Chapter 47
4-5 Su'yet (Ha'day-Penul'day)

1

What the morrow brought, to begin with, was a hearty breakfast. The previous day had been spent much the same way by those at Evan's as those at Adam's. After a breakfast of their own, they headed to the underground estate, to reunite with their friends. It was soon decided that someone should see if Darius would be allowed visitors, and that the only one of them for whom it would be safe to do so would be Vallus.

Chief Arresting had instructed the station's receptionist to immediately usher Vallus into his office, if and when he should happen to show up. When Vallus had been seated, he asked if Darius was allowed to receive visitors. The chief said, "No, but you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Before the chief could respond, there was a knock at the door, which Arresting immediately opened. A policeman escorted Darius into the room. Arresting said, "Thank you, Leon, that will be all." Leon nodded and went back to his duties; Arresting closed the door behind him. "Mr. Lonewander, please, have a seat." The chief seated himself behind his desk, while Darius took a chair beside Vallus. "Excuse me a moment." Arresting placed a call to Commissioner Gothic, saying only "He's here." After ending the call, he said to Darius and Vallus, "They'll be here in a centhour, then we can begin."

"They?" asked Darius.

Arresting didn't reply; he simply smirked, picked a fairball off his desk, and began lightly tossing it up and catching it with one hand, while he waited. He'd repeated this action about thirty times before 'they' arrived. There were two Sorreters, one of whom had translocated Gothic to Arresting's office, and one who had translocated a man Darius didn't think he'd ever seen before.

However, Vallus recognized him immediately. He exclaimed, "General Poss! Fancy meeting you here."

"It's Marshal Primus, now," corrected the supreme commander of all three branches of the Second Order's military. "But I suppose you're still just called 'Vallus.'"

"So it's really him?" asked Arresting.

"Oh, yes. I couldn't forget the face of one of my greatest enemies."

"But, uh... that's all in the past, right?" asked Vallus. "Amnesty, and all that?"

"Indeed. Glad to see you're alive, actually... though I'm sorry to learn of your unlawful detention."

Just then, two more people appeared in the room. One of them said, "Sorry I'm late." When he caught sight of Vallus, he added, "My God, it's really him."

"Nice to see you, too, Thomas," said Vallus.

"It's Chief Magistrate Justicar, now."

Vallus chuckled. "Everyone seems to have advanced their careers but me."

"Not your fault, old boy," said Justicar. "Well, there's much to talk about. Who should go first, I wonder?"

"I will," said Chief Arresting. Looking to Darius and Vallus, he said, "I don't know about you two- well, I know about Lonewander- but I had a busy day, yesterday. I went out with a team and made contact with Supprus's platoon. They guided us to where the transports had supposedly crashed, but we found no wreckage."

"What?!" exclaimed Darius. "That's not possible!"

"However, we did find a group of travelers fighting a fire. We helped them, and when it was all over, they explained that a campfire they'd made had gotten out of control."

"I'd suggest they were trying to conceal evidence, but there's no way a fire could have destroyed all that debris. There was metal everywhere. In fact, our transport had gone down some ways further north than the enemy's, so... I don't see how one fire could explain it, even if it was possible."

"I'm no expert in wildfires," said Arresting, "but even in the dry season, I'd say you're right. A single campfire couldn't have spread that far that quickly, in open grassland. If it had been a bit further north, there would have been plenty of trees, but luckily, you'd gotten pretty close to Triscot before they shot you down."

"Wait, are you saying you believe us?"

"Even assuming it had been a campfire that got out of control, it would be awfully convenient timing, for it to happen shortly before we arrived on the scene. And it would be an awfully convenient size. If it had been smaller, it would have been easy for them to put it out on their own. And if it had been larger, it would have been impossible... but it seemed to me that even if we hadn't shown up when we did, they could have contained it without too much trouble. It just would have taken a little longer. The funny thing is, I got the feeling they were more prepared for fire-fighting than your average travelers. So, yes, in my expert opinion as a police detective, they had started the fire to conceal evidence. Probably were watching for us, either using scouts or Sorreters, so they'd know exactly when to start it."

"But how would they have gotten rid of the wreckage?"

"That wouldn't be a problem for the Cabal," said Marshal Primus. "I'm sure they have any number of Sorreters at their disposal. But however they magicked the wreckage away, the land itself would have been scorched. They needed a cover story for that."

"So you believe in the Cabal's existence? Not just the existence of the supersonic transports, but-"

"I think it quite likely. Colonel Supprus had shared his suspicions with me quite some time ago, and I'd done my own investigations, but found nothing. However, after Commissioner Gothic contacted me about Supprus and his platoon, I immediately translocated there to speak with Supprus and your friend Mr. Inco... formerly known to me as Major Alec. Supprus and I then translocated to Kimrin, and he showed me exactly where the hidden facility that had housed the first transport had been."

"Had been?"

The Marshal sighed. "Yes. It was located beneath Kimrin Lake. Unfortunately, there had been an underwater cave-in. There could have been an underground facility, but if so, it was buried under tons of rock, and completely flooded." Glancing at Chief Arresting, he said, "I'm also capable of recognizing convenient timing. Alas, however suspicious it may be, there's still no proof we can use against Colonel Woodman."

"What about the transport from Near Port?" asked Vallus. "Surely it was kept in a secret facility, as well."

