“I was such a total dunce that’s it’s amazing I didn’t accidentally kill myself during those years,” she had told the family, shaking her head ruefully. “And I don’t want my children pulling off idiocies like that while you’re visiting the Vantas; I want you safe, and growing up to be productive citizens of Ithcar! So watch what you get up to with your cousins; especially you, Maric, since you have Vanta cousins close in age!”
However, she had had the sense to not forbid him to associate with the cousins. Apparently her own past had taught her that sanity could not be forced on teenagers; they had to learn it on their own. However, she would have had plenty to say about Exalted kids entertaining themselves by throwing fruit at Klensers, and she would have said it loud and clear, and in a furious tone of voice! And Maric agreed with her sentiment; that sort of fun was just beyond the pale. There was only one thing to be done: he had to distract Jael and Nimo by getting them to help him spy on Chairwoman Sartose with the Chair’s grandchildren, Vi and Roah, who were not quite as wild as Jael and Nimo were, but still well within the average of the Exalted offspring.
He returned to the Legislative Grounds which, fortunately, were no farther from the Vanta townhouse than they were from Uncle Kelt’s apartment. The Klensers formed a peaceful crowd, although some of them were milling about restlessly, even while others were sitting around, or lying down on the grass. Ordinary Citizens from the nearby neighbourhoods had arrived with food and drink for them, and extra clothing, and blankets for the night. People living nearby apparently had offered the use of their washing facilities, although, strictly speaking, the Klensers could do without such things, since they could clean up their own messes using their unique talent.
Maric wandered around the periphery of the Klenser crowd until he saw Mathilde with Zass, surrounded by a group of alert Klensers. Mathilde was singing a sea shanty from Tarangay, and strumming her rhyele. Zass was accompanying her on a pipe.
“Hey, she’s singing one of the songs that the off-world Troupe do!” one of the Capital City folk providing for the Klensers cried. “That’s a clever girl, to have learned their songs!”
Maric walked towards the singing, only to become aware of another sound farther off, the split-splat of soft fruit hitting flesh.
“Oh man,” he muttered to himself, “those damn asses are at it. Grandpa Vanta wasn’t kidding about what they’re up to. Well I guess I better go and try to extricate them from their idiocy.”
Just then an old man in the drab garb of an Ordinary Citizen stopped him.
“You’re one of the Carmaks, aren’t you?” he asked Maric, peering at the pattern on his tunic.
“Yeah, I’m Maric Carmaks,” the youth replied. ”Something I can do for you, good man?”
The man beamed at him.
“You’re a Carmaks, all right; not snotty like the rest of them Exalted,” he said. “Only six of the Four Hundred Families that’ll give a polite greeting to us regular folks, and Carmaks is one of them. I was wondering if there’s anything somebody could do about that bunch of Exalted younglings who seem to have decided that it’s a fine evening’s entertainment to throw over-ripe fruit at the Klensers who have gathered here to give their message to the government. It’s not seemly behaviour, but the Legislature Security Officials are afraid to tackle them, the Security Officers being Ordinary Citizens, and therefore beneath the offenders in rank.”
“I’m afraid that at least a couple of those brats are cousins of mine,” Maric replied, wrinkling his nose. “They’re not Carmaks, though. I was coming to drag them away anyway—I’m planning to try and make them useful, for once in their lives. So, I’ll harangue them to give up their idiotic entertainment. You’d think they would be listening to the music instead.”
He extricated himself from the old fellow who thanked him, and continued walking towards the splat-sounds and the accompanying hoots from the fruit-throwers. Moments later his long legs had brought him behind his cousin Jael who was just readying herself for another toss. He grabbed hold of her throwing arm, grasping the wrist in his hand tightly enough to force her to drop the mess in her hand to the ground.
“Hey,” she shouted at him, half turning to look at him. “What do you think you’re doing, Maric Carmaks?”
