The double doors swung smoothly open and Vasshaka Bulan came stalking in, Todichi Yahzi gliding grayly behind him clutching a scarlet notebook. He touched Bulan’s arm (ignoring the man’s recoil and hiss of loathing), cooed him to the visitor’s chair, then went to the gray leather cushion waiting beside the desk, wriggled around until he was comfortable, settled the book in his lap and prepared to record everything said during the interview.
Maksim rumbled impatiently through the rituals of greeting, gave brusque permission for Vasshaka Bulan to say what was on his mind. “Brief and blunt,” he said, “unless you want to try my patience, Servant Bulan.”
“Phoros Pharmaga, I hear.” Bulan bowed his head. “I have a complaint about the Dicast Silthos a Melisto. He ordered a Servant taken from the Yron of Nopido, sat in judgment over him and ordered him stoned by the Nopidese. He had no right, Phoros. A Servant is judged by Amortis and the Kriorn of his Yron. None less can touch him. By your own word, this is Amortis’ land.”
“By my own word, Amortis judges her Servants in all except…” he leaned forward and slapped his hand on the desktop, making the wood boom, “EXCEPT for civil crimes. Rape is a civil crime. I have read the Di-cast’s report, Servant of Servants. This charming creature of yours raped an eight-year-old girl.”
Bulan lifted his hand. “A holy frenzy, Phoros, for which he is not responsible.”
Settsimaksimin forced himself to wait a moment before responding, hammering an iron calm over a fury that inclined him to send this snake back to Amortis as ash. He needed the wily old twister. especially now when he couldn’t afford a fuss that would divert his attention from the Drinker of Souls and what she could mean to him. He managed a cold smile. “Anarpa didn’t seem to share that notion. He murdered the girl and tried to conceal what he’d done.”
“A weak man is a weak man and a stupid one does not acquire wisdom at such a moment. It is for the Yron and the Kriorn to judge him.”
“By my word and by my law it is the people he injured who have that right. By my word and by my law and in the Covenant I made with Amortis. A covenant that you know word for word, Vasshaka Bulan, Servant of the Servants of Amortis.” He lifted his hand and laid it across his chest, the Stone warm and dangerous under his palm. “We have been patient with you, Faithful Servant, because we know you are devoted to She whom we both… serve. We will continue our patience and explain our decree. The Servant Anarpa took refuge within the Nopido Yron when his crime was reported which from our reading was almost immediately since there was a witness to the burial. The Dicast, as was most proper and courteous though not necessary under our law and covenant, sent to the Nopido Yron and asked that the Servant named Anarpa be given to the civil court for judgment. The Kriorn of the Yron refused to produce him.” Maksim felt his heart hurrying under the Stone and once again took time to calm himself. “That was neither proper nor courteous. Nor is it sanctioned by law or covenant. It is we, Vasshaka Bulan, who complain to you of such contumacious behavior. It is we, Vasshaka Bulan, who say to you, discipline your Servants or we will do it for you. And should you doubt our will or our ability to do so, we will ask Amortis to make it plain to you by punishing that Kriorn herself. We have explained to you what we intend to accomplish within the land; Amortis has given her sanction to these goals. Any Servant who cannot work with enthusiasm for our dream had best find another land to serve the Lady.” He watched Bulan’s face but not a muscle moved; the mild old eyes had no more feeling in them than a chunk of low grade coal.
“It is time, perhaps,” Bulan said slowly, as if he were considering with great care everything he said (though Maksim had no doubt the old twister had for-seen everything so far and plotted his speech accordingly, most of it anyway; with some pleasure Maksim remembered catching a slight tic in a cheek muscle when he, said Amortis would do the punishing of that idiot Kriorn, that knocked you off center, you old viper). “It is time, I say, that we who are not so wise as you, Phoros Pharmaga, should meet and draw up tables determining specifically who in what circumstances has responsibility for making and upholding what laws.”
