“Slavery, huh?” Carmaks interjected.
“Well, it just so happened that shortly after arriving on Lamania, I found myself in the middle of an incident which provided proof that at least some Vultairians have taken to buying children from a known slave trader. Maryse was not amused, shall we say. Right now she is busy doing everything she can to get an Official Investigative Team onto Vultaire to look into the matter; when I last spoke with her, she hoped to have one here in less than six months.”
Carmaks shook his head.
“The Team won’t find anything. I know my Exalted compatriots, Kati. They’re very good at hiding stuff, misleading investigators, and putting on innocent faces while they’re actually guilty as hell.”
“Right,” said Kati. “Maryse knows that. And that is where my Team and I come in. You see, we’re the Unofficial Investigative Team, and it’s our mandate to find proof of slavery’s existence on Vultaire, and then present our findings to the Official Team when it arrives.”
“Well, well!” Carmaks let his fork clatter onto his plate, a piece of meat still speared on it. “An Unofficial Investigative Team, is it?”
Kati smiled.
“We’re supposed to report on two things,” she said. “One, the treatment of the Klensers. There are rumours aplenty, on Lamania, at least, that the Klensers are, in effect, slaves; owned by the Vultairian Government, but slaves nevertheless. Two, we’re to procure proof that Vultairians have been importing off-world slaves. I have a personal stake in the second matter, since I found my way to Lamania after escaping from a slave ship which had snatched me from my home world.”
“I have heard members of the Four Hundred boast that there is no way that the bodies that they have been buying can be traced to their home worlds, and, therefore, it is not possible to prove that they are slaves,” Carmaks said slowly.
“If they have been purchasing their questionable merchandise from the Slaver Gorsh, there’s a good chance that I can identify at least some of them as slaves,” Kati replied firmly. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m on the Unofficial Team.”
Hector Carmaks grinned.
“I suspect that there are a handful of other reasons, too. Didn’t one of your Team members mention ‘grace under pressure’?”
“I learned a lot from someone who became a very good friend during our escape from the slave ship,” Kati responded, suddenly aching because Mikal was so far away.
But she had no time for heartaches. She schooled her face into calm and continued:
“My Team is responsible for making a case which will not only convince the Official Investigative Team, but can be used to persuade the Federation Government to take action against an old, established Member. It won’t be an easy sell, but it is a necessary one—Vultaire is on the road to disaster if it stays the course it’s travelling. In fact, having seen what I have, I’m a little surprised that the population hasn’t already risen up in open rebellion.”
“My Exalted colleagues are very good at fomenting disarray and mistrust among the Ordinary Citizens,” Carmaks said with a shake of his head.
“So I have been told.”
Kati smiled.
“So can I count on you to help us?” she asked.
“My wife, Marina, and I will both help as much as we can,” Hector answered immediately. “Marina is much more familiar with the intrigues in the Capital City than I am, so we’ll get her to tell you what to expect there, and where to poke your nose.
“Wait. Your Troupe will have to stop at the Underground Base, southeast of here. That’s where you’ll have to drop off your Klenser boy and his sister. The government knows, I believe, that a Rebel Base exists, but they have no idea where it is located. Jorun, the Base Leader, is an excellent fellow, and has succeeded in bringing together people who would never have cooperated with one another without his influence. He has also been collecting information about the doings of the Oligarchs—I put that bug into his ear by telling him that it might be possible to influence the Federation law-enforcing bodies, if we could get together enough hard facts about the breaking of Federation laws. He will be delighted to see you, and will no doubt join the fans of this Maryse r’ma Darien.”
He pushed aside his empty plate, and poured more wine into their goblets.
“Look, I will consult with Marina, and she and I will make plans to meet with you and your Team. We’ll work things out then.”
*****
“So Kati, do you trust that particular peacock?” Joaley asked when the Troupe members had gathered again at the Inn.
