“But the Ank set prices. They loan money. They handle almost everything,” Rendrae interrupted.
“But the Boards demand the market. They aren’t not correct. In the sense of the market,” I fumbled.
“Tell a person who can’t afford dinner, what he can do. Give him practical answers,” Rendrae pressed.
“Say you have three rocks in one hand. Your left hand. And in your right hand you have… four rocks—no, a jar of rocks,” I began, holding my hands up to myself as I tried to work through my illustration.
“Secretary of City!” Rendrae said. “People are hungry. What is the government, Garm’s government, doing about it?”
“Oh. As soon as the prices of food went past a certain threshold, we call it the… ‘bad threshold,’ I put out word to any supply ships that Belvaille is low on stores. There are three full cargo ships en route now.”
“Loaded with food?” Rendrae asked, impressed.
“Yes. And I spoke with Delovoa and he said he has a solution for the water issue.”
“Delovoa said that?” Rendrae asked, almost reverently. “Can you tell us exactly what he said?”
Delovoa’s words were almost like gospel because few people ever heard him. If they did, his words wouldn’t be like gospel anymore.
“He just said, ‘device,’” I stated mysteriously.
“A device? So you heard it here, people. Delovoa is working on a device for the water. And do you know if this is a new device, Hank, or an existing one?” Rendrae asked, completely serious.
“I didn’t inquire. When he starts talking technical it’s just… whew, no one can understand.”
“I can imagine. So when are the ships going to be here?”
“I’m not an astro-navigator. I think it depends. We got a market and they got the goods so it’s in their best interest to get here quick.”
“And you contacted them personally?”
“In my role as Secretary of City. Yes.”
“Excellent. Excellent. Is there anything else going on you’d like to mention?” Rendrae asked. He was pleased with the broadcast and was letting me freeform.
“I want Belvaille to know that we are undertaking significant efforts to improve the value of the city for future generations. I believe the long-term value of Belvaille is substantial and we’re looking to make it even more valuable.”
“That’s great. I think everyone here on Belvaille appreciates that, Hank. I know things have been difficult lately but I think this city can get through it.”
He smiled at me.
“It always has, Rendrae. It always has.”
“This is Rendrae, wishing Belvaille a good evening.”
The light went off and I rose from my chair, strapping my hooks back onto it.
“This is good news, Hank. I’m glad you came up with this. Can you give a hint when the first ship will get here?”
I looked over at him.
“There are no ships.”
“What? Why did you say there were? You just lied on my show to the whole city!”
“Because what you said is true, people can’t afford to eat.”
“Then why don’t you call for some ships like you said?”
“Do you think there’s a fleet of freighters, full of pasta, circling Belvaille waiting for us to run low on food? I could send messages and it would take months for anyone to get here.”
“Then why lie about it? People will be dead in months!”
“Because this is a fake panic. The Boards are spooked and I’m trying to spook them the other direction. The prices are up because we want them up.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Talk to the Ank.”
“The Ank did this?” Rendrae asked.
“No, but they explained it. Sort of.”
“Is Delovoa working on the water situation?”
“There is no water situation. We have plenty of water. We just think we don’t.”
“So there’s no device?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure he has devices that do water stuff. Just nothing new.”
Rendrae started slapping at me. He was probably hurting his hands but he kept on until he was winded, which wasn’t very long.
“This is twice! Why don’t you think I’ll just turn on this microphone and tell everyone you’re a fraud?”
“Well, for one, because your program is over and they’re broadcasting Legendary Lovers of Lhoshtor; and two, you’ll just make the panic worse. You’d be killing all the poor people as the Boards erode even further.”
“Don’t ever talk to me again!” Rendrae shouted, his face turning greenish-red.
Considering Rendrae had only been really helpful maybe five times and really annoying maybe a thousand, I was fine with that.
“Just look at the Boards tomorrow. If I’m wrong, you can throw mud in my eye.”
“Where am I going to get mud? Water’s a precious commodity and good luck finding soil.”
CHAPTER 42
The Ank said the markets dislike doubt.
Well, the markets must despise Delovoa.
The next day the price for foodstuffs dropped precipitously. Not back to the levels before all this crap started happening, but low enough that I thought people could afford to exist.
Water, however, dropped lower than it was before the spike. You couldn’t give it away.
Delovoa was such an unknown quantity, and such an overwhelming one, that no one wanted to be caught with their money in something he was tinkering with. They were afraid he would make the latticework start raining. Or flood the feral kids out of the west and make Lake Delovoa.
I didn’t blame them, but it showed just how wacky the Boards were. I’d shifted an unbelievable amount of money on the station simply by lying.
And I’m a terrible liar.
People were back to normal, washing their clothes and bathing and wasting water by spitting on sidewalks.
“How did you know it would work?” Rendrae asked me at my apartment.
“Is it alright for me to talk to you again?” I replied.
He didn’t answer, just stood waiting.
“Look, I don’t understand the Ank. I don’t even know why I go to them. But the Boards. The Boards are just like any gangs we had in the past. If one gang was selling forged documents, then another starts, then another starts, they have to reduce prices to compete with each other.”
“But you didn’t create any new food or water.”
“No one knows that. We didn’t, and don’t, have a shortage. The Boards are just fear and greed, three stories tall.”
“So were you creating fear or greed?”
“They’re pretty much the same when it comes to money. Now I just need to keep the city calm and valuable.”
“With Garm pulling the strings, the city is never going to be calm,” he sneered.
I was about to argue with him, but I honestly felt he was right. I didn’t know what Garm was doing and I felt like I was stumbling around in the dark.
I really needed to talk to her.
“That may be true but—” I began.
“Shh,” Rendrae said suddenly. He cocked his head to the side.
“What?”
“Listen.”
I was expecting something like gunfire or sirens or explosions.
“I don’t hear anything,” I said.
He gave me a dirty look.
“The loudspeakers.”
They had of course been droning on. The loudspeakers were always talking. I could hear a voice babbling about something at Belvaille’s port. It was a news story.
“Is that one of your competitors?” I asked.
“Yes. He said a Therezian is here.”
“They’re all dead,” I said, horrified.
“Come on!”
Rendrae was still a news hound and the fat old man ran outside my apartment faster than you would have ever guessed. By the time I reached the door he was a block away, his arms and legs pumping.