"Surely," agreed Primus. "And one in Port, as well. Unfortunately, we have no idea of the exact locations of those facilities, and even if we did, I'm sure they would have been destroyed, as well."

"So you can't take any action against the Cabal," said Darius. "But at least this means you maybe won't be taking action against us, either? And what about Supprus and his people?"

"Supprus's platoon is currently my responsibility," said Primus. "It's going to take me awhile to figure out what to do about them, but for now, as long as they make no trouble, I can guarantee that no one loyal to me will make trouble for them. And it would be unwise for anyone loyal to the Cabal to do so, for fear of exposing themselves as such."

Commissioner Gothic said, "As for the rest of you, Thomas and I discussed this. And we agreed that if Vallus turned out to be Vallus, your claims would seem valid. And so, we'll be recommending an amendment to the Counter-insurgency Act, giving InterVil- which is technically independent of the government- the authority to oversee any military trials of accused insurgents. There's no guarantee the amendment will pass, but until such time as the High Court renders its decision, it seems only fitting that InterVil assume custody of the accused, just as Woodman did prior to the passing of the law he proposed. Meanwhile, Woodman has admitted to holding Vallus, in violation of the Amnesty Declaration, but claims he believed him to be too dangerous to the newly-established government. Naturally, he denies any knowledge of the existence of a cabal, and also denies the accusation that he held the Chaos without trial."

"If he admitted to having held me illegally," said Vallus, "I assume he's been arrested already. Also, I wonder why Poss and Thomas were at all surprised to see me here."

"Did I seem surprised?" asked Primus.

"Well..."

"I may have," allowed Justicar. "But believing and seeing are two different things, you know. Usually the seeing comes first, but in this case... well, even hearing it from Woodman himself, who no doubt realized there was no point lying about it, wasn't the same as actually seeing with my own eyes a man I've believed dead for the better part of a decade."

"As for Woodman," said Gothic, "no, he hasn't been arrested. This is rather an unprecedented and complicated case. I don't doubt that we will be arresting him... at some point. But we must be careful, take our time, build a solid case. At the time that he imprisoned you, Amnesty had not yet been declared, so he technically wasn't breaking the law at that time. It seems obvious that he should have released you when the law was passed, but there are many who would believe him when he said die-hard opponents of the Coming could be dangerous, especially after the Laser Plot, which actually happened about a year before the Declaration."

"Don't think I heard about the Laser Plot. Woodman shared a lot of information with me, for his own amusement, but he must have skipped that one. Unless I've forgotten something."

"A terrorist attack by Protestants. The details aren't important at the moment. Suffice to say... paranoia seemed justified, for quite awhile afterwards. Anyway, it's also possible that he could argue the Counter-insurgency Act retroactively validated his imprisoning you. That's pretty damn shaky reasoning, but as a minor piece of a larger legal defense, it might hold some sway with a jury. And because all three of us would be gladly rid of him, we want to make sure our own case against him is air-tight."

Vallus nodded. "I understand and approve." Turning to Primus, he asked, "But Marshal, couldn't you at least fire him?"

"Again, I need to be sure of the timing. I'd hate to be sued for wrongful termination. More importantly, we have no idea how strong his allies actually are. But rest assured, I'll be discussing the matter with General Middlebury, who is, after all, the colonel's direct superior. Chain of command must be strictly adhered to."

"But what about us?" asked Darius. "The Chaos, I mean."

"You really call yourselves that?" asked Arresting with a grin. "It's not just a name Woodman or the Cabal made up?"

Darius looked sheepish. "Well... we did. Kinda sorta. I guess."

Gothic cleared his throat. "In any event, I said Thomas and I discussed the matter, and I said your claim seemed valid, in light of the revelation about Vallus. However, the fact that Woodman lied about him all these years does not prove he lied about you. So, we asked him for proof of his trial, and he admitted he could no more prove there'd been a trial than you could prove there hadn't. But he did provide us with all the evidence he'd gathered... much of which InterVil was already aware of from its own investigations. And all of which we consider circumstantial and hearsay, some of it downright inadmissible. Which is why you were never arrested by the police, in the first place. I'm convinced, as is the Chief Magistrate, that if you and your friends were to stand trial, in a regular court, you would be acquitted. I am therefore officially releasing you, and the rest of the so-called 'Chaos,' on your own recognizance."

"Recognizance? So... we're not, like, one hundred percent free and clear?"

"Technically... no. In the strictest legal sense, the military still has the right to hold you, until such time as the law may be amended. The fact that we decided to assume custody of you before that is no more legal than Woodman doing so was before his law was passed. Or it would be illegal, if not for the cooperation of the Marshal."

Primus explained, "Seeing as I'm the ultimate authority as far as the military is concerned, it is well within my purview to decide what to do with you. And I've decided to turn you over to the police."

"But," added Gothic, "if the amendment we're proposing does pass, you may still be required to stand trial, again conducted by the military, but this time with our oversight. Until then, I advise you all to stay out of trouble. In fact... even after that, and for the rest of your lives, try to stay out of trouble. You yourself have admitted you were thinking about rebellion, and that's more than enough to make us suspicious you might try something in the future, in spite of claiming to have... changed your minds. So we'll be watching you."

