My men, myself, and our group of friends stand with our heads held high. These are the feelings you should get when you look and listen to your leader.
Pride. Safety. Hope.
He’s a better person than me. He hasn’t said one negative thing about Harriseen. I would’ve been talking shit. Honestly, he doesn’t address him at all. I guess in hindsight, I’m thankful he doesn’t bring him up. I’m not sure how those who don’t knowhow he died would take him just throwing it out there that Amick stabbed him in the heart.
I hope they all receive what comes next peacefully.
“Today isn’t about replacing one ruler with another. It’s about the continuation of something greater than any single one of us. Power, when held correctly, is not possession. It’s stewardship. A change of leadership isn’t a fracture in our foundation. It’s proof that our foundation endures.
“If we’re to remain worthy of the region we protect, we must keep our minds open. Especially when change feels uncomfortable. Growth rarely arrives wrapped in familiarity. Today, we don’t abandon our past. We honor it by building upon it. We carry forward the wisdom earned, and we release what no longer serves us. A stagnant system rots. A living one adjusts.”
Ellian takes a deep breath, and a shift breezes through the air as his seriousness bleeds through his features.
“Before this address concludes, I’m going to decree my first change as the new High Chancellor of the Godsdawn.”
His eyes scan the massive crowd, lingering on the Attendants.
“For generations, the Attendant Designation has been diminished. Misunderstood. Reduced to something lesser. That was never their intended purpose. The original decree is clear. An Attendant’s domain, abilities, and temperament were designed to assist, complement, and enhance.
“Not to serve beneath, but to strengthen alongside. Our social structures depend on them. Our Designations function because of them. Without Attendants, the Godsdawn wouldn’t merely struggle. It would collapse into chaos. And yet, we’ve treated them as slaves.”
He pauses, adding to the deafening silence that comes over the Assembly.
“That ends now. Effective immediately, Attendants will be recognized as equal in standing to the other Designations. Theirvoices will carry the same weight. Their treatment will reflect their value. No Attendant will be compelled, diminished, or punished for fulfilling the role they were created for. If any among you believe equality weakens your authority, then you misunderstand authority.”
A heartbeat of silence drags on.
My pulse thunders in my ears as murmurs float through the air, and the tension from both sides presses in around us. A bark of laughter from somewhere to the left snaps the building anticipation.
“Equal?” a god calls, not bothering to hide his disdain. “You expect us to pretend they’re the same as us?”
A few voices answer him. Some agree, some don’t. The noise grows louder, rippling like waves gaining momentum.
“They were made to serve!”
“That’s their function!”
The Attendants stiffen, and my men shift subtly. I follow suit as my glare scans across the crowd. As their agitation and disagreement build, I map the faces shouting their revulsion so unashamedly. I also pay attention to the ones who seem uncomfortable standing around gods who are so proudly hateful.
The god who spoke out first pushes his way through the crowd until he’s close to the clearing everyone made around us.
He points his finger at Ellian, and we all straighten our spines.
“You can’t just come into power and claim they’re the same as us. They’ve never been and never will be. They will remember their places.”
“Enough!”
I hold in my jolt as Kyzen’s voice carries over the Assembly. His navy irises and baby blue rings around his pupils glow, but his fingers hold steady as he steps forward.
We step with him.
“This decision isn’t up for debate or mediation. It’s been decreed and it will be honored.”
“Oh yeah?” the god asks as he tilts his head. “Or what?”
My mouth hums and my body vibrates as my power alights through my blood. My Consequence pushes at the back of my teeth, demanding to be set free.
“Are you threatening them?” Kyzen asks far calmer than I feel.
