Fifty slaves now worked the outlying fields, all free to come and go as they wished, dressed in the garb of their homeworld, Midkemia. All had been taken from the slave market one day, without payment, by the Great One.
Many travelers to Ontoset would make an afternoon of climbing the hills nearby to see the house. From a respectable distance, of course. The herder, Xanothis, was questioned many times about the strange Great One who lived in that house, but the former soldier said nothing, only smiling a great deal.
“The belief that the current great rift to Midkemia is controllable is only partially correct.” Milamber paused, allowing his scribe to finish copying the dictation. “It can be stated that rifts may be established without the release of destructive energies associated with their accidental creation, either through poorly effected magic spells or by the proximity of too many unstable magic devices.”
Milamber’s research into the special aspects of rift energies would be added to the Assembly’s archives when completed Like other projects he had read of in the archives, research into rifts had shown what Milamber took to be a grievous flaw in most of his brother magicians’ work. In general, projects were not carried through to completion, showing a lack of thoroughness. Once the procedure to establish rifts safely had been developed, further research into their nature had been halted.
Continuing, he dictated: “What is lacking in the concept of control is the ability to select the terminus of contact, the ability to ‘target’ the rift. It has been shown by the appearance of the ship carrying Fanatha on the shores of Crydee, on the world of Midkemia, that a certain affinity between a newly forming rift and an existing one is probable. However, as shown by further testing, this affinity is limited, such limits being as yet not fully understood. While there is increased probability of a second rift appearing within a regional proximity to the first, it is by no means a certainty.”
When the scribe was caught up, Milamber added, “Also, there is a question of why rifts show certain inconsistencies. Size appears relative to the energy employed in their formation, but other characteristics seem without pattern. Some rifts are single direction”—Milamber had lost several valuable devices discovering this fact—“while others allow movement in two directions. And then there are ‘bonded pairs,’ two single-direction rifts that appear simultaneously, both allowing one-way travel between origin and terminus. Though they may appear miles apart, they are related—”
Milamber’s narration was interrupted by the sound of the chimes announcing the arrival of someone from the Assembly. He dismissed his scribe and made his way to the pattern room. As he walked, he mused on the real reason for his submersion in research over the last two months. He was avoiding the decision he must soon make, whether or not to return to the Shinzawai estate for Katala.
Milamber knew there was a chance she had become the wife of another, for their separation had been nearly five years, and she would have no reason to think he’d ever be returning. But time and training had done nothing to dull his feelings toward her. As he reached the transporting room with its tiled pattern, he made his decision: tomorrow he would go to see her.
As he entered the room, he saw Hochopepa step off the pattern in the tile floor. “Ah,” said the plump magician, “there you are. Since it has been two weeks since I last saw you, I decided to pay a visit.”
“I am glad to see you I have been deeply involved in study and could do with a short respite.”
They walked from the room into one of the several gardens nearby Hochopepa said, “I have been meaning to ask you: what is the significance of the pattern you chose? I don’t recognize it.”
Milamber said, “It is a stylized recreation of a pattern I once saw in a fountain. Three dolphins.”
“Dolphins?”
Milamber explained about the Midkemian sea mammals, while they seated themselves upon cushions between a pair of dwarf fruit trees.
“Why the dolphins from that fountain?”
“I don’t know. A compulsion, perhaps. Also, when I underwent my final testing on the tower, I saw something that didn’t register for a month or two after.”
“What does one have to do with the other?”
“In the representation of the final challenge to the Stranger, do you remember a single brown-robed magician, who bent the rift to keep Kelewan from entering the Enemy’s universe?”
Hochopepa looked thoughtful. “I can’t say as I do, Milamber. But then the spell used to create that image affects each of us differently. If you compare visions with others, you’ll discover a great deal of variation. But at the time of the Stranger, we were all black robes. Who could this odd brown-robed magician be?”
Milamber said, “A man I have met, years ago.”
“Impossible. That scene took place centuries ago.”
Milamber smiled and said, “Nevertheless, I have met him. I made my pattern of three dolphins as something of a commemorative to our meeting.”
“How very strange. There has been some speculation on time travel, which would have to be the answer in this case, unless your barbaric mind played false with you upon the tower.” He said the last with a smile.
Milamber clapped his hands, and a servant arrived with a platter of refreshments. The servant, Netoha, at one time had been hadonra for the family that resided there previously. Milamber had found him while securing someone to plant the varieties of vegetation he wanted in his gardens. The man was bold enough to approach, something that singled him out from the common Tsurani. Unable to find the work he was trained for since the demise of his employer’s estate, Netoha had scratched out a meager living over the years. Milamber had taken him on as much out of sympathy as out of any real need. He had quickly made himself useful in a hundred ways the young magician had never dreamed of, and the relationship was mutually satisfactory.
Hochopepa took the offered sweets and drink “I have come to tell you some news. There is to be an Imperial Festival in two months’ time, with games. Will you come?”
