
This morning the official ceremony for the Confirmation of the Anointed Successor was held in the South Garden Chapel, a small and intimate space with just enough room for the Senior Magician of Katrapetch, the Raja, myself and a few witnesses. I don't know why I was nervous, but it was a momentous occasion and the culmination of a lot of scheming to give my husband the son he wanted. Still, it was not until the Succession Ruby had confirmed the heir to the throne that Aadi Rajput could be officially accepted by the Court Circle and it was a relief to me when it was over.
1st Authon, 3100 APC
Today is the first day of the 32nd century, unless you're going to quibble about zero years, and the Court Circle and the city don't care about that. In Katrapetch we choose to celebrate the changing of the century digit. Last night was therefore a special celebration and the Palace this morning is very quiet, even more so than on a normal new year's day.
8th Kerax, 3102 APC
It was my phryne wedding today but we passed it quietly with none of the public ceremonial Amarshiva and Mehera enjoyed on their anniversary.
I have to face it, I'm not as well liked as Mehera was. She knew how to charm the servants. I know how to command them and keep them in line but they don't love me.
I can't do everything. Thinking about Mehera brings on the old injury she passed to me in death. Draining Galetta didn't cure that long term affliction in the way I'd briefly hoped it might. I feel the burning and I don't know what to do about it. It's steam, sex and anguish and laced with a hot dose of guilt. It was too hot for me today. I pleaded an upset stomach and left my disappointed husband to enjoy the more cerebral pleasures of writing this diary. Writing helps. It is a kind of confession, I suppose.
12th Doloph, 3103 APC
Aadi is showing evidence of a stubborn little personality which I find appealing and exasperating by turns. Fortunately, when he is exasperating it is easy enough to turn him over to the nursemaids and nannies that take care of some of the messier duties of raising a child. I don't want him to get too attached to any of them though, so I make sure they are rotated regularly.
I was hesitant about allowing contact with his cousins, but Amarshiva thinks they should not be strangers.
"Of course they are older, but they'll bring him on," he said.
In point of fact Himmat is 31 and Chandrakant is 22, one a full adult and the other on the edge of puberty. Neither of them have much in common with baby Aadi. Still, they seem happy to see him and tolerate his games when I defer to my husband's wishes and invite them over for cryne, cake and playtime.
6th Pruth, 3105 APC
An interesting development at the Free Union of Magical Scholars. I've just learned that Tobias Golkin was elected as Provost from the first of this month. He is the author of that provocative study, Synaptic Suicide : The Case Against Synaptic Unbinding Potion which I first read more than twenty years ago. He's built up something of a following and apparently sufficient to bring him to the head of the Free Union of Magical Scholars. I wonder what difference that will make?
For one thing, I expect Synaptic Unbinding Potion may be a little harder to get hold of, since Greystow will almost certainly stop production. That might mean that those fanatics from Quarowl get a little more control - The Unbound. I don't like that thought. I've heard stories of The Unbound which scare me a little.
7th Glim, 3108 APC

As part of the celebration of Aadi's twelfth birthday today, there was a service to restate the Confirmation of the Anointed Successor. It wasn't necessary. The original confirmation shortly after his birth was sufficient for legal purposes within the Court Circle unless there is a challenge or an obvious need to anoint a new successor, neither of which are true. But sometimes, the royal families of Katrapetch like to find an excuse to emphasise their regal rights and powers just for the sake of a little pomp and pride. That is part of the point of being the Raja after all. A twelfth birthday repeat of the Confirmation of the Anointed Successor, often as a more public event, has a common traditional precedent, although it is not one that has been universally followed.
The formal gathering was held in the Audience Room, a much larger venue than South Garden Chapel. Aadi was a little difficult. This is his first serious public engagement and he didn't like the idea of being dressed up and paraded before the ranks of the Court Circle. That's something he'll have to get used to even before he becomes the Raja.