"Not in any... invasion of privacy type way, I hope."

The Commissioner rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying you'll be under actual surveillance, or anything. I just mean... well, you know. You've kind of lost the element of surprise, is all."

Darius chuckled. "Yeah, I see what you mean. No worries, I promise... we've given up that idea." After a brief pause he added, "But, um... about that proposition I mentioned yesterday. If we still tried to get something like that on the ballot... would that be against any laws?"

"Mufasa and I discussed that, as well," said Justicar. "I can't say I'd call it an advisable move, on your part. But no, it wouldn't violate any laws."

"Good to know."

"Any other questions?" asked Gothic.

"Um... this 'on our own recognizance' thing... does it mean we can't leave town?"

"You're free to go wherever you want. But you can't make yourselves impossible to find, within a reasonable period- say a few days or so- of attempting to contact you, via t-mail or some other way. That could be construed as an attempt to evade the law, and would work against you, if and when you stand trial."

Primus added, "And you should be aware that, assuming the Cabal truly does exist, as we all believe it does, there's no telling where they may have eyes and ears. For your own protection, it's probably best for you to stay somewhere safe."

"If they have eyes and ears everywhere," observed Darius, "there's probably nowhere that's absolutely safe."

"True enough," agreed the Marshal. "But like the Commissioner said, just don't go looking for trouble, okay?"

"Believe me, I've had my fill of trouble. It's not something I feel an overwhelming need to look for more of."

"Well then," Gothic addressed Darius and Vallus, "good day to you both." Turning to Justicar and Primus, "And to you both." To Arresting, "And to you, Chief." The Commissioner and his Sorreter translocated away.

"I mean it," said Primus. "Don't make me regret taking your side, or you'll wish you were back in Woodman's dungeon." The Marshal and his Sorreter translocated away.

Justicar was about to leave, as well, but suddenly turned back to Darius and said, "You know... your Aunt Lucia and Uncle Kuris were students and friends of mine. I feel... a certain responsibility for what befell them at the Battle of Triscot. I want to express my condolences for the loss of your entire family, whom I never met... but especially for them. I miss them both dearly."

Darius was slightly confused about how the Chief Magistrate could feel responsible, but he didn't inquire about it. He wished he could tell the man that they were alive, but knew he couldn't. But he hadn't given up on making the world safe for his family's return, one way or another, and perhaps when that day came, Lucia and Kuris could contact Justicar, themselves. For now, he simply said, "Thank you."

The Chief Magistrate and his Sorreter translocated away.

Arresting jumped up out of his seat and said, "Well! This little old office of mine was way too crowded, for my taste. I need to get some air. I suggest you two do the same."

Darius and Vallus rose from their seats. Vallus smiled and shook the chief's hand. "Nice meeting you. Hope not to see you again too soon."

Darius said, "Um, yeah. But have a nice day. I'm sure I will."

The three of them exited the office, and then the station. They all stood around getting some air, and after a centhour, the chief said, "Well, go on, get going! I gotta get back to work, but like the man said... you can go anywhere you want."

And so they did.

2

Darius suggested heading to Evan's office, but Vallus said Adam had decided to take the day off and wait with the family for him to bring news of his visit to the police station. Vallus grinned as he added, "I'm sure they won't be expecting me to bring more than just news."

When they arrived, they were mildly surprised to find Alec there. He explained that Marshal Primus had delivered the news of the would-be rebels' current legal status, as well as that of Stavros's renegade platoon. Primus had also told Alec it would be best if he didn't remain with the soldiers, as he didn't want anyone getting any ideas about forming a 'Chaos Army,' so soon after ostensibly abandoning their plans of rebellion. Not only would Alec's presence among the troops make the Chaos look more suspicious, it would make Stavros and his people seem more like rebels, themselves. And Primus still had some hope of potentially reintegrating them into the Army they'd seemingly deserted. If it could be proven they had been attempting not only to correct the apparent injustice perpetrated by Woodman, but also expose an illegal secret society, their actions might be deemed heroic rather than traitorous. Alec had agreed with the Marshal's reasoning, and returned to the Lonewander estate.

Vallus and Darius were both somewhat disappointed that they wouldn't get to deliver the news of their relative freedom, themselves, but they were nevertheless happy to see Alec, and share in everyone's relief at this turn of events. Darius was also surprised and excited to learn that the family was thinking very seriously about coming out of hiding, after Tiejo's revelation about the previous morning's encounter with Macen Illustri and Zeke Sanguine.

"I can't believe you actually beat Macen in a duel. I only ever won about half my sparring matches with his little brother, Benj, when we were kids, and he often complained that he could never even come close to beating Macen." He paused to glance at Vallus, before turning back to Tiejo. "But now that I know who your master was, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. So, what else did he teach you?"

"Oh, bittings of this and of that. Besides swordfighting, hmmm, there was being hand-to-hand combat. Trying he was to teach stealth, but turn out it did that a street rat's skill at that, such as mine, already rivaled his own. Map-reading, there was. Huntings and fishings. Riding striders, building shelters, and suchlike. Normal adventuring skills. Oh, and um also, oration. Art of swaying peoples to a cause. Not so much individuals, this is being obvious, since it took Tiejo so long to finding adventurers to help free master. More public speaking, like master did during Coming."

