Darius hadn't entirely expected the king-elect to answer, but he did. Darkstrider said he wasn't happy about the idea of working with people who admitted to having plotted rebellion, and especially not with pirates. But he also said he'd talked with Marshal Primus, Commissioner Gothic, and Chief Magistrate Justicar about the Chaos, among other matters, and they believed Darius and his allies could be trusted not to violate any laws, at this point. More importantly, Primus was less than confident as to the likelihood of the military winning a war against the Cabal, all things considered. So Darkstrider reluctantly agreed that he could use all the help he could get. He also said that even if they helped him assume the throne, when the time came, he still intended to eventually have the military conduct a new trial of the accused rebels. Darius agreed to Darkstrider's terms, and reminded him that they'd already made a similar agreement with Primus, Gothic, and Justicar.

And so, early We'ginday morning, 13 Su'yet, Darius, Tom, Alec, Cameron, Ginger, and Emma began their flight to First Village. They arrived late the next night, making camp outside the village. They could have found an inn for the night, but didn't want to alert anyone to their presence. Or at least that was how they rationalized their decision; the real reason was they just wanted to feel like they were on an adventure, once again. After breaking camp Tuesday morning, they went to the palace, to demand an audience with the king. The receptionist in the lobby refused to grant them access without an appointment.

Darius said, "Appointments were made by a number of individuals to discuss the same matter we're here to discuss. Those individuals disappeared without a trace prior to their scheduled meetings. I have been informed that since that time, Sorreters working for InterVil have divined for them, with no success. Not even their bodies could be found, anywhere in the world. Which means either they've been magically hidden, or the bodies have been destroyed. So perhaps you can understand why we're reluctant to make an appointment, ourselves."

"Be that as it may- and I have no reason to believe it- it doesn't change the fact that the king does not see anyone without an appointment. So either make one now, or leave."

"We're not leaving until we've seen Demos."

The receptionist activated an intercom and said, "Security to the main lobby."

Almost immediately, a dozen guards arrived. Darius said, "Fine, we'll go. But we have every legal right to see him. People will hear about this."

"Yes, I'm sure the public will be outraged by the king's blatant adherence to protocol," the receptionist said sarcastically.

Once outside, Tom said, "Well, that went well. Guess we should get back to the wagon and fly home now, eh?"

Darius began walking away from the palace, though as of yet, he wasn't quite sure where he was going. The others followed him. "I suppose we could go to the police, ask that they force the king to grant us an audience."

"I'm sure the most we could hope for would be that they force the receptionist to schedule a meeting for us. Which he already offered to do. Maybe we should just make an appointment," Tom suggested.

"I wasn't prevaricating when I told him I was worried that Demos would make us disappear if we made an appointment; it really did happen to my dad's associates, you know, and I'm sure it could happen to us, too."

They hadn't gotten far, when a man walked past them, toward the palace. Emma asked, "Hey, aren't you Max Funny? We saw you perform in Triscot not long ago."

The man turned to face her, then glanced around nervously. Seeing no one else around, he sighed and said, "I do go by that name in other villages, but never in First Village. My real name is Giac Thesaurus, and I am King Demos's royal clown. On Earth, I might be called a court jester, though my job requires me to dress more like... well, a cross between a jester and a circus clown. Obviously, I'm not dressed for work yet. Anyway, I'm involved in a movement that's trying to get people to stop using the word 'clown' as synonymous with 'comedian.' Unfortunately, most comedians reject my support of their cause, because of the capacity in which I work for Demos. Which is why I created an alias, to use in places where people may have heard of Giac Thesaurus, but don't know what he looks like. As Max, I can simply be a comedian, and be accepted by my peers. So I'd appreciate it if none of you called me 'Max.' At least around here. Naturally, if you saw me in any other village, I wouldn't want you calling me Giac."

"Oh. Sorry," said Emma. "Um... well, good luck with your movement. I promise to use the correct term when speaking of clowns or comedians."

"Thank you kindly." Giac looked more closely at the group, then said, "Wait... you all look familiar. Aren't you the Chaos?"

"We're trying not to use that name anymore, ourselves. So we'd appreciate it if you didn't call us that," said Darius.

"Well, what should I call you?"

"We were actually wondering that, the other day. Decided the group doesn't need a name, since we're not really a group anymore. At least, no more so than any other group of friends."

"Okay, but then what are you doing here? Seems a little suspicious for this particular group of friends to be hanging around outside the royal palace."

"We were hoping to present Demos with a petition. One which appears to have gotten previous petitioners killed."

"Sounds like a fool's errand. And this is coming from a professional fool."

Darius smirked at that. "Well, to be honest, it's really just a pretext, to legitimize the real reason we want to talk to Demos. Which is to let him know that... well, that the disparity between his resources and those of his opposition is not as great as he may think. He may be counting on the Cabal to force the military to keep him on the throne indefinitely, but we want to remind him that there are many people over whom the Cabal holds no influence."

Giac nodded. "Still sounds like a good way to get yourselves killed, but I suppose someone should make him understand that. It really is a shame, I used to think he was a decent sort, even if he had a few strange quirks. But now... he's clearly lost his mind."

"And yet you continue to work for him."

"And lucky for you that I do! There's no way you'll get to see him, walking in the front door, which I gather you've already discovered. But I could get you to his antechamber, via servants' passageways."

"Why would you do that?"

"Are you not listening? Did you not just hear me say I thought someone should tell him what you want to tell him?"

"Yeah, but-"

"My boy, you've got to stop overthinking things. Sometimes the simple answer is all there is, and all you need."

"Believe me, I've tried to stop. I wish I could."

"Ah well, sorry to hear it. I tell you what, though, it certainly seems like an awfully convenient coincidence, my running into you like this."

"I've come to suspect I'm a coincidence magnet," Darius replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Indeed. Though your magnetism may be enhanced by the company you keep." Turning back to Emma, he said, "You, after all, were the one who began the conversation. I apologize for neglecting you, Miss-?"

"Pseud. Emma Pseud."

Giac paused for a moment, then said, "Ah, as in 'pseudonym,' I presume. I like that. Tell me, young lady, have you heard of the Experimental Linguists' Club?"

"I've actually been wanting to join, but since I don't have a permanent address, there'd be nowhere to send the newsletter. Maybe eventually I'll settle somewhere, though."

"I hope you do. I am, incidentally, the current chairman of the ELC."

"Sounds like you wear a number of different hats," said Darius.

"Indeed, and not all of them have three points, like the one I wear for Demos's amusement."

"So... shall we be going?"

"Certainly." They began following him toward the rear of the palace. "You've picked a good hour to visit. The groundskeepers aren't about yet, and most of the indoor staff are already at their posts. Probably won't run into any guards, along this route, either. Though just in case... you don't have any weapons on you, do you?"

"We thought it best to leave them behind," said Darius. "All we want to do is talk."

"Good. If you were armed, there's no way I could talk you past any guards we might encounter. If we do meet any, I'll just say you're Chaos impersonators for a new routine I've worked out."

"Some fun," said Tom. "You know what, though, I think Tiejo would be great at pretending to be a clown pretending to be himself. Shame he's not here. Then again, maybe you could play him yourself, Giac."

"Well, hopefully it won't come to that, anyway. I'd really rather no one see me with you all. In fact, I won't be joining you in the antechamber. I'll get you to a side entrance, then you're on your own. I should warn you: there's a magical barrier surrounding the throne room, which makes it impervious to entrance either physically or magically, unless one has been granted access. Which I'm afraid I can't help you with. Only Demos himself can do that. Visitors must be announced by his secretary."

"What? There's no way he'll grant us access," said Tom. "So what's the point? Unless... Cameron, could you deactivate the barrier, do you think?"

Giac said, "I'm sure he could not. No one Sorreter would have that kind of juice."

"Cameron has more juice than most, at the moment," said Darius.

"It would probably take at least a hundred Sorreters working in concert to punch through the barrier."

"Doesn't sound like something I could handle, even at my present level," admitted Cameron. "Although, perhaps... Just a centhour, I have an idea."

Cameron cast a cylinder of invisibility around himself, and made a call. A few centhours later, the cylinder vanished. "Okay, we're going to try something. It's a bit risky, but... even if my extra chakra doesn't give me enough power to take down the barrier on my own, it may be enough to allow me to safely serve as a conduit."