Again Settsimaksimin examined the Servant’s face, there was no reading anything but mild earnestness in that disciplined mask he used to cover his bones. What are you up to? I wouldn’t trust you with the ink to write your initials. If you think you’re going to tighten your bony grip on My people… Hmm. Might not be a bad idea, though, keep him out of my hair when I haven’t got the time or energy to waste on him. “We will think on it,” he said gravely. “We are inclined to agree with you, Faithful Servant. Do this, draw up a list of scholars civil and servant whom you find capable of dealing with the complexities in such a plan and yourself, out of your vast wisdom, do you write for us the agenda you consider most suitable for such a group with such a purpose. Seven days for the list and agenda. Or do you need more?”
Vasshaka Bulan bowed his head in humble submission. “Seven days is sufficient, Phoros Pharmaga.”
After he was gone, Settsimaksimin shoved his chair back with such force the wood of the legs shrieked against the wood of the dais. He went charging about the room muttering to himself while Todichi Yahzi finished his notes. “Seven days. Sufficient. HAH! SEVEN MINUTES IS MORE LIKE. He’s been worming toward this for AHHH the gods know how long. I don’t see what he’s going to get out of it, Todich. He knows I’m going to read every miserable word of whatever comes out of that bunch of legal nitwits and anything I don’t understand or don’t like is DEAD, Todich. The names? How could I trust men he named for something like this? Even if I know they’re good men. He’s after something, Todich, WHY CAN’T I SEE IT?” He flung his arms ‘ out, dragged in a huge lungful of air.
“AAAHHhhhmm HAH! Hunh.” Abruptly brisk, he turned to Todichi Yahzi. “Write this: strataga Tapos a Parost and his prime captain; guildmaster Syloa h’Arpagy; kephadicast Oggisol a Surphax and the three judges he talked to me about, I’ve forgotten their names but he’ll remember; harbormaster Kathex h’Apydaro; peasant Voice, Hrous t’Thelo. Got those? Good. Write me out a note to the chief Herald Brux so I can sign it. Say send your best and fastest heralds, men you know can keep their mouths shut, to the folk on that list and tell them to meet with… hmm, better be formal about it, I suppose… the Phoros Pharmaga Settsimaksimin three days on, in the Citadel. This next is for you, Todich, put them in the Star Cabinet down on the first floor, it’s warded, I don’t want anyone snooping about what I’m going to be saying there. Finished? Give me the stylus a moment. There. No, don’t go yet. Listen, Todich, I’ll be spending a lot of time in my workroom and while I’m there those men are going to run Cheonea for me. Hah!” A rumbling chuckle as Todichi Yahzi cooed a flurry of objections. “I know, my friend. That’s why I want you to watch them waking and sleeping. You know, Todich, this isn’t such an unhappy turn of affairs after all; I’ve been thinking about setting up a council of governance like that for some years now, to see how it would work if I weren’t here, ah, where was I? Yes. I’ll give you command of some ariels and a clutch of stone sprites… no no, you’ll be able to see and hear them, I’m not an idiot, Todich. If I had the mirrors… tchah! I’ve been lazy and stupid, my friend. Mmm. You’ll know a palace coup if you see one hatching, yes, Todich, I really have been listening to you. If you see anything funny happening, give me a call, I’ll show you how to reach me tonight, when I get back. No, I won’t be angry if you’ve misread some twitch or tic for treason, this is a time when caution is far more important than certainty. If they’re honest and I show my face, it will encourage them; if they’re starting a fiddle, they’ll think again.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Hot in here. Anything more you need to know? Good. Seven levels of mortal hell, Todich, I’ve got to wrestle that bitch Amortis into scourging the Nopidese kriorn. I’ll be on Deadfire Island for the rest of the day. If anything comes up,” he stretched, yawned, laughed, “turn it off till tomorrow. The world won’t fall apart in that short a time.”