by G. Howell
That got a flicker. A brief flash of uncertainty. “How?”
“Yes, how? You know: when did you decide you’d become a Mediator? Why’d you decide to do it rather than becoming perhaps an interior decorator?”
She stared, then that facade shattered into chitters. “Decide? Mikah, nobody decides to become a Mediator. We’ve always been Mediators.”
“Always?”
“You really don’t know, do you,” she said, sounding and looking incredulous. “Since I was a child. Mikah, it’s not uncommon for mothers to leave their cubs with the Guild.”
“They leave them?”
“You are surprised? Cubs are usually left with a crèche or Guild. Especially if times are difficult. It’s certainly better than the alternatives. The Guild will look after them and teach them what they need. When they’re old enough some of them will decide they don’t desire that sort of life; other will be found to be unsuitable or have other talents. They leave before [something] day and take up apprenticeships elsewhere. Others who are willing and who are deemed to have aptitude are chosen to apprentice with the Guild.”
This… this was something I didn’t know. “How old were you?”
She waved a shrug. “I don’t remember exactly.”
“You’ve spent... all your life in the Guild? Do you know your mother? Your family?!”
“No.” She tipped her head as she regarded me. “Is that important?”
I blinked at her, at a loss for words, and then lowered my head, shaking it and raking fingers across my face and through my hair. “I guess it’s another human thing.”
“Ah,” I heard her cough, as if she’d remembered something . “You build close emotional ties with individuals, don’t you. I heard mention of that in Shyia’s briefings. It’s the same with your families?”
“A,” I nodded. “Rris do seem to be more... independent than my kind. It takes some getting used to.”
“Huhn, you’re managing?”
“Look at me,” I half-grinned mirthlessly. “Fitting right in, a?”
“But you’ve found a woman willing to engage you as a sexual partner. You’ve formed an emotional attachment to her, haven’t you.”
That got me in my gut. “Where... Shyia told you that as well, did he?”
“A, at the...”
“...briefing,” I finished with her and glared sidelong at her. “Anything else in my personal life he might have missed?”
Her ears went back. “It’s not like that, you hairless fool. If we’re to do our duty, we have to know all we can.”
“Then I hope it was very useful.”
“You are protective, aren’t you.”
When I glanced down I saw my fists were clenched. I took a breath, trying to relax. “And that’s the way you’ve always done your duty? Hunting people down, spreading stories about them, trying to kill them?”
She actually bristled. “Mikah, the Guild has functioned this way for a long time. It has functioned smoothly and efficiently. It’s kept the charter and maintained the balance for centuries until....until...”
And then her jaws shut with a sharp clop and her ears flicked back before her features set back to stone again.
“Until I arrived and upset the cart, a?” I flashed her a quick grin and leaned back. She hadn’t said that much, but it was enough.
“How’s this for a guess?” I continued. “I’m here. I exist. That’s your problem, isn’t it? I upset that balance you keep on about. I caused ripples in the pond. You’re saying I fractured the Guild, even though that only happened because some Mediators had their own idea of how things should be run and decided I was the perfect tool to facilitate their own split from the rest of the Guild. You’re trying to cover that to hide the fact that there can be... arguing within the Guild. You’re trying to decide how to do that?”
She stared and after a few moments there was a flicker of emotion on her face. It... wasn’t what I’d expected.
“Mikah,” she said and then reached over to lay her hand on the back of mine. “Mikah, don’t. Please, just... don’t.”
I just started to respond, had scarcely opened my lips when her hand twitched, claws pricked the skin on the back of my hand hard enough to make me gasp.
“No, listen,” she hissed. “You are the issue. That is true, but you’re also unique and what you think you know are only splinters of the whole.” Her eyes were black pits circumnavigated by a thread of lambent amber and when she spoke it was with a growl that made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. “Mikah, that’s why you’re still alive. There’s a fine balance going on here, and if you poke at it, you’re going to tip it. Just... give Shyia your trust, a?”
I felt muscles in my jaw twitch. “I think he lost that a long time ago.”
“Then what about myself? Would you trust me?”
“Escheri... can you give me a reason why I should trust any Mediator?”
Her muzzle dropped a couple of degrees, as did the temperature of her gaze. I swallowed. “Mediators have abducted me and told me... opposite stories. You’ve said yourself you won’t tell me everything. You tell me that and now ask that I should trust you? Would you?!”
For a few seconds she stared, then snorted, “Huhn, he was right: you don’t think like us. Well, then, would you do it for her? For your teacher?”
Now I froze; my heart lurched.
“Rot you, it’s not a threat. Think with your head, not your emotions for a change: if something happens to you, she’ll be [something]... ah, not required. She’ll be simply discarded. Without sponsorship in a strange city, no way to return home... you know what that’s like, a? “
“No,” I shook my head. “No, leave her out of this.”
“That’s not a choice we have. You’ve already drawn her in. Understand, you’re the reason she’s in Shattered Water, a? She’s there as a tutor for you,” Escheri ticked points off with claw tips: “A tutor, a guide, a companion and a sexual partner, a? But if something were to happen to you then you can be sure she’d be out on the street.”
She sighed and cocked her head, then scratched at a cheek tuft with that single clawtip, “Mikah, rot it, this isn’t a threat. We have no intention of harming her. That would be pretty foolish of us, a? She’d only be in trouble if you went and caused problems, and if you were doing that to the Guild you’d also most likely be dead, so threatening her would be pointless. If you could just do what I’m asking, then there’d be no need for any of that.”
I was clenching and unclenching my fist as I studied her, trying to read something there. God dammit, was she being sincere? Was it a veiled threat against Chihirae? It didn’t feel like one, but I didn’t have a great deal of confidence in my abilities to judge that.
“Mikah?” she ventured.