"Makes sense," said Darius. "Anyway, I should like to spar with you sometime. I know I've improved greatly in the years since my last match with Benj; a test of my skill against yours might be a good gauge of just how far I've come, or of how far I've yet to go."

"Tiejo would be happy to obliging."

"So, Darius," said Tom, "I was wondering if you might introduce me to Benj, sometime. A long time ago, I offered a reward for anyone who killed Zeke. It seems your old friend has earned that reward."

Darius turned to Tom with a puzzled frown. "A reward for killing Zeke? Why's that?"

Tom sighed. "It's a long story."

Darius shrugged. "Okay. I'm not sure when I'll see him next, but of course I'll introduce you, if you like. Come to think of it... as beneficial as Macen's death may be for my family, I should try to express my condolences over the loss of his brother. I suck at that kind of thing, but..." he sighed, and his mind wandered back to his encounter with Benj on the night of Demos's rally.

"Anyway," said Tom, "if we're not rebelling, what are we going to do to occupy our time, now? I suppose we'll all just go our separate ways? Back to life as usual?"

Ginger said, "I can't help wondering if the notoriety gained by our time in captivity will make it easier or harder for the Band to get gigs."

"Good question," said Adam. "But speaking of your captivity, how would you all like to see a recording of Woodman's announcement of your capture?"

Darius smiled. "I feel like it'd be good for a laugh. Maybe that's my twisted sense of humor, or maybe it's just the 'last laugh' you hear tell of. I'm sure Woodman enjoyed plenty of laughs at our expense, but... you know, now it's our turn."

They all agreed. After watching the recording, Darius asked, "You have a surname, Tom? I thought you said when we first met that you didn't."

"I may have acted disdainful of the fact that you go by your Order-name, but I never actually said I didn't have one, myself."

"Okay. But why 'Morales'?"

"I'd, uh, rather not talk about it."

Emma asked Alec, "So, Star, now that we, and everyone else in the world, know your real name, are you going to keep going by 'Alecstar,' or will you go back to just being 'Alec'?"

"Huh. Not really sure about that. I'll have to give it some thought."

"Anyway," said Darius, "I suppose Tom was right that we'll all go back to our old lives, but I do hope we can stick together for at least a little while. At least until after next week's election."

"I don't know about my band mates," said Alec, "but I definitely want to stay in town until Marshal Primus figures out what he's going to do about Stavros and his people. I may not be allowed to have contact with them, for the time being, but that's not going to stop me from keeping apprised of their fate."

"Agreed," said Ginger. "I'm in no rush to leave." The others echoed the sentiment.

"Of course," said Adam, "you're all welcome to stay here as long as you'd like."

"Which is good," said Tom, "because I don't think any of us currently have money for inns. Though I should probably get in touch with Frank Numbercrunch, see if he's heard anything about my account being unfrozen."

"Damn," said Darius, "I should have thought to ask about that before we left the police station. Well, maybe we can all go to the bank, this afternoon."

Alyn spoke up now. "Wherever you all go, make sure to come back this evening. Even if any of you decide to find other lodging, at least spend one night with us... because tonight, we must have a party, to celebrate your freedom."

"As much as I normally dislike parties," said Darius, "I like the sound of that." To his father, he said, "I know I was complaining a few months ago about having Summer ale in Spring, but now that it is Summer, I'd love to have some more of it."

With a grin, Adam replied, "Sorry, I've already moved on to Autumn ale."

Darius couldn't help laughing. "Oh well, it'll have to do. If I'm not going to be starting a new country, after all, I guess I'll have to get used to life's little disappointments."

3

It had not escaped the notice of the Triscot press that, early on Tuesday, 3 Su'yet, a platoon of soldiers had set up camp a mile or so outside the village. However, when inquiries were made, the military had no comment except that the public should not approach the camp, but that there was nothing to be concerned about. Certainly there was no word from Kimrin about a platoon defecting, nor from Near Port about the escape of the Chaos. So it came as an understandable shock to the employees of the First Bank of Triscot when convicted rebel Darius Lonewander walked in on Ha'day afternoon, and nonchalantly asked if his account had been unfrozen yet.

Two guards were immediately summoned to restrain him; when they asked him to come with them while the police were called, Darius just smirked and said, "Gladly." The guards escorted him to the office of the manager, whom Darius was surprised to discover was none other than Benj Illustri.

Having heard Tiejo's story concerning the encounter with Macen and Zeke, Darius knew Benj must have known of the Chaos's escape, though he doubted his old friend was aware they were now legally free. He also doubted that Benj would want anyone to know he'd already been aware they were no longer in prison. "Benj, good to see you again. It's been awhile. I'm sure you're surprised to see me, but I assure you, the police know my friends and I are in town, and they're okay with it. The charges have more or less been dropped."

Benj rarely allowed unexpected turns of event to phase him for more than a moment or two, so he simply waved the guards away. When they'd left the room, Darius said, "I heard about Macen. I'm truly sorry. I know it was-"

"Stop. I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, but this isn't the time or place for discussing family; this is a place of business. Just let me make a call, and we'll see about your account."

Benj called the Triscot Police Department, and spoke to Chief Arresting, who told him Darius and his friends were no longer considered prisoners or rebels. However, unfreezing accounts wasn't his department; he promised to make a call to InterVil to see about straightening the matter out.