“More to the point,” added her brother Nimo who was on his knees selecting a small, rotting pome from a pile of fruit on the ground, “what are you doing in the city right now? Isn’t Aunt Molly keeping you safe and sound among the grand landscapes of Ithcar?”
“Unlike you lazy bastards, we Carmaks perform Family duties, and I’m here on such,” Maric replied. He was so used to the sniping of his City cousins that he did not even bother to be insulted any more, but simply responded with barbs of his own. “Quit this stupid, childish game, you two—and you too, Vi and Roah.”
He had caught sight of his other two Vanta cousins who had tried to hide behind other Exalted youth when they had seen who was accosting Jael. Vi and Roah, as the grandchildren of the Senate Chair were required to show a little more decorum than the other two young Vantas, and they were acutely aware that Maric, for all he was a Carmaks, was looked upon by some of the more responsible Oligarchs as a model for their progeny to emulate. Chairwoman Sartose was among these.
“I would have thought that everyone here would have taken the opportunity to go and listen to the girl singer,” Maric added. “She’s very good, and she’s performing the same songs that the off-world entertainers have been singing. But no, you’re throwing rotten fruit at the Klensers who aren’t doing you or anyone else the least bit of harm.”
“Where’s the music?” one of the other Exalted asked, dropping the fruit that he had been about to throw. “Actually, I’d sooner listen to music than handle rotten fruit, anyway.”
“You’re such a dork, Maric,” Jael said. “And don’t tell me you don’t like a little fun yourself. That’s why you come and hang out with us when you’re in the city, right? So’s you can have some fun, which I doubt that you ever have at home in Ithcar.”
Maric laughed at her.
“Never have any fun in Ithcar,” he said. “You don’t know much, Jael, do you, about living in the provinces? Hey, I can keep track of what the adults do without any trouble, and nobody ever has any idea of what I’m up to. Want to know what this years’ wines are going to be like—at least what Ma and Pa expect them to be like—with wine you never know with one hundred percent certainty? Just ask me. Want to know what happened when the off-world Entertainers were in Carmakville? I can tell you about the confrontation between Kati of Terra and Berd Warrion as much as anyone, and probably more. But then, interesting things happen in my home town; it’s not just kids throwing rotten fruit at Klensers, or scooting about in flits, like blithering idiots.”
“Oh, there are a lot of interesting things happening here in the City right now,” Roah objected, coming up to Maric and the other two cousins, with his sister.
“Really?” Maric managed to infuse the word with contempt. “Outside of the Klensers massing here on the Legislative Grounds I haven’t noticed anything, and Klensers massing is not that interesting, since they’re such peaceful folk. You couldn’t get a riot going, no matter how long you tossed your rotten fruit at them.”
“Cattle don’t riot,” Jael muttered, kicking the pile of fruit in front of her. Apparently she had lost her interest in tossing the things at creatures who would not retaliate.
“Grandmama was talking about the things that are going on, to Grandpapa, at dinner,” Vi informed them.
Maric raised an eyebrow.
“What? There was an argument in the Senate today, and she had to mediate?” He patted a yawn. “Not again?”
“Oh, it was much worse than that,” Vi said. “Apparently there was quite a panic in the Legislature this afternoon. With good reason.” She lowered her voice and moved closer to Maric, Jael and Nimo, while Roah hung right behind her. “Apparently the Star Federation sent a Warship here, to si
t up high, just above the Capital City. They’re threatening us, because they say that we Vultairian Exalted are keeping slaves and that’s against Federation Law. Are we keeping slaves, do you know Maric?”
“Oh the brothels are full of them,” Jael answered airily before Maric had an opportunity to speak. “But they’re supposed to be guaranteed untraceable as to their origin, so I don’t see how the Federation can prove anything.”
“They could try talking to them,” Maric said shortly.
