Chapter 60
26 Aut'mo'

1

The group of friends formerly known as the Chaos flew to First Village, arriving on We'ginday, 25 Aut'mo'. The next day, they'd be attending Quinn Darkstrider's inauguration, but first they had an evening to kill. They decided to see a movie at a bubble theater, a production of one of Tooblan's plays. They all felt a bit of trepidation about returning to the village, after their recent experiences there, so they thought it would be helpful to begin forming new, more pleasant memories. Unfortunately, not everyone enjoyed the movie quite as much as they'd hoped. Upon leaving the theater, they all began discussing the movie. When asked what he thought of it, Tom simply said, "I can't even."

It wasn't until the next morning, over breakfast at their inn, that Tom was able to articulate what exactly it was that he couldn't even. "Oh, on the whole it wasn't so bad. Generally, I liked the writing, the characters, and the acting. But... well, I know this is the first movie I've ever seen, so I have nothing to compare it to, but still... I think that must have been the worst ending ever. Like, in the history of the universe."

"Nah, not the universe," said Tino. "I don't know about Landian movies; about that you might be right. But the worst movie ending in the history of the universe would have to be 'City of Angels.'" He winked at Ginger.

She said, "You'll have to explain that to me, sometime. I'm getting awfully tired of never getting your alien references."

He nodded. "Will do."

"If you say there are worse endings," said Tom, "I'll just take your word for it. I don't even want to hear how any ending could be worse than that one."

"Well," said Darius, "I tend to agree with you. But you'll be happy to know I finally finished the book I've been reading, so I can lend it to you whenever you're ready."

"About damn time," said Tom. "How can it possibly take you so long to read one book? If I start it on the flight back to Triscot, I'll probably be finished by the time we get there."

"Oh... that brings up another question. I've been wondering... what everyone's planning to do after the inauguration. Of course I'll be going back to Triscot, at least for a while. But I didn't want to assume everyone else would be doing likewise."

"Actually," said Cameron, "I've been talking with Drag about plans to establish a new village on the south coast of First Land. I think my sister and I will both be involved in that, and I was hoping some of you might also want to take part, maybe help recruit some settlers from villages sympathetic to our cause. I mean, the cause of starting a new country."

"Sounds like fun," said Darius.

"Perhaps we can be talking to new king about this when we see him?" suggested Tiejo.

"Perhaps," said Darius. "Speaking of which, does anyone know what time it is? We don't want to be late."

Tom checked his pocket watch. "A little after Second One, local time."

"Good, so we've got almost two hours before our meeting."

"I suppose we're meant to be grateful that he's taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with us today. But seeing as he probably wouldn't even be assuming the throne without our help, I think it's rather ungrateful of him to have insisted on a private meeting, after telling us he won't be offering any public thanks or even acknowledgement of that help."

"Tom, Tom, Tom, I find it perfectly gracious of him. After all, in spite of our current celebrity status, it would hardly do for him to display approval of what we represent: the notion that people can plot rebellion and end up as heroes."

"If you say so. But he could have at least gotten us better seats for the show."

"There'll be a giant bubble-screen behind him displaying the ceremony in real time, so it's not like we'll fail to see or hear what's going on, no matter how far we may be from the stage."

Tom grumbled something unintelligible into his coffee mug, and thereafter concentrated on eating his scrambled eggs and bacon, so Darius assumed the subject had been dropped.

Later that morning, the group sat in the waiting room outside Mufasa Gothic's office at InterVil headquarters. Quinn Darkstrider had been sharing the office for the past few days, while making preparations for the inauguration, as well as considering who best might replace him as Tanq's police chief.

Shortly before their meeting was scheduled to begin, the door to the office opened, and a man, woman, and child filed out into the waiting room. Alec immediately stood up and exclaimed, "Stavros! I didn't expect to see you here. And Sevara... it's been a long time. You're looking well."

"Thank you," replied Stavros's wife. "It's good to see you again, Alec."

"Indeed." His gaze now turned to the boy standing between his two old friends. "And who might this young man be, then?"

"I'm Leopold. Are you the Alec my dad's told so many stories about?"

"I would hope so," Alec said, casting a sidelong glance at Stavros.

