Damon Eram recovered his dignity, glaring death down on his daughter and jumping back into a rigid posture. But Keritanima's voice cut him off before he could begin to rail. "Thus have I satisfied the demands of the King," she stated in a cold voice. "Do you want me to sit up and beg now? Roll over and play dead? How about if I fetch your slippers?"

Damon Eram spluttered as some of the courtiers laughed. None of them expected humor from Keritanima. Many of them had no idea what to expect from her, she knew, and she was going to take advantage of that fact.

"Perhaps his Majesty would prefer it if I entertained him with feats of prestidigitation and thaumaturgic delights?" she asked, raising her hands and toucing the Weave. Five balls of fire appeared in her hands, and she began to juggle them easily. Damon Eram flinched slightly at the appearance of those magical objects, but this time he held his position. "After all, you must have some reason to bring me halfway across the globe to stand before you."

"Cease this display!" Damon Eram roared, trying to get the situation back under control. Keritanima let the fiery balls vanish, then folded her arms again and stared at him. "Your behavior has been deplorable, Keritanima! You have caused me no end of trouble, and I mean to take that trouble out of your thick hide!"

"You may certainly try," she retorted calmly.

" Silence! " he screamed in a furious tone. "You have inconvenienced the Crown and Wikuna for the last time, Keritanima! Did you believe that you would get away with it? Did you really think I wouldn't have you dragged back here to answer to me for what you have done?" He pulled his robe around him and sat back down. "Your punishment has already been decreed, daughter. You will surrender all your personal wealth to the Crown. You will be restricted to your apartments until such time that I rescind that punishment, and you will be flogged right here and right now." Keritanima glared at her father, but she did not speak. "Fifty lashes. One for each headache you have caused me in the last months."

A large cat Wikuni stepped forth, wearing a black leather hood and carrying a whip. "Now remove your dress," Damon Eram hissed eagerly.

Keritanima didn't move. She just stared at her father.

"Fine then. I'm sure the dress will make it hurt that much more. Commence!" he ordered.

The cat Wikuna shook out his whip and moved to the side, so his whip lashes would strike the Princess on the back, as the courtiers cleared away from the area near the throne, looking on eagerly. Keritanima did not move, made no attempt to dodge or protect herself as the cat Wikuni raised the whip, then struck at her. It lashed in and made contact with her back-

– -and there was a brilliant flash of light. The cat Wikuni screamed only once as lightning blasted up the length of his whip, emanating from Keritanima and sizzling into him. His fur stood straight out, and then began to smoke, as the scream died away and it made no more sound. It only shuddered horribly, unable to release the whip even as the tip of the whip did not fall away from her back, until the lightning stopped arcing along the whip's length and the tip fell away from her. The cat Wikuni slumped to the floor, smoke issuing forth from its mouth, eyes, and fur. It was very dead.

"Murder!" Jenawalani declared loudly in her shrill voice.

Damon Eram jumped to his feet, his eyes bulging in his shock and rage at her action. "You have just commited murder before the court!" he screamed.

"I did no such thing," she replied calmly, kicking the end of the whip away from her foot. "The Fifth volume of the Laws of the Crown, year 1747, third decree, states that a Royal Prince or Princess may not be physically assaulted or injured by any party of lower rank. Such transgressions are punishable by death, with no benefit of trial. So, as you see, father, I did nothing more than enforce the law."

Damon Eram glared at her.

"The only person with the legal authority to whip me is you," she announced, reaching down and picking up the whip. She coiled it up until she had the handle, and held it out towards him calmly. "Would you care to have a turn, father? I'm sure you'll find the experience a once in a lifetime event."

The challenge hung there for a very long moment, then Damon Eram sat back down on his throne hard enough to jar his crown. Jenawalani glared viciously at her older sister, nearly snarling at her. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the courtiers staring at Keritanima with new eyes. This was nothing what they expected. Nobody had ever frustrated and dominated Damon Eram in his own throne room before. "You are wrong, daughter," Damon Eram snapped. "I ordered the flogging. Your quoted law doesn't give you the right to counter my decree."

Keritanima continued to hold onto the whip. "I'll be happy to wait here as your Chamberlain researches the law," she offered. "I'm sure he'll discover the validity of my statement. Would you like me to quote it for you, so he knows what to look for?"

Damon Eram stared flatly at her.

"Until he returns, I assure you I'll deal with anyone else who tries to whip me in the same manner," she promised. "Unless you'd like to come down here and do it yourself," she added with a slight smile.

"I will not permit witchcraft in my hall," he said evilly. "I forbid you to use your magic in this hall again."

"Fine. Just so you know, the spell protecting me was created before you made that statement. Anyone who makes an attempt to injure me will meet a similar end."

Damon Eram's brows furrowed. "Then I order you to end your spell."

"I cannot. You just ordered me not to use magic in this hall. A decree made by a King does not expire, nor can it be superseded by later decree, until a written copy of said decree, bearing the King's seal, is presented before the Clerk of Law."

"That's a lie!" Jenawalani accused.

"First Volume of Laws of the Crown, year 1752, first decree. Would you like your Chamberlain to check that one as well?" She smacked her head. "Dear me. I seem to see that your Clerk of Law isn't present at the moment. Someone should really go summon him." She tapped her finger on her muzzle. "Do you know where that law came from? It was the decree of Luthis, your great-great grandfather. He had a habit of second-guessing his own decisions, so he made that decree to ensure he thought carefully about any decree he wished to repeal. It was never repealed by a later decree."

It was clear to everyone in the hall that Damon Eram was more than taken aback. Keritanima had defeated his attempt to humiliate her with a public flogging, and it was plain from his face that he didn't know if she was lying about those laws, or telling the truth. He looked to have no idea what to say next. "Come now, father," she said, putting the whip on her shoulder easily. "This is where you send your Chamberlain to check those laws, and order me to wait until he returns, trying to make me feel uncomfortable. If it turns out I'm lying, you can have me executed for murder. If it turns out I'm telling the truth, then you'll have to fetch your Clerk of Law so you can repeal the decree stopping you from making me lower my protective spell."

"I will not play games with you, Keritanima," he hissed. "I order you to submit to the punishment."

"I already have submitted to the punishment," she replied evenly. "As soon as you find someone to administer it, I'll gladly let him try to whip me."

"Killing the man fulfilling my orders is not submitting to your punishment!" he raged, standing up again.

"You said submit. You did not say accept. And you already know what it will take to have me whipped, father. We can stand here all day and play word games and chess, but you know it will never come down to anything else. I know the law better than you ever will, and I can stand here and raise legal defenses to my actions all day. There are hundreds of laws protecting the Royal Family."