Free Bite Back 05 - Angel Stakes by Mark Henwick

old Britain, a weight of history behind it. They had chosen her well.
    On the podium, Eugenie whispered something in Skylur’s ear.
    He shrugged. “I dispute your use of the word unaligned . However, continue,” he said to Prowser.
    Her head dipped fractionally to him. I was too far away to gauge how that acknowledgement was intended.
    She stood straight and spoke clearly. “We concede openly that some among us agreed with proposals made by House Amaral.”
    There was a collective drawing of breath throughout the room. She was taking a huge risk; if Skylur made his argument that Assembly law had not been in force at the time of the Convocation, then she had just consigned her associates to a death sentence. Ibarre had to be pretty sure they could successfully argue that Assembly laws had still been in force. Or, he didn’t think it would matter. He had a different plan.
    My feeling of unease grew as Prowser continued to speak.
    “We were unaware at the time that House Amaral had betrayed and murdered his own Master, House Romero. We were similarly unaware of the heinous capture and torture of Diana Ionache. Those actions we utterly condemn. Nevertheless, not knowing of those matters, some among us would have joined him in calling a Convocation, under Assembly rules, with the express intention of deposing you as leader of Panethus.”
    Prowser walked out into the space between the ranked rows of seats and the podium.
    “We say this so there will be no need for further time-wasting investigations on the point of who did and didn’t agree to call a Convocation.”
    “ Some among us is a little vague,” Skylur said.
    Her head dipped again.
    “That’s why we are seated as we are,” she said. She indicated Ibarre and made a sweep with her arm. “House Ibarre and the Houses seated to his left supported a Convocation.” Including Ibarre, there were five Athanate seated in that space. She turned and indicated her empty seat. “I, and the remaining Houses, did not.”
    The auditorium sat in stunned silence. Under Hidden Path law in the Agiagraphos, that was at least five death sentences, and not necessarily only for the head of each House. The audience had packed in here to see the show, but none of them had expected this abrupt acceleration.
    “As you say, House Prowser, you’ve neatly concluded the first steps of our proceedings,” Eugenie said. “If you planned to concede this point all along, I would like to ask why you allowed the proceedings to be delayed to accommodate the availability of a witness whom you knew would not be needed.”
    If the rest of the room had been stunned, Eugenie certainly hadn’t. And she was right; why wait until I showed up?
    The answer had to be because Ibarre’s attack would involve me.
    Prowser turned to face the podium, clasping her hands in front of her, frowning.
    “A change of plan, House Passau.”
    Eugenie raised an eyebrow.
    Prowser continued regardless.
    “I agreed to represent the association specifically to remove the element of time wasting,” she went on. “What this proceeding needs to focus on is not just the case in point, but the underlying assumptions behind legal systems which the new Assembly will need to take forward.”
    What?
    Athanate stirred throughout the room.
    “They’re deliberately highlighting the split in Panethus support,” Elizabetta said quietly. “Clever ploy.”
    “But on the basis of what she’s said,” I replied in a whisper, “one half of the Eastern Seaboard still need to swear oaths or leave, but the other half are condemned.”
    “Not if she can get Skylur to back down. If withdrawing his original domain claim is less damaging than splitting Panethus on traditional-progressive lines…”
    “And if she loses?”
    “She’ll argue somehow they all still have the option to leave the country.”
    To go where? These Houses were old and established. They had prime locations and huge domains. Still, begging domains from the