"A conduit for what?" asked Darius.

"Bishop Drag and his people will use bittrickle to channel their power into me, which I could then redirect against the barrier."

"Just how risky is that, exactly?" asked Emma. "Could you be hurt?"

"Oh, it would kill anyone who didn't have as much excess chakra as I do right now. But I should be alright."

"What?! You can't do that!"

"I agree," said Darius.

"This is probably the only chance we'll ever have to get close to Demos," said Cameron.

Ginger said, "You know, maybe we could just make another announcement on the news."

"Don't forget why we came," said Alec. "Getting the public to do anything takes time, and we don't have time. We don't want to let Demos and the Cabal bolster their forces, solidify their plans, and seek out and eliminate their enemies. We need to either convince Demos to step down, or else force the Cabal to play its hand while we still have a chance of beating them, however slim that chance may be. The longer we wait, the surer their victory becomes. And the more likely Stavros and Tiejo are to be among the first casualties. I don't like the sound of Cameron's plan any more than the rest of you, but I trust his judgement. If he says he can handle it, I'm willing to accept that."

Emma asked Cameron, "Just how sure are you that you'll be alright?"

"Well, to the best of my knowledge, no one's ever tried anything like this, but I'm like ninety-five percent confident I'll be okay."

"Huh. I guess I could live with ninety-five percent."

"Yeah... at least ninety percent positive."

"Wait..."

"Eighty-five, as a bare minimum."

"Um... I'm starting to think you have no idea what your chances actually are. You know what? Why don't we just use Giac's plan to get past guards on Demos's secretary, as well? Demos could let us in, thinking we're part of the act, then when we're inside, we can reveal the truth. That way, you don't have to risk your life."

"I hate to think of your friend risking his life," said Giac, "but if I lie to Demos like that, my own life will be forfeit, with one hundred percent certainty."

"We absolutely can't ask a complete stranger to do that much for us. He's taking enough of a risk just leading us to the antechamber," said Darius.

"Yeah, but-"

"We haven't got time to debate this," said Cameron. "It's my decision, just like it was my decision to join the Chaos in the first place. Like I told you back in Near Port... we all knew the risks. We can't expect to change the world without taking those risks."

"Wait," said Darius. "You've already endured far more for my cause than I ever expected you to. True, some risks are necessary, but at some point they become more trouble than they're worth."

"Oh, shut up, would you?" said Cameron. "It's not your damned cause. Another fact I pointed out to Emma in Near Port was that I started taking risks long before I met you. Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for Drag to say he was willing to resume the fight against the Second Order? If you think-"

"Nine years?"

"What?"

"How long you've been waiting-"

Cameron rolled his eyes. "That was rhetorical."

"I know, but I've never been fond of rhetorical questions. Sorry. You were saying?"

"If you think I'm going to pass up the chance to finally get my people to take action, you've got another think coming."

"He's right," said Emma. "As much as I hate to admit it... this is something Cameron has mentioned to me several times before we met you, Darius. How frustrated he was that Drag and the other ex-Sorreters were so hesitant to act. And being a friend means more than wanting your friends to stay safe, it means supporting their hopes and dreams. So I'm done standing in the way of something he's been waiting for since long before he met me. And in case I haven't yet made it clear... I'm done hating you for what happened to him while we were imprisoned. For what happened to all of us. It's not your fault. So please stop hating yourself for it."

Darius wanted to tell her it was impossible for him to ever stop hating himself for things that were entirely in his head, let alone anything that actually happened. But he realized this wasn't the time for his usual self-loathing. Besides, he was too happy to have Emma as a friend again to worry about such things. He knew he'd have plenty of time to hate himself later. For now, he nodded and said, "Okay."

"It's settled, then," said Tom. "Mr. Clown, lead the way."

As they all began walking again, Ginger chuckled.

"What's so funny?" asked Emma.

"Oh, something Cameron said reminded me of a conversation I once had with Sizinia. She mentioned that on Earth, where the phrase 'you've got another think coming' originated, a lot of people eventually started saying 'you've got another thing coming,' instead. And eventually, hardly anyone was sure which was correct."

Tom scoffed. "Terrans. Bloody crazy lot, I'm sure. What the hell could 'another thing coming' possibly mean?"

"Sounds like a conversation very much up my alley," said Giac. "Speaking of which, how much sense does 'up my alley' make? But never mind about all that. We're here." Opening the door, he added, "We should be more quiet from this point on."

And so, the conversation stopped as they began wandering the back hallways of the palace.

After about ten centhours and half as many hallways, Giac stopped, turned to the group, and announced, "This is it. The room you seek is on the other side of the door at the far end of this corridor. Best of luck to you all." He stood to one side to let them file past him.

Darius said, "Thanks again."

"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't."

"Wild striders couldn't drag it from me."

"Good." Giac turned back down the previous corridor, and the group of friends formerly known as the Chaos were on their own.

Darius took a deep breath and asked, "Is everyone ready?"

They all indicated the affirmative. Tom locked eyes with Darius and asked, "What about you, kid? You ready?"

Darius forced himself to hold Tom's gaze. "As I'll ever be. I guess."

"You've come a long way since the night we met, five months ago. If anyone had asked me then if you could handle something like what we're about to do, I would have said 'Maybe in a few years.' And to be honest... I do still wish we had a few years to toughen you up emotionally. But even so, your resolve has improved more quickly than I would have thought possible. Please believe me when I say, you've got this. And also believe we've all got your back."

Darius looked at each of his friends, then back to Tom. "I know. So... as the heroes of many a Jaspar novel have said, let's do this thing."

"Right on!" exclaimed Ginger.

Darius began walking down the hall, and the others followed. "Actually, Tengu also says that in several Oni stories. I wonder if the writer is a fan of Jaspar?"

"Not the time," said Tom.

"Right. Sorry."

When they reached the door, Darius took one more deep breath, pushed it open, and strode as purposefully as he could into the room.

The secretary immediately looked up and demanded, "Who are you people? What are you doing here? You don't have an appointment."

"My name is Darius Lonewander. My associates and I have come to present the king with a petition to get a referendum added to the next election."

"Bit soon after the last election for that, don't you think? Besides, when the next election comes around, there'll be a new king in office. Perhaps you should wait and take the matter up with him."

"Oh? We were under the impression King Royal had no intention of relinquishing his throne."

"What, you mean that whole 'king for life' thing? He explained that in his announcement on Election Day. It was just an idea he had, but now it's too late for that. He lost. Even if such a law were to be enacted in the future, it wouldn't apply to him."

"I'm pretty sure the Cabal intends to keep him on the throne, in spite of the election results."

"Don't be ridiculous. His political enemies may be spreading that theory, but only idiots believe such malicious lies."

"Well, maybe if I talk with him personally, he can convince me of that. If so, we'll make an appointment to see Darkstrider six months from now."

"I'm afraid if you don't have an appointment to see King Royal today, I can't let you in."

"You could at least announce our presence, let him decide."

"He's already in a meeting, and can't be disturbed until further notice."

"Really? Who's he meeting with?"

"Marshal Primus, not that it's any of your business."

"Well, that's fine, then! The marshal and I are on reasonably friendly terms, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we popped in, just for a centhour. It couldn't hurt to ask."

"You are lucky I haven't called security yet. I'm in a generous mood today, so if you'll all take a seat and wait until his current meeting ends, which will probably be in an hour or so-"

"I appreciate your restraint, and I hate to seem impatient, but I really must insist we see him immediately."

"In that case, I will call security." As she reached for a t-mail bubble, Cameron cast a quick spell. The bubble failed to react to her voice command, so she looked at Cameron and asked, "What did you do?"

"Simple anti-transcommunication spell. I assure you, we mean no harm, and are quite unarmed, but we'd rather not have any guards showing up to prevent us from seeing Demos."

"Waste of magic. You can't get into the throne room, anyway."

"So we've heard," said Darius. "Cameron, you ready?"

With a smirk, he replied, "As I'll ever be. I guess." He walked to the double doors, reached out his hands, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

Darius wondered if Cameron had blocked t-mail, how he'd signal the ex-Sorreters to begin channeling chakra or mana or whatever into him, but he supposed his friend must know what he was doing. And he was right. He half expected to see some kind of glowing aura surround Cameron, but no such thing happened. Cameron simply stood there, touching the doors.