Aadi Rajput by DMFW with Leonardo AI

12th Kerax, 3110 APC
The Unbound are a secretive group and it's not always easy to find out what they are doing but rumour has it that Galderbrock Red was killed in some kind of elaborate leadership challenge by a mage called Asher Voss. I'm not sure what difference that will make, only time will tell.
10th Tuzlle, 3111 APC
Tamubar Roo stepped down from the role of Senior Magician of Katrapetch last week. I wish I could say he's done a good job, but in truth he was never strong enough to command the respect of a majority of the Arcane Advisors and although it suited me to have him in the post, I'm not surprised he's asked me for permission to move on. He'd stay if I told him to, but honestly I am weary of him. It's time for a new face to lead the Arcane Advisors.
So today there was a meeting to decide on the next Senior Magician. By rights it should have been Loomarelle Hantha, the Arcane Wisdom who has been longest in the post and who has proved herself skilful in her management of Rapid Onset Severe Silicosis and her general care and attention to medical work in the palace and in Katrapetch more widely. In any other city it would be almost a formality, but this is Katrapetch with all its ancient patriarchal traditions and no woman can ever rise to become the Senior Magician of Katrapetch.

Jerome Maxham was the obvious appointment as the other Arcane Wisdom. He'd be popular and I should really have allowed it if I'd learnt my lesson from the last time I meddled in the leadership of the Arcane Advisors. But I haven't and I didn't. I don't really like Jerome not because of his personality or his ability, both of which are faultless, but simply because of his perspicacity and his connection to some awkward moments in my past I would rather remained obscure. Jerome was the creator of the jewels for Mehera's phryne wedding. He was always the best pupil of Sudharma Vyas (save perhaps only myself) and has a great understanding of the Sky Shield project. He was close to Drithald Unkeld. In short, he knows too much. I don't want him as the Senior Magician of Katrapetch.
I asked Loomarelle Hantha for her thoughts and I have been keeping an eye on the intake of new Arcane Advisors. The best of them is Veldrhin Kahl, a young aristocrat from a wealthy family of phryne farmers who has a natural talent in arcane matters. Promoting him comes with political benefits which were easy to sell to my husband. The appointment has been made.

