“Are you tired already, mortal?” asked the Roman.
“Be quiet,” said Selous, raising his free hand to shade his eyes from the sun.
“What do you see out there?” asked Caligula.
“I’m not sure. Something. It could be a group of men.”
“Come to worship me, no doubt.”
“Or to kill you.”
“I cannot die.”
“Try to stay sane long enough to remember that you are no longer an emperor and never were a god, and
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keep your mouth shut until I can find out if these people are friends or foes.”
“I will turn myself into a hummingbird, so they cannot see me until I know why they are here,” agreed Caligula promptly.
“A very quiet hummingbird,” said Selous. “Start walking.”
“Flying,” corrected Caligula.
“Whatever.”
“I can’t fly,” said Caligula suddenly. “You have bound my wings.”
“Even birds have feet,” noted Selous.
“True,” said Caligula. “You are a very wise man. In a way, I will be almost sorry to rip you open and eat your innards.”
And then, chirping very quietly to himself, the Roman began leading the Englishman across the savannah toward the distant cluster of men.
Hie command had seemed to come from inside him, as it always did when a real stemwinder was building.
“Here I stand my ground,” said Huey Long. “Come around! I want to talk to you!”
In the dim light of the infernal sun, Huey thought he could see them beginning to stumble before him, but then again it might have been only an illusion. He had Beethoven’s attention, though; the musician was crouched in place, squatting there, looking at Huey with those odd and flickering eyes, a crazy man’s eyes.
“Let me tell you about my friend the great musician here,” continued Huey. “He had plans. He wanted to enter the city and find the emperor, to settle old accounts
with him, but he has changed his plans. Do you know why? Do you?”
There was no response to the question, just the sound of empty breathing and perhaps a rumble in the distance. You had to have confidence, however; then you could draw them in.
“He gave it up,” said Huey, “because, like you, he thought that there was nothing in the city, that it was all random, that some would come and some would go, but that the reincarnation made no sense at all and there was no way that the emperor could be found because the emperor could be a thousand miles down the other way. And he grew discouraged, tired of the noise, the heat, the feeling that nothing at all could be changed, nothing could be done.” Huey paused and looked around him, measuring their response. “But now I am here to tell you that my friend has seen differently, that he has understood the nature of his portion and he must recant his obstinacy, for the emperor is there, he is there for all of us and everything that we want can be found in that city of desires. The truth of Riverworld has been launched upon us.”
Now he knew that he had their attention. “Do you know what the truth is?” he continued. “It is here for all of us. That is the truth. We have been granted all power, all possibility, all fundamental circumstance in this bedeviled place. Every man a king, every woman a queen! We can do anything we want, all of us kings and queens of our domain, waiting for that entitlement, for the cloak of possession to be put upon us. And that is why we are going to change our ways.” He paused dramatically. “We are going to go back. We are going to reclaim the city.”
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“What are you talking about?” someone said. It was a British accent, clipped and almost indecipherable in the thick haze, but Huey could infer the message. “You’re out of your mind,” the voice said. “You Americans don’t know shit!”
“Where is that man?” shouted Huey. “Let me see the man who said that! Bring yourself forward and confront me! If you have the courage to do that, then you have the courage to go back to the city.”