The secretary frowned. "What does he think he's-"

Suddenly, Cameron pushed the doors, and they swung open.

"Hey!" shouted the secretary, jumping up from her chair. Cameron ignored her, walking through the doors. "Stop!" The others also ignored, her, following Cameron. "You can't go in there!"

Darius was the last to quit the antechamber. With his back to one door, he faced the secretary and said with a grin, "That's an interesting interpretation of reality." Casually pushing the door with one foot, he backed into the throne room. He held the door open a few seconds longer to add, "You'll have to tell me more about it, sometime."

He turned and came to stand beside Cameron, who whispered, "Do you think it was wise to enter backwards like that?"

"I was just speaking to the receptionist."

"But you could have been killed."

"I had absolute faith that you all had secured the room."

"And if we hadn't?"

"Then I'd have been dead no matter which way I was facing."

"Ah. Good to know you'd thought it through. But what did you have to say that was so important?"

"Just a silly catch phrase I made up for myself when I was a kid. It's been way too long since I've had a chance to employ it, so I wasn't going to let the opportunity slip by. By the way, did you tell them why we're here yet?"

"Darius, we came in about five seconds ahead of you. We only had time to say we're not here to harm anyone."

"I'm sure that came as a great comfort to them."

Demos spoke up at this point, loudly enough to be heard across the room. "Excuse me, terribly sorry to interrupt-"

"Not at all. If I might reiterate what I believe my comrades said just before I came in, we're not here to harm anyone."

"Yes, and I continue to take that as a great source of comfort."

Turning back to Cameron, Darius said, "See, I told you!" To Demos, "Anyway... hi. My name is-"

"Darius Lonewander."

"My reputation precedes me. I'm flattered."

"...Sniveling whelp of that irritating pest, Adam of Triscot. Until lately, the late Adam of Triscot. Shame he couldn't have stayed that way."

Darius frowned. "Okay, growing less flattered... but putting that aside. The matter I've come to discuss with you is this: Firstly, I believe a petition for a certain referendum was presented to you some while prior to the recent election. The individuals who presented it, as you may have heard, have not been heard from since. The authorities are looking into their disappearance, though I doubt they- or their remains- will ever be found. I'm sure whoever disappeared them for you did a thorough job of it."

"Young man, I resent your accusation. In fact, it sounds like slander. I could sue you for that, but there seems little point, given your larger crimes. Barging into most people's places of business without an appointment might constitute no more than trespassing, but in this case, I should think it would qualify as treason. And you know how we deal with traitors."

"I know how you've done it in the past, without regard to the law. That's going to change. However, it's beside the point; it would only be treason if we were here to depose you or kill you. We just want to talk. For the moment- and possibly for up to half a year- we recognize the legitimacy of your office. So... perhaps we could admit to breaking and entering, but surely not treason." Turning to Primus, he asked, "Wouldn't you agree, Marshal?"

"You'd have to ask someone like Mufasa Gothic about that. Though I do wish you'd kept your promise to stay out of trouble."

"I tried, believe me. But what with Durell Turner sending someone to kidnap Cameron, and the possibility that Demos intends to hold onto the throne indefinitely, and various innocent people being arrested or killed, I'm afraid I no longer saw it as an option." Turning back to Demos, he asked, "So, what about it? Any truth to the rumors that you and the Cabal plan to ignore the election results? Or is your secretary correct in her assertion that that's just a lie? Apparently a lot of people feel the need to slander you."

Demos grinned. "It seems to come with the job."

"In any event," said Darius, "we're here to present you, once again, with this petition, and we'll be providing a copy of it to the press. As your secretary pointed out, we should technically wait til next year, and present it to Quinn Darkstrider, but just in case the rumors are true, I thought you might want to take a look at it."

"Oh, I know all about it, and it's never going to happen. Your ridiculous little referendum would only lead to war. I have no idea what may have happened to the people you claim tried to present it to me earlier, but if they did die, no doubt their deaths will have averted war, thereby sparing countless others. So if you value innocent lives, you shouldn't bother presenting your petition. But then, you do want a war, don't you? That was your plan all along, rebellion. I simply can't help wondering what the hell you all thought you were rebelling against. After all, you began planning it long before you learned of the Cabal's existence, so what exactly do you have against the state of the world? What's so terrible about the life of the average citizen? I understand your resentment over the Protestants failing to stop the Coming of the Order, but in the end, how can you not see that it made the world a better place?"

"You're right, we were wrong. I've come to believe that when we started out, we had less than adequate reason to consider rebellion. I can't speak for the others, but for myself, I suppose it mostly was resentment, and a desire for revenge over the death of my family. As we've both learned recently, not all of them died in the war, but too many of them did. As did many good people I've never even met, on both sides. I'm sure the majority who fought for the Order believed they were on the right side, and I'm no longer sure I can dispute that. As I've learned from Ginger, every member of the Protestant Movement made a choice to oppose the Order, and it's that choice that should be blamed for their deaths, not the Order itself. Looking at the world today, I admit it: I'm actually grateful to Kizin Planner for much of what he did to change the world. But his goals have been corrupted by people like you, Durell, the Cabal, and any number of others.

"What really pisses me off isn't so much the grand injustices you've all perpetrated, but the little things. In the old world, people like you could have wealth and power, and you could have a sense of superiority, if you felt like it. Not all people of wealth felt that way; my clan certainly didn't. Back then, we were all equals, and most people treated each other as such. There were always those who looked down on others, but the rest of us could just laugh it off, because we knew you were wrong. But the Coming introduced a class system, the idea that some people were just better than others. Not a new idea, but one that the Coming legitimized. Now the lower classes can't so easily laugh off the haughty attitudes of the rich and powerful. More and more of the so-called nobility have come to believe that they actually are better than other people, to the point that the lower classes have begun to assume all nobles are like that, and resent them for it. You've brought prejudice into the world, and it's a two-way street. So, congratulations on that."

"All this sounds dreadfully familiar," said Demos. "You're basically plagiarizing Vallus, you know."

Darius smirked. "Ah, yes. Thought I'd heard it somewhere before. It's the kind of thing that got me to rethink my original pro-Order position, before the war. Still, I didn't fully understand it until recently. Back then, I wasn't quite sure what to believe. It's funny, though: speaking of great orators, I believe it was all your talk, during the first election, about Märchen and such- the very ideas that got you elected- that first put ideas in my head about evil kings and the heroes who oppose them. Well, that and the sort of stories I read. It's all shite, of course; fantasy got mixed up with my own feelings of resentment, and that's what made me want to rebel. But I'm over that, now. I'm looking at things realistically. But by an amazing coincidence... we do have an evil king. Except in the real world, it's not up to adventuring heroes to deal with such evil. The most we can do is help expose it. It's up to the people, the general public, to right the world's wrongs. Which is why we want to give the people a choice. You asked if I want a war, and the fact is, I don't. Not anymore. Rebellion is so five months ago. But if you want a war- and it seems that you do- I can give you one. You may think you're guaranteed to win, if it comes to that, but I'm here to tell you you're wrong. You and the Cabal would be much better off just accepting the will of the people. That begins with stepping down when your term ends next year. If you agree to that, and support my referendum, I could try to convince the public that the Cabal is as innocent as you claim. I might even put in a good word for you with Commissioner Gothic, if my word is good for anything."

"So, you don't want war, but you still want to use this referendum of yours to destroy the union that was formed by the Coming. Ah well, rebellion/secession, Tonaad/Tonahd. Either way, it's treason. And isn't it just like a young noble who never had to do an honest day's work in his life to think he could effect such radical change without shedding any blood, especially his own? I don't think this change of heart of yours is so much about realizing you were wrong, as it is about realizing how much hard work a rebellion would actually be. Kizin and the others who implemented the Coming knew what they were trying to do wouldn't be easy, but they also knew it was right, which is why they had the fortitude to weather the harsh winds of change that they brought about. I very much doubt you have that kind of fortitude."