Veldrhin Kahl by DMFW with Art Breeder

10th Pruth, 3113 APC
News has filtered out from Greystow. It's confusing and garbled, but one thing is clear. The Provost of the Free Union of Magical Scholars, Tobias Golkin has been overthrown and killed. He had been holding out against the introduction of Synaptic Unbinding Potion into the Union and now he has shockingly paid for this outspoken policy position with his life.
The Unbound are taking the blame, but Penelope thinks that's too convenient.
"Every mage who wants to use Synaptic Unbinding Potion isn't part of the Unbound," she said. "Golkin had a lot of support in the Free Union of Magical Scholars but he had enemies too. There are some who see the Free Union of Magical Scholars losing ground to the the Institute of Magical Analytics and Greystow to Quarowl because of his principled stand. They don't just want to use Synaptic Unbinding Potion, they want to work on further developments and they want to produce it. I wouldn't be surprised if his downfall was brought about by rivals in the Free Union of Magical Scholars."
11th Authon, 3114 APC
Lady Penelope Northberry and Lord Giles Northbury are returning to Greystow. It's hard to believe they have been at the Court Circle for twenty seven years. To me, it almost feels like yesterday. Maybe that is one of the perils of becoming immortal.
I'm going to miss Penelope. She was so helpful in the unfortunate matter of Drithald Unkeld, educating me about the power of dreams and of course with the succession problem and Galetta Solar. She's been a true friend. A true Sister of Vabatan.
I'll miss her husband too in a different way. He's cute when he thinks he's being clever and acting like a bona fide spy for his masters. I honestly think he has no idea how he has been played. And he is enjoyable in bed.
"They'd probably have rotated us soon anyway," Penelope told me. "This is a long time for a single posting.. But with recent events at Greystow we also need to get back to look after our interests. Turbulent times lie ahead. Tobias Golkin was holding the Free Union of Magical Scholars together. I don't know what's coming."
"Be careful", I told her as she gave me a chaste goodbye kiss.
18th Mald, 3117 APC
Word has reached Katrapetch that Zhao Yun Chi became the new Lady Cultivator of Highloft five days ago. It's been a long time coming but she has finally stepped out of the shadows of the secret service in the Bloomguard to openly take over the leadership of her home city.
Now the Sisters of Vabatan rule two cities, one directly through her, and one indirectly through me. It's frustrating that I have to operate via proxies in the hidebound patriarchal world of my ancient city, whilst she can be the publically acknowledged ruler in her own more progressive state but we must work within the existing structures of society if we are to stay safe.
2nd Tuzlle, 3119 APC
It was Amarshiva's one hundredth birthday today. I'm sure he would have rather enjoyed a quiet day but a Raja must perform in public to provide the citizens with the pomp and pride they demand from their royal rulers. That is part of an unwritten contract that keeps the Court Circle in power.
A public holiday had been declared and there was a parade along Palace Road, filling the thoroughfare between the southern end of the Royal Palace gardens and the northern walls of the Phryne Market with stalls of food and drink vendors, jugglers in fancy dress on stilts, groups of musicians and throngs of aimlessly milling celebrants, through which a good natured but slow procession of horses, soldiers and guards passed in formation before a raised reviewing platform on the western bank of the Royal Canal where the Palace Road bends north.
Amarshiva looks good for his age. He carries himself with dignity and grace, retains a sharp mental acuity and took the salutes and displays of loyalty by the city troops with a suitable mixture of pride and pleasure, but he was exhausted by evening and left the banquet in his honour as early as possible, whilst still respecting the guests who had come to celebrate.
19th Kerax, 3121 APC
We have a new Arcane Wisdom. Jerome Maxham has decided to stand down. He's retiring to Cliffport, where he has bought a handsome old house in the Hildron's Heights district. I'm sure he still feels some disappointment that he was never appointed to be the Senior Magician of Katrapetch but we part on amicable enough terms.

Zelbirii Eth Portrait by DMFW with Leonardo AI

Tradition might offer no choice but to make a man the Senior Magician, but there is more flexibility when it comes to Arcane Wisdoms. Ruthema Sivaira held the rank when I joined the Arcane Advisors. Then there is Loomarelle Hantha who still holds the post and of course, I was an Arcane Wisdom myself for a time before I rose to become the Rani, so there is plenty of precedent for women to occupy the position.
I have followed Loomarelle's advice and the Raja and Senior Magician of Katrapetch are both content to follow it too. I know Veldrhin Kahl had a different candidate in mind and might normally have expected to have the final say, but he finds it difficult to oppose me in serious matters, and didn't consider this one worth a fight.
So we have Zelbirii Eth, a soft spoken but strong minded mage with particular expertise in botany and agriculture, both of which are of course very important skills in this city.
Zelbirii is actually five years younger than me but she looks her natural age and I very much do not, a fact which even makes me a little uncomfortable as this appointment draws attention to the disparity. There is going to come a point when I might have to confront the whispers that must surely be circulating behind my back. But it is not today.

14th Chiroth, 3122 APC
It's not easy accessing the dream world in a directed and useful manner. Not easy for me anyway, although for others with a more natural talent it might be different. I do my best. Lady Penelope Northberry has taught me well though, and I do not intend to waste such a powerful skill.
Every so often I make an effort to check up on the dreams of important members of the Court Circle. You can learn a lot. Or nothing. Or something tantalising in between. Interpretation isn't always straightforward, particularly when trying to be discrete and leave no waking trace.
Last night I visited the subconscious of the Raja's brother-in-law and my former lover, and I have to admit I was a little shocked.
Kieran's dreams were disordered and turbulent, easy to enter but confusing to navigate. They were full of fears as many dreams are. They were nightmares in fact. And they were nightmares about the politics of Katrapetch and the Arcane Advisors gone wild.