They were in the guys’ room. Zass was lying on the bed assigned to him, but his eyes were half-open, and Kati was certain that he was following every word. Joaley and Lank were seated on Lank’s bed; Lank at the head, leaning against the wall, and Joaley at the foot, cross-legged. Rakil sat on his own bed, looking laconic and loose-jointed, next to Mathilde who had copied Joaley’s cross-legged stance. Kati had elected to slump on the floor, on a large throw rug. Hers was a semi-central position that allowed her to see everyone, without craning her neck too much.
“Yeah, I do, with caveats,” she answered. “Granda took his measure, and pronounced him honest, but not a pillar of strength. I have a sneaking suspicion that his wife, Marina, is the scrapper of that pairing, and may be of more use to us. But Hector Carmaks is genuinely appalled at what he sees going on among his Oligarchic compatriots, and wants change.
“He wants us to drop off Mathilde and Zass—” she nodded to Mathilde, “—at the Underground Base. Zass should be safe there until all hell breaks loose, and maybe even then. It’s a Rebel Headquarters, and they’re already sheltering a few Klensers there.”
“We may not have another option,” Rakil said. “If we leave you and your brother here, in Ithcar, Mathilde, Carmaks may not be able to help Zass, especially if he’s not ‘a pillar of strength’.”
“It did look, this morning, like the Warrions have decided to make a case out of us,” Mathilde said a bit shakily. “I had the feeling that if you hadn’t pulled Federation rank, Kati, he would have dragged Zass off right then and there, and none of us, including Exalted Carmaks, could have stopped him.”
“Carmaks wants to be called Hector,” Kati told Mathilde. “The term ‘Exalted’ seems to give him the creeps. I think that he has seen some Exalted goings-on and his tastes don’t run in that direction. And if what I sensed when I helped to heal Kerris on Lamania is any indication of what’s been going on among the Exalted, I can’t blame him.”
She shuddered.
“So, we’ll do a couple of shows, at least, here in Carmakville, before we announce that we’re heading for the Capital City,” Lank said, changing the unpleasant topic. “We’ll let everyone know that we’re travelling slowly, stopping here and there to put on shows in the smaller centres. Then we’ll stop at this Underground Base, going there from the town nearest to it, and with any luck at all, the Warrions and their ilk won’t notice that we’ve disappeared off the face of the planet for a couple of nights, or so. That’s the plan, right?”
“More or less,” Kati agreed. “I think we’ll have to limit our shows here to two, and head for the Base fairly directly, while talking about taking our time. I want to be well away from that Base before the Warrions tackle us again.
“Oh, and we’ll be meeting with Hector and Marina to do some planning. It occurred to me on the way to the Inn that we should ask them if they know a rhyele-player who might come along with us as a replacement for Mathilde.”
“Isn’t Carmaks worried that the Warrions will turn his province upside down looking for Zass?” Rakil asked. “I mean, once he and Mathilde have disappeared, and they’re obviously not with us.”
“I asked him about that before we parted, and he laughed,” Kati replied. “Marina will insist on going along on any search, he said, and if Warrion tries to use his goons to intimidate the provincials, she’ll tear strips off him. He figures that whichever Warrion comes arou
nd won’t stay long; since Marina is Exalted by birth as well as marriage, he’ll have to show her respect, no matter what. She’s apparently one to take merciless advantage of that.”
“Sounds like Lady Carmaks is worth knowing,” Rakil opined. “My Tree Family Aunts would approve of her.”
“You’ll get to meet her tonight,” Kati promised. “She’s bringing their three children to see our show. And apparently she may be having us over for breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“Hopefully not too early,” Joaley muttered. “I wouldn’t mind an opportunity to sleep in.”
*****
“So, Zass, did you listen to our talk?” Kati asked the Klenser boy on her way out of the room.
Joaley and Mathilde had already left; Kati had lagged behind them.
Zass opened his eyes and grinned.
“I heard every word,” he said.
“What is it that you do when it looks to the rest of us like you’re in a trance?” it occurred to Kati to ask.