“Well, the government decided to not give them—the Federation people, that is—a chance to talk to them. They’ve sent word out to all the slave-owners that the slaves are to be taken to the Prison Complex and hidden in its cellars until the Crisis is over.” Vi sounded disturbed at this. She was, Maric remembered, actually not a bad sort—for the spawn of the Oligarchs. With a proper upbringing she could easily grow up to be a fine, sensitive woman.
“The cellars of the Prison Complex,” Maric muttered. “Do I know that place?”
“You don’t,” Jael stated, “but Nimo, Roah, Vi and I do. Some time ago we went exploring there when we were bored out of our minds. It’s dark and damp in there, and there are lots of rooms with heavy doors. Fortunately when we were running around there the doors were all open, and they were too heavy for us to shut, so we didn’t manage to close anyone in, though we tried.”
“It was awful,” Vi stated. “I don’t like the idea of even off-worlders being locked up in there.”
“Yeah, you’re such a wimp, Vi,” Jael snorted. “You whined about what it was like to your Mother, and she found out that we had poked our noses in there, and she was furious. Apparently we aren’t supposed to go anywhere near there—ever.”
“Well, that really makes me want to go there, now,” Maric said immediately. “Maybe we could find out where they’re stashing these slaves.”
“Now you’re talking, Maric,” Jael said with a laugh. “There are times when I do actually believe that the country boy is my cousin.”
“I’m not coming,” Vi said. “I’d rather go and listen to the singer.”
“No problem,” Jael said. “Nobody who doesn’t want to go has to. Only keep your mouths shut; remember this is against the rules, and I’ll beat the shit out of anyone who rats on me!”
In the end it was only Jael and Maric who went. The other three cousins promised not to rat on them, and headed towards the sound of the music, looking relieved.
Jael led Maric away from the park, across the street to where the Law Courts were, and beyond them, to what was known as The Prison Complex.
The Prison Complex was a series of very old buildings, dating to a time so far in the past that when the first stones of the first building had been raised, the Star Federation had not existed. According to what Maric knew about the Complex, it had formed the first government structures to have been erected in the Capital City, and the Senate had once upon a time been housed in the largest of the buildings. Two of the smaller buildings had been the Law Courts and the University; what other functions had been served at the time, Maric did not know. He had heard rumours that there were dungeons under some of the buildings, and had assumed that the one that had housed the Law Courts might easily enough have had such. But cellars? He had never heard of them, but perhaps they were something that the Oligarchs had been tight-lipped about—especially if they came in useful for housing those whom the Government wanted to keep out of sight, for whatever reason.
Jael led Maric confidently across the modern Law Courts Grounds and through the complicated maze of buildings that was the Prison Complex. She pointed out to him some of the buildings that were in use, although it seemed that many of them were not.
“I suppose you don’t know much about this part of the City,” she said to him as they walked. “Ithcar doesn’t send law-breakers here, I’m told.”
“No,” Maric agreed. “We take care of all of that in the province. Most of the problems are dealt with at village and town level, and the more serious stuff is taken care of in Carmakville, where a Judicial Council meets monthly to debate current law-breaking, and to sentence the guilty. We do have a little prison but it doesn’t get used much; community service is the preferred form of punishment.”
“Well, this place gets debtors from all over—there in that building over there,” Jael told him. “And tax-evasion is another big one for the Ordinary Citizens; they’re in the other big building beside the ones who can’t pay their debts. The city drunk-tank is the small one, here; it can get pretty full after feast days, but likely is almost empty right now. The bigger building next to it has cells for the violent criminals; that’s why it’s such a forbidding-looking, windowless block. Those four that look like individual houses are where the Exalted are kept if another Exalted accuses them of a crime—that does happen every now and then, although the accuser is the one who has to prove his case in the Law Courts.”
