For the first time since the city had knelt, the Supreme Chief moved. Still on her knees, she slowly raised her head and looked toward the figure suspended above the square. There was anger in her eyes now, pushing against the fear.
"You... you cannot simply declare yourself Supreme Chief," she said. Her voice was steady despite the thousands of blades hanging above the city.
A murmur swept through the crowd.
"The South has laws... Traditions... Councils." Sagiri looked down at her without expression.
"And yet those same laws allowed a chief to sit beyond his term. Allowed assassins to hunt the City Lord. Allowed my companions to be dragged to an execution platform while I was absent." The Supreme Chief's jaw tightened.
"That does not make you a ruler."
"No?" Sagiri tilted his head. "The relics disagree." A faint ripple moved through the council.