"The very same," said the colonel. "In fact, you should join us for supper, one night soon, Alec. It's high time you got to know Leo; if things had turned out differently, nine years ago, I expect he'd be calling you 'Uncle Alec.'"

"I'd be delighted. Both to dine with you all, and to become an honorary uncle. But tell me, what business did you have with Darkstrider? Or were you here to see Gothic?"

"No, it was the king-elect we were here to see. Just clearing up some last centhour details about our part in the ceremony."

Now Tom leapt from his seat. "What?! You're going to be part of that rigmarole? Up on stage? And we're not even going to get a mention? I don't get it, you're just as much a rebel as we were. More so, I'd say."

"No offense, but I'm afraid you're mistaken. I was always working to expose and weed out corruption within the system, but you all were planning to overturn the system itself."

Tom opened his mouth to object, but no words came. A few moments later he closed his mouth, nodded, and sat back down.

"Anyway," said Stavros, turning back to Alec, "I'll get in touch with you later to work out details of when we might get together."

"Oh... it occurs to me that I don't even know where you're staying, these days."

Sevara said, "Leo and I set up a temporary residence in Triscot, not long before Stav broke you all out of the pokey, this summer. Now that he's returned to us- and since it seems we won't be returning to Kimrin- it looks like that residence will become permanent. Although we might actually want to look for a bigger place."

Cameron asked, "Any interest in beachfront property?"

Sevara turned to him and said, "I didn't think there were any beaches in Triscot. You mean riverfront? Have you got a house on the market?"

Cameron grinned. "No, but I was thinking the three of you might like to help settle a new village. It would be a grand adventure, I promise you."

Leo looked up at his mom and said, "Ooh, can we? I've always wanted to be a real adventurer!"

"Uh... we'll talk. Later." She looked at Stavros with an expression he couldn't quite read, and in fact she herself wasn't sure how she felt about the idea.

Just then a buzzer sounded at the secretary's desk, and she announced, "They're ready for you, now. Please don't keep them waiting."

"Well, then," said Stavros, "I guess that's our cue to leave. Take care, Alec. And all of you."

"And you," said Alec.

"Bye, Uncle Alec!" Leopold said with a wave.

Alec smiled at him. "Bye, Leo."

As Stavros and his family exited the building, the former would-be rebels entered the office. They were greeted cordially by both King-elect Darkstrider and Commissioner Gothic.

The first thing Darius said was, "Mr. Darkstrider, I was surprised to learn you were working out of InterVil, rather than the palace. I know you're not king yet, but I'd heard that the World Council named you monarch pro tem after Demos was impeached, so that we'd have someone in charge until you could be officially sworn in."

"True, but I'm still technically Chief of Police in Tanq. A special election will need to be held there to find a replacement for me, but until then, I can't ignore my duties to my village, even if I'm in absentia. Normally I'd let Tanq's InterVil liaison step in until a new chief could be elected, but I'm afraid I recently fired Callum Monogwrangle, whom I believe you've met. So Mufasa and I, and my deputy chiefs, have also been working to select a replacement for him. And since I've had to work so closely with Mufasa, it just made sense to share his office."

Ginger asked, "Wouldn't it have made more sense for there to be an election for police chief on Election Day, since you knew that you'd have to resign if you won the federal election?"

"Normally, yes. But the truth is, I didn't want to resign my position because I had absolutely no expectation of winning. In fact, the only reason I entered the election in the first place was so I'd have an excuse to travel to First Village, as part of my investigation of Lucrezia Nearwright. It never occurred to me that the outcome of that investigation would boost my popularity so much that I'd actually win. And even when I did, I was seriously considering turning down the monarchy, as awkward as that would have been. But once I learned about the Cabal, and Demos's involvement with it, I realized that the world deserved a better king than him, so I figured I might as well give it a shot. Besides which, the fact that my investigation of Magistrate Nearwright and her involvement with Seth Manager and InterGang never led me to uncover their involvement with the Cabal, let alone its very existence, made me question my own competence as a detective. Sure, I proved she was guilty of certain crimes, but damn... talk about missing the forest for the trees."

There were a few chuckles from the group. Then Darius said, "But if you didn't think you deserved to be a police chief anymore, wouldn't that make you question your qualification to be king?"

