Page 77 of Stranger's Choice
“Instead of one oracle each generation, how about turning the imperial family into oracles? You and the magical races will show that you don’t need a treaty anymore and seal the agreement with a wedding.”
“A wedding?”
“Perfect, isn’t it? No more relying on the oracles to keep their end of the bargain to give you their loyalty. Marry your son to an oracle and their loyalty will belong to the imperial family through blood.”
“Peroen? You want to take my oracle, but give one to him? Absolutely not. The oracle will marry me.”
Sebin spoke quickly, hoping Heolin trusted him enough not to interfere. “I’d advise against it, Your Imperial Majesty. Think about what it means if you marry an oracle.”
“It means that I keep the power I deserve.”
“No, it means the oracles gain an empress.” He lowered his voice and stepped closer to the Emperor. “It will be chaotic in the coming years. You wouldn’t want the oracles to have power during the formation of this Assembly the rebels want, would you?”
The Emperor thought about it.
Sebin didn’t wait for him to finish forming an opinion. “Marry your son off to an oracle, and you get a grandchild with that bloodline. Do it soon, and you have plenty of time to mold him into your perfect heir. No doubt the Assembly will approve of you naming a new heir, if that heir is the symbol of all the disparate people of Pynth coming together. Meanwhile, the oracles will have no imperial power, but still be loyal for that child’s sake.”
Considering how vehemently the Emperor had opposed his son marrying the oracle, and the fear he had of his son usurping his power, Sebin didn’t expect this argument to convince him completely. He needed a hint of what argument to try next, though. He waited for the Emperor to think over his words.
It didn’t take him long to object. “You want me to give the rebels a reason to make me abdicate? If I let Peroen marry the oracle, they’ll just force me from my throne and place him—and their oracle—on it while they wait for the child.”
Sebin smirked. Then, in a conspiratorial whisper, he strung together a few truths that added up to the lie the Emperor wanted to hear. “Ah, but the people of Pynth, including the other magical races, don’t actually want the oracles to have more power. The only reason they will agree to this marriage is because they know taking away all your access to the oracles will cause an impasse in these negotiations. So by marrying the oracle to your heir, you make your reign safer. They won’t force you out if the alternative is an oracle as empress. They will want to skip to your future grandchild over your son and his wife as much as you.”
Sebin wagered the soon-to-form Assembly would do everything in their power to force the Emperor to abdicate within five years. Once they established their authority and diminished imperial power, it wouldn’t matter if the empress was an oracle. She would be nothing more than a figurehead.
But Sebin’s words reaffirmed the Emperor’s understanding of the world. Sebin could see the satisfaction in the other man’s eyes, the realization that he could protect himself from the danger of his son usurping his power. He didn’t understand that he was ceding his own power by agreeing to Sebin’s terms. No doubt it had never occurred to him that authority went hand in hand with governing, not titles.
The Emperor nodded. “I see your point.”
Sebin stepped back and raised his voice. “So we are in agreement?”
“We are in agreement.”
