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families, but King Hergung was conspicuously absent, represented only by his bitter-faced councilor. The councilmembers all sat at a long wooden table in the middle of the hall, each doing little to hide their mistrust of one another.
    Bolrakei plopped down, adjusting her vast bulk in an ornate gilded chair. She was surrounded by dozens of supporters and several advisors with whom she traded conspiratorial whispers. Today, the members would vote on her official reinstatement. She suppressed a smile as she eyed the assembly. She knew exactly what would happen: behind closed doors, the council argued as they pretended to consider her petition. Then, they would unanimously approve her reinstatement—she had paid hefty bribes to ensure it.
    She looked smugly around the table. There were a few councilmembers that she had been unable to bribe, but they were powerless by themselves. The king hadn’t even bothered to attend the meeting. King Hergung had become a recluse, agoraphobic and sealed away in his private rooms. He was the weakest dwarf king in a thousand years. There would be no opposition from him, especially since she had already bribed Hergung’s closest staff.
    Now that Utan was gone, along with his raggedy group of Vardmiter outcasts, her only real adversary was Skemtun, the leader of Marretaela, the miners’ clan.
    The dwarves who remained at Mount Velik had chosen sides, with a third supporting their ever-weakening king, a third supporting Skemtun, and the remainder supporting Bolrakei. It was only a matter of time before the balance of power tipped in her favor.
    Councilmember Pilfni Grinderiees rose from the table and cleared his throat. “Attention, everyone! Attention!” He rapped his gavel and motioned for his guards to quiet the crowd. “Please settle down, folks. We have a lot to do today.” The chatter died down slowly. “First on the agenda, we will revisit the issue of Bolrakei Shalevault’s reinstatement as the clan leader for Klora-Kanna.” A cheer went up from the crowd gathered behind Bolrakei’s seat. Her expression remained somber, but her eyes were smiling.
    “Before we take our vote, Ms. Shalevault will make an official statement.”
    Bolrakei stood up, her face a picture of contrite apology. She clasped her hands in front of her. “My brothers and sisters, thank you so much for coming today. I know that I’ve made mistakes in the past, but please believe me when I say that I always acted with the best interests of our people in mind—I’ll never stop fighting for all the dwarf clans. I hope that everyone recognizes that and votes accordingly. I sincerely appreciate your support.” She bowed her head and returned to her seat.
    “Thank you, Bolrakei. That was a very nice sentiment,” said Pilfni. He pounded his gavel on the table three times. “Now we shall vote. All in favor of Bolrakei’s reinstatement say ‘Aye!’”
    “Aye!” shouted the crowd.
    Pilfni waited for the noise to die down before speaking again. “And those opposed?”
    Silence dominated the hall. Skemtun frowned, shaking his head in disgust, but remained quiet. He knew that he was outnumbered.
    “The clans have spoken The ‘ayes’ have it, and the amendment is adopted. Congratulations, Bolrakei, you are officially reinstated.”
    Cheers rose up from the crowd. Bolrakei grinned as she spoke. “Thank you, my friends! I’m pleased for this opportunity to serve my clan again. Tonight there will be feasting in Klora-Kana’s mead hall, and all of the clans are invited. Please, join us and partake of my clan’s hospitality.”
    “Thank you for the invitation, Bolrakei,” Pilfni answered. “I’m sure everyone will do their best to attend.”
    King Hergung’s councilor remained silent during the meeting. He left without saying a word, returning to the king’s private chambers. The other councilmembers offered their congratulations to Bolrakei, shaking hands, sometimes with a knowing wink in her direction.