"Well, I figured, how hard could the job be? After all, Demos did it for eight years. And it should be easier for me, because I won't be spending half my time covering up secret machinations."

"There is that," said Darius. "But now, I wonder why you've called us here?"

Darkstrider paused, briefly, then sighed. "Well... as I mentioned the other day, I can't offer you any official thanks for all that you've done, but I did feel it only right to convey my personal thanks. I'm still having trouble making sense of all that's happened, over the last several months, and especially since the election. And I'm still not sure whether Marshal Primus would have lost against the Cabal, without your help... or even whether he would have won with your help, if Middlebury and Portman hadn't suddenly turned against the Cabal. Honestly, it's not like we won the war, so much as the game was called on account of rain. But at least it seems likely that without your intervention, Demos would have won the election, thereby giving the Cabal four more years to build their power. And it's possible the Cabal's existence wouldn't have been exposed, though I did have to ask Colonel Supprus why, if he knew all along that Woodman was illegally holding Vallus prisoner, he didn't simply come forward with that information years ago."

"Well, why didn't he?" asked Darius, suddenly surprised he'd never thought to wonder about that, himself.

"It's... complicated. The short answer is, before anyone could have possibly done anything about it, Woodman could have found out about it, killed Vallus, and eliminated any evidence that he hadn't died nine years ago, as everyone thought. Also, if Woodman found out it was Supprus who'd tried to expose him, it would have put Supprus's family in danger. But there were other considerations, which would take too long to go into, here and now."

"But didn't Woodman know he was trying to prove the Cabal's existence? Wouldn't that have put Stavros's family in danger, anyway?"

"Not as long as Woodman had no reason to believe Supprus was close to proving anything. To have taken action against Supprus prematurely would have been a greater risk, especially since he knew that Primus knew of Supprus's suspicions. But this is all a side issue. The point I was getting to is I don't actually know how much help you've been to me, and to the world, but you've surely been of some kind of help. Even if that help was the accidental result of attempted treason, on your part."

"You know we'd abandoned that plan before we were even captured by Woodman."

"Yes, but I can't condone anyone forming such plans in the first place." He sighed again. "But that's a moot point, now. I am grateful for your help, however it came about. And I believe you're right about one thing: no one had much choice in the establishment of the Second Order. By the time most people even had any inkling of what was happening, it was virtually a fait accompli. Which is why I'm going to allow your secession referendum to appear on the ballot in next year's election. I hope it will come to nothing, but if any villages do vote to secede, I intend to respect that. In the meantime, I expect you to respect that for now, every village is still a part of the Second Order. Colonel Supprus's regiment, as I'm sure you've already heard, is in the process of relocating from Kimrin to Triscot. Marshal Primus has agreed to honorably discharge them from the Army, and Supprus has promised me that they will respect the authority of the World Council, to which your village is still subject."

"I agree completely," said Darius.

"Good. But you need to understand that this referendum is a one time deal. If every village votes to remain in the Second Order, you will never again publicly encourage secession or incite rebellion."

"Again, I agree. However, in the future, whenever a new village is founded, it cannot be automatically assumed to be part of the Second Order. It may vote to join this country, or to be independent, or to join any new country that may be established."

"I don't have a problem with that. In fact, I should rephrase something I said before: I don't quite hope the referendum will come to nothing. As much as I dislike the idea of the country being divided, I can see some benefit in the Land's having more than one country. It will make it that much more difficult for groups like the Cabal to gain control of the entire world. And even without such secret societies, it would still be possible for unscrupulous individuals to gain power in the government, and lead the world in directions detrimental to the majority of the populace. And even if that doesn't happen, there will always be some people who agree with the Second Order's policies, and some who disagree. It wouldn't hurt for them to have other options on where to live. Though I admit there might be reasons they'd rather stay where they are than move to a different country that's more in line with how they feel. They might still love their home, their village, their community. Or they might just not be able to afford to move. Life, I'm afraid, is not always fair. But it would be even more unfair if other options didn't even exist. Unfair to individuals, as well as to villages as a whole. If you do start a new country, I hope that our two countries may start out on good terms, be allies. But I also hope you'll be able to help keep this country in check, if it ever again goes astray, under the leadership of another Demos Royal."

