Ywodh had explained his band’s intent. Word had quickly reached the
Chief Justice. Four hundred zmays would not lightly descend on
Zorkagrad, claiming to represent the whole Obala; they could be trusted
to be mannerly and not take an unreasonable time to make their points;
urged by Kyrwedhin, a majority in the third house of the Skupshtina
endorsed their demand. No guns greeted them, aside from those of the
corporal’s guard at the entrance; and they bore their own arms inside.
Up the stairs–past armored doors that recalled the Troubles–through an
echoful lobby–into a central chamber where the parliament in joint
session waited–Flandry raked his glance around, seeking menaces to his
woman and shelters for her.
The room was a half ellipsoid. At the far-end focus, a dais bore the
Gospodar’s lectern, a long desk, and several occupied chairs. To right
and left, tiers held the seats of members, widely spaced. Skylights cast
fleetingness of weather into steadiness of fluorescents, making the
polished marble floor seem to stir. On gilt mural panels were painted
the saints and heroes of Dennitza. The lawmakers sat according to their
groupings, Lords in rainbow robes, Folk in tunics and trousers or in
gowns, Zmayi in leather and metal. After the outdoors, Flandry breathed
an air which felt curdled by fear and fury.
Banners dipped to an old man in black who sat behind the lectern. Slowly
the fishers advanced, while unseen telescanners watched on behalf of the
world. In the middle of the floor, the ychans halted. Silence
encompassed them. Flandry’s pulse thuttered.
“Zdravo,” said the Chief Justice, and added a courteous Eriau “Hydhref.”
His hand forgot stateliness, plucked at his white beard. “We have …
let you in … for unity’s sake. My understanding is, your delegation
wishes to speak relevantly to the present crisis–a viewpoint which
might else go unheard. You in turn will, will understand why we must
limit your time to fifteen minutes.”
Ywodh bowed, palms downward, tail curved. Straightening, he let his
quarterdeck basso roll. “We thank the assembly. I’ll need less than
that; but I think you’ll then want to give us more.” Flandry’s eyes
picked out Kyrwedhin. Weird, that the sole Dennitzan up there whom he
knew should bear Merseian genes. “Worthies and world,” Ywodh was saying,
“you’ve heard many a tale of late: how the Emperor wants to crush us,
how a new war is nearly on us because of his folly or his scheming to
slough us off, how his agents rightly or wrongly charged the Gospodar’s
niece Kossara Vymezal with treason and–absolutely wrongly–sold her for
a slave, how they’ve taken the Gospodar himself prisoner on the same
excuse, how they must have destroyed the whole homestead of his
brother-in-law the voivode of Dubina Dolyina to grind out any spark of
free spirit, how our last choices left are ruin or revolution–You’ve
heard this.
“I say each piece of it is false.” He flung an arm in signal. With a
showmanship that humans would have had to rehearse, his followers opened
their ranks. “And here to gaff the lies is Kossara Vymezal, sister’s
daughter to Bodin Miyatovich our Gospodar!”
She bounded from among them, across the floor, onto the dais, to take
her place between the antlers of the lectern. A moan lifted out of the
benched humans, as if the fall wind had made entry; the zmayi uttered a
surflike rumble. “What, what, what is this?” quavered the Chief Justice.
Nobody paid him heed. Kossara raised her head and cried forth so the
room rang:
“Hear me, folk! I’m not back from the dead, but I am back from hell, and
I bear witness. The devils are not Terrans but Merseians and their
creatures. My savior was, is, not a Dennitzan but a Terran. Those who
shout, ‘Independence!’ are traitors not to the Empire but to Dennitza.
Their single wish is to set humans at each other’s throats, till the
Roidhun arrives and picks our bones. Hear my story and judge.”
Flandry walked toward her, Chives beside him. He wished it weren’t too
disturbing to run. Nike of Samothrace had not borne a higher or more
defenseless pride than she did. They took stance beneath her, facing the