Darius sighed. "You may be right, at least in part. I do rather wonder why there can never just be a gentle summer breeze of change. Still, I also believe I'm right. And as for never doing any work, I'll have you know my whole clan spent their fair share of time working alongside the farmhands on my grandfather's plantation. In fact, I mentioned something along those lines to Colonel Woodman, while he was illegally detaining me. So-"

"Whatever. Let's say for the sake of argument I was planning to hold on to my position by force. Why on the Land would I do as you say, and simply change my mind? The only way I could survive would be to remain in power. Or do you really believe the public could be convinced that neither I nor the Cabal have done anything wrong? It's too late for that, as you must have noticed by now. Now that the people know at least part of the truth, they've become too paranoid to ever trust anyone. So, congratulations on that." Demos grinned at his echo of Darius's own words. "And even assuming we did regain their trust... what, then, would be the point of your referendum? Surely no one would vote for it. No, the only way your plan can succeed is if the public continues to believe there's an evil conspiracy afoot. So you and I are in the same boat, whether we like it or not. Besides, at this point there's no way to stop Gothic from trying to destroy the Cabal. Not unless the Cabal takes drastic action."

"And suddenly your argument doesn't sound so hypothetical. Well, I suppose you're right again: Gothic's investigation can't be stopped, and I'm glad about that. Come to think of it, I doubt I could convince Vallus not to seek retribution against Woodman and the Cabal for holding him prisoner all these years. Nor should I try; they deserve to be punished, for that, if nothing else."

"But just so we're clear," said Demos with a grin, "if the army had actually killed him during the war, as everyone thought they had, that you wouldn't have had a problem with? Good to know, I'll keep that in mind for future reference."

"That's not what I- oh, never mind. I grow as tired of this conversation as I'm sure you must. So forget all the debate. The point is simply this: You will order the release of Colonel Supprus and his people. They will be pardoned unconditionally. You will tell the police all you know about the Cabal, even if it is just guesswork. And on Inauguration Day, you will not stand in the way of Quinn Darkstrider assuming the throne. Don't even worry about about the referendum, I'll take it up with him. Or not. Maybe you're right yet again: once the evil has been dealt with, there'll be no need for secession. Meanwhile, you may not be king any longer, but you'll still be rich, and you'll still be free. But if you persist in your defiance of the people's will, the war you incite will put an end to your freedom, possibly even your very life. I suppose you might win, but it seems to me that you stand to lose more than you stand to gain by taking that risk."

"I don't really see it as much of a risk. I consider the odds against my losing to be much higher than you seem to. So let me tell you something: You have your family. You have your friends. You have your freedom, not that you deserve it. If you stop meddling in affairs that don't even remotely concern you, you may keep all that. Go have your silly little adventures, write your silly little stories." Looking at the Band, he said, "You musicians, go play your music." To Tom, he said, "Jack of all trades, go back to retirement. Go back to collecting interest from the banks established by the Order during the Coming, and using that interest to get drunk each night. In fact, all of you can go have a few drinks, on me; I'll tell my secretary to fetch you some petty cash, when you leave." He leaned forward and glared at Darius. "But believe you me, if you insist on opposing me, you will lose. And there will be absolutely no chance of amnesty, this time. Not for any of you, or for anyone who follows you. Nor will you ever see the inside of a prison. Every last man, woman, and child who supports the Chaos will be killed. Honestly, how great could your forces possibly be? A rag-tag army of street rats, perhaps? A few pirate ships? Or do you think that Colonel Supprus has enough traitors on his side to give a real fight to the majority of the military? I very much doubt it, but just in case, perhaps I should simply have him and the followers we already know about executed, as an example to anyone who would consider joining him."

"Now, just a centhour-" began Marshal Primus, but Demos cut him off.

"And you," he said, pointing at Cameron. "I suppose you have some powerful friends who might return to the world, to resume their old war. Well, be warned: they lost once, and they'll lose again, if they dare to come back. Isn't that right, Grand Sorreter?"

A door opened to the right of the throne, and Durell Turner entered the room. He moved to stand beside the throne, saying, "Quite correct, Your Majesty."

Marshal Primus demanded of Demos, "What's he doing here?"

"Poss, my old friend, I know full well that your sense of right and wrong would eventually force you to stand against me. I had a faint hope that those same principles would preclude you from acting until the very moment it became officially unlawful for me to sit on the throne. However, even if you might not take overt action, that wouldn't stop you from preparing to oppose me, when the time came. I called this meeting to try to convince you to see things my way, though I suspected that giving you that chance was just foolish sentimentality, on my part. And before we were so rudely interrupted, I was beginning to see that I was right. I'm afraid it would be too risky to allow you to continue in your current position for the next six months. So, before you arrived, I invited Durell to come and listen in on our conversation, and if things went as I feared rather than as I hoped-"

"You were going to have him 'disappear' me, as Lonewander accused you of doing to others."

Demos nodded in a manner at once curt and wistful. "Sorry about that."

Primus turned to Darius. "Then I'm glad you all showed up when you did."

"So am I," said Darius. "Wow, we've got better timing than I thought."

"Oh dear," said Durell. "I hope you don't think your presence is going to save him. After all, without your swords, Darius and Tom can't counter my magic, and certainly the rest of you can't stand against me. Cam... I must say, neat trick, breaking through the room's protective barrier, but I can tell that drained what was left of your chakra."

Darius said, "I don't doubt that you could explain away the marshal's disappearance, but surely you can't expect to do so with all of us. Even if you killed us all, my family knew we were coming, as did Vallus, and even Quinn Darkstrider. If you don't let us go, there's no way you can cover it up. Unfortunately for you, there's also no way you could prevent us from telling people what happened to Primus, so it kind of seems like you have no choice but to let all of us go. Including him."

"Foolish child," said Demos, "what on the Land makes you think we'd want to cover it up? You yourself said it seemed like I want a war, and you're right. Of course, it would have happened soon enough even if you hadn't shown up today, but if your oh-so-welcome deaths can be used to further expedite our plans, so much the better. Some might call it gilding the lily, but as my ex-wife would gladly attest, I've never been averse to that."

"Um... perhaps we should all just back away slowly," said Darius.

Durell cast a spell, and they found themselves unable to move. "You won't be going anywhere."

Just then, the main doors of the throne room swung open, and two people strode in, followed by Demos's secretary. "Sorry, sire. I couldn't stop them. Official police business."

"That's alright, Marcy," said Demos. "I'm sure they won't be here long. Back to work, now."

"Yes, sire." She quickly exited the room.

Demos said, "Cirna, always a pleasure. And Commissioner Gothic, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"We're actually here for Chief Councillor Turner," said Gothic.

"What's this about?" asked Durell. "And how did you even know I was here?"

"I told them," replied Cirna Mastera, the second-highest ranking Sorreter in the world.

"And how did you know?"

"Oh, I've been keeping tabs on you for awhile now."

"What? Why?"

She grinned and said, "Well, that's rather why he's here," and nodded at Gothic.

"Well, why are you here?" Durell asked Gothic.

"I've come to place you under arrest."

Durell was stunned into silence for a few moments. In that time, Cirna noticed the force fields around several of the room's occupants, and cast a counter-spell to release them.

Darius began to thank Cirna, but was quickly interrupted by Durell. "Commissioner, I know you've never liked me, but I assure you, the things these rebels said in their recent announcement were quite untrue. I never sent anyone to abduct Mr. Piper."

"I very much doubt that, even if I can't prove you did. But that's not why I'm here."

"Whatever the reason for your visit," said Primus, "your timing is impeccable. He was planning to kill me, as well as these folks. And Demos was complicit."

"Lies!" exclaimed Durell.

"Again, I doubt your word, and again, I can't prove you're lying. But it's irrelevant, because again, that's not why I'm here. I'm here because Councillor Mastera provided me with a recording of a murder you committed two years ago."

Durell's face blanched. "It... can't be."

"Oh, but it can," said Cirna. "And before you even think of fleeing, I've already cast an anti-translocation spell over the room. You're not going anywhere."

Darius asked, "Um, who did he kill?"

"Bishop Kizin Planner," said Gothic.

"I thought he died of natural causes. And weren't they on the same side?"

"They may have been on the same side," said Cirna, "but that doesn't mean their goals were the same."