Kieran Bolgurin's Nightmare (1) by DMFW with Leonardo AI

I have a central role in these nightmares. That means that when I try to ask questions to steer his mind into revelations of exactly what he knows, I just slide into the identity that is there waiting for me. This is somewhat disturbing and not at all flattering. I gleaned that the trial of Drithald Unkeld and the implication of his own involvement in crimes he is sure Drithald didn't commit and knows for certain he is innocent of, has disturbed him much more profoundly than he reveals in public. He's on to me.
There seemed no point in being subtle about it with a flaw in his psychological defences like that. I just played along and demanded outright to know what he knows. In the morning he'll put it all down to natural dreaming as I took on a monstrous form towering over a vibrant burning nightmare version of Katrapetch and bullied him.

Kieran Bolgurin's Nightmare (2) by DMFW with Leonardo AI and face swap

It worked to a certain extent but before I could learn anything really juicy the dream collapsed. I'd gone too far in trying to control it. There was a point in being subtle after all. And subtlety suggests I don't try a dream invasion again for a little while. I don't want him to guess I'm behind it.
18th Kerax, 3122 APC
Kieran Bolgurin is gathering evidence against me. I'm sure of it now. He's making all the pieces fit together. The discrete watch I've been keeping has exposed the lines of his enquiring mind.
First there was a visit to Alamakin Puratha's estate late last year. Nothing suspicious about that on the face of it, he's just one of a number of wealthy landowners that have Celovass farms beyond the city walls to the south of the Halaban District. But I recalled later that it was also the place where Alice Kerambe, the maid, was sent after she was convicted of stealing Mehera Rajput's Phryne Jewels in my first attempt at drawing attention away from what really happened at Fereundun Falls. I'd almost forgotten that early piece of judicial theatre which now felt as if it was just practice for the much more serious later trial of Drithald Unkeld. Had Kieran gone to talk to the Kerambe girl? What could she have told him?
Secondly, he spends a lot of time in the company of the current ambassador to Highloft. I'm sure Zhao Yun Chi trusts her civil service but do they trust her? What is he finding out about my relationship with the High Gardeners and the Lady Cultivator?
Most recently, he's just returned from a visit to Cliffport where my spies tell me he has been seen with Jerome Maxham.
And finally I happen to know he has made friends with Azhad Daruwalla, the Supreme Judge Of Katrapetch. There may be other things of which I am unaware. I don't have perfect knowledge of everything that happens in secret rooms in the Court Circle of Katrapetch.
Taken individually, none of these are damning, but taken together and with the knowledge I have about his dreams, I think there is good cause to worry.
10th Pruth, 3122 APC
Amarshiva I can work on, as I always have. I can persuade him that his interests align with mine, although these days he seems harder to manipulate. Even so, I have every confidence he'll make the right decision. This time, though, his support alone won't be enough.
I've explored the dreams of Azhad Daruwalla and the results are interesting but not conclusive. I think the Supreme Judge Of Katrapetch will go wherever ambition takes him. I'll need him on my side. There will have to be a personal visit.
9th Findil, 3123 APC
Fort Sargath stands at the very edge of the city, beyond the Pale Empire Walls to the north and east in a large clearing surrounded by forest. It's a high security prison with guards of the Katrapetch Royal Judicial Service who are trained to deal with mages.

