Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
A gasp went up from the entire ballroom as all the most important Mistresses of Opulex watched the scene play out. Miri was incredibly glad that Lynx had thought to get the footage from the Space Yacht before they left it. It never would have occurred to her, but of course on a ship as expensive as the one Mistress Bloodmuch had used for bait, every room was under surveillance.
There were murmurs of horror when they got to the part where the Skulls scout arrived and killed off Furx and his men. Miri let it keep playing, allowing the gathered Mistresses to watch as Saxon turned into an enormous, terrifying wolf and killed the scout.
Then she had Lynx shut it off—no one in the room needed to know anything else about their private business. But it was good for them to realize that she had some very scary males at her back, who would do anything to protect her.
“As you can see,” she said, the ampli-bug making her voice ring to the far corners of the room. “Mistress Bloodmuch laid a trap for me and my men and had her mercenaries threaten me with physical harm if I didn’t give her my power. And since threatening or attempting to coerce any member of the Sacred Seven is expressly against Yonnite Law, I hereby decree that she shall be stripped of all her titles and sent directly to prison, where she will await trial for her crimes.”
“What?” shrieked Mistress Bloodmuch. “You can’t do that to me! Do you know how rich I am?”
“Not anymore,” Miri said coolly. “I further decree that all of your wealth in the form of land, jewels, credit, or any other form now belongs to the Yonnite National Treasury. It will be used to repair some of the damage you’ve done strip-mining for Dream Gas. Guards—take her away!” she added, motioning to the armored guards who were already making their way through the crowd.
Mistress Bloodmuch was dragged away, kicking and screaming but nobody tried to help her. It was clear, after the evidence that Miri had shown, that the greedy Mistress was headed straight for prison and nobody wanted to be associated with her, for fear that they might lose their own titles and wealth.
“Now, then,” Miri continued, when the irate Mistress had been finally dragged out of the room. “There has been a lot of talk about who I might transfer my power to, since it was said that I didn’t want to be the Ruling Member of the Sacred Seven.” Of course, she herself had said that, but there was no need to bring that up.
The rising hum of conversation buzzed around the huge ballroom again. All the Mistresses were looking at each other, wondering who Miri would pick.
“I have looked for a worthy replacement. I even went to the Oracle at Delphi Prime to ask who ought to rule,” she went on. “And I have come to the conclusion…”
Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath.
“That I will rule myself—at least for now. I will remain the Ruling Member of the Sacred Seven until I can find worthy Mistresses to help me bear the burden of leadership,” Miri said.
This had been a difficult decision to come to. She didn’t want to rule—she wanted to practice medicine and spend time with her men. But after a long discussion, she and Lynx and Saxon had decided that it would be best for her to stay at least six months.
That would hopefully be long enough for her to find some competent Mistresses who were more interested in ruling fairly than in their own ambition and gain. And once she had a group she could trust, she could choose one of them to be the next Ruling Member while she gracefully stepped down.
So for now, she was staying. But Miri saw a different future for herself than the glittering life of a rich and powerful Opulex Mistress. She saw a life with her men, having their babies and the three of them loving each other every day. A life filled with a rewarding career—possibly aboard the Monstrum Mother Ship, where Lynx and Saxon assured her she would be very welcome. A life of happiness and love.
For now, she would stay. But soon she would be free to pursue her dreams and her life with her men. And in the meantime, maybe she could do some good. She could at least protect her hometown and repair some of the damage that had been done to other parts of Yonnie Six.
The murmurs were rising all around her again but Miri had said everything she had to say.
“Thank you for your attention,” she said politely. “Please continue with the party.”
As she stepped down from the platform with Lynx and Saxon at her heels, Mistress Hottalot met her with beaming eyes.