"Well," said Benj, after his t-mail bubble vanished, "I'm afraid I can't allow you to make a withdrawal today, but hopefully within a few days, the situation will be cleared up. I'll call when I hear anything."

"Thank you." There was plenty more Darius wanted to say, but it seemed obvious that Benj was pretending not to know his brother was dead, for whatever reason. And he knew the authorities wouldn't want him explaining the reason the fugitives were fugitives no more. That didn't leave much to talk about. "So... when'd you get this job, anyway?"

Benj sighed. "I became assistant manager here two years ago, and earlier this year, when the manager retired, I was promoted. Now, if there's nothing else-"

"Actually, I have a friend who'd like to meet you, if you're free sometime. I'm not exactly clear on why, but... he said he wants to thank you for something."

Benj frowned. "Who is this friend?"

"Tom. Um, Tom Morales." Under his breath, he added, "Man, sounds weird calling him by a surname."

"He was one of your fellow rebels?"

"Well... there was no rebellion, but he's one of the people with whom I discussed the possibility, before we decided against it. You know, before being illegally arrested for talking."

"I don't think I know the man; what could he possibly have to thank me for?"

"Like I said, I don't know the details, but... this isn't the time or place to discuss it."

Benj assumed Darius's echoing of his own words meant it had something to do with yesterday morning's incident. He didn't doubt there were a great many people who would be glad to hear of Zeke Sanguine's death, and this Tom might well be one of them. "Well, I suppose you can have him call me anytime after Third Two, if he wants to arrange a meeting. Once again, if there's nothing else, I have work to do."

"Of course. Good day, then."

Darius opened the door, found the two guards standing nearby. They entered the office, and one of them cleared his throat. Benj said, "He can go, the police don't want him." The guards left Benj to his work, and Darius returned home.

4

Ha'day evening, a young woman named Sloane Mocha-Java arrived home in Pritt, after concluding her most recent trading voyage on behalf of her clan's coffee company. The next morning, when she joined her family for breakfast, the first thing her father did was lower his newspaper and announce, "Well, it seems those would-be rebels have been tentatively exonerated."

"Oh?" asked Sloane's mother. "Hmmm, now what was it they were called, again? The Chaos?"

"Indeed. But according to this, there's new evidence that suggests they were actually innocent. Apparently InterVil is working on getting the civilian courts to retry their case, maybe overturn the military court's conviction. Meanwhile, they've been released on their own recognizance."

"What sort of evidence could have caused that?" asked Sloane's mother.

"Doesn't say."

"May I look at that?" asked Sloane.

"Certainly," said her father, handing her the paper.

She skimmed through the article quickly, then gave the paper back to her father. "Excuse me," she said, and left the table.

She went to her room, sat down on the side of her bed, and began pensively chewing her thumbnail. I don't like this, she thought, not one little bit. What the hell is going on? It had been about two years since she had relied on anything as tardy as newspapers to provide her with news, and yet this... well, it was news to her. Dammit, there's no way Macen wouldn't have known about this, probably before it even happened. And if he knew, his whole network should have known before the bloody press got wind of it.

With a sigh, she stood up, walked to her desk, opened a drawer, and took out a t-mail bubble. "Open. Sloane Mocha-Java for Macen Illustri."

She waited a few centhours for a response, but none came. It was entirely possible Macen wasn't in a position to respond. He could have been asleep, as it was still early morning. He could have been in a meeting, or on a mission, or simply didn't have a bubble handy. But Sloane was feeling impatient, so she began pondering whom else she might try calling. The first name that came to mind was Charles Woodman; yes, he'd be the most logical choice, but she really couldn't stand the man. There were any number of reasons for this, but the main one was how he treated Macen. He acted like he was Macen's superior, as if Macen were a junior member of the Cabal, when in fact they were both mid-level members. The truth was, Macen probably could have been accepted as a senior member, if he wanted to be; surely he was far more important to the group than Woodman was. He was the head of an entire spy network, of which Sloane herself was a member, and as such Macen technically should have reported to General Middlebury. But he didn't like to trouble the general with any but the most important of matters, so he more commonly dealt with the colonel. Sloane wouldn't have minded contacting Middlebury, but she wasn't sure he even knew who she was; certainly they'd never met.

After a bit more thought, she decided that if the Chaos were in Triscot, it might be best to call one of Macen's spies in that village. So she said to the bubble, "Cancel previous call." Macen would still receive a notice that she'd called, and he could call her back at his convenience. But for now... "Sloane Mocha-Java for Tulo Streetrat."

This time, her call was answered in mere moments. "Ah... hello. I'm afraid... I've been remiss... should have called someone, but I've been... on the run. Gotten a bit paranoid, don't know who to... to call, to trust. Haven't slept much in the last couple of days. Not thinking very clearly, always looking over my shoulder. What, uh, what can I do for you?"

She could tell by his voice and his face that the street rat's wits were beyond frazzled, and more so by the fact that he sounded incoherent, which was completely unlike him. "I just heard about the Chaos being released, and I don't understand why the network wasn't informed of this. I tried calling Macen, but-"

"Macen? Dead. Does no one know this? Has his body not been found? He and Sanguine, both dead."

Sloane sat in stunned silence for several seconds before she managed to whisper, "What?"