Darius nodded. "I couldn't agree more. And may I say, I don't think I've ever heard of a politician as fair and reasonable as you."

"Probably because I'm not a politician. I rather doubt I'll run again in 916, but I hope to at least set a good example for whoever does."

"I have every confidence in you. And if we do end up stuck in the Second Order forever, I'll be proud to call you my king."

"Thanks," said Darkstrider with a wry grin. "I can't tell you how much that means to me." In a more serious vein, he added, "But bear in mind that in spite of your best intentions, your own country, or independent villages, could just as easily become corrupted as this one did. So we'll be ready to keep you in check just as surely as you keep us in check."

"I am getting really bored with saying 'I agree,' but you leave me no choice, if you just keep saying such reasonable things."

"Um... sorry?"

"Aha! Finally we disagree on something! You have no reason to be sorry."

Tom groaned. "You know what, if any villages do secede, I might just stay in a Second Order village. Darius is a good lad, but I don't think I'd be comfortable living in any country where he was king. Or triumvir, or whatever he ends up calling himself."

Darius said, "Oh, don't worry, I haven't decided I even want to run for office. I'm not sure I'd want to live in any country that would have me as its leader, either."

"Anyway," said Darkstrider, "aside from offering all of you my thanks, there were a few other matters I wanted to discuss. For one, I wanted to issue an apology to Vallus for his years in captivity. I'm a bit surprised he didn't join you."

"Avoiding politics, he wanted to be, at least for now," said Tiejo. "And sleeping in bed, too. A stone floor he had for years, and no pillow or blankets. Soon after that, there was war, which better accommodations than the dungeon was having, but not by so much. Didn't want to spend a couple of days flying in wagon, when staying home he could be. And... suspecting he is that there are more peoples yet loyal to Cabal in First Village than Triscot. Dangerous place for him, this may be. Also, hmmm, we all were thinking too soon it might be to return, after all the bloodshedding here. But most of us were having happier memories of village from our travels in years before the war. And obligation we were feeling to see the outcome of our efforts. But his congratulations he asked me to convey to you."

Darkstrider smiled, just for a moment. "Well, I appreciate that. I trust you'll convey my apologies to him, then?"

Tiejo shook his head. "No need, there is being. The bad was not yours. The only apology he might be wanting is from Woodman, and that he obviously won't be getting."

"True, I'm sure Woodman wouldn't apologize if his life depended on it. But at least Vallus might visit him in prison, sometime. I expect that would be fun."

Tiejo grinned, "Yes, fun for all of us, it would being. But especially for my master."

Commissioner Gothic cleared his throat and said, "You mentioned that there might still be Cabalists in First Village, and that's another matter we wanted to discuss. Darkstrider and I have been talking with Middlebury and Portman about the Cabal, but unfortunately they are aware of very few people who were actually members of the group. In fact, the only person of any significance whom they were able to name, at least that we weren't already sure of, was Major Shirona Monogwrangle, who was their primary operative in Colonel Supprus's regiment. She's already been arrested, but so far she's not talking. Nor are any of the few other Cabalists we've arrested. So, we're going to need to hunt down the rest of them any way we can, and we were hoping you all might be able to help with that."

"I'd love to," said Darius, "but I'm afraid I can't imagine what we could do."

Gothic said, "Until shortly before the war, the Second Order's spy network was run by Macen Illustri. But as far as I've been able to ascertain, no one in the government or the police had any idea that he was a member of the Cabal. Which makes sense, considering no one even knew the Cabal existed. Illustri was technically an employee of General Middlebury, though he reported more often to Colonel Woodman. I've had Middlebury reach out to what few members of the network he knew of, to inquire about retaining their services as part of a new bureau that Darkstrider intends to create, under the direction of Congress. We were hoping they could help us root out the Cabalists, but they seem understandably wary of working for the government, directly. And so-"

"Wait, if they worked for Macen and he was a Cabalist, then weren't they all Cabalists?" asked Darius.

