He shrugged. "One generation of those two has already gone by, and there's few enough even among us Exotics who ever heard of it or Jathed, and it hardly looks like that'll change in the next twenty years or less. But that's what he said." "Now is a time of change," said Hal thoughtfully. "True. But for something like the Law to be accepted, let alone put to use, under present conditions where the human race is at civil war with itself... the Others certainly aren't going to take to the Law in any case, and wouldn't, even if it came from some other source than an Exotic. You realize the Others are literally out to kill us off - all of us on these two worlds? The only reason they don't simply bring in armed soldiery and shoot us down is because a massacre like that couldn't be kept secret from the other Younger Worlds and it might give rise to anti-Other attitudes out there." "I know," said Hal. "in fact, I had Bleys Ahrens tell me about his goals, once." "The only thing that's forced Bleys to try to accomplish his ends here by genteel starvation and casual individual murder by his Occupation troops," said Amid, "is the fact that there're only a handful of Others, a mere few thousands, to control all the Younger Worlds. We here at the Chantry Guild have been overlooked, rather than specifically allowed to survive. But, back to Jathed and the history of this present incarnation of the Guild-" "Amid," said Artur, "might I mention the dinner again" The food's getting cold, as I said. We could talk as we eat," "Of course. Of course, you're right!" said Amid. "I'm getting more single-minded every day. Let's move to the table, everybody. "
They moved.
CHAPTER 15
"At any rate," said Amid a few minutes later, when they had started to eat from a number of dishes of vegetables, the contents of which, cooked and uncooked, were in large bowls on the table before them, with chopsticks laid out neatly at each seating place, "as Artur reminds me, it wasn't until perhaps three years before the Occupation began that Jathed moved the walking circle up here to the ledge and shortly after that, he died. Kanin was one of his disciples-" 'The Master's leading disciple'," said Artur. "Well, well, perhaps," said Amid. "Jathed didn't assign ranks to his followers. At any rate, Kanin, foreseeing something like the Occupation, moved everyone connected with the Guild - not just the walkers - up here and started building for permanent occupation of this place. Then, last year, he died...and I've already told you how I came to be with him - too late, and was asked to take over as Guildmaster." "The only possible choice-," began Artur, but Amid interrupted.
"Perhaps, as I say. But what you need to know, Hal, if you're going to stay here awhile, is that we're an open democracy in this place, everybody having a vote on everything and the majority ruling. In practice the Guildmaster has a veto over anything voted, but-" "In practice," put in Artur firmly, "no one would think of questioning the Guildmaster's veto, or an order by the Guildmaster." "Well, well. The point is, Hal, you'll be moving in as one of the members of the Guild. That means you'll have a vote, of course, but I'd suggest you wait until you understand this place better before you begin using it. You'll stay in one of the dormitory buildings, in the singles' quarters. There are rooms for couples here as well, but they're all full right now and we haven't had time to build more, that's why I suggested you use my office as your room for tonight." "Thank you," said Amanda. "We appreciate it." "Yes, indeed," said Hal. "The office would only be empty otherwise. I sleep here, nights." Amid made a dismissing gesture with his chopsticks. "Now, about the circle itself. Every Chantry Guild member, which means everyone on the ledge, has a chance to walk in it, in regular rotation. He or she can pass up the turn when it comes, if they want. Both Artur and myself have to, most of the time, because of the administrative work to be done. For the rest, it's a matter of each one waiting for his or her turn, then joining the small group of waiters beside the circle - did you see the group of those waiting their turn as you came in?"
Hal thought back. There had, indeed, been a handful of men and women on the far side of the circle of walkers, but he had thought they were simply people who had stopped for a moment to watch. "The rule as laid down by Jathed, you see," went on Amid, "is that once you begin to walk the circle you can keep walking as long as you wish. The circle goes twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, so if it was physically possible, a single person could hold his or her place in it indefinitely. But in reality, exhaustion would eventually put an end to anything like that, and the truth is, even those walking normally seem to reach a point far short of exhaustion, at which they decide to step out and let someone replace them. I don't mean they stop as a matter of fair play or good manners, but simply because something in them feels it has accomplished, or absorbed, or whatever you want to call it - what it set out to do. As if a good day's work had been done and they were satisfied with what had been achieved after the time and effort expended."
"Can they tell you afterward what it was that made them decide to stop? What it was they'd accomplished?" Hal asked.
Amid glanced at him suddenly. "That's an interesting question," he answered. "No. They can't. But they'll tell you that they feel... completed. In fact, that's the way I've felt after walking." "I see," said Hal thoughtfully. "What this means," said Amid, "Is that while I can recommend your immediate access to the Guild members, you'll still have to go out there and join those standing by, and wait your turn when it comes. Unless someone ahead of you offers you his or her turn, and of course, this assumes that those in-between you and the one offering don't mind you going before them, too." "No one, I think, would object to Hal being given priority," said Artur. "In fact, even not knowing him, they wouldn't object if a fellow Guild member wanted to trade places backward." "Well, in theory they've got a perfect right to object, and I want Hal to understand that." "I do," said Hal. "In fact," said Amid, almost fiercely, "what you may actually find when you join the waiters is that they'll each offer you the chance to step ahead of them, so that you may be the first one to take the next opening in the circle. But that's up to them. They'd have to do that. I can't, in conscience, even recommend it." "I understand," said Hal. "Guildmaster, " said Artur, "I think you may be leaning over backward a little in all this. Hal should also be reminded that it would only be showing a proper appreciation to accept if anyone offers him a chance to move up." "Well, yes," answered Amid. "You're right of course. I'm sorry if I seemed to imply that you shouldn't accept if anyone offers, Hal." "You didn't," said Hal. "Good, then," said Amid. He turned to Amanda. "Amanda, you've hardly said a word. Now what, now that You've brought Hal here? Will you be staying, too? If so, there'll be a question of quarters. I'd gladly let you have my office for an indefinite number of nights, but sometimes we do need to work over there, when I've got a lot of our people doing some large project or other here, and in any case-" "In any case," said Amanda, "I'll he staying only a few days to see how it works out for Hal. Then I'll be getting back to my own work in the district below." "Whatever you want. Although," said Amid, "I'm oldfashioned enough not to like the idea of your teaching Exotics to physically fight for their rights." "Only if they ask for it," said Amanda. "You should have understood by this time that what I teach them mainly is survival - how to survive if hunted, how to survive under the noses of the garrison troops. Your Exotics are never going to rise and drive off these invaders. On the other hand their own culture, given a little help in some instances, arms them with ways to deflect trouble, avoid trouble or defend themselves, if trouble unfairly comes looking for them." "I'm relieved to hear that," said Amid. "As far as your staying temporarily, we won't be needing the office evenings and nights for several weeks, anyway, and in the case of your coming back for a few days unexpectedly, we can always work out something. But you haven't anything to say about what we're talking about? About Jathed and the history of our Chantry Guild here?" " I'm interested - but this is Hal's area, " said Amanda. "I'lI just go on listening, if you don't object." "Object? Certainly not. This isn't a place where people object to things. Also we're not discussing anything at all secret. "