Jael sounded perfectly matter-of-fact in her explanation but her words sent shivers down Maric’s spine; he had heard enough from Hector, Kelt, and his father about how the system operated. Tax evasion and being unable to pay your debts were crimes that only the Ordinary Citizens could be accused or convicted of, and anyone found guilty was kept incarcerated until his family or friends could, or would, pay off the sum owing. The system was open to abuse, since generally the accusers were of the Exalted class, while the perpetrators were always Ordinary Citizens; the Exalted were not ever considered to be in debt to the lesser classes. It was the fear of being named a tax-evader or a debtor that created the sense of hopelessness that ran rampant in many towns, villages and farms: an Ordinary Citizen who failed to pay what the local Exalted Family demanded of him, could easily end up here in the Prison Complex of the Capital City, unable to return home unless his kith and kin could redeem him. And that redemption often meant the loss of a home, a farm, or some other source of income. The wonder of it was, as Uncle Kelt had often said, that there weren’t any more itinerant homeless roaming the continent!
Another wonder was that the Prison Complex was open to the City all around it. Fences surrounded individual buildings—the ones that were in use—but the whole was separated from the City only by streets on three sides and the Law Courts on the fourth. This was why Jael and her cousins had been able to wander around it during days and evenings when other pursuits had bored them, and since people were used to Exalted youth running about unsupervised, no-one had bothered to look into what they had been up to. And now nobody bothered to pay any attention to Jael and Maric as they walked through the complex to where Jael said the stairs to the cellars were.
“Nimo and I found them one time when we were strolling through, trying every door in every empty building that we passed,” Jael explained. “It was in the evening and there weren’t many people around. The Government goons doing prison warden duty were all inside the buildings, doing whatever it is they do—probably playing cards or board games at that time of the day. Nobody around to stop us or question us, but pretty well all the doors were locked anyway. A couple of small empty sheds had unlocked doors but there was nothing in either one—not even rodents. And then Nimo tried this small side door that was almost hidden in an alcove of one of the middle-sized buildings and it opened, to our surprise. I think that we must have walked by that door many times before, but had never noticed it; it was in the shadow, and there were bushes growing on both sides of it. Later I’ve wondered if that wasn’t so on purpose—maybe the door is, or was sometime in the past, an escape route of some sort. Somebody’s bolt-hole. In any case, we had lights—” Jael pulled a little off-world light from a trouser-pocket, and switched its bright beam on and off, “—and we went inside to explore. Nimo and I must have spent weeks going down there every day to roam through corridors and rooms; the whole underground area must be one huge warren of empty quarters.”
“So did you find anything interesting?” Maric asked.
“Empty rooms and corridors, mostly
,” Jael answered. “But we did discover that there were other entrances into the cellars, from some of the buildings above ground. We found that we could get into some of the empty buildings that way, although not any of the ones that are in use. The doors at the top of the stairwells to those were locked, at least we assumed that the locked doors led to buildings in use, and a few of these we were able to verify, by going up into the nearest building that we were able to get into, and determine by looking out the windows that the next set of stairs going up belonged to one of the occupied structures.”
They found the hidden alcove with its unlocked door, and old stone stairs leading down on the other side of it. Jael turned on her light as soon as the door shut behind them; its beam allowed them to climb down the narrow staircase which was surprisingly clean in spite of its air of disuse.
“No-one but Nimo and I ever comes here,” Jael explained when Maric commented on this. “We invited Vi and Roah, but they only came once; Vi said that the placed spooked her out, and Roah follows her around like a puppy. And then she talked to her mother, and nearly ruined everything!
“The alcove door is definitely not the main entrance; I doubt that even the people who do know about these cellars know about this door. It’s probably a forgotten entrance, or, more likely, exit; somebody’s ancient bolt-hole, like I said.”
Maric thought she was very likely correct as he counted turns and corridor junctions, getting his node to create a map for him, one that would allow him to find his way back to the hidden exit, even without Jael. Any Ordinary Citizen would quickly have got lost in the maze that the cellars apparently were; another reason, no doubt, why the underground corridors had been mostly forgotten.
“So, if somebody is stashing off-worlders down here,” Maric asked Jael, “where do you think they would take them?”
On Assignment to the Planet of the Exalted Page 75
