"Shouldn't think so," said Hawk. "Probably bought them by the yard. Having your own library is quite fashionable, at the moment."
"Why?"
"Don't ask me. I've never understood fashion."
Fisher looked at him sharply. There had been something in his voice; "This isn't what you'd expected, is it?"
"No," said Hawk. "It isn't. James Adamant is supposed to be a man of the people, representing the poor and the downtrodden. This kind of lifestyle is the very thing he's always campaigned against A big house, a butler, books he's never read. Dammit, he can't even be bothered to look after the place properly."
"Don't blame me," said Adamant. "I didn't choose this monstrosity."
Hawk turned round quickly, and Fisher rose elegantly to her feet as James Adamant entered the library, followed by Dannielle and Medley.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," said Adamant. "Captains Hawk and Fisher, may I present my wife, Dannielle, and my Advisor, Stefan Medley."
There was a quick flurry of bows and handshakes. Dannielle extended a hand for Hawk to kiss. He shot a quick glance at Fisher, and shook the hand instead.
"I think we'd all be much more comfortable in my study," said Adamant easily. "This way."
He led them back down the hall and ushered them into the study, chatting amiably all the way. "My superiors insisted we take on this draught-ridden folly as Reform Headquarters, and in a moment of weakness, I agreed. It's quite unsuitable, of course, but the current thinking is that we have to put on as good a show as the Conservatives or the voters won't take us seriously. Personally, I think it's that kind of half-baked nonsense that's undermined Reform's credibility with the electorate these past few years. But since I'm only a very junior candidate, I don't get much say in these matters."
Medley brought in some more chairs, and Dannielle bustled around making sure that everyone was comfortably seated and had a brimming glass of wine in their hand.
"How do you feel about this place?" Hawk asked her politely.
"Ghastly old heap. Smells of damp, and half the time the toilets don't work properly."
"Your garden's not up to much, either," said Fisher. Hawk winced.
Dannielle and Adamant shared a look, their faces suddenly grim.
"We have enemies, Captain Fisher," said Adamant evenly. "Enemies not averse to using sorcery, when they can get away with it. Three days ago we had a splendid garden. Fine lawns, well-tended flower beds, and a magnificent old apple tree. And now it's all gone. Nothing will grow there. It's not safe even to walk far from the path. There are things moving in the dead earth. I think they come out at night, sometimes. No one's ever seen them, but come the morning there are scratches on the door and shutters that weren't there the night before."
There was a cold silence for a moment.
"It's illegal for political candidates to use sorcery in any form," said Hawk finally. "Directly or indirectly. If you can prove Hardcastle was responsible;"
"There's no proof," said Dannielle. "He's too clever for that."
There was another silence.
"You made good time in getting here," said Medley brightly. "I only put in my request for you this morning."
Hawk looked at him. "You asked for us specifically?"
"Well, yes. James has many enemies. I wanted the best people I could get as his bodyguards. You and your partner have an excellent reputation. Captain Hawk."
"That isn't always enough," said Fisher. "The last time we got involved with guarding a politician, the man died."
"We know about Councilor Blackstone," said Medley. "It wasn't your fault he died; you'd done everything you reasonably could to protect him. And you found his murderer, long after any other Guards would have given up."
Hawk looked at Adamant. "Are you happy with this arrangement, sir Adamant? It's not too late for you to find somebody else."
"I trust my Advisor," said Adamant. "When it comes to picking the right people for a job, his judgment is impeccable. Stefan knows about such things. Now then, if you and your partner are going to be spending some time with us, I'd better bring you up to date on what's happening in the election. What kind of things do you need to know, Captain Hawk?"
"Everything," said Hawk flatly. "Who your enemies are, what kind of opposition you'll be facing. Anything that might give us an edge."
Dannielle got to her feet. "If you're going to get all technical, I think I'll go and see how dinner's coming along."
"Now, Danny, you promised you wouldn't bother the cook anymore," said Adamant. "You know she hates people looking over her shoulder."
"For what we're paying her, she can put up with a little criticism," said Dannielle calmly. She smiled graciously at Hawk and Fisher, and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
"Now then," said Adamant, leaning comfortably back in his chair. "When you get right down to it, there are only two main parties: Conservative and Reform. But there's also a handful of fringe parties, and a few well-supported independents, just to complicate things. There's Free Trade, the Brotherhood of Steel, No Tax on Liquor (also known as the Who's for a Party Party), and various pressure groups, such as the Trade Guilds and some of the better organized militant religions."
"The Conservatives are the main threat," said Medley. "They've got the most money. Free Trade is mainly a merchants' party. They make a lot of speeches, but they're short on popular support. Mostly they end up throwing their weight behind the Conservatives. No Tax on Liquor is the Lord Sinclair's personal party. He funds it and runs it, practically single-handed. There are always people willing to go along with him, if only for the free booze he dishes out. He's harmless, apart from this one bee in his bonnet. The Trade Guilds mean well, but they're too disorganized to mount any real threat to the Conservatives, and they know it. Usually they end up working hand-in-hand with Reform. That's where a lot of our funding comes from."
"What about the Brotherhood of Steel?" said Fisher. "I always thought they were more mystical than political."
"The two are pretty much the same in Haven," said Adamant. "Power and religion have always gone hand-in-hand here. Luckily most of the Beings on the Street of Gods are more interested in feuding with each other than getting involved in the day-to-day politics of running Haven. The Beings have always been great ones for feuds. But, over the past few years the Brotherhood of Steel has changed its ways. They're nowhere near as insular as they used to be; they're much better organized, and just lately a militant branch has started flexing its political muscle. They've even got a candidate standing in this election. He won't win; they're not that strong yet. But they could be a deciding factor in who does win."
Hawk frowned. "Who would they be most likely to side with?"
"Good question," said Medley. "I can think of any number of political fixers who'd pay good money for the answer. I don't know, Captain Hawk. Ordinarily I'd have said the Conservatives, but the Brotherhood's mystical bent confuses the hell out of me. I don't trust fanatics. There's no telling which way they'll jump when the pressure's on."
"All right," said Hawk. "Now that we're clear on that;"
"Speak for yourself," muttered Fisher.
"; perhaps you could explain exactly what's at stake in this election. A lot of people have been saying Reform could end up dominating the Council, even if the Conservatives still hold most of the Seats. I don't get that."
"It's really very simple," said Adamant, and Hawk's heart sank. Whenever people said that, it always meant things were about to become very, very complicated. Adamant steepled his fingers, and studied them thoughtfully. "There are twenty-one Seats on the Council, representing the various districts of Haven. After the last election. Reform held four Seats, the Conservatives held eleven, and there were six unaffiliated Seats. Which meant in practice that the Conservatives ran the Council to suit themselves. But this time there are at least three Seats that could go either way. All Reform has to do is win one extra Seat, and together with the six independents we could take control of the Council away from the Conservatives. Which is why this particular election is all set for some of the dirtiest and most vicious political infighting Haven has ever seen."