Tulo closed his eyes, shook his head, and forced himself to regain his composure. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and said more calmly, "The Chaos were not released. They escaped, and were pursued by Woodman's forces. Before the main group arrived in Triscot, Cameron Piper translocated himself and Tiejo Streetrat to the village, to seek help from their allies. Tiejo contacted two street rats he knew, and one of them contacted me, hoping that I in turn could contact the local rat leader, who calls himself 'the Vole.' Instead, I called Macen, and he called Zeke Sanguine. I led them to Tiejo and the other two rats, along with a few hired thugs Macen brought with him. I departed almost immediately, went home to get some sleep. Later that day, I went to inform the Vole of the deaths of Tiejo and the others, as Macen had said they'd be dying. Didn't occur to me there was any chance of that failing to transpire. However, It turned out all three rats were alive, after all, and had informed the rest of the community that I was in Macen's employ. They all wanted to kill me, of course, and I barely managed to escape.

"Like you, I tried calling Macen, and received no response. So I sought out the thugs, and managed to find one of them. He informed me that Macen had engaged Tiejo in a duel, and lost. Then, quite unexpectedly, Macen's little brother had shown up, killed Sanguine, and told them to let the rats go. The thug with whom I spoke didn't know where the others were, but said he himself had spent most of the day drinking. As they're not officially members of the network, they had no idea who to contact about their boss's death, but figured people would be finding out soon enough, anyway. I quickly realized I would have no protection, with Macen being dead, and surely every rat in Triscot would be out for my blood, so I went home, packed a few things, and went on the run. I'm... surprised the bodies haven't been found, by now. I'm even more surprised that the younger Illustri hasn't reported his brother's murder."

Sloane was in a state of shock, but she quickly forced herself to overcome it. Her eyes narrowed and there was a contemptuous edge to her voice as she said, "No doubt that damned cabal has somehow hidden the truth. That's about all they're good for, after all. Well, I'll get to the bottom of this. Meanwhile... I wish you luck, Tulo. I'm sorry there's nothing I can think to do for you, at the moment."

"I appreciate your concern. I'm sure I'll be alright. Good luck to you, as well."

Sloane closed the connection, and considered whom to call next. Obviously, sooner or later the whole spy network would have to be informed that their leader was gone, but she wanted to have more information, before making that call. Reluctantly, she said, "Open. Sloane Mocha-Java for Charles Woodman."

In less than a centhour, her call was answered. "Ms. Mocha-Java, good morning. I'm glad you called. I've been trying for the last couple of days to reach your boss, and I wonder if you could-"

"He's dead, Colonel. And it's your fault."

"I'm sorry?"

"Not nearly as sorry as you will be. I just learned of his death moments ago, and the circumstances thereof. He was killed by a street rat whom he was pursuing for the sake of your cabal. Or more specifically, for you personally. If you hadn't taken your own initiative to arrest those damned rebels-"

"Ms. Mocha-Java, I assure you, this is the first I'm hearing of his death, and I'm deeply disturbed by this news. If my actions contributed to the chain of events leading to his death, I apologize. He was a good man, and one of my most valued employees. But-"

"He wasn't your damned employee! He was your equal, in a technical sense, and your better in every practical sense. Furthermore, you'd do well to remember that his spy network has never been a branch of the Cabal. The Cabal does not employ its members, they are all members strictly by choice, and all have legitimate employment of their own, as you well know. Macen worked for the military, just as you do, and his immediate superior was General Middlebury, just like you. But while Macen chose to assist the Cabal, the rest of us worked for him. Naturally, we all have our legitimate jobs, as well. But we have no direct connection to the Cabal or the military. And now that he's gone, we don't even have an indirect connection to either group. Our only loyalty was to Macen and to each other, and now it is only to each other. I'm sure both your people and Macen's are in possession of knowledge about one another that neither side would care to have revealed, so I trust we can rely on each other's silence in various matters. But if your cabal is covering up his death-"

"If any member of the Cabal is aware of his death, they haven't shared that knowledge with me. But I promise, I'll look into it. If and when I get any answers, I'll be sure to share them with you. I'm also sure you'll keep digging on your own, and if you learn anything, I hope you'll keep me informed, as well. Meanwhile... I've also been wondering why Zeke Sanguine hasn't been seen or heard from the last couple of days."

"Oh, he's dead, too. Again, your fault."

"Again, I apologize. But none of us have made choices based on concerns for our personal safety. Both Mr. Illustri and Mr. Sanguine knew the risks their line of work entailed."

Sloane wanted to argue with that, but knew she couldn't. The most infuriating thing about people like Woodman was when they were right. "Fine. We both agree to share anything we learn. Close."

After the spy ended the call, the colonel picked up a different t-mail bubble. "Open. Send message to René Deadzone: René, see me in my office, Second Three, sharp. There's a matter of vital importance we must discuss. End message. Close."

5

Around noon on Penul'day, Darius and most of his friends went to Dane's for lunch, though Cameron opted to stay behind. He said that during his captivity, his torturer had taken some of his genetic material, which could be used to divine for his location. So he'd rather stay under the anti-magic spell blanketing the Lonewander estate. Tiejo chose to stay with Cameron. Aside from these two absences- and the presence of Vallus- the meal felt like old times, to Darius. He smiled as he thought, Most notably, Alecstar is reading a paper. As usual.. Though this time around, he also couldn't help wondering if Star's interest in newspapers was a way of maintaining a connection to Stavros, since learning of the childhood friends' former plans to someday publish a paper of their own.