Milamber found his curiosity piqued. With a wave he dismissed Netoha. “And what makes this festival so special? I can’t remember having seen you so animated before.”
“This festival is being given by the Warlord in honor of his nephew, the Emperor. He has plans for a new major offensive the week before the games, and it is hoped he will announce the success of the campaign.” He lowered his voice. “It is no secret to those with access to court gossip he is under a great deal of pressure to justify his conduct of the war before the High Council. Rumor has it he has been forced to offer major concessions to the Blue Wheel Party to regain their support in the war.
“But what will make the games unusual is that the Light of Heaven will leave his Palace of Contemplation, breaking with ancient tradition. It would be a proper occasion for you to make some sort of entrance into court society.”
“I’m sorry, Hocho,” Milamber said, “I have little desire to attend any festivals. I have been to one earlier this month, in Ontoset, as part of my studies. The dances are boring, the food tends toward the awful, and the wine is as flat as the speeches. The games are of less interest still. If this is the court society you speak of, then I’ll be fine without it.”
“Milamber, there are many holes left in your education. Gaining the black robe did not mean instant mastery of our craft. There is quite a bit more involved in protecting the Empire than sitting about dreaming up new ways of tossing energy around, or creating economic chaos with the local moneylenders.” He took another sweet and returned to his chiding. “There are several reasons you must come with me to the festivities, Milamber. First, you are something of a celebrity to the nobles of the realm, for news of your wondrous house has spread from one corner of the Empire to the other, mostly by aid of those young bandits you paid so well to execute the delicate paintings you love so much. It is now considered the mark of some distinction to have the same sort of work done.
“And this place”—his hand
inscribed an arc before them, mock wonder upon his face—“anyone who could be so clever to design such an edifice must surely be worthy of attention.” His mocking tone vanished as he added, “By the way, this entire bit of nonsense has not been diminished one whit by your mysterious isolation here in the hinterlands. If anything, it has added to your reputation.
“Now to more important reasons than social ones. As you no doubt know, there is growing concern that the news from the war is somehow being downplayed. In all these years there has been little gain, and some talk is going about that the Emperor may take a stand against the Warlord’s policies. If so . . .” He let the thought go unfinished.
Milamber was silent for a time. “Hocho, I think it is time that I told you something, and if you feel it’s sufficient to warrant my life, then you may return to the Assembly and bring charges.”
Hochopepa was raptly attentive, all quips and sharp remarks put aside.
“You who trained me did your work well, for I am filled with a need to do what is best for the Empire. I hold only a little feeling for the land of my birth anymore, and you will never know what that signifies. But in the process of making me what I am, you could never create the love of home within my being that I once felt for my own Crydee. What you have created is a man with a strong sense of duty, untempered by any love for that thing he feels duty toward.” Hochopepa remained silent as the impact of what Milamber had said penetrated, then he nodded as Milamber continued.
“I may be the greatest threat to the Empire since the Stranger invaded your skies, for if I become involved with its politics, I will be justice without mercy.
“I have known of the factions within the parties, the crossover of families from one party to another, and the consequences of those acts. Do you think because I sit atop my hill in the eastlands, I am unaware of the shifts and stirrings of the political animals in the capital? Of course not. If the Blue Wheel Party collapses and its members realign with the War Party or the Imperials, every street merchant in Ontoset is speculating on the news the next day to the marketplace. I know what is taking place as well as any other who is not directly involved. And in the months since I came to live here, I have come to one conclusion: the Empire is slowly killing itself.”
The older magician said nothing for a moment, then asked, “Have you wondered at all why our system is such that we are killing ourselves?”
Milamber stood and paced a little. “Of course. I am studying it, and have chosen to wait before I act. I need more time to understand the history you taught me so well. But I do have some speculations of sorts on what’s wrong, and they will give me a starting point.” He inclined his head, asking if he should go on. Hochopepa nodded that he should. “It seems to me there are several major problems here, problems I can only guess at in terms of impact upon the Empire.
“First”—he held up his index finger—“those in power are more concerned with their own grandeur than with the well-being of the Empire. And as they are those who appear to the casual eye to be the Empire, it is an easy thing not to notice.”
“What do you mean?” the older magician asked.
“When you think of the Empire, what comes to mind? A history of armies warring across the lands? Or the rise of the Assembly? Perhaps you think of a chronicle of rulers? Whatever it is, most likely the single most obvious truth is overlooked. The Empire is all those who live within its borders, from the nobles to the lowest servant, even the slaves who work the fields. It must be seen as a whole, not as being embodied by some small but visible part, such as the Warlord or the High Council. Do you understand that?”
Hochopepa looked troubled. “I’m not sure, but I think . . . Go on.”
“If that is true, then consider the rest. Second, there must never be a time when the need for stability overrules the need for growth.”
“But we have always grown!” objected Hochopepa.