Katrapetch - Fort Sargath Maximum Security Prison by DMFW with Leonardo AI

This is where my husband has sent Kieran Bolgurin and it is where I visited him today. He looked weary but defiant.
"Remind me why I'm here, Clarise," he began. "Without the benefit of a trial or any due process at all, it's so easy to forget."
"Spreading sedition," I answer smoothly. "The Raja needs no courtroom to protect the state and the succession. That's his duty."
"Knowing too much, you mean," he corrects me.
"Perhaps," I allow, smiling. "Knowing is one thing, telling is another. I have evidence you have attempted to undermine the succession in your own favour."
"You're suggesting I would harm Aadi? I'd never do that. And I'm not interested in the succession, although I will admit to some dark suspicions concerning your personal behaviour."
"Well then," I told him brightly. "It is for the best that you are confined here where you cannot circulate your seditious rumours in the Court. Think about it like this. You are a hostage in a way, for the good behaviour of your wife and sons. If you say nothing until Aadi is Raja there is no reason why you cannot be released afterwards."
"Is this the kind of deal you offered to Drithald Unkeld?"
I chose not to reply to that. He doesn't have any options. Now it needs to be made clear to his friends and relatives that their patient acquiescence in the temporary royal displeasure of the Raja and I, will ensure Kieran continues to be kept in good conditions until he can be safely released. Really that place is almost a palace for the right kind of prisoner. He should be grateful.
24th Tivith, 3124 APC
News has reached the city of a terrible storm which hit the Cape of Juki yesterday. Even here there were high winds overnight and some damage to buildings, but on the phryne estates in the hills they are saying that it was the worst storm in living memory. It will affect the harvest for a long time so none of the farmers are happy. The price of cryne is going to rise on Myruthea next year for sure and it will hurt the wealth of the city, including my husband.
28th Glim, 3125 APC
Today we reached the culmination of the Sky Shield project with the commissioning of the Keystone, the last of the Lodestones which fully activates the network in its final living state.

Commissioning of the Katrapetch Sky Shield Keystone by DMFW with Night Cafe

The large and especially elaborate stone is sited in a wooded area in the north of Gundabah park, only a little way west of the Royal Palace. After the linking of the lines and the revised energy flow routing, this spot became, in a very real sense, the true centre of Katrapetch. It's taken almost sixty years since the first lodestone was created at Rynyne in 3068, but now at last the vision of Drithald Unkeld and Sudharma Vyas is realised. It is something for the Arcane Advisors to be proud of and although my own involvement has not been significant in these later stages, I made my own contributions at the beginning which I know were important in their way when I was an Arcane Wisdom.
My role today was only ceremonial, representing the Court Circle at the moment when the passive sensing functions are given control over the active shield response. From now on, the Sky Shield will function autonomously and although it may require some repairs from time to time, it can be trusted to defend the city without requiring the aid of living mages. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world and I am proud of it.
7th Glim, 3126 APC
It was Aadi's thirtieth birthday today. His cousins, Himmat and Chandrakant came to pay their respects but there wasn't a party. Relations between the Rajputs and the Bolgurins are strained of course by Kieran's continuing imprisonment, which my husband and I still agree is necessary.
I have to confess, though, that my nephews have grown up into fine young men and they make a good show of the outward displays of loyalty they need to demonstrate. As for Aadi, he has learned a lot in the last few years but I still think of him as a boy with boyish enthusiasms and lacking the guile of the statesman he must become. He doesn't really understand why his uncle has been locked up. We avoid the subject.

Aadi Rajput portrait by DMFW with Leonardo AI

Himmit Bolgurin by DMFW with Night Cafe

Chandrakant Bolgurin by DMFW with Night Cafe

15th Doloph, 3128 APC
I had an argument with my husband at lunch. Such disagreements are rare. We were discussing Aadi's romantic attachment to a certain young lady called Mehrunnisa Zafira with more interest than parents might normally allow themselves. But let's face it, Aadi Rajput's affairs of the heart are potentially affairs of state too, so we have every right to an opinion.