"So, what's today's top story?"

Alec smiled broadly. "We are. Actually, page two is about King Demos. But our release seems to be bigger news. Kinda makes you feel proud, doesn't it?"

"I'm surprised they were willing to admit the truth so close to the election," said Emma.

"Oh, there's not a lot of truth in here. But Darius's trip to the bank yesterday couldn't help but draw attention to the fact that we're free. The authorities haven't said much, but I can tell they're working on spinning it their own way..."

Tom said, "I wonder if we shouldn't talk to the press, ourselves. Tell our side of the story."

"At the moment," said Darius, "the Second Order's Marshal of the armed forces, Chief Magistrate of the High Court, and the Commissioner of InterVil are all on our side, whether they're ready to release the full story or not. I certainly don't intend to do anything to jeopardize their tenuous support, which means for the time being, it's probably best to keep quiet. As long as the public is aware that we're no longer considered criminals, I'm content to let the authorities take their time in building their case against..." he paused to look around, suddenly wary of being overheard by other diners. "Well, I'm content, that's all."

Tom nodded. Vallus looked pointedly at Alec and asked, "Is there anything in there about me, or just you guys?"

Alec shook his head, then said with a smirk, "Nothing about your miraculous return from the dead, I'm afraid. I don't see how they could expect to keep it a secret for long, though. And I don't know how they could explain your existence without revealing their investigation to the public."

"There's only one person my existence would require their revealing as having done any wrongdoing. It's not as if his actions prove the existence of... anything larger than himself. Nor would their keeping the truth from the public prevent him from knowing they're investigating him. He already knows. So it seems to me, if anyone asks, there can be no harm to our benefactors if we answer at least that much, while still not revealing the whole truth."

"What does the paper say about Woodman?" asked Tom. "Surely it can't fail to mention him, given the very public announcement he himself made, after he captured us."

"You're welcome to read the whole article for yourself," said Alec. "But you're right, it does mention him. Basically, they're just saying there is reason to question whether his actions were entirely justified, given new evidence which has recently come to light. They also say there's no reason to believe that Colonel Woodman was in possession of this unspecified evidence, at the time of the arrest, and that they're not questioning his belief that he was doing the right thing. At the time."

"Perhaps he should make a public apology, now that he's realized his mistake," said Emma with more than a trace of sarcasm.

Once again, Alec smirked. "It couldn't hurt his job security to do so, but knowing him, I very much doubt that will happen."

"Well, I'd like to once again apologize for getting you all into this, in the first place," said Darius.

Emma glared at him in annoyance, but said nothing. She still hadn't completely forgiven him for what they'd all endured, and his apologies only reminded her of that. Darius didn't see her glare, as he was purposely looking away from her. Nevertheless, he was fairly sure he could feel her eyes boring into his head.

Ginger felt the mood of the whole group suddenly shifting in a negative direction, and decided to quickly change the subject. "So, anyway... how about page two? What's old Demos up to?"

Alec replied, "It seems he's downplaying speculation among some of his supporters, who have voiced the opinion that Quinn Darkstrider quite possibly fabricated evidence against Magistrate Nearwright of Tanq, in order to boost his popularity in the upcoming election. King Demos is quoted as saying, 'While it's surely too soon in the Nearwright case to dismiss any possibility out of hand, I personally find such speculation highly improbable. It's a difficult question, because I have never seen any reason to doubt the Magistrate's integrity in her duties to the High Court, but I also cannot imagine my esteemed opponent, Police Chief Darkstrider, abusing his own office for personal gain.'"

Vallus couldn't help but laugh. "Wow. It's no wonder this guy got elected. Before the war, people said I was a pretty good speaker, but I generally only had to make my audiences believe one side of any argument. Demos seems to be adept at making two opposing beliefs sound plausible, or equally implausible, at the same time. Naturally he doesn't want to support slander against his opponent, because that might alienate voters. But it doesn't sound like he's trying too hard to make people disregard the rumors about Darkstrider's potential misconduct."

"Indeed," said Alec. "And I'd be surprised if he wasn't the one who started the rumors, in the first place."

"I read a bit about the Nearwright case, myself, yesterday," said Darius. "What I don't understand is why the alleged connection is between a government official from Tanq, and a gangster from Plist. Does today's story mention any connection to the Tanq branch of InterGang?"

"Only tangentially. There's some question as to whether the case is in some way related to portions of InterGang's Tanq and Tonad branches defecting to form their own gang, the Illuminati, which happened just a couple of days after Nearwright's arrest. Not long after that, InterGang's capo transferred anyone still loyal to her in those villages to others, including Plist. Meanwhile, InterGang's former Tanq don, Lydia Hornpowder, has become the Illuminati's don in Tanq. It's unclear if she had any connection to Seth Manager, the Plist don alleged to have been dealing with Nearwright, other than the fact that until recently, they both worked for the same gang. But it is well known that Larami Illuminatus, the new capo of the Illuminati, has always had a strong dislike for Manager, so the assumption is that the two events are most likely unrelated. Or, at most, that the Illuminati took the, ahem, chaos created by the Nearwright scandal as an opportunity to make their break from InterGang."