"As for how the bishop died," said Gothic, "it looked like natural causes, and that's what Durell himself said it would look like, in the recording Mastera showed me. Incidentally, not only does the recording prove Planner's death was murder, it also proves Colonel Supprus was right about the SST project he claimed the Cabal was working on."

Until that moment, Durell had thought there was a chance they were bluffing about the recording. But then he knew it was true, even if he had no idea how such a recording could possibly exist. Now, he laughed. "Fine. I admit it. And while I'm at it, I might as well admit that I was the one behind Piper's attempted abduction, though I consider that to be a matter internal to the Council of Magicks, and none of InterVil's business."

Darius scoffed, "It's still a violation of the Declaration of Amnesty. The Council of Magicks is not an official institution with authority to do whatever they like, without regard to the laws of the Land. Hey, maybe before the Coming it would've worked that way, but now? Not so much. Gotta love the irony, right?"

"In any event," Gothic said to Durell, "you'll be coming with me, now."

"I think not." Durell turned to Darius. "You know, you're right. The irony of my helping establish the Second Order isn't lost on me. In fact, I'm starting to think you were right about everything, all along. Order is highly overrated, and up til now I've been entirely too civilized. It's been far too long since the Land has seen a truly evil sorcerer. Oh yes, I'm even done with the silly term 'Sorreter.'" To Demos he said, "Come to think of it, the fairy tale world you painted in your campaign speeches all those years ago wouldn't be complete without an evil wizard. Hmmm, wizard or sorcerer or mage or... I don't know, I'll have to give some thought as to what to call myself." Turning back to Darius, "But for now, the important thing is that you've convinced me to give up my civilized constraints. If you thought I had no regard for the law before... just you wait. I'll show you some chaos." And to Cirna, "Did you really think you could stop me? You may have noticed the obvious force fields I cast upon them, but you missed the far subtler one I cast upon myself. Just one of the tricks I borrowed from the Protestant Sorreters. So... I'll be seeing you." To Darius and his allies he added, "All of you. When you least expect it." And with that, he vanished.

Darius said, "Oh my God, I think I've just created a new Xerxes. I wonder what Captain Teach will say about this."

"Damn," said Gothic. "Councillor Mastera, I thought you said-"

"Yes, I apologize. I underestimated him. But it doesn't matter. By day's end, he will have been excommunicated by the Arch-bishop, and stripped of his position as Grand Sorreter by the Council of Magicks. Who, incidentally, do not condone kidnapping or torture. And I'm sure you'll have the police in every village looking for him, as will my people be. He can't elude us indefinitely."

"Meanwhile," said Primus, "at least you can arrest Demos for plotting to have me killed."

Before Gothic could reply, the doors opened behind them. Everyone turned to to face contingent of royal guards. Demos addressed the leader of the group. "Captain, everyone in this room is guilty of plotting to overthrow me. Please escort them from the palace, and make it known that if any of them ever attempt to return, they are to be turned away again. Use of deadly force is authorized, if necessary."

"That's a lie," said Primus. "King Royal-"

The captain of the guard interrupted, "We know full well, Marshal, that you and the Commissioner have allied yourself with these rebels, and took it upon yourselves to exonerate them of their attempted crimes against the country. I hope you don't expect me to believe anything either of you have to say."

Primus sighed. "Very well." He brushed past the guards, followed by Gothic, Darius, and the others.

Demos rose from his throne, and walked behind the guards until they'd exited the room, and then the antechamber. After watching them leave, he nodded to his secretary. "Thanks for summoning them."

"Just following your instructions, sire."

"Of course. You should also probably get a Sorreter up here to reapply the barrier."

"One is already on his way, sire."

"Excellent." He pushed open one door, then paused, and turned back to his secretary. "Oh, Marcy... out of idle curiosity, what was Lonewander saying to you, just as he entered the throne room?"

The guards followed everyone until they'd exited the palace, then stood just outside the front door, waiting for the intruders to leave. Commissioner Gothic got into his police carriage, and headed back to InterVil.

Cirna said, "Well, I must get to Monab, to speak with Arch-bishop Talak about Durell." In an instant, she was gone.

The others began walking. Once they were out of earshot of the guards, Primus said, "I suppose we should count ourselves lucky Demos didn't just tell them to kill us on the spot."

Darius said, "I imagine he didn't want to give any summary orders he might not be legally authorized to make, for fear of making our accusations seem more credible."

"You're probably right." He stopped walking, and turned to face the Chaos. "Well, as we speak, Demos is no doubt composing an announcement of my termination as marshal. But I'll do my best to get Supprus and his people released, before that order goes into effect... and before he can have them executed."

Alec responded with a heartfelt "Thank you."

"Of course. Meanwhile, you all should get back to Triscot. I daresay you'd be safer there than in the capital."

"Hey, I've done what I came here to do," said Darius. "I have no desire to stick around. Especially considering there's nearly three times as many people in First Village as Triscot. Forget having a mad monarch out for my blood, I'm uncomfortable enough just being around such large crowds. Over sixty thousand people in one place, and who knows how many more have come here, since the first census was taken? It's insanity! How can anyone stand it? Even Triscot's population seems bad, to me. Which is probably one reason I've spent so much time between villages, over the last several years."

"Whatever motivates you to get out of town. Anyway, good luck to you all."

Darius said, "Good luck to you, as well." Suddenly, he remembered a question he'd had in the back of his mind for awhile now. "Hey, Marshal? I've been meaning to ask you something. Your surname is Primus, and before I ever met you, I met someone named Capp Primus-"

"He's my kid brother. But I haven't spoken to him in years."

"Now that you mention it, I see the resemblance. Also... I guess it explains something Jasp said, once. Kind of funny, though, one brother becoming head of the military and another becoming head of a gang."

"Hence the not speaking to him. And if you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it with you, either."

"Right. Sorry. It's just... a weird coincidence that both of you ended up becoming such completely unexpected allies to my friends and me. Not that I suppose either of you would use a word as strong as 'ally.' Anyway... you both seem like decent people. Though of course I only met him once, very briefly. I can't help thinking-" but he cut himself off. "Sorry. I wasn't going to talk about it. Okay, um... goodbye." He and his friends again resumed their walk back to the wagon, while Poss began walking to the First Village army base.

Soon after Poss was out of sight, but before the group had reached a heavy traffic area- the immediate vicinity of the palace had been largely avoided by anyone without specific business there, ever since Election Day's revelations- they were approached by a stranger, who asked, "Excuse me, folks. Got a centhour?"

"Who are you, and what do you want with us?" asked Darius.

"Name's Knight Errant. I'm- and before I tell you this, please don't be alarmed. I'm the don of InterGang, in this village. I was just wondering how your meeting with Demos went. Also, my capo was wondering if she might have a word with you all. I believe she wants to apologize for whatever part InterGang may have played in any troubles you've endured, over the last few months."

"Why should we trust you? And how did you even know about our meeting?"

"That'll take a bit of explaining." He took a deep breath, and began. "Okay, so... by now you've probably heard about a certain recording of Durell Turner." Darius nodded. "Well, in early Su'gin, a spy we have in Monab found the recording, and decided that the person who would most appreciate it would be Cirna Mastera, a bitter rival of Durell's since before the Coming. So our spy passed it on to our don in his home village, who gave it to his Chief Sorreter, to give to First Sorreter Mordechai T'Magus, who was a former apprentice of Cirna's. But before passing it on to Cirna, T'Magus asked capo Mysshroudedtery whether she wanted to use it, herself. She agreed to let him give it to his old master, and Cirna planned to wait until Durell's birthday to turn the recording over to the authorities. How's that for adding insult to injury? But that would have been at the end of this month, and before that happened, you all escaped from the dungeon you were in; and when you made your announcement about the torture and all, the capo started thinking maybe it would be more fitting to give the recording to Cameron Piper. After all, Durell was responsible for greater suffering on his part than he ever was on Cirna's part. Cirna reluctantly agreed, but the problem was, you were in hiding, so we had no idea where to find you to give it to you. But our Sorreters and spies alike kept an eye out for you. Meanwhile, Cirna said that if we didn't find you before Durell's birthday, she'd go with her original plan. And here it is, half a month til his birthday, and one of our spies spotted you heading into the palace. So a call was placed to the capo, who called Cirna to ask for the recording. When she heard you were meeting with Demos- nice job getting in, by the way- she said you were in danger, because Durell was also there. She'd been keeping a divining eye on him ever since she first watched the recording, because she wanted to be able to find him the instant it was time to get him arrested. Even if it turned out to be Cameron who brought the bubble to the authorities, she still wanted to watch Durell take the fall. So... she decided that rather than give it to Cameron, she should just take it to Commissioner Gothic, so he could arrest Durell before he could hurt any of you. And of course she went along not only to enjoy his downfall, but also to counter his magic so he couldn't hurt Gothic. And that's the whole story. So now, can we go? My capo may not have a gift for you anymore, but she'd still like to talk."