"Not actually. Their loyalty was to Illustri alone; their group seems to have been something of a cult of personality. Apparently, none of them hold any sort of unifying ideology, beyond their mutual respect for him. Now that he's gone, it's not even clear that the group will remain a group. They all had regular jobs, which may now become their sole focus. In any event, what we wanted to ask was if you all might be able to help get our new bureau started. Obviously, if you get your own country going, you'll likely want your own spy network, but as we've already agreed that our two countries would start out on friendly terms, and as we share a common goal vis-à-vis the Cabal, I don't see why you wouldn't help. So, to begin with, I was thinking you could reach out to any of the LandOrder spies you may have worked with, during your brief association with that gang. And Mr. Piper, I understand you yourself are a spy for the ex-Sorreters, so I thought you could reach out to your allies, there."

Cameron said, "I could certainly mention it to Bishop Drag."

Darius added, "And I could call-" he paused for a moment, unsure if he should reveal Jasp's name, but quickly remembered that Agent Monogwrangle had known Jasp was with them, so Gothic must know that, too. "Jasp. I've heard he's thinking of leaving LandOrder, anyway. As such, I think he's the first person I'd want to join our own spy network, if and when we establish one. But as you say, we have a common interest. In fact, considering the Cabal's ties to InterGang, I should think LandOrder would share that interest."

"Thank you," said Gothic.

"Yes, thank you," said Darkstrider. "Now, I'm sure one of us will be in contact with you in the future, to arrange specific details. Meanwhile, I do have more preparations to make for tonight's events, so we'll have to wrap this meeting up. But first, there's one final matter I wanted to discuss." Turning to Tiejo, he said, "I must say, I had mixed feelings when I heard how many 'rats joined the fight against the Cabal, in the war. I actually didn't think there were so many homeless people. I mean, I had a rough idea about those in Tanq, and I was aware the numbers had risen since the Coming, which is something I hope my administration will be able to correct. I'm glad your people had the numbers to help turn the tide, at least in the Battle of First Village, but then again, it's not like it was just 'rats who fought on our side. Many middle class civilians did as well." He turned to Ginger. "And a heartfelt thank you, for that, Ms. Protestant."

She smiled. "Happy to help."

Turning back to Tiejo, Darkstrider continued, "Anyway, I'd like to work with you on fixing the problem of homelessness in this country, and in every village regardless of whatever political borders may end up being drawn, after next year's referendum. Everyone deserves to have a good job and a home, and I intend to do whatever I can to make that happen. In fact, I've already been thinking that helping 'rats relocate to new villages would be a good way of doing that. Surely new villages will mean new job opportunities."

"Sounding good to me, it does," said Tiejo. "Glad I will be to help in any way I can. And several people I am knowing who may help me to help you. Early and bright tomorrow, I shall start making t-mail calls, to those who are having t-mail, and scampering all about to talking to those who don't."

"Excellent! I'll be in touch. And now... I thank you all again, and bid you good day. Sorry to conclude so abruptly, but-"

"Understood," said Darius. "And congratulations again, your majesty." He grinned a lopsided grin, and made a slight bow and flourish, before turning and leading his friends out of the office.

2

Third Three News normally staggered its broadcasts to air at its namesake hour in each village, but it broadcast the inauguration live to the entire world at Third Three, First Village time. The event began solemnly, with Chief Magistrate Justicar making a brief introductory speech, before administering the oath of office. Once he'd been sworn in, King Darkstrider made statements of thanks to a number of people who joined him on stage, including Marshal Poss Primus, Colonel Stavros Supprus, and Colonel Montgomery Orthodox. He added "...and thanks to all the thousands of others who helped make this day possible, many of whom gave their lives to ensure justice, transparency in government, and freedom for all." (Tom muttered, "I guess that includes us. Fine, I'll take it.")

Once his guests had all returned to their seats, the king began his inaugural address. "Half a year ago, if you'd told me I'd be standing here today, I'd have had a jolly good laugh." The audience laughed at that. "It was about that time that our last king inaugurated the PA system. He spoke of how excessive it seemed to have so many men and women serving in the armed forces, when there was so little likelihood of our ever having another war. About five percent of the world's population, he said. But recent events have, tragically, decreased the number not only of the Land's soldiers and sailors, but also of civilians, by several thousands. The exact death count remains uncertain, but it is believed that at least eighty-six hundred lives were lost, which amounts to nearly two percent of the world's population." He paused to let that statistic sink in.