“Not true,” countered Milamber. “You have always expanded, and that seems like growth if you don’t investigate closely. But while your armies have been bringing new lands into your borders, what has happened to your art, your music, your literature, your research? Even the vaunted Assembly does little more than refine that which is already known. You implied earlier that I was wasting my time finding new ways to ‘toss energy around.’ Well, what is wrong with that? Nothing. But there is something wrong with the type of society that looks upon the new as suspect.
“Look around you, Hocho. Your artists are in shock because I described what I had seen in paintings in my youth, and a few young artists became excited. Your musicians spend all their time learning the old songs, perfectly, to the note, and no one composes new ones, just clever variations on melodies that are centuries old. No one creates new epics, they only retell old ones. Hocho, you are a people stagnating. This war is but one example. It is unjustified, fought from habit, to keep certain groups in power, to reap wealth for those already wealthy, and to play the Game of the Council. And the cost! Thousands of lives are wasted each year, the lives of those who are the Empire, its own citizens. The Empire is a cannibal, devouring its own people.”
The older magician was disturbed by what he heard, in total contradiction with what he believed he saw: a vibrant, energetic, alive culture.
“Third,” said Milamber, “if my duty is to serve the Empire, and the social order of the Empire is responsible for its own stagnation, then it is my duty to change that social order, even if I must destroy it.”
Now Hochopepa was shocked. Milamber’s logic was without fault, but the suggested solution was potentially fraught with danger to everything Hochopepa knew and revered. “I understand what you say, Milamber, but what you speak of is too difficult to contemplate all at once.”
Milamber’s voice took on reassuring tones “I do not mean to imply that the destruction of the present social order is the only solution, Hocho. I used that to shock and to drive home a point. That is what much of my research is about, not only the visible mastery of energy, but also investigations into the nature of the Tsurani people and the Empire. Believe me, I am more than willing to spend as much time on the question as I need. I plan on spending some time in the archives.”
Hochopepa’s brows furrowed, and he studied his younger friend’s face. “Be warned, you may find some unsettling things in those archives. As I said, your education is not complete.”
Milamber let his voice drop. “I have already found some unsettling things, Hocho. Much of what is held to be common truth by the nations is based upon falsehoods.”
Hochopepa became concerned. “There are things that are forbidden for any but members of the Assembly to know, Milamber, and even then it is unwise to speak about them to even one of your brethren.” He glanced away, thinking, then said, “Still, when you have finished prowling around in those musty old vaults, if you need to discuss your findings, I’ll be a willing ear.” He looked back at his friend. “I like you and think you’re a refreshing change of pace for us, Milamber, but there are many who would rather see you dead as not. Don’t go chattering on to anyone but Shimone or myself about this social research you’re doing.”
“Agreed. But when I reach a judgment as to what must be done, I shall act.”
Hochopepa stood, an expression of concern on his face. “It is not that I disagree with you, my friend, it is simply that I must have time to assimilate what you have said.”
“I could only speak the truth to you, Hocho, no matter how disturbing.”
Hochopepa smiled. “A fact I appreciate, Milamber. I must spend some time considering the proposition.” Some of his usual humor crept back into his voice. “Perhaps you will accompany me to the Assembly? You have been absent much of the time with this house building and all; you would do well to put in an appearance now and again.”
Milamber smiled at his friend. “Of course.” He indicated that Hochopepa should lead the way to the pattern. As they walked, Hochopepa said, “If you wish to study our culture, Mi
lamber, I still suggest you come to the Imperial Festival. There will be more political activity in the seats of the arena in that one day than could be observed in a month in the High Council.”
Milamber turned toward Hochopepa. “Perhaps you’re right I shall think about it.”
When they appeared on the pattern of the Assembly, Shimone was standing close by. He bowed slightly in greeting and said, “Welcome I was about to go looking for you two.”
Hochopepa said with mild amusement, “Are we so vital to the business of the Assembly that you must be sent to fetch us back?”
Shimone inclined his head a little. “Perhaps, but not today. I merely thought you would find the business at hand interesting.”
Milamber asked, “What is happening?”
“The Warlord has sent messages to the Assembly, and Hodiku raises questions about them. We best hurry, for they are nearly ready to begin.”
They walked quickly to the central hall of the Assembly and entered. Arrayed about a large open area was an amphitheater of open benches, they took seats in a lower row. Already several hundred black-robed Great Ones were in place. In the center of the floor they could see Fumita, the one-time brother of the Shinzawai lord, standing alone, he would be presiding over the business of the day. The presidency was allotted by chance to one of those in attendance. Milamber had seen Fumita in the Assembly only twice since being brought here.
Shimone said, “It has been nearly three weeks since I saw you in the Assembly, Milamber.”
“I must apologize, but I have been busy getting my home in order.”
“So I hear. You’re something of a source of gossip in the imperial court. I hear the Warlord himself is anxious to meet you.”
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