Darius took a few moments to absorb all that the gangster had said. Finally he replied, "I suppose it couldn't hurt. After all, I guess in a roundabout way, she sort of saved our lives, just now. What do you all think? If it means we wouldn't have to worry about InterGang any longer, it might be worthwhile."

"I suggest we return to the wagon, and discuss it there," said Tom. "We can call Exposition Guy after we make a decision."

"Fine by me," said Knight. "I'll let the capo know she can expect to hear from me... when? Or maybe you can just call her instead. Amelia Mysshroudedtery."

"You people have some funny names," said Darius.

"Glad you think so. Not a lot of people share our sense of humor."

"I didn't necessarily mean funny ha-ha, but... yeah. Anyway, we'll call one of you. Not sure when, though. Might be within the hour, might be a few days."

"Alrighty, then." He turned and walked away.

When he was out of earshot, Darius asked, "Cameron, do you think you have enough chakra left to make sure InterGang doesn't have anyone scrying us?"

"I could probably handle that, at least until we get to the wagon. And that's already got an anti-scrying spell on it, so we'll be safe, then. Of course, we should also keep an eye out for regular spies."

"Of course."

They resumed their walk, and Emma said, "So, Cameron... you seem to be doing alright. Glad that bittrickle-channeling thing didn't hurt you."

"So am I. I'm also glad to be rid of all that excess chakra. I'm looking forward to my first decent night's sleep in two weeks. Check that, my first decent night's sleep in nearly four months. Though now that I think of it, the last two weeks haven't been that bad."

Once they arrived at the wagon, which was hidden in a secluded area outside the village, Tom immediately grabbed his sword. "I don't know whether it's a remotely wise idea to meet with InterGang's capo, but I'm damn certain it would have been a colossally stupid idea to do so unarmed."

"Agreed," said Alec. "Though, do we even know whether anything he said was true? We have no idea where Cirna got the recording; InterGang may have had nothing to do with it. But their spies surely could have learned that she had it."

"True," said Darius, "though I'm curious to hear what Mysshroudedtery has to say. I get the impression that two of her dons, Seth Manager and that woman who started the Illuminati, had more to do with our problems than did InterGang in general. I also have a strong feeling that our association with LandOrder is nearly at an end. It would be nice to make sure InterGang knows that."

"I still don't think it's wise," said Tom. "But then, I can't quite put my finger on the last thing any of us did in the last five months that might be classified as 'wise.' And if we really mean to oppose Demos in the coming war, it's not like we have much of a life expectancy, anyhow."

"There's a cheery thought," said Darius. "So... all in favor, or opposed?"

They decided to agree to the meeting. Once they were all armed, they called Knight and arranged for him and the capo to meet them at the wagon. Cameron provided the coordinates for translocation. They waited inside the wagon for their guests to arrive. After about twenty centhours, Knight rode up on a strider. He dismounted, and Darius emerged from the wagon to greet him. Then Knight called Mysshroudedtery, who immediately translocated there with Mordechai T'Magus. Emma remained in the wagon's cockpit, prepared to take flight if the gangsters made any trouble. Everyone else emerged to stand beside Darius, but they were all ready to jump back in the wagon if necessary.

The capo smiled and nodded at each in turn as she greeted them: "Mr. Lonewander. Mr. Inco. Mr. Piper. Ms. Protestant. Tom. I want to thank you all for agreeing to see me. It can't have been an easy decision, given everything that's happened. I understand don Errant has expressed my desire to apologize. You perhaps have no reason to believe this, but I am genuinely sorry. I only ever meant for my people to keep an eye on you, due to LandOrder's inexplicable interest in you. Unfortunately, things got out of hand, and certain individuals in my employ were reprimanded for that. One of them was even fired. But now, I'd like to officially inform you that our interest in you is over. We have more important things with which to concern ourselves, to wit: our newfound rivalry with the Illuminati, which compounds our old rivalry with LandOrder. And of course, there's no telling how the current political state of the world may affect all that."

"Understood," said Darius. "And I appreciate that. I'd also like you to know that LandOrder's assistance has always been minimal. I thought perhaps it might increase at some point, but actually it's decreased. And I think they'd just as soon be done with us entirely. Which is something of a relief, actually. If your people hadn't attacked us, we probably never would have even known LandOrder was interested in us at all. We did make at least one friend, with whom I hope our association may continue in some capacity. But on the whole, I'll be glad to be done with gangs. Though I have come to think gangsters in general may be better people than I once might have thought. That probably goes for InterGang just as well as LandOrder. Which, come to think of it, echoes a thought I recently expressed to Demos: that during the Coming of the Order, there were good people on both sides."

"I'm sure that's true. Speaking of Demos, how'd that go?"

"Not very well, but honestly, I'm not sure what I really expected. The hope was that we'd convince him to give up his plans by making him see that his opposition was greater than he suspected. But of course, you can't reason with a sociopath. We're lucky to have gotten out of the room alive. On the other hand, Durell is now a fugitive, and Marshal Primus must be more solidly on our side."

"Silver linings, eh? Certainly this is something I have in common with Capp Primus: we both have no love for the Second Order, and we both hate Durell. So I'm rather pleased at today's turn of events. And I wish you luck with your war."

"It's a strange thing... we started out wanting a war, even if I didn't expect it to come for many years, but now I wish we could avoid it. All I really want is for my home village to secede from the Second Order, and preferably for some other villages to do the same. I was hoping we could manage that peacefully, using the democratic system established by the Coming, ironically enough. But now it looks like we'll end up fighting to support the Second Order against the Cabal... who meanwhile consider us to be the ones who are against the Second Order, and themselves to be supporting it. It's all very confusing. And I hate being confused."

"It's funny how closely your situation resembles my own. While you were first planning your rebellion, I assumed my don in Tonad, Larami Illuminatus, was planning a coup, to wrest control of InterGang from me. And then, she ended up seceding, just as you decided to do. And now I'm afraid I must make war against her. Ah, parallels. Such fun!"

"I know a former math teacher who enjoys a good parallel, as well. Or a pair of parallels. Or is it a pair of pairs? No wait, one parallel must include two things, so it's just a single pair. Or... oh, never mind. I'm being too literal. Sorry."

Mysshroudedtery cocked an eyebrow and asked, "What ever are you on about?"

"It's nothing. Just, I have this acquaintance whose Order name is Parallelogram, is all."

The capo laughed. "Very well! A valiant if unsuccessful attempt at humor. Don't worry, not everyone can be a clown... or whatever it is they're calling themselves these days."

"Meanwhile, I seem to have made peace with certain elements within the Second Order. Which leads me to wonder if you might make peace with capo Primus. You both seem like decent people, and it would be advantageous to both your gangs to unite against the Illuminati."

"On the whole, I would say that we are both decent people, though many would disagree on that point, for which I could hardly blame them. At the very least, I could say that Capp and I respect each other. But peace? I'm afraid that's not really an option. If it were just the two of us, perhaps, but we must concern ourselves with the wills of our people, lest we become the sort of tyrants Demos would fain style himself. And if we simply ordered our respective gangs to suddenly act as allies, doubtless we would both find ourselves faced with many more secessions, following Larami's lead. Some might even join the Illuminati, while others would attempt to create their own gangs, which would revert organized crime to the state it was in at the start of the Coming, or worse. And I believe Capp and I both had similar reasons for establishing our inter-village gangs, back then. One way or another, it was going to happen, and we feared the chaos that would ensue if less enlightened individuals than ourselves took charge. Of course, our strength of character is perhaps something the Planners of the Coming didn't foresee..."

