The Immortal of Degoskirke

by Michael Green

  “I’ve already thought of that, and no, only accredited speakers of house Archatian may take the stage.”

  Letty considered Dean. “Can we get Dean accredited? Can we get him on the stage to argue for Andy?”

  Blue’s ears perked up, but his eyes remained tentatively narrow, “How many Sici has he earned? We need ten of the damn coins, in hand, to have him accredited!”

  Letty shrugged and cringed all at once, remembering the Sici they traded in for currency the day before.

  Clang hopped from his chair. “I’ll wake them!” he said, heading to the basement.

  Loud and groggy complaining rose from up the stairs. Minutes later, Dean, followed by the Caspians entered the tavern.

  “Where’s Emma?” Letty asked.

  “She just rolled over when Clang prodded her,” Staza said.

  “Dean, how many of those Sici coins do you have?” Letty asked.

  “Why?” Dean asked, rummaging through his pockets.

  Letty explained the situation.

  “And you stole some from me?” Dean blustered, counting the coins in his hand.

  “We didn’t know it would come to this!” Blue replied.

  “Eight! I have eight coins!”

  “We need ten,” Blue muttered.

  Everyone winced.

  “I would have had—”

  “Shut it!” Letty interrupted. “We don’t have time for whining.” She caught a few askance looks, “Myself included. I’m ashamed of how I behaved yesterday, and it won’t happen again. But we need to move. Let’s get into the streets and get Dean on a stage somewhere. I’m sure he can earn a few more before the Quoratota starts at noon.”

  Dean guffawed, unbelieving.

  “Good plan,” Blue muttered, climbing up Letty’s shoulder.

  “I’ll join in too,” Quill said, snatching a Sici, “but I need at least one of these to start, or no one will argue with me.”

  Everyone looked to Letty for confirmation.

  “Fine, it’s a better use of your time,” Letty said.

  “The Teeth might find a few loose purses, eh Clang?” Blue asked.

  Clang grunted, catching Blue’s meaning. “More than a few,” Clang grumbled, strapping on a knife.

  “Yes, we might be able to convert regular coin back into Sici, if we need to.” Letty had a sudden doubt. She turned and faced Blue and Clang. “Why are you helping us?” she asked, plainly.

  Blue’s whiskers twitched wildly at the insinuation. “Why are you helping us, Miss?”

  Clang raised a hand. “Andy saved us from quick death, when most refuse us even speech. We return favors.”

  Letty nodded and looked over at Blue. “The boy is worth saving,” he said angrily. Letty and the Caspians all leaned in with speculative looks on their faces. “I’ve been with you for how long, and now you’re suspicious?”

  “It just occurred to me,” Letty said, a little embarrassed.

  “Martin said something, when we learned of Andy’s capture. He said the Teeth will never make it as mercenaries, that we needed someone just to follow if we were ever going to matter. You have to understand, an ychorite feels like he has no purpose without a master, a goblin feels like he has no place in the scape, and a builder like me knows that his people have failed. We decided to find Andy, hoping the search would give us purpose,” Blue said, crossing his thin arms.

  “I’m sorry for doubting you,” Letty said, turning to the door.

  “What about Emma?” Staza asked.

  “It’s Dean and Quill who are the better speakers. Emma can join us when she’s ready,” Letty said.

  They crammed a few hard biscuits into their mouths and prepared to hit the streets.

  Blue called out to everyone, “If you get separated, ask for directions to the Brazen Filibuster! This is our meeting point, and goblins will be here, should you need them!”

  Dean showed Letty the parcel of Elazene armor. Letty was about to ask everyone to wait until Blue gave her a shake of his head.

  “You can’t just go around town in that, it will upset the brutox,” Blue said.

  Letty ruffled at this, thinking, I’d like the armor in case of violence, but I see his point. We’re going out to win debates; the armor will make us look bad.

  “Fine,” she replied, “but we’ll keep our armor in our packs, in case of attack.”

  Blue conceded to that, and, bulky packs ready, they piled out of the door into the busy city.

