Ankyra Sound uproar

caiaphas knew she would have to explain her reasoning to at least rosalyn -- but to hear vaati expected it too drew a glint of amusement in her yellow eyes. she was weak -- far too weak to go on a long rant about her thousands of reasons for acting so stupidly -- but all the same she entertained the brute's question.

she propped herself gamely upwards on her thin elbows, her vision blurry as she focused on the imperial gamma. perhaps it was her delirium, but she had trouble focusing on the last of vaati's statement. did he want her to explain why - or how - things had become so convoluted?

"in rusalka you do not follow a weak leader." she started, her voice raspy as she sucked in a breath sorrowed by tiredness. "i found myself here because i could not tolerate being under the foot of men far smaller than me. i would not expect others to bite their tongue as i had. firefly challenged me -- and he won -- fairly." her shoulders sagged and the siren rallied herself with a wobble. "should you find yourself questioning the judgment of your leaders, that is when you know what must be done -- i am not as strong as firefly, but perhaps i am smarter making a system where the monarchy can always be toppled. if it is not you that contests our newest leaders, it will be someone else. maybe even someday it will be me."

she was spent from speaking so much, and the tone of her voice dipped once more. "as for rosalyn.. you cannot shed a barnacle once it has taken root. she can try.." caiaphas' voice trailed off, and a wry but sickly laugh wheezed from her throat. "if i had killed that man, it would have done rusalka a great service. drageda is not strong; if they were they would have crushed us immediately. instead they hide on their cliffs. i regret nothing.

my only mistake was not seeing it through."