"Well, as much as I enjoy the idea of chaos, I suppose I'm glad it was you two who ended up running your gangs."

"Thank you, Mr. Lonewander. And now, I believe there's nothing left to be said, so, good-"

Just then, ten people appeared behind Mysshroudedtery and T'Magus, who both whirled around in obvious surprise. Standing before them were the InterGang dons of Plist, Olek, Jump Village, Triscot, and Woodstockade, each accompanied by a Sorreter (or by a sorcerer, in the case of don Des'Rosset).

Don Seth Manager of Plist stepped forward. "Amelia. I've been hoping for a chance to meet with you in person. You don't make it easy."

"I take it you arranged this impromptu gathering? Well, what is it that you felt couldn't be discussed via t-mail? And that could be discussed in front of outsiders?"

"A matter that concerns both t-mail and these particular outsiders, as it happens. About two months ago, a certain rumor came to my attention, which I didn't want to believe, but I considered it important enough to investigate further. What I heard was that you had granted permission for that Sorreter" he pointed at Cameron "to share knowledge of bittrickle with LandOrder. Seemed a bit odd that he'd even have knowledge of it, but one of the things I learned in the course of my investigation was that some years ago, you allowed First Sorreter T'Magus to share the spell with the Protestant Sorreters. Though how he even came into contact with them remains a mystery. Of course, InterGang has always benefited from the use of bittrickle, but none of us more so than yourself. It should be used so that all our calls would have greater security than LandOrder or even the World Council enjoy. So that outsiders couldn't hack our calls. However, we all know you really instituted the spell's use to help you hide your headquarters' location from the rest of us. It's clear that you never fully trusted even your dons, and yet now it seems you trust our worst enemies enough to share one of our most valuable resources. Which, I suppose, shouldn't be all that surprising, considering you long ago chose for InterGang to use the terms 'don' and 'capo,' which were first utilized by LandOrder."

Mysshroudedtery smiled patronizingly. "Those were real words on Earth long before LandOrder adopted them, you know. The reason our rival organization gives for implementing them is meant as a joke, even among themselves. It really has nothing to do with Capp Primus and Don Chieftain. As for not trusting my dons, well, it's true I wanted to hide my location. But hiding it from you is simply a means to ensure it remains hidden from our rivals, and the police. As for the difficulty of meeting with me in person, I do apologize. However, that being the case, I can't help but wonder how you did manage to find me?"

"If you're suggesting I had spies keeping an eye out for you... you're right. But while you weren't spotted, don Errant was. One of my spies heard him calling you, and let me know you'd be here. That's when I called the other dons, to arrange this meeting. I know it seems untoward for me to spy on my own capo, but it's already been proven by Larami that you had personal spies planted within her own branch. It seems unlikely you wouldn't have others in every branch of InterGang. Which once again goes to show how little trust you have in us. That being the case, I can't help but wonder how we're expected to trust you."

"A valid point. And yet, it seems Larami's actions proved I was justified in taking precautions. Whether I'd had spies in her branch or not, she surely would have broken away from InterGang, and I never would have seen it coming."

"Did you, though? I believe you were expecting a coup, not a secession. Great deal of good your spies did you, in the end."

"Well, her own spies seem to have done a good job of rooting out mine. Kudos to her, I say. Meanwhile, your actions today make it seem I was perhaps justified in any doubts I may have had about your own loyalty."

"On the contrary, I have always been loyal, Amelia. I've never had people spy on you as a matter of course; I simply wanted to find you in order that we might conduct this meeting face to face out of a sense of courtesy. I could have made my proposal during a regular t-mail conference, or even gone behind your back. But I believed you deserved to hear what I have to say in person."

"Oh? And what is this proposal?"

"I'm calling for a vote of no confidence." The capo did not react to this, though there were gasps of surprise from the other dons, who hadn't been informed as to the exact purpose of the meeting. "If the majority vote to retain your leadership, I shall accept that, and reconfirm my loyalty to you, with my apologies. I'd even step down gracefully from my current position, if you chose to terminate my employment. On the other hand, if the majority votes for your removal from your position, I'd ask that you accept that decision just as gracefully."

"Have you any reasons for this proposal, other than the ones already stated?"

"To be frank, I'm not sure what you've ever truly contributed to InterGang. The idea behind forming inter-village gangs wasn't yours, it was Kizin Planner's. Nor did you represent a local gang of your own. When Larami and I first met you, we accepted you because Knight did, but neither of you ever explained why he did. And any dons who subsequently merged their gangs with us did so because Larami and I had accepted you. In the years since then, you've always seemed a competent leader, but that's all you've ever done. Lead. Any one of your dons has contributed more than you. Hell, you're not half the capo Capp Primus is, maybe that's why you were so willing to name your position after him."

Mysshroudedtery nodded. "I see. And do you have any recommendations for who should succeed me as capo?" With a wry grin she added, "For that matter, have you any recommendations for an alternate title?"

"At this point I suppose we might as well continue using the familiar terminology. As for who should be our new capo, I'd nominate don Zelcorner. It was he, after all, who came up with the idea of using the Business Management Regulation Act to gangs' advantage, and he who brought dons Des'Rosset and Kriek into the gang. If any one of us could be said to have contributed the most, it's probably him."

"Well, Rocher," the capo addressed don Zelcorner, "what are your thoughts on this nomination?"

"Quite unexpected. Honestly, I thought he'd nominate himself. Though until recently, I'd always assumed Larami was the heir apparent. I imagine we all did. Obviously that's impossible, now, but... me? I'm flattered, even if he probably just named me because he felt the vote would be more likely to go against you if it isn't seen as entirely self-serving on his part. But I don't feel prepared for such an honor. For now, I believe I would cast my vote to retain you as capo."

"And the rest of you?" Mysshroudedtery asked the other dons.

They all exchanged uncertain glances with one another, no one sure how to respond. But after a few moments, don Nicole Kriek of Triscot said, "Well... Seth makes some good points. However, as some of you may know, my brother was once apprenticed to Durell. He told me about some things Durell had made him to, that ultimately made him quit his job in a gang that would later join LandOrder. That was a couple of years before I joined InterGang. Anyway, I'm sure we all know that many of the Sorreters who originally joined gangs during the Coming did so specifically to get away from Sorret, to escape Durell's influence. He may have assigned them to gangs for his own purposes, but they agreed to be used that way in large part because they weren't comfortable living in the same village as him. My brother wasn't even comfortable letting Durell use him that way, and found a different reason to leave Sorret. And one of the things he told me was that Seth was working as an agent of Durell's. Well, if Sorreters didn't trust him, why would Seth? I'll tell you why: It's because Seth believed- and rightly so- that gangs would eventually turn against Durell, and the rest of the Planners. He told Durell that he could be useful as a spy within his gang. And now that we know he's also involved in this cabal thing-"

"Allegedly," said Seth.

"Whatever. It just seems like he's never really been on our side, but only ever used us for his own advancement. He's never trusted us any more than he says Amelia does, and I don't think he's given us any reason to trust him. Of course, there may still be some Sorreters, and other gangsters, who are on Durell's side without it being some kind of conspiracy, but we also know that he supports Demos. And I can't think of anyone else in any gang who feels that way, even if we've all been willing to use Demos to our advantage, until now."

Seth rolled his eyes. "Would you really prefer having Quinn Darkstrider in office? If you all hate Demos so much, you might as well close up shop right now. And as for the question of trust... yes, I admit to working for Durell. I let him use me, so I could use him. Just like, as you yourself said, we all used Demos by letting him use us. Did I hide my allegiance to Durell from you all? Perhaps. But I can tell you for a fact that Amelia has been aware of that allegiance for years, and she chose to keep it from you as well, because it suited her to do so. So are you really so willing to trust her? On top of that, just look how she treated don Hornpowder. Fired her for making a simple mistake, one based on Amelia's own unclear orders. Do you think she'd hesitate to do the same to any of us, under similar circumstances?"

"It may be that all you say is true," said don Marcel Gelataio of Olek, "but while I'm sure we'd all like to think of InterGang as one big, happy family... well, I have a family, and none of you are it. This is a business, and sometimes running a business requires tough decisions. Does management always make the right decisions? No. But they do the best they can. And with all due respect to everyone here, there's no one I trust more than Amelia to do what she believes is ultimately in the best interest of the group. Heck, the very fact that she didn't bring her own gang to the table when founding InterGang means she has no loyalties but InterGang. I'm willing to overlook the occasional misstep, if more often than not her leadership seems good. And you yourself called her a competent leader. I vote to keep her as capo."