She stopped her progress towards the door to listen for the answer, and noted that Rakil and Lank, too, were paying close attention.
“I’m listening to—and feeling—the heartbeat of the world,” Zass replied simply.
“You can hear and feel the planet’s heartbeat?” Kati queried, astonished.
“Sure. Can’t you?” The boy was staring at her, amazed in his turn. “I guess I just assumed that everybody could.”
Kati thought for a moment.
“It’s probably a Klenser trait,” she said. “You’re probably much more sensitive to the physical body of the world than the rest of us. What does it sound and feel like?”
“It’s a beat, a heartbeat.” Zass groped for words. “Sort of like the sound the drums make when we play them—but different. It can kind of draw you into itself and get you to forget everything else, but the world doesn’t mean to do that. I mean that it doesn’t mind that I stay separate from it, so as to seem more normal, and to make music. It likes me playing the drums, and singing; the heartbeat can weave itself around the music we make and make it sound better.”
Kati sat down on the edge of the nearest bed. She was flabbergasted; hadn’t anyone else thought to wonder about this, and to ask a Klenser a simple question? It did not seem possible to her that no-one had.
“You’re saying that what you hear is not what I hear,” she said slowly. “The music that we make is different in your ears than it is in mine, or Rakil’s, or Lank’s.”
“I guess,” Zass said. “I don’t really know because I only know what I hear, not what anyone else hears.”
“Man!” Lank burst out. “I’d give a lot to be able to hear what you hear, Zass!”
“It’s very possible that it’s what all Klensers hear,” Kati mused. “Maybe it’s the sound of the world’s heartbeat which puts them into a trance or sleep.”
“Oh, I think so,” Zass agreed. “Like I said, it can kind of draw you in, if you don’t stop and make a conscious decision to stay apart. But staying apart is okay; it doesn’t hurt or anything. It’s just easier to let it pull you in, and listen, and feel it, and not pay attention to anything around you.”
“But you’re saying that it’s easy enough to learn to keep yourself apart from it?” Rakil asked, looking intrigued.
“Yeah, it’s not hard at all. You just make up your mind that you want to be with the part of the world that is other people.” Zass sounded earnest. “You see, we’re all part of the world and we all make up that heartbeat.”
“Whew!” Lank exclaimed.
“It makes sense to me,” said Rakil. “On Borhq the trees are so much a part of our environment that it’s hard to think of them as something separate from it. I think that what you’re saying, Zass, is that everything on this world is like that to you.”
Kati slipped out, leaving the male members of the group to discuss the matter as they would.
“Mathilde, did Zass ever tell you that what puts him into a trance, is listening to the heartbeat of the world?” she asked Zass’ sister once she had closed the women’s room door behind her.
“He may have mentioned something along those lines when he first came into his Klenserhood,” Mathilde answered after a moment’s thought. “But I wasn’t paying attention because I was worrying. How was I going to keep him from being snatched away from me?”
“Naturally enough,” Kati agreed. “However, what he said to me is that he doesn’t have to pay attention to the world’s heartbeat to the exclusion of all else; the world doesn’t mind if he hangs out with the people around him. It’s just easier to fall into the sound and the feel of the heartbeat, so he has to concentrate to not do it. And that means, if my logic is worth anything, that pretty well any Klenser, and perhaps all of them, could learn to function in the world, at least some of the time.”
“Although Zass has the natural advantage of being musical,” mused Mathilde. “Music may be compatible with the rhythm of the heartbeat.”
“Yeah, he did mention that,” Kati agreed. “Still, I think that there’s something there to counter Berd Warrion’s claim that the Klensers are animals. My guess is that they’re more like super-humans, what with their ability to convert pollutants into clean matter, and also this capability to sense the planet’s heart.”
“Not that any Warrion, or any of the other crazy Exalted, will listen to the reason in that,” Joaley snorted. “They will go on insisting that they themselves are the cream of this planet.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Town Square was crowded at the evening’s performance. Hector Carmaks and his immediate family arrived just as Kati and the Troupe were setting up. Hector hopped onto the stage, interrupting Kati as she was checking the tuning of her guitar.