Mehrunnisa Zafira Garden Portrait by DMFW with Leonardo AI

"He's fallen hard for this girl," I said. "But she's turned him down in favour of his cousin, when she could be the future Rani. I'd like to speak to her to see if she knows exactly what she's doing."
"Stay out of it, Clarise! It's not your business," my husband warned me sharply. "You are a meddler and you like to think you can fix everything. There are times when it is best to say nothing."
He's right. When I cooled down I understood that. It's just not easy to witness Aadi so despondent.
Mehrunnisa is undeniably beautiful. If our son is not to have her, she could serve the interests of the Sisters of Vabatan very well in another way, and I was suddenly tempted. But I know it is not wise to meddle in that way either. This is something I am trying very hard to be conscious of.
The Fountain of Life is addictive. There is no avoiding that uncomfortable fact. It's more than the sum of its parts; the sex, the blood, the life. There is also the sense of power and the feel of the Synaptic Unbinding Potion taking effect too. I understand the attraction of cult of the Unbound during a draining.

So far, I have managed to stay on the right side of personal control. I had a definite purpose to each draining, they were not just indulgences. Mehrunnisa, however, would be a pure indulgence taking me down the path into simple animalistic pleasure seeking. I must exercise restraint. Now is not the time to add further risks to my already somewhat complex life and its various balancing acts.
7th Authon, 3131 APC

The Bloom and the Fall by DMFW with Leonardo AI

It was my hundredth birthday today. Other people would celebrate it, in the way Drithald Unkeld did, if not quite in the way my husband had to do. I cannot afford to draw attention to my age, however. It is a tricky subject and I prefer to let it slide.
Amarshiva understands but he has remembered and he's got me a little present. It is a first edition of The Bloom and the Fall with a discrete signature in the front cover by Aruvan Jafraan himself.
Naturally I appreciate the parallels between the famous poem from a thousand years ago and our own situation. Beyond the obvious ones of a young bride and an old Raja there are many other subtleties in the thoughtful composition which resonated with me as I reread them. I was touched and I did shed a tear or two.

When did Amarshiva get so old? I remember thinking how strong he looked at his one hundredth birthday, but in the last few years he has aged less gracefully. Where did the time go?
As the poet says, "We build our thrones on cracks, mask ourselves, hide the rot, pretend. But the fall— always, the fall— is truth."
There are difficult times ahead. I do not think Aadi is quite ready to assume the throne and it worries me. Of course my own position worries me too. I feel I have made a massive mistake holding such a public position and not aging. Obviously there is an intense interest in my unnatural youth. There was bound to be. And it is not benign interest.
What will happen when Amarshiva dies? It's not that I haven't given thought to the matter - of course I have - it's that I can't control all the variables. I can't be sure of the succession. And I can't be sure of the role I might be able to secure within the Court Circle of Katrapetch. What remains to be done before my husband passes on?