  Dean mumbled, “The plan is for me to debate on stage, in front of the whole city, when I know nothing about the law.”

  “It isn’t what you say,” Quill retorted.

  Dean nodded, trying to control his trembling hands. “It’s how you say it.”

  The first parcel they found was dominated by a man in a dark suit of armor speaking to a crowd, not against an opponent.

  “The Overman is merely a word we use to describe the striving for higher potential. It is the terrible potential, within the few, to forcefully shed our city’s false pretenses, herd instincts, and embarrassing scraping to outmoded institutions. The Overman is a calling to change, so when the strike comes from without, we are stronger within! Yes, change is terrifying, but we must take that terror by the horns and become the thunder! We must strike, or ere long our people will become wholly alloyed with the status quo, with the paltry and suicidal status quo!”

  “This should be easy,” Dean said approaching the stage and showing his coins to an attendant.

  Quill spotted a pair of young upstarts loitering and looking for a fight.

  “Go, and be witty! Banter is the key; never let up, never get bogged down! It’s better to scoff and start anew if you can’t respond to an insult,” Blue advised, as Quill approached the toughs.

  “You there! Parley today?” Quill started, awkward and aggressive.

  “Staza,” Letty said, “support Quill!”

  Staza grinned at the toughs and sauntered over as a small crowd formed.

  Okay, so Staza and Quill are debating nearby, Dean is on the stage, and Clang and his goblins are robbing people. Letty had an uncomfortable feeling. I don’t like it, but we have no choice.

  Dean clambered onto the stage and his foe analyzed him from head to toe.

  That man thinks little of Dean.

  Dean cleared his throat and raised a hand. “What this man is saying is so vague and without purpose that I am surprised they even let him on the stage!”

  There was laughter at that. The mice in the stands took note.

  “The debate is on!” Blue cheered.

  The man in armor grinned at the jibe, and then turned his glance onto the audience. “Laugh, do you? You would make light of the specter that haunts every citizen of this city?” The man gestured out to the crowd. “Every person knows that certain words and ideas have been falsely imbued with threat, taboo, and extreme punishment. The institution that would ban a thing, also supports that thing by lending it mystique. This is foolish. You mock me out of caution, but I bet dearly,” he held up a Sici, “that you would not speak such dangerous words here, on this stage.”

  The crowd buzzed with fearful anticipation. They behaved as if Dean had just fallen into a trap. Dean simply looked confused.

  “What? Do you mean about the Argument and Counter?” Dean asked.

  The crowd gasped, and several people immediately turned from the stage, as if they hadn’t been listening.

  The man grimaced and tossed Dean the Sici.

  “Yes!” Letty cried. She refused to shrink at the dozens of glances that came her way.

  “You are bold, young man, or perhaps, quite ignorant. If the former, I hope to endear you to our own bold philosophy. We are Pioneers in an age of decadence! And what we seek is daring, fearless people like you to wield the hammer of reason against the past, which clings like a cancer to our sinking berg!”

  The rancor in the Pioneer’s voice won several cheers.

  “Again, is it just me, or
is this guy speaking like a magician? Mystical language and obscure goals serve nobody. The people of,” Dean paused to look at the sign hanging over the stage, “the people of Berrickvard deserve fact-based legislation, not pointless philosophizing! How will you govern? How will you deal with the other Archatians? Do the Pioneers have a single parcel to their name? Why are you wasting everyone’s time?”

  The crowd cheered for Dean.

  The Pioneer raised his hand to speak, but the audience had decided for Dean, and, moments later the mice in the box concurred.

  The Pioneer gladly handed over a second Sici as he leaned in to speak to Dean. “We do have answers to all those questions, but I see that I have a lot to learn about my presentation. My offer still stands, come and find us near the Warrens. With practice, a speaker like you could help break apart the old factions.” The Pioneer bowed to his foe and left the stage.

  Dean looked for another speaker to rise. He even glanced over to where Quill was having his debate, but none of the toughs dared approach the stage.