“Do you have a moment to spare, Kati of Terra?” he asked, a broad grin brightening his face.
“Certainly,” Kati responded, returning the smile. “You’d like to introduce your wife and children, I presume?”
“To your whole group, if possible. Marina is especially interested in the Klenser boy. She thinks that there are important implications for other Klensers in what he is doing.”
“I agree with her about that,” Kati replied.
She followed Hector to the edge of the stage where Marina was holding back her three youngsters, a lively boy and two just-as-energetic girls, from climbing onto the stage.
“They can come up on the stage for a few moments,” Kati told the Vultairian woman who apparently was controlling the children just with her eyes, “so long as they don’t touch the musical instruments unless invited to.”
“We’ll be good,” the older of the girls promised. The others echoed her.
Their mother nodded to them, repeating Kati’s words about not touching equipment without an invitation. The threesome clambered onto the stage, and began to tiptoe around it, whispering to one another, and looking at everything.
Marina Carmaks sat down on the edge of the stage and Kati settled down beside her. Hector jumped down to the ground and claimed a corner of the nearest stone bench on which some of the smallest children were milling about, unable to sit still. The children displayed no fear of their local Lord; instead, the little girl nearest to him leaned against him while he slid an arm around her. Marina watched this gesture with a gentle smile on her face.
She turned to look at Kati, noting that she had marked the little by-play. Her smile widened into a grin.
“I guess we’re dismantling your notions of how the Exalted look upon the ordinary folk of this world,” she said. There was a slight ironic emphasis on the word “Exalted”; Kati chuckled to hear it.
“I’m definitely finding out that the usual models don’t hold here in Ithcar,” she replied. “But then, Ithcar is so different from what we have seen so far, that it boggles the mind. Sam, the cook at Marita’s, in Port City, recommended that we swing by; I gather that he spent some time here during his travels, and, in his opinion, Ithcar is a sane place, un
like most of the others.”
“Ah, you must mean Little Sam, the Great Chef!” Hector exclaimed. “I had heard that he never did make it off-world, even though he was planning to do so when he left us. I had the impression that he was longing for a female partner, and the women of Vultaire were just too tall for his taste. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life craning his neck, although I’m sure there were women in Carmakville who would have taken him on—he was such a good cook!”
“He found a woman his size in Port City,” Kati said with a laugh. “And Marita’s a good match for him otherwise, too. They were both very helpful to us. We began this leg of our musical career at Marita’s Bar and Terrace, and even rented rooms there.”
“The Warrions haven’t been making trouble for them, have they?” Marina asked.
“Marita didn’t complain, but I do think that she walks on eggshells every now and then,” Kati replied thoughtfully. “She allowed us to hide Zass on the premises for a few days, but asked us to get him off as quickly as possible because, she said, sooner or later, likely sooner, the Warrions would get around to inspecting every corner of the place, in case they were hiding the missing Klenser boy. Mathilde had been playing and singing at Marita’s even before we landed in Port City, and apparently the Warrions suspect the off-worlders of insubordination—likely with good cause.”
“I should imagine that they daren’t piss off the off-worlders too much,” Hector commented drily. “The taxes they pay provide the Warrions a good income. Berd Warrion might have to rein in his love of off-world gadgetry, if people like Marita and Sam decide to pull up stakes, and restart their restaurant business elsewhere.”
“You’re right about that, Hector,” said Marina. “Even Berd must realize that such people can run a successful business almost anywhere. He’s going to stop just short of chasing them away.
“However,” she added, changing the subject, “what I’m really interested in at the moment is the fact that your group has been able to make the boy, Zass, a member of the Troupe. Hector tells me that you decided to try it so as to not have to keep him hidden all the time. Can you tell me about that?”
On Assignment to the Planet of the Exalted Page 28