Amarshiva Rajput in old age by DMFW with Leonardo AI

6th Tuzlle, 3131 APC
Amarshiva Rajput died this morning. I didn't see it coming. There was no long illness or much in the way of signs to warn me, everything just failed at once. My poor husband. What a life we've had together! I will miss him when this has time to sink in, but now I have practical matters to consider. There is so much to organise.
7th Tuzlle, 3131 APC
Aadi Rajput is the new Raja but the Confirmation of the Anointed Successor was awkward, since it had to be held at Fort Sargath. Veldrhin Kahl managed the formal ceremony very well, I thought, but I'm uncomfortable with the fact that Kieran Bolgurin is again the heir to the throne.
17th Tuzlle, 3131 APC
I didn't want a massive state funeral. I have reasons of statecraft to avoid one. Seamless continuity is the image I'm looking for, so that continuity keeps my position in place as, if not exactly a regent, then the most important advisor for the new Raja. To project seamless continuity, the funeral of Amarshiva Rajput would ideally have been low key to mark the passing of the Staff of the Raja without providing a public forum for speculation and gossip. At least that was my thinking. I didn't get what I wanted.
The Court Circle of Katrapetch is made to transmit ceremony and tradition, packed with functionaries whose roles have been determined from birth and whose intricate and detailed knowledge of protocol was not about to be set aside by the wishes of a grieving (or calculating) Rani. In the long history of Katrapetch they've met that challenge before.
So Aadi and I endured the full procession to the Royal Mausoleum with a parade every bit as long and winding as the one I remembered from his grandfather's funeral, except this time I had to play a prominent role.
"There are some things you just have to put up with," I said to my bewildered son who liked the occasion as little as I did. In truth there will be many things he'll have to put up with as the Raja. I hope he's ready for them.
18th Tuzlle, 3131 APC
I carried the day in the Yellow Summit Chamber, the most critical Royal Advisory meeting I've had to navigate for many years. Aadi let me set the agenda, although of course he will be chairing these meetings now. The important thing was to establish my role as a continuing member of the council. I've been here for years - longer than everyone else and everyone understands my value as a politician with a deep knowledge of Katrapetch society, but that didn't guarantee anything. In the rigid patriarchy of this weird little corner of the world, a Rani can be cast aside on the death of her husband without a second thought.
Since Aadi Rajput is still relatively young and unmarried, though, retaining my wisdom at the centre of things did make sense to those who are not my outright enemies. Critically, Aadi Rajput himself goes along with it and I had the rather lukewarm approval of Veldrhin Kahl as the Senior Magician of Katrapetch. This was sufficient to secure my place.
Still, the reaction of the councillors was muted and I sensed a deep unease to my continuing presence. I expected this but it is not a comfortable feeling. Difficult times lie ahead.
2nd Pruth, 3131 APC
My son and I had a formal visit from Himmat Bolgurin and his mother today in the Royal Audience Chamber. They'd come to plead on behalf of his father and her husband. I don't feel comfortable letting Kieran Bolgurin out of jail whilst he is still the official heir to the throne. I wish Aadi had a wife and had a male child already. But that all went a bit wrong when Mehrunnisa turned him down. She's married to Himmat Bolgurin now. The same man who stood before us with his awkward request.
I understand I have no objective reason to be upset about all this. Not in the way Aadi clearly still is. Because my son is just a jilted youth who has plenty of time to get over it and find himself another woman. There are plenty in the Court Circle of Katrapetch who would be happy to marry him for the status, if for nothing else. No, that's not really the problem in the long term. The problem is the short term and how to hold on to power until the line of succession is secure under my wing. Everything is about timing. Amarshiva was wrong when we argued and I allowed myself to be convinced. I should have spoken to Mehrunnisa Bolgurin when she was still Mehrunnisa Zafira and there was a chance to make a difference.
Whatever my regrets on that matter, Kieran Bolgurin is free now. Aadi was inclined to mercy. He does often take the side of his cousins and his uncles over my advice. I don't think he understands the danger. This makes me uneasy.
It was frustrating for me to be in that Audience. Whatever I think about it, Aadi Rajput is the Raja and in public I must go along with whatever he says. I've slipped up. I should have prepared my son for this request in private. It's too late now.
15th Pruth, 3131 APC
The coronation was another huge ceremonial I was not in the mood for. I'm glad it's over. Even I will admit, though, that this is one ceremonial that needs all its pomp and circumstance. But I hated seeing Aadi's wistful expression watching Himmat and Mehrunnisa. And I hated the embedded Confirmation of the Anointed Successor which just displays the lack of a Rajput son for everyone to notice and comment on.
12th Doloph, 3132 APC
I had a big row with Aadi today. He's never grateful and he knows more than I realised.