  Letty turned to Quill who was approaching her with a red face. “Twice a breech is just short!” he blustered. “How the hell does that count as wit?”

  Staza patted him on the shoulder. “Stick to poetry and speeches; debate is another animal,” she said.

  “Did you lose that Sici?” Blue yelled.

  Quill’s face flushed, his eyes fixed on a particular flagstone.

  “Damn! And Dean just made us two more!”

  Dean descended the stage and waved to someone in the crowd.

  Emma was there, escorted by a pair of goblins and rubbing her tired eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “We need one more.” Letty said, ignoring her friend.

  “Or money to convert!” Blue snapped, standing tall on his hind legs and looking for goblins in the crowd.

  “Money?” Emma asked, taking her backpack off.

  Everyone stood in silence as she rooted through her things.

  “Is this enough?” she asked, hefting a bag.

  She held it open for Blue to inspect.

  Blue’s eyes widened. “You have all this! Why didn’t you tell us?” he demanded.

  Emma leaned away from the loud mouse. “No one asked,” she replied.

  “How did you get this, Em?” Letty asked.

  Emma glanced at the women in the crowd. “There’s a pair,” she said.

  Letty looked and saw a pair of women wearing something akin to denim pants.

  “I don’t get it,” Letty said.

  “While you got to go on parade, they had me working with local designers. Apparently, the economy is suffering because lack of confidence or something, and outside innovation is needed to stimulate something—” Emma trailed off. “Either way, they loved my ideas.”

  Letty gawked in amazement. “They wanted you to design pants?”

  “Well look, that’s the third pair I’ve seen this morning,” Staza said, pointing at a local woman, who seemed to appreciate the attention the new fashion was affording her.

  Blue waved a coin angrily. “We don’t have time for this! We need to find a money changer!”

  Emma gave Letty the bag and they raced through the crowd, Blue calling directions as they went.

  “You, goblins! Get to Clang and call off the operation! Have all the Teeth meet us in the Panforum, concealed Teeth only!” Blue ordered.

  “Yes, mousy Sir!” the goblins said, before disappearing into the crowd.

  Concealed Teeth? Maybe he means disguises?

  Letty huffed under the weight of her pack and nearly crashed into a dozen surprised pedestrians. Blue’s backseat driving only made it worse.

  “Turn at that inn. No, the other inn!” he cried.

  They approached a familiar stand that featured a smaller, mouse-sized money changer’s stand nailed to one of its posts.

  “No refunds or returns!” the mouse sitting in the smaller stand said firmly, recognizing them.

  “Hold up the bag,” Blue ordered.

  Letty did.

  “Sici! One of them! Now!” Blue insisted.

  The accounting mice didn’t like the tone in his voice and were overwhelmed by the size of Letty’s group.

  The accounting mice quickly borrowed one Sici from their neighbor. “That will be fifteen seculons and ten ludma, please.”

  “Bloody hell!” Blue spat. “Pay the thief ten!”

  The ychorite at the neighboring stand started laughing.

  “Twelve, at least!” the accountant begged.

  “Fine, eleven it is.” Blue commanded.

  Letty opened the bag and quickly counted out the coins on the small stand.

  “I thought you weren’t a haggling bazaar mouse,” the accountant said to Blue, remembering their past meeting.

  “I’m not. I’m cheap and in a rush!”

  The ychorite laughed even harder at that, and Letty had to push it all out of her head as she finished counting out coins.

  “There!” Letty said, snatching the Sici. “Which way?” she yelled at Blue, who almost tugged on her ear to drive her.

  “Left, no! Down the avenue and then left! Yes, this way!” Blue said as Letty turned.

  They raced off again, slamming into people and apologizing as they went.

  “We need to go to the Archatian office in the Warrens. We can get Dean accredited there!”

  “I’m going to be dead before we get there—if we keep running!” Dean wheezed. “This city is huge!”

  Letty struggled through the next few blocks, thinking about how close they were to saving Andy.

  She suppressed a growl, shoving past a pair of brutox blocking the path.

