Page 24 of Stranger's Choice
He blinked. “Will you often be wearing my dressing gown?”
“I hope not. It is rather hot.”
“Well, it was made for a cooler climate than this. I admit, I haven’t worn it since arriving in Pynth.”
Auraelie studied the prince for a moment. She was stuck in his room for a couple more hours, and the dressing gown really was sweltering. She trusted him. At least this much. She untied the sash holding the dressing gown closed and shrugged it off her shoulders.
Sebin’s eyes went wide, but did not drop lower, his gaze firmly on her face. “If you really don’t want to call me Sebin, that’s fine. You didn’t have to take that off.”
“I told you. It is hot.” Auraelie sighed. “I’ve been a member of the Emperor’s Will for almost ten years, Sebin. Privacy is hard to come by. I didn’t cover up because I am embarrassed. I did it because I am mad.”
“And you wanted to remind me that the no touching rule still applies.”
“Yes. I didn’t want you to think I had changed voluntarily or for your benefit.”
“I think your glare when you walked in was enough to make that clear.” Sebin stood up. “Here, if the dressing gown is too heavy, I can at least loan you one of my shirts.”
He held out a hand, and she handed over the heavy garment. He slipped into his bedroom and came back a moment later with a shirt. Except for the size and color, it was much like the tunics she regularly wore. She slipped it on without comment.
“I don’t know how the other members of the Will do it,” Auraelie said, deciding in that moment that she wanted to share her frustration with somebody. Sebin was a good choice. He listened to her. Even if he had no power to change things, at least she would know she had been heard. Understood. “They really act as though they have no will of their own; the Emperor’s desires are theirs.”
“You said ten years. How old were you when you joined the Will?”
“Fifteen.”
“My understanding was that all the Emperor’s Will are raised from childhood, if not infancy, to serve him.”
“Yes. In general, no one is brought into the Will if they are older than eight. The Emperor’s Oracle is the only exception and only because of the treaty between the imperial family and the oracles.”
“Tell me about this treaty.”
Auraelie smiled. “That was an order.”
Sebin grimaced. “Sorry. You don’t have to tell me.”
“It’s fine. I want to tell you.” Auraelie paused, searching for the right place to start. “The treaty is centuries old. It comes from the time when humans and the magical races fought for land and power throughout Pynth. There was fighting, but we hadn’t quite crossed into all-out war. The oracles saw the devastation war would bring, and so they sought out the most powerful human commander and proposed a truce.”
Sebin whistled. “The human commander demanded an oracle of his own in return?”
“He did. He wanted an oracle loyal to him. I don’t know the details of how the treaty was negotiated, how long it took to reach an agreement, or how satisfied either side was with the finished product. What I do know is that in the end, the oracles and all the other magical races agreed to support this human’s control over the entire continent. Pynth was no longer a loose collection of human and magical clans, but one united empire.”
“Why? Why help a human gather so much power?”
“The new emperor agreed to enforce laws that protected the magical races in return. Humans who attacked us were punished quickly and severely.”
“But that wasn’t enough for this first emperor.” Sebin didn’t ask. He wasn’t blind to the greed of his own kind. “He wanted an oracle as insurance that the magical races wouldn’t one day rise up against him.”
Auraelie nodded. “And to help him subdue the humans who didn’t bow to him immediately. According to the treaty, an oracle is to give up her place among our people and make a home with the Emperor upon his coronation. That oracle must give the Emperor her loyalty and obedience, for he must know that every vision shared is the absolute truth. The Emperor’s Oracles began the tradition of the Emperor’s Will.”
“So why not raise the oracle from infancy, like the rest of the Will? Surely it is a better way to ensure the unthinking loyalty the Emperor wants.”
“Because the first Emperor did not want a child unable to use their powers. Nor did he want an oracle past her prime of life. The treaty stipulates that the oracle joining the Emperor must be between fifteen and twenty-five years of age.”
“And when did the Emperor realize he could use his oracle for breeding?” Sebin’s voice was a low growl.
Auraelie closed her eyes, then forced herself to look at Sebin. “I’m not sure. I think the first Emperor, perhaps his heir as well, slept with their oracles consensually. But as the Emperor’s Will came into being, someone realized the power of getting as many children as possible out of the Emperor’s Oracle.”
“Your people didn’t object?”