"You can stop matchmaking 'mother'," he fumed at me after I failed in my latest attempt to secure a suitable partner for him. I didn't like his tone and I didn't like the sarcasm he put into the word 'mother' so I asked him what he meant.
"My father told me everything," he said. "I know you're not my real mother!"
Everything? Really everything?
For a moment I panicked but fortunately I kept my mouth shut and let him explain himself. It isn't everything. Far from it. Amarshiva did confess to his son that I wasn't his mother, that's true. But he spared him the details of what happened to her. I guess he thought that would be too painful. But now the poor deluded boy thinks he can find her in exile. That's awkward. I have to think fast.
"We lost touch with her," I say tentatively. "She moved on to Myruthea. I don't know where she is."
Why did Amarshiva confess even this partial truth to Aadi? I really wish he hadn't. Now my son is going to brood about finding his real mother, which of course he never can.
18th Chiroth, 3133 APC
What a mess! What have I done? I was just trying to help... No that's not completely honest. I was just using some old techniques that have always worked for me before in a moment of anger without thinking about the possible consequences of deploying them this time. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
It all began with another argument with Aadi when I chided him about his inability to find a wife. I was annoyed that he was rejecting my help and this time the disagreements became more heated. That's when something snapped and I crossed the line.
"Look Aadi," I said softly, "I'm not your enemy. I understand it's difficult to be a young Raja and you are a young man who finds himself frustrated and in desperate want of a mate. You have your needs, naturally. So if we can't agree on how that is to be solved in the long run, why don't you let me help you in the short term as I helped your father? Remember as you constantly tell me, I'm not your mother. I'm not related to you at all. So why not take advantage of that?"
"W... what do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. I can help you to release that all that sexual stress. You must be ready to explode down there..."
It was too much for him. I'd bungled the seduction. It was clumsy, badly timed and motivated by a desperate need to keep control on my part. Aadi was absolutely horrified. He fled in disgust. I've made things so much worse now.
It's still the truth, though. We're not blood relatives so there's nothing wrong in what I suggested. Well, maybe there is something wrong in it. But I've transgressed so many times against conventional morality and in so many worse ways, I may have lost touch. The question now is whether anything can be done to repair our relationship. I'm teetering on the brink of disaster. I've managed this whole succession so very, very badly!
1st Mald, 3133 APC
"Tell me you didn't do it!"
"Didn't do what? You've been drinking haven't you? Far too much!"
I could smell the stench of powerful alcohol on Aadi's breath.
"Tell me you didn't murder my mother!"
"What are you talking about?"
But my reply was too slow. It was my reaction he was looking for, not my answer and he caught me half asleep and unprepared. Kieran has somehow found out what happened at the Royal Retreat all those years ago and he's poisoned Aadi's mind with the information. I mean, even now I don't expect he understands all the details, mercifully. But he does know I killed his mother even if he doesn't know how. And I've confirmed it by being too slow with my denial. He doesn't believe me. He's stormed off back to consume more of whatever fowl drink he's fueling himself with.
This is going to be very difficult to repair tomorrow. I don't even know how I will set about it.
2nd Mald, 3133 APC
Aadi is dead. They found him this morning in his bedroom with his throat cut by his own hand.
Why did Aadi have to be so stupid? Why??? I only wanted to help him. I don't know what I was thinking about with the attempted seduction. That was so very, very foolish of me. But we could have resolved the misunderstanding. I could still have helped him rule as I had planned. I would have found him another wife, sooner rather than later and he would have accepted it.
It's Kieran's fault. That was the final straw. How did he find out about what happened to Galetta Solar? How???
Mehera is burning me again from those hot springs she and I can never escape. I can't stand the pain this morning. And now here is something else I can never escape. I've killed my son. He might not have been my real son but I loved him anyway. It's true that I was using him but I did love him. I know I did, otherwise, why do I feel so empty inside now? And if I didn't wield the killing blow, I might as well have.
I can't write anymore today. I have either too much to set down or nothing more. I choose nothing more.
4th Mald, 3133 APC
I'm finished. I am writing what may be my final entry in this diary under house arrest. Kieran Bolgurin is the new Raja and Himmat Bolgurin is his anointed successor. The line of Rajput is ended. My role in the Court Circle of Katrapetch is ended.
I know how this will go. The Supreme Judge Of Katrapetch will follow the political wind and soon enough I will be on trial. The Arcane Wisdoms and the Senior Magician of Katrapetch will quickly forget that they owe me their positions. The house of cards has collapsed. There is nothing I can do. Nothing.
I'm finished.