After a centhour, he said, "I was advised not to bring that point up, because such a sobering fact wouldn't make a very good lead-in to the upbeat festivities that will be following this address. I fired that adviser for saying so, but I admit he had a point. So I'd like to take a moment to apologize to the very entertaining band that will be playing a song they've written just for this occasion, immediately after I finish speaking. I'll try to make some more positive points, before you guys come on. But there is no way in hell I was going to fail to acknowledge the sacrifice that was made by people on both sides of the conflict. Whichever side any of them fought on, they all- or almost all- believed in their hearts that they were in the right. I salute them all, and mourn their loss. In their honor, I shall strive to do the best job I can as your king. It will take awhile before I have a clear idea of everything that will entail, but I've already got a few ideas. Certainly, I can assure you that there will be no cutbacks in the military, since it is clear that we need one. I desperately hope our world will never again see another war, especially in my lifetime. But we must be prepared.

"We must also take greater care to ensure that a threat to our freedom, such as the Cabal, never again gains control of the military, or of the government. I shall be working closely with Marshal Primus to overhaul the training received by all members of the military, so that they'll have a greater aptitude for judging when they should follow orders without hesitation, and when to question them. This is a complicated issue, because not everyone will always agree on whether particular orders make sense, and may question orders that should be obeyed. The changes we introduce should not invite anarchy, but merely ensure that those who serve do not act as mindless automatons. It's a fine line, but Primus and I, along with others, shall make every effort to strike the proper balance.

"We want to be sure, too, that one does not enter into public service, be it the military, the police, the government, or the court system, unless they are driven by a strong desire to uphold the values of the country and its people. It's true that not everyone will hold the same exact set of values, and of course we all have a right to hold and to express our own opinions. But the will of a person is not the will of a people, and positions of authority do not exist to serve the will of a person, but to serve the collective will of the whole. That will shall be determined by the democratic processes that have always governed the people of the Land, and which were codified by the establishment of the court system thirteen years ago and of the World Council eight years ago. We recognize that the will of the people may evolve over time, but our devotion to the fair determining and defense of their will must never waver. Those who enter into positions of authority must understand that their positions demand a fervent devotion to the well-being of the people, and must unfailingly subordinate their own wills to the will of the people. Indeed, they must even be willing, should it ever become necessary, to sacrifice their lives in the service of the people, and of the truth.

"This doesn't simply mean fighting in a war, but rather it means we must all of us be ready to speak up when we see something that seems wrong. I cannot help but wonder how many people, over the years, have carried out the orders of their superiors, even when they could not see the sense or the justice in those orders. How could this happen? I can only believe it was fear, whether fear of losing their jobs, their freedom, or their very lives. This especially became a problem during the weeks between this past Election Day and the start of the war; we all felt a great paranoia, not knowing who might be a member of the Cabal. I do not wish to invite further paranoia, further fear, but I say that we must all be willing to face such fears, at all times. Most especially, those who serve the people, in whatever capacity, must be so willing. I shall rule for the next four years, not because I am greater than any other citizen, or because my will is more important, but because I am a citizen. I have no interest in being king for life, or of creating a dynasty. I have served the people of Tanq for eleven years as a police, and for three years as its Chief of Police. I have never been afraid to put my life on the line in the service of the law, and I'm not going to change how I serve now." He paused a moment, and allowed himself a small grin. "I admit, I may face mortal peril less often as king, and I worry that my life may become a bit more sedentary than I'm used to. But I shall never stop serving the law and the will of the people. And my top priority will be ensuring that no one attempts to wield more power than that which they've been duly granted by the people they represent. However, I cannot do that alone. In order to maintain true freedom for all, all must be vigilant."