  Letty came to a rail and looked down onto a cluster of rectangular open spaces filled with tables and chairs.

  “Which way?” she gasped.

  “The large building in the center of the Warrens,” Blue said, pointing.

  Letty turned down a set of stairs and led the way, wiping sweat off her brow.

  “Why did I insist that we carry our armor?” she muttered between breaths.

  There was a line outside the window at the larger building.

  “Initiates looking for acceptance in one of the larger factions,” Blue said.

  “We aren’t waiting in line,” Letty insisted.

  Letty walked past all the petitioners and held up her bag of gold. “A coin for every one of you to step aside!”

  They stood and stared. “Why?” one asked, almost haughtily.

  Letty felt the urge to reach for her Argument.

  Quill grabbed her arm. “Wait,” he pleaded. “Friends! We go to almost certain death! We intend to take the stage at the Quoratota and defend Caspian against the Exegesuits!”

  Jaws dropped and a few people within earshot turned and left, afraid of such dangerous speech.

  The line dissolved almost immediately, and few took their promised coins. A random pair of the petitioners approached.

  “God be with you,” one said.

  “In beauty there is truth. Today, I learned there is also fearlessness,” the second said to Letty.

  Emma and Staza scoffed while Dean and Quill whistled and laughed. The forward young man turned and left.

  Letty, a little red in the face, approached the window and grabbed Dean.

  “He has his ten Sici and needs to be accredited, immediately.”

  The man looked at Dean, the pile of Sici, Blue, and then Letty.

  “Fill out this form, please,” he said. “There will be a service fee of two silver ludma; union membership rates apply where applicable.”

  Letty tossed the man the coins and snatched the small slip. She read it over and saw that it asked what faction Dean would be joining.

  “He’s independent, not with a faction; does that matter?” Letty asked, filling in the form.

  “Well, usually it wouldn’t, but I overheard you. He can’t speak at the Quoratota unless one of the invited factions puts him on the stage.
”

  Letty stared at Blue, who tugged on a whisker.

  “Is he that good?” the man asked. “He looks a little young, under-seasoned. I’d recommend one of the academies. He looks like he favors the Greek.”

  Dean raised an eyebrow in annoyance, but everyone ignored the man and stared at Blue.

  “I made the acquaintance of one of the ranking Greeks; he spoke yesterday at the cathedral. He might be persuaded to let us on the stage. Keep that bag handy,” Blue said to Letty.

  The man handed Dean his chest-board. “Here is your complimentary badge of status. Feel free to clip your Sici here, or, whenever you join a faction, trade it in for the appropriate uniform.”

  The man barely finished before the chest-board was snatched up and the vexing group raced off for the Panforum.

  Chapter 12

  Together Before the End

  The litter bearers bore Andy into the plaza. Titus sat on his shoulder. The Exegesuits argued for almost an hour about the mouse, but no one dared put a hand in the cage to remove him.

  Andy took a heavy breath and prepared for screaming or crying, as he had heard yesterday, but the presence of Titus on his shoulder struck the crowd rather differently. The faces were still as the litter and hundreds of armored guardsmen marched through the city. The clamor of the plazas also dimmed to unnatural muteness as they passed.

  People from every faction removed their hats and watched the cage; whispers rose about the mouse who was unchained and on that shoulder willingly.

  Andy struggled to turn in his seat. The chains restrained him, but he caught a glance of the long procession following behind. Among the crowd he saw clubs in hands and impromptu armor, likely borrowed from the border painters he had seen on his first day, glinting under robes. He even saw cyclostones trailing along somberly in the sky, their propellers barely turning.

  “They come to support Caspian,” Titus said, earning a scornful glance from an already nervous guard.

  “Armed with clubs and wearing pots,” a guard sergeant, clad in gilded armor, replied. “Do not stir them any further. We do not want to hurt the people—certainly not over you.”

  Andy let his head sag. He stared down at his encased hands, remembering the sleepless night he had, arguing with Titus about resisting Ziesqe. The mouse had surrendered a few hours before dawn.