"That's two votes in my favor," said Mysshroudedtery. "I'm sorry, Nicole, I wasn't sure of your vote?"

"Oh, I guess I vote for you."

"That's three," said Knight, "and I'm sure you can all guess how I'm voting."

"Four out of six," said Mysshroudedtery. "Sounds like I have my majority."

"For what it's worth," said don Des'Rosset, "you've got my vote, too."

"Thank you, Emannus, that's greatly appreciated."

"Very well," said Seth. "As promised, I accept the group's decision. So... do I still have a job?"

"I'll have to give that some thought. It may take me a few days to reach a final decision."

"Well," said don Kriek, "be sure to let us know what you decide. But I can't stick around that long, I've got work to do. Farewell, all." She touched her Sorreter's arm, and they disappeared. The other dons and Sorreters who had arrived with Seth followed suit, leaving Seth and his Sorreter behind with Amelia, T'Magus, Knight, and the Chaos.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," said Darius. "So, Manager, just out of curiosity... did you actually set in motion everything that's happened to us? And if so, why?"

Up until now, Seth and all his fellow dons had stood facing Amelia and T'Magus, who themselves stood between the dons and the Chaos. Now, Seth grinned and interposed himself between his capo and the Chaos. "Ah, Mr. Lonewander, I wish I could take credit for that. I suppose your friend Mr. Underground informed you of my rivalry with don Chieftain. That rivalry, as I'm sure Amelia knows, was always an affectation, on my part. There were times I knew I wouldn't want people questioning my true motives, so I invented the rivalry to explain some of my actions, even if it occasionally meant looking like a fool. Naturally, the actions in question were rare, in comparison to my everyday duties as don of my branch of InterGang. And since it would hardly do to have the rivalry only motivating my actions on rare occasions- the specific occasions I was trying not to draw attention to- it has often been necessary to let the faux rivalry dictate my regular decisions. Not always, of course, for it also wouldn't do to appear too foolish. But, as it happened, my urging Amelia to take an interest in your little adventure, before any of us even knew what you were up to, was just one of those random instances of my basing a decision on something Chieftain did. When we eventually learned you were plotting rebellion, I was as shocked as anyone. Ah well, happy accidents, eh?"

Mysshroudedtery said, "So... about those actions you were covering. I feel rather confident in saying they weren't all in the service of Durell. Surely some of them were on behalf of the Cabal. I may not be able to prove it, but I honestly don't believe any of the others doubt it. In fact, I doubt anyone in the world gives much credence to Demos's assertion that he's only guessing at your involvement. That being the case, can you think of any reason I shouldn't simply kill you?"

He turned to face her. "Hmmm... because my death would make Larami happy?"

The capo grinned in genuine appreciation of the joke. "Good point. But not good enough."

Seth sighed. "Listen, Amelia... even if I was in the Cabal, I wouldn't be free to admit it. But I promise you, as much as I've served myself over the years, I do care about the well-being of the people in my branch. And I believe their interests coincide with the interests of InterGang as a whole. Therefore, my attempt to force you out was because I honestly believed you'd recently made some unforgivable mistakes, which have obviously been to the detriment of the organization. Giving bittrickle to LandOrder, I could forgive... reluctantly. But under your leadership, we've lost three branches within a week, and as much as I dislike Larami personally, she's a good leader. And I'm sure she'll be a formidable enemy. It may be partly my fault she defected, but I'd say it's more your fault. I don't say all this to get you to forgive me for calling the vote today... I say it in the hope that you'll believe I feel a certain loyalty to InterGang, and that if I were in the Cabal, I'd have done my best to use that connection for the gang's benefit as much as the Cabal's."

Mysshroudedtery spent a few moments contemplating what he'd said. "Do you know, I believe you? And I suppose I can't really blame you. I actually feel a degree of remorse for this, but I have to fire you. To do less, I fear, would not sit well with the others. Perhaps I should let you live, at least." She turned now to Seth's Sorreter, whose own attention had been split between his don and T'Magus. "You, Sorreter, what do you think? Should he live?"

The Sorreter turned his attention upon the capo. "I... it is not for me to say. I am loyal to my don, but also to my capo- and to the First Sorreter," he added with a fleeting glance back at T'Magus. "And to InterGang as a whole. I would prefer that you let him live, but... I will accept whatever decision you make."

"Well said," replied the capo, "though it doesn't help me with my decision."

Seth fixed his gaze on the Sorreter. "Your service has been appreciated, Jareth. But you've already heard her fire me. Whatever else may happen here today, I am no longer your don. Please return home, now. There's no need for you to stay and watch."

Jareth held his gaze for a few moments before saying, "Good luck, my don. I mean... Mr. Manager." After another few moments, he vanished.

"That was good of you," said Mysshroudedtery. "However, in spite of whatever loyalty you feel to your people, whatever good you may have done for the gang, the fact remains that you have always put yourself first. There have been so many things I've overlooked, over the years, not because I liked you, but because you were useful. And I knew I couldn't justify keeping you around, if the others knew all that I knew about you. Yes, I knew you were in Durell's service, and I hid that knowledge. I knew your obsessive rivalry with Chieftain was a sham. I knew you had dealings with that magistrate, and that they were not directly related to InterGang. I knew that you used your spies to seek out the meeting place of the second Protestant Pilgrimage, and revealed that location to Durell, just to prove your continued value to him. I knew-"

Before the capo could say more, Ginger suddenly rushed toward Seth, grabbed him from behind, and pressed a dagger to his throat.

"What... the hell?" he managed to choke out.

"You're responsible for my father's death, you son of a bitch!"

"And your father was...?" His eyes widened as realization struck. "Oh. Right. Therman. Fair enough."

Without even thinking, she slit his throat. He put a hand to the cut, and collapsed. Ginger dropped the knife, stumbled backwards until she hit the wagon, then fell to the ground in shock.

Everyone turned to stare at her. Emma leapt down from the cockpit and ran to kneel beside Ginger and hug her. Ginger pushed her away and began sobbing. T'Magus checked on Seth, and pronounced him dead.

No one was quite sure what to say or do. After a couple of centhours, Ginger looked up and shouted "Tino!"

He suddenly appeared beside her, surveyed the scene, dropped to his knees, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What can I do?"

"Take me home," she said between sobs. And then they were gone.

Mysshroudedtery asked in much confusion, "Is he...?"

"Protestant Sorreter," said Darius. "But a pacifist, so he doesn't want to be with us when we do anything related to war, like confronting Demos, as we did earlier. I trust you won't tell anyone."

"Of course. And as for the girl, none of us will say a word about that, either. We can make the body disappear, and I'm sure everyone will assume I killed him. I simply won't correct them."

"Thank you."

T'Magus shared a glance with Cameron; they both knew how to tell a spirit's use of magic from that of a Sorreter, but the gangster's eyes said he wouldn't reveal the truth to anyone, not even his capo.

Mysshroudedtery said, "Mordechai? Take care of it." He touched Seth's body, and they both disappeared. A centhour later, T'Magus returned alone. The two gangsters looked at the remaining members of the Chaos, but could think of nothing to say. So, the capo merely clasped her First Sorreter's hand, and they translocated away.

Darius murmured, "She was right. Now and then, people can surprise you."

Emma looked up at him. "What?"

"Nothing. I just... thought she didn't blame others for her father's death."

"There's a big difference between soldiers doing what they see as their duty, and a gangster facilitating a battle that has nothing to do with him."

"I guess you're right."

"So now what do we do?" asked Tom.

"We go back to Triscot. She'll get in touch when she's ready. Until then, there's a war coming. We need to make sure we're ready for it. And we still need to figure out if there's any way to get Tiejo out of jail."

"But... what do we tell Vallus and your family about her absence?"

"As little as possible. They don't need to know anything that happened, after we left the palace. We'll just say Ginger left for personal reasons, and the rest of us came straight home."

Without another word, Darius climbed into the cockpit, and everyone else got in back. There was little talk during the flight home.

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