“You’re coming with us,” one of the enforcers said, wrenching her from Benjamin’s grasp and pulling her up into the crowd, away from the stage.
But the crowd had heard Duncan’s words. A number of objections rang out.
“What’s this all about?” someone yelled.
“Why is Lord Banks being taken away?” another one yelled.
The tumult was drawing everyone’s attention. Duncan shouted out, “we are Seeville lords, let us on the stage!”
Madison could see Bartz was watching the disruption unfold. His eyes were distant, calculating.
It could have gone either way. They could have pulled her out, even jailed her. But the crowd might have fought back, it could have started a riot.
Thankfully Lord Kline found a shred of decency somewhere in his soul. He broke away from the other lords on stage and walked down the steps to intervene on their behalf.
“Enough of this! She is a Seeville lord. Let her on the stage. Lord Jones as well.”
Kline’s intervention was enough to sway Bartz. Denying them wasn’t going to serve him well, especially now that Kline had taken their side. He grabbed the bullhorn from Meeker. “Apologies, ladies and gentleman.” He pointed with an open hand toward Madison, where many people were already looking. “There appears to be a misunderstanding here. Lord Jones and Lord Banks didn’t use the correct entrance. Sorry for the disruption. If you will please settle down.”
The enforcer holding Madison changed course. Another one grabbed Duncan firmly by the arm. They were escorted into the gate and up onto the stage. Madison brushed the dust off of her clothes and clenched her jaw as the dull pain from her fall pulsed down the length of her side. It was going to leave a considerable bruise.
There were more requests for calm from Bartz and Meeker. Eventually the crowd did quiet down.
With a nod from Bartz, Meeker began. “People of Seeville. We have called this town hall meeting for two important reasons. One is to clear up any rumors about the recent conflict in Essentialist territory. Another is to address the craft that has arrived in orbit above us. Let me first say, on both accounts, there is no cause for alarm.”
The crowd erupted into a sea of noise, with hands waving, and people pointing aggressively. The lords all gestured down with their hands, urging calm.
“Let me explain!” Meeker said, but he could barely be heard.
He said it again, “let me explain!” The crowd began to quiet down. “It’s true we failed to take the Essentialist town of Grand Caverns. It’s true we lost many men. But this only demonstrates how right we were about the threat facing us. The Essentialists were ready for us and more. They were much better equipped than we expected. If we hadn’t attacked, we would have underestimated their ability to invade Spoke territory.”
The crowd was listening intently now, with only a few pockets of noisy whispers.
“We learned that we need to scale up for war. We need every able-bodied man and woman to prepare with us, to contribute in whatever way they can.”
“They are too many!” an old man called out.
“What we should not do,” Meeker responded, his eyes shifting to the man that spoke out, “is give in to fear. Yes, they have great numbers far to the west of us, but they have their own lives, their own borders to defend. It’s only the Essentialists in Shenandoah Valley that are our concern. And don’t forget, we have been preparing for some time. What we sent to Grand Caverns was only a small fraction of our forces.
“This is why we have connected with sister cities to the north and south who are sending tens of thousands of men to reinforce Seeville and the surrounding area. We are also building towers around the city and on the border. These battlements will have munitions and other defenses to help up stave off any attack. Yes, the Essentialists are using guns, but we still have superior weaponry that we bring to bear. But that’s not all. No, there is one more reason why we shouldn’t fear the Essentialists, and it may be the most important reason.”
Meeker passed the bullhorn over to Bartz.
Bartz took the bullhorn and paced on the stage before speaking. “I know many of you have concerns about what you see in the sky above us.” There was a murmur in the crowd and some nodding. “The irony is that what you see isn’t something to be feared. It’s something to be cheered. It has come at our request, and it’s the reason we are certain of winning against the Essentialists.”
Bartz nodded despite the confused looks in the crowd, as if he could confirm the veracity of his own statement. “This object you see is a vessel that has been trapped on the far side of the moon for many years, since before the Detonation. As the Old World squabbled, as they refused to listen to reason, this solitary vessel fled from the conflict. It wanted nothing to do with the selfish people of the Old World. It had one purpose. To return again once a peaceful, rational, and more progressive people had found their way up from the ashes of the Detonation. And guess who it chose? I’m not surprised, and neither should you be. It chose us, the Spoke people.”
There were a few patriotic cheers. Bartz let them run their course. “You see, when the satellite fell last year, we received an emissary of this craft. This emissary has given us guidance on so many things. It has told us how we can defeat the retchers. It has enabled us to build and repair Old World tanks. It has helped us deliver the Lamp of Liberty that you now see throughout Seeville and many other Spoke cities to the north and south of us.”
A woman called out. “But what about the Essentialists? How can it help against them?”
“Now, now. We can’t tell you everything. If we reveal all of our secrets here in this public forum, it could find its way back to the Essentialist leaders. But there’s one thing I can say, so as to make sure you aren’t alarmed when you see them. Soon our great friend will send down the guardians. They are like you and me but made of metal. They will help defend us against the threat of the Essentialists. They help you if you’re hurt. They can withstand bullets, and they can lift more than any man can. When they come, do not fear these angels from the heavens, cheer them. Cheer them as they lead us to victory over the Essentialist savages.”
There were more cheers from the crowd, but it was by no means a pervasive sentiment. Many people appeared conflicted, still trying to understand this upheaval to their world, still not sure if they should trust Bartz.
“But of course, like I have always said at the railroad, we lay our own tracks, we make our own destiny. We need your help. We need you to enlist with Meeker’s enforcers. We need you to help us build defenses. We need you to keep being Spokes through and through so we can win this the Spoke way.”
Many in the crowd seemed to be coming around to Bartz’s way of thinking, or at least not objecting. The pockets of Adherents appeared concerned, but they seemed too skittish to say anything. Some were even arguing among themselves.
She had to say something. She had to do something.
Madison hobbled up to Bartz on the stage and put her hand out. “Excuse me, I would like to say a few words.”
Thorpe and two enforcers moved to intervene, but Bartz urged them back. If he forcibly removed her it could instill just as much concern in the crowd as whatever she might have to say.
“Lord Banks wants to say a few words,” Bartz said. “Please, keep it brief.” He passed the bullhorn to her slowly, eying her carefully.
One of the enforcers brought up another bullhorn to Bartz, ostensibly to allow him to counter any comments from her.
She had to play her cards carefully. The crowd was on edge after a tumultuous few days. She didn’t want to start a riot, but at the same time she had to alert them to the risk of following Bartz’s plans. And if she went too far, Bartz could intervene any time to take away the bullhorn.