Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe #2)(118)
She gave a slight nod of her head to indicate she was done, then stepped back to stand next to Scythe Curie.
In the silence that followed, Goddard offered his slow applause.
“Masterful,” he said, stepping forward to take center stage. “You almost had me believing it, Anastasia.” Then he turned to the Grandslayers, singling out MacKillop and Nzinga—the only two who had not taken a position on new order versus old guard. “It’s a convincing argument,” Goddard said. “Except for the fact that it’s no argument at all. It’s smoke and mirrors. Misdirection. A technicality blown out of proportion to suit a self-serving, self-important agenda.”
He held up his right hand, letting the ring on his finger catch the sun. “Tell me, Your Excellencies, if I were to lose my ring finger and receive a new one rather than have one grown from my own cells, would that mean that the ring was not on the finger of a scythe? Of course not! And in spite of the junior scythe’s accusations, we do know whose body this is! It belonged to a young man—a hero—who gave himself willingly so that I could be restored. Please don’t insult his memory by diminishing his sacrifice.”
He threw a reproachful gaze at Anastasia and Curie. “We all know what this inquest is about. It is a blatant attempt to disenfranchise certain MidMerican scythes from their leader of choice!”
“Objection!” shouted Anastasia. “The vote has not been tallied—which means he can’t claim to be anyone’s leader of choice.”
“Point taken,” said the Supreme Blade, who then turned to Goddard. She had no love of the new-order movement, but she was also fair in all matters. “It’s well known that you and your compatriots have been clashing with the so-called old guard for years, Scythe Goddard. But you can’t challenge the validity of the inquest just because it was motivated by that conflict. Regardless of the motivation, Scythe Anastasia has put before us a legitimate question. Are you . . . you?”
Then Goddard changed his tack. “Then I move for her question to be thrown out. It was levied after the vote, creating a circus of opportunism—which is far too unscrupulous a thing for this council to condone!”
“From what I hear,” Scythe Cromwell interjected, “your sudden appearance in conclave was also a circus of opportunism.”
“I enjoy making an entrance,” Goddard admitted. “As all of you are guilty of that, I fail to see it as a crime.”
“Scythe Curie,” asked Grandslayer Nzinga, “why did you not levy the accusation yourself during your nomination oration? You had every chance to voice your concern then.”
Scythe Curie gave a slightly abashed smile. “The answer is simple, Your Exalted Excellency. I didn’t think of it.”
“Are we to believe,” said Grandslayer Hideyoshi, “that a junior scythe with only one year under her belt is shrewder than the so-called Granddame of Death?”
“Oh, absolutely,” said Scythe Curie without reservation. “In fact, I’ll wager that she’ll be running this council someday.”
Although Marie had meant it in only the best way, it backfired, and caused the Grandslayers to begin grumbling.
“Watch yourself, Scythe Anastasia!” said Grandslayer Amundsen. “That kind of brazen ambition is not looked upon kindly here!”
“I didn’t say I wanted that! Scythe Curie was just being kind.”
“Even so,” said Hideyoshi, “your own aspirations to power are clear to us.”
Anastasia found herself speechless. And then a new voice entered the fray.
“Your excellencies,” said Scythe Rand, “neither Scythe Goddard’s decapitation nor his restoration were his fault. Giving him a new body was my idea entirely—and he should not be punished for the choice I made.”
Supreme Blade Kahlo sighed. “It was the right choice, Scythe Rand. Anything that can restore a scythe to us is a good thing—whoever that scythe is. That is not in question. What is in question is the viability of his candidacy.” She paused for a moment, looked to her fellow Grandslayers, then said, “These are weighty matters, and no flip decision should be made. Let us discuss this among ourselves. We shall reconvene at noon.”
? ? ?
Anastasia paced the anteroom while Scythe Curie sat calmly and ate from a bowl of fruit. How could she possibly be calm?
“I was terrible,” said Anastasia.
“No, you were brilliant.”
“They think I’m power hungry!”
Marie handed her a pear. “They see themselves in you. They were the ones who were power hungry at your age, which means that even if they don’t show it, they identify with you.” Then she insisted Anastasia eat her pear to keep up her energy.
When they were called back an hour later, the Grandslayers wasted no time.
“We have reviewed and discussed this matter between us, and we have reached a conclusion,” said Supreme Blade Kahlo. “Honorable Scythe Rand, please step forward.” Goddard seemed a bit surprised that he wasn’t addressed first, but gestured to Ayn, who moved a few steps closer to the Supreme Blade.
“Scythe Rand, as we’ve said, your successful effort to restore Scythe Goddard is admirable. However, we take exception to the fact that you did this not only without our approval, but without our knowledge. Had you come to the council, we would have assisted you—and we would have made sure that the subject used was not only qualified, but was a verified volunteer. Right now, all we have is what Scythe Goddard has told us.”