seats are to remain vacant, and the present members of the
Ayuntamiento are to remain in office.
"Third, the Rani of Trivigaunte must withdraw her troops from
Vironese territory and furnish us with hostages--whom we will
name--against further interference in our affairs.
"Fourth, the Civil Guard must surrender its treasonous officers to
us, the Ayuntamiento, for trial and punishment.
"Fifth and last, the rioters must surrender their arms, which will
be collected by the Army."
Through bruised lips, Incus muttered, "I suggest you _pray_ long
and hard over this, my son, and _sacrifice_. The _wisdom_ of the gods
has not enlightened your _councils_."
"We don't need it," Potto told him.
"When _Splenetic Scylla_ learns--"
Maytera Marble interrupted. "What have you to offer the Rani,
the rioters, as you call them, and the Guard in return?"
"Peace and a general amnesty. The captives you see here,
including Silk, will be released unharmed."
"I see." Maytera Marble laid a hand on Silk's shoulder. "I'm very
disappointed. It was I who persuaded General Saba and Generalissimo
Oosik that you were reasonable men. They listened because of
the courage of my sib General Mint. And because of her victories,
of which we're all very proud, if I don't offend the good gods who
gave them to her by saying so. Now I find that by interceding for you
I've squandered all the credit she's earned us."
Loris began, "If you think us unreasonable now--"
"I do. You say Patera Silk isn't really calde. What good is his
declaration then? What do you want him to tell the people? That the
augur of the Sun Street manteion says that your Ayuntamiento is to
continue to govern the city? You'll only make yourselves ridiculous."
Potto snapped, "Why didn't you laugh?"
"Calde?" Loris smiled. "Those are our demands. The Prolocutor
hasn't freed you from your vows, you said, the implication being
that you want him to. Are you willing to resign this caldeship you've
never really had as well?"
"Yes, I'd like nothing better." Silk had been leaning on Xiphias's
silver-banded cane; he straightened up as he spoke. "I did not
choose to become involved in politics, Councillor. Politics chose
me."
"Good Silk," Oreb explained.
Loris returned his attention to Maytera Marble. "You heard that.
You'll want to tell Oosik what you heard."
"Unfortunately," Silk continued, "the remainder of your terms are
not feasible. Take the second. The people demand that government
return to our Charter, the foundation of the law; and the law
requires elections to fill the empty seat in the Ayuntamiento."
"We ought to kill you," Potto told him."I will."
"In which case you would no longer hold the calde. The people--the
rioters, as you call them--will choose a new one, no doubt a
much better and more effective one than I am, since they could
hardly do worse."
He waited for someone else to speak, but no one did; at length he
added, "I'm not an advocate, Councillors--I wish I were. If I were, I
could easily imagine myself defending you on nearly every charge
that could be brought against you thus far. You suspended the
Charter, but I believe there was some uncertainty regarding the
wishes of the old calde, and it was long ago in any case. You tried to
put down the riots, but in that you were doing your duty. You
questioned Mamelta and me when we were detained for violating a
military area, which could easily be justified."
"He _hit_ me!" Incus exclaimed. "An _augur!_"
Silk nodded. "That is an individual matter, concerning Councillor
Potto alone, and I was considering the Ayuntamiento as a whole--or
rather, what remains of that whole. But what you say, Patera, is
quite right; and it's an indication of the road along which this
Ayuntamiento is traveling. I'd like to persuade Councillor Loris, its
presiding officer, to turn back before it's too late."
Loris fixed him with a malevolent stare. "Then you won't
to our demands? I can call in the soldiers at once and get this over
with."
Silk shook his head. "I can't accede. Nor can I speak for the Rani
of Trivigaunte, obviously; but I can and do speak for Viron; and for
Viron all of your demands, except the one for my resignation, are
out of the question."
"Nevertheless," Maytera Marble put in, "General Mint and Generalissimo
Oosik may accede to them, in part at least, to save Patera
Silk. May I speak to him in private?"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"It isn't ridiculous, I must. Don't you see that General Mint and
Generalissimo Oosik and all the rest of them are only acting on the
authority of Patera Silk? When I report that I've seen him and tell
them you've recognized him as calde, they will certainly want to
know whether he's willing to agree to your terms. They'll have to
know what he wants them to do, but they won't pay the least
attention to it unless I can say that he told me in private. Let me talk
to him, and I'll go back and talk to Generalissimo Oosik and
General Saba. Then, if we're lucky, we'll have real peace in place of
this truce."
"We have not recognized him as calde," Loris told her coldly. "I
invite you to retract that."
"But you have! You've called him Calde several times in my
presence, and I could see you congratulating yourselves on having
the calde. You even called him the key to the crisis. You're
threatening to shoot him because he won't agree to your precious
five demands. If he's the calde, that's only cruel. If he isn't, it's
idiotic."
She raised her hands and time-smoothed face to Loris in supplication.
"He's terribly weak. I've been watching him while the rest of us
were talking, and if it weren't for his stick I think he would have
fallen. Can't you let him sit down? And tell everyone else to leave?
A quarter of an hour should be enough."
Blood rose, swaying a little. "Over here, Patera. Take my seat.
This's a good chair, better than the one you had in here that other
time."
"Thank you," Silk said. "Thank you very much. I owe you a great
deal, Blood." Chenille, next to him, took his arm; he wanted to
assure her he did not need her help, but stumbled on the carpet
before he could speak, eliciting an unhappy squawk from Oreb.
"Get the rest of them out," Loris told Potto.
Xiphias paused in the doorway, showing Silk both his hands, then
twisting one slightly and separating them.
Chenille kissed his forehead, the brush of her lips the silken touch
of a butterfly's wing--and was gone, violently pulled away by Potto,
who left with her and shut the door.
Maytera Marble reoccupied the chair beside the one that had
been Blood's. "Well," she said.
Silk nodded. "Well indeed. You did very well, Maytera. Much
better than I. But before we talk about--all of the things we'll have
to talk about, I'd like to ask a question. One foolish question, or
perhaps two. Will you indulge me?"
"Certainly, Patera. What is it?"
Silk's forefinger traced small circles on his cheek. "I know nothing
about women's clothes. You must know a great deal more--at least,
I hope you do. You got Councillor Loris to bring Chenille her