He paused again, and took a drink of water. As he replaced his glass on the lectern in front of him, a grin once again played on his lips. "You'll notice I didn't say 'vigilantes'," and there was tittering from the audience. "Demos expressed concerns that my plans for the police to work with the Syndicate would invite vigilantism, but I am pleased to report that in my own village, and others where such plans have already been implemented to some degree, the integration has gone more smoothly, so far, than even I could have hoped. I have worked closely with Police Commissioner Mufasa Gothic on this and other matters, and we shall continue to work on implementing this cooperation between police and Syndicate throughout the Land's villages. I am confident that, using the same sort of training Marshal Primus will be implementing within the military, both the police and citizen watch groups like the Syndicate will hold themselves to a high standard of accountability. Of course, they will not simply be self-regulating, but there will be oversight committees ensuring that anyone in a position of authority- including members of the World Council, and even myself- will not be allowed to hold themselves above the law. Again, this will require vigilance and courage from all citizens.

"But I reiterate that there is no need for paranoia. I truly believe that we are living on one of the greatest worlds in the universe, and that Landians are, by and large, the nicest, most honest and reasonable people in the universe. Or so I've heard. So, if I'm to make one edict today, as my first official act as king, it would be to suggest you all enjoy your world, and respect and enjoy each other. There... as promised, I made some positive points. So, without further ado, I give you... Serengeti, performing their original song, 'It's Just So Great To Be King.' ...And I certainly hope it will be."

He returned to his seat, between Mufasa Gothic and Thomas Justicar. A few centhours into the song, he leaned toward Gothic and asked, "What do you think of them? Personally, I prefer Baroque."

"Me too. But this sounds like something my son would love."

"Maybe it's a generational thing."

Gothic turned to stare at the king and said, "My son's a few years older than you, you know."

"Oh. Right. Well, maybe I'm just an old soul..."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the back of the crowd, Tom grumbled about the noise the band was making. Tiejo said, "Not to worrying! The program says soon the Royal Orchestra will be playing. I'm sure you'll liking them much better. And I've been waiting lots of time to hearing them play, myself. Almost heard at the rally, but then had business to conduct instead. Disappointing it was, so excited I now am!"

Tom glanced at his own program. "Gotta be better than this. But I wonder what this 'special surprise' they have listed here is going to be."

Just then, the song ended, and the audience burst into applause. Darius jumped to his feet as he clapped, as did Alec, Ginger, Cameron, Emma, and Tino. Soon the whole audience were on their feet... with a few exceptions. When they sat back down, Emma turned to Tom and said, "I can't believe you didn't like that! It was awesome!"

"If you say so."

It wasn't long before an announcement was made about the piece the orchestra was about to play. The emcee said it was a composition from Earth, which had been suggested by a spirit for this occasion, though he didn't name the spirit. A few centhours after the music began, the surprise mentioned in the program took everyone very much by surprise. In fact, there was a certain degree of panic in the audience, despite the fact that the emcee had specifically said, "When the surprise comes, don't panic." But the panic didn't last long, and soon everyone stared up in rapt amazement at the bursting showers of multi-colored sparks, high overhead.

Tino exclaimed, "Sweet! Fireworks! About time someone on this planet invented them."

Ginger leaned in close to Tino and said, "They're transcendent!"

"Gorgeous!" exclaimed Emma.

"Magical," said Cameron, without a trace of irony.

"Extraordinary," said Alec.

"Not bad," said Tom. Emma punched him lightly on the arm, and he amended, "I mean, awesome."

"They're... the most bestest thing... Tiejo has ever seen!" breathed Tiejo.

Darius stared in wonder at the spectacle, and searched for his own description. Finally he said, "The only words that come to mind are 'ooh' and 'aah'." Tino chuckled at that.

The display was visible throughout the village, and of course bubble-speakers throughout the village carried the music of the orchestra. In one sparsely peopled street, two figures, both wearing glamours, looked up at the sky, just like everyone else. One of them said, "Zeke would have loved this. Pyromaniac, pyrotechnics, what could be a better fit? Shame he couldn't be here."

"Indeed," said his companion. "But it's already past twilight, so you mustn't stay, either."

"It's alright, I've stored up enough energy for a few more centhours. Besides, no need to hurry, when I can be on the other side of the world in an instant."

"True." After a while, he turned his gaze reluctantly from the sky, to look instead at a nearby bubble-speaker. "I'm going to miss having my own private orchestra. It seems they intend to keep my name, though." With a chuckle he added, "Perhaps I should sue."

His friend laughed heartily at that; his laughter filled the deepening darkness. He was still laughing when he appeared in a faraway sunlit field.


chapter 61

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