"Interesting," said Darius. "I'm not sure I follow all of that... it'd be nice to have Jasp here to help explain things. It still doesn't make sense to me that Nearwright would be working with someone from Plist, unless he was exerting influence on the Tanq branch."

Tom asked, "Do you suppose any of this is somehow related to the," he lowered his voice to add, "the cabal?"

"I'm sure I have no idea," said Alec. "But, to quote Demos, I wouldn't dismiss any possibility out of hand."

Everyone smiled at that. Ginger, meanwhile, had been smiling for a centhour or two, already. Her eyes firmly fixed on her boyfriend, she said, "Tino, sweetie, you look like you've been anxiously awaiting an opening to say something. Care to share?"

Tino replaced his eager expression with one of nonchalance. "Oh, it's nothing, really. Hardly worth-"

"Alrighty, then," said Ginger, turning to Alec. "So, are ther any other interesting articles-"

"The Illuminati!" blurted Tino. "Uh, I just wanted to mention that on Earth, so I once heard-"

Ginger had immediately turned back to him with a grin when he'd begun speaking, and now she interrupted him. "Just the once?"

"What? Yes, no, maybe. I don't know. It's not important. I just wanted to say that there's supposedly a secret society on Earth by that name. Illuminati. Presumably much more akin to the cabal than to this new Landian gang, but of course much more ancient, widespread, and powerful. And probably a heck of a lot cooler than either the Land's Illuminati or the cabal."

"Well, who knows?" said Darius. "Maybe in a thousand years or so, the cabal and the Illuminati and any other gangs- ooh, like the Black Profits, there are already plenty of rumors about them- maybe in the future, they'll all have joined together and become ancient, powerful, and cool, themselves. Earth shouldn't have all the fun, after all."

"Um, Darius?" said Tom. "That doesn't sound fun to me. Especially not the cabal part. I'm rather hoping the people responsible for all the 'fun' we've had these last few months won't be around much longer, let alone ruling the world from the shadows, a thousand years from now."

"Well, sure, it's not fun for their enemies. But for the people who have nothing to do with them, and don't even really believe they exist, it must be fun to theorize about."

Tom sighed. "If you say so."

"But anyway," said Tino. "Alec, Ginger was asking if there's anything else of interest in the paper. So?"

"Maybe one or two things. There's a brief mention, near the back, of a series of unsolved murders in Woodstockade, in the last few weeks. By exsanguination."

Darius frowned. "What's 'exsanguination' mean?"

Before his own subword sense could kick in, Emma spoke up. "It means draining blood. What else does the paper say about it?"

Alec shook his head. "Nothing, really; just that the police haven't found any clues. Though I don't expect they'd share such information with the press, even if they had."

"Huh," said Vallus. "Didn't Tiejo say the guy he- um, met- the other day was named 'Sanguine'? I wonder if he was involved, somehow."

"Hard to say," said Alec. "But I wouldn't leap to conclusions. The story may be worth following, though. But for now, the other thing I found interesting is about a talent show coming up tomorrow night, at a local club. Might be fun to get out and enjoy a little entertainment, after such an un-entertaining few months."

"Say, maybe we could invite Benj to join us there," said Tom. "I still have to give him that reward."

"Has your account been unfrozen already?" asked Darius. "Or do you have a secret stash nearby?"

"I talked to Frank, and the reward money had been set aside years ago, apart from my main account. It was never actually on the books, so it couldn't be frozen. So he called a local bank, and arranged a transfer for me."

"Ah. Well, hopefully we'll all have some money soon. I don't want to keep relying on... the kindness of certain friends, to pay for things like the meal we're currently enjoying. Not to mention any food or drinks we might buy if we end up going to that show tomorrow."

Later, as they were leaving the diner, they chanced to meet Arnold Sullenhest, who was on his way in. "Ah, fancy meeting you here!" he exclaimed. "Glad to see you all, again. By the way, Tom... how's that carpet working out for you?"

"I'm afraid I never got around to using it, other than that one test flight. And then, after we es- uh, after we were released, Cameron went back to the wagon to get some things, and he said it wasn't there. The carpet, I mean, not the wagon. Probably someone from the Army took it, I expect. So it seems pretty pointless to have bought it."

"Pointless? It served to help you make my acquaintance, didn't it? How's that pointless?"

"Well, if you put it that way... I guess I am glad to have met you...."

"You guess, hmmm?"

"I'm definitely glad," said Darius. "Thank you so much for your recent help, coordinating efforts with Taryn, and all. And I'm sure Tiejo would love to see you again, if you're going to be around. I'm afraid he's not with us, today. But we're thinking of attending a talent show Alecstar read about in the paper, tomorrow night. You interested in joining us?"

"Time will tell, I may be there, or I may not. I think I know the one you mean. Either way, my business should keep me in town for the next week or so, so there should be ample opportunity to get together, one time or another. Perhaps if we coordinate our lunch schedules, eh?"

"Time will tell," said Darius. "Anyway, we've got to be going. Have a good lunch. And day. And everything."

"Oh yes, I shall be sure to have a good everything. Good everything to you all, as well!" With that, he entered the diner; Darius and his friends went about their own business.


chapter 48

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