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“I would welcome that,” Zha Tahl said. “But I don’t think it will be the case.”

“The weakest among us you say… I think that could include staging certain things to make it look like loyalists could very well be guilty. To push the blame off on others and cast doubts on them rather than on themselves,” Bart said.

Zha Tahl considered Bart’s words for a few moments. “You are speaking of Mirilla.”

“I am. We both made poor choices, but neither of us were involved in weakening the security of Quin and Vivian’s home to allow it to be infiltrated.”

“I agree. As does my Ehlealah. Mirilla was not sent to her rooms as a punishment; it was for safekeeping. Is there a disciplinary action to follow? A minor one, yes. But I do not believe she is guilty of sabotage of any type.”

“Quin is talking about prison or execution.”

“Quin is raging, as he should be. They had their hands on his son! But you and I both know that while he can be vicious, he is not rash.”

Bart chuckled.

“At least not usually,” Zha Tahl amended. “He gathers information, calculates, plots, then he attacks. And we all know that once he has targeted those who are responsible, there will be no one left to incarcerate.”

“He can be very convincing when he’s trying to make someone see his point,” Bart said with more tone than he’d planned.

“If it’s convincing it is because it’s too easy to have been a reality. That doesn’t mean it’s a reality, though. And that is where his planning and calculating comes in. He will be sure of who he targets before he ever pulls the trigger, but he will go over and over every possibility in his mind before he finally takes aim.”

“And you?”

Zha Tahl grinned. “Some would say that I’m the more volatile of the two of us. But this is his time. We are all evolving, Cruestace included, and it will be in his hands going forward. I’m involved in all that occurs as we move forward to him actually being Sovereign, but it cannot happen too soon. I am ready to hand it to him when he is ready to receive it. I’ve given enough of myself to my people. It’s time for Zha Tahl the male to live a life now.”

~~~

Bart knocked on the door yet again, and waited a suitable amount of time before he started shouting. “Mirilla! Open the door!”

He waited a second and started knocking again. “Please open the door! We need to talk.”

He’d been knocking for fifteen minutes, and had begun to make a spectacle of himself.

He waited several more minutes, knocking intermittently and calling her name, but still, there was no answer at all and nothing but silence could be heard on the other side of her door. “I know you’re angry, Mirilla, and you have every right to be, but if you don’t open this door, you’re going to be angrier. I’m going to get someone to open the door for me!”

“I don’t think you have any right to demand she do anything.”

Bart quickly turned to see who was speaking to him. “I’m aware, Ba Re’. But I have to try.”

Ba Re’ watched Bart, almost comically as he went back to pounding on Mirilla’s door.

“I don’t think she can hear you,” Ba Re’ finally said.

“Everyone can hear me,” Bart snapped.

“Not everyone,” Ba Re’ said.

Bart turned around to face Ba Re’ again. “Why are you here?”

“Quin has sent for you.”

Bart sighed tiredly as he rubbed his forehead. “Fine. I’ll be there”

“Now.”

“I’ll be there!” Bart insisted.

Ba Re’ stayed just long enough for Bart to glare at him once more as he started beating on Mirilla’s door again.

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