“You... can I have your word that she will not be harmed or drawn into this?”
Her eyes closed for a second and she sighed again, “I can give you a written [something] if you would like. She will not be harmed or involved. But if something happens to you, then her services will no longer be required.”
I hesitated, trying to think. “I really don’t have much choice.”
“You can cause problems and harm yourself and her, or you can cooperate and we can resolve this. Mikah, he’s done what he can to keep you alive.” Her eyes stayed on mine, but those weren’t indicators of dishonesty, not in Rris. “He had orders that he couldn’t go against, not directly, but he did what he could. And he got you put in here. Better than downstairs, a?”
Despite myself, I shuddered, then gritted my teeth and nodded.
“That head bob, that’s a yes?”
“Yes,” I sighed. “What’re you going to want me to do?”
“Just cooperate,” she said. “Tell the truth.
If you’re told to do something, do it. Don’t ask questions.”
“Just be quiet and behave,” I said.
Thankfully, she didn’t catch the sarcasm. “Exactly.”
I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. There were things I didn’t want to tell them; things I couldn’t tell them. Implicate those few Rris who’d been willing to trust and help me was something I just couldn’t do. No matter what I told her.
“You will?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Good,” she said, those amber-rimmed eyes concentrating on my face. Then those inhuman fingers came up to pat the side of my face, “Good. Now, you should eat something. They’ll want to see you again in a few hours.”
------v------
There were fewer spectators in that hall the next time round. Not many though: those tiers of seats were still filled with ranks of Rris in dark Mediator leathers. Afternoon sunlight filtered in through those high and dusty windows, the stained glass casting prismatic smears of color across upper walls and columns around the basilica. I limped my way across the expanse of polished wood, a Mediator guard at either elbow as we headed toward the single cushion placed out in the center of the basilica. I flexed my fingers, aware of how clammy my palms were. In fact, I was scared. I was sweating. felt a tickle of sweat running down my ribcage under my shirt and my heart was hammering loud enough that they could surely hear it. In fact, several times I’d caught one or another of the guards glancing at me and I could see their nostrils twitch: if they didn’t hear my nervousness, they could surely smell it.
Those two Mediators stayed at my side as I limped across the floor and awkwardly folded sat myself down on the cushion. Around the periphery of the basilica, Rris eyes were watching me; Shyia and his associates on the left, ah Richtkah on the right. Low whispers from elsewhere in the room hissed across the edge of hearing like a wind riffling through the leaves of some dark forest.
The Mediator guards retreated back to the edges of the room, their feet padding silently on the gleaming lacquered surface. I saw them return to Escheri, standing back against a wall and watching me carefully. One of them whispered something to her and she responded with the barest inclination of her head, never taking her eyes off me. Turning away, I shivered and rubbed my arm, wondering why it was suddenly so cold in there as I faced the tribunal.
My laptop was sitting on the tribunal bench, the slim charcoal case sitting on the black lacquered desktop in front of the chairwoman. The screen was open, facing her. Whatever was on it at the time was animated, casting a pale flickering glow up to brush the underside of her features, which seemed decidedly nervous. She hesitantly clicked something on the keyboard and flinched as the flickering light stopped, then she set her hands on her knees and cocked her head as she regarded me and then addressed the Mediators at the desks to either side:
“We’ve had the opportunity to review this evidence that both parties claim is so decisive to their cases. I feel that we can proceed with this judgment.” Her ears twitched back momentarily and she continued, “In the Guild records there are only four recorded instances of Tribunal being called under these circumstances. It is not something to be undertaken lightly. You know that; you all know the consequences and why these proceedings are not to be discussed outside the Guild.”
She looked directly at me. “There are differences in this case, however. This is the first time it has been so necessary to have an outsider present at [something] Guild proceedings, and the first time that outsider has also been vital evidence. Allowances have also been made on account of the fact that the outsider is a neutral party with no known affiliation and that his discretion has been assured. This is correct?”
That was addressed at me and it wasn’t a question. I shakily gestured and answered, “Yes, Ma’am.”
She blinked, slowly and deliberately and said, “Then we proceed. Ah Richtkah, you’ve made the decision to prosecute your case. You claim an imminent threat to peace and the common good and you are determined to stand to that decision. That is so?”
“It is so,” the Guild lord responded.
“Ah Ehrasai, you challenge that decision on the grounds that the chosen solution itself will breach the common good and the Guild charter itself. You called tribunal to challenge this decision. You are fully aware that this decision means that you will never be permitted to attain a position above district administrator and you are willing to continue with this challenge?”
“I am,” Shyia responded.
“Your acceptance is noted in the record,” she said. “You will each have the opportunity to state your case before the tribunal, but let this be known:
“This tribunal is set and [something] to uphold the good of the many and the Guild. These members have been chosen and so swear that that they hold no favor or preference for either party. We meet to bear witness to the grievances of both parties, to hear their claims and to make a decision that will benefit the people we are sworn to protect and the guild itself. We will make this decision without preference of [something], and that decision will be held as word and law.”
She looked down and slid a paper aside, then turned to the Guild Lord, “Ah Richtkah, you may begin. Please state your case before the assembly.”
“Ma’am,” he acknowledged with a duck of his head and then looked at me. I listened to every word, my heart hammering and my mouth dry as he continued. “The situation began as one of the most unusual I’ve encountered and seemed to grow more complex from there.
“The Guild hall in Meetings had received reports of a strange creature that’d been found in the Land-of-Water town of Westwater and then transported to Lying Scales. Initial reports were of something that wasn’t Rris, but it wasn’t an animal either. Detail was lacking, citing a desire for more information. They were labeled a curiosity at best.
“Over the next three seasons those reports continued and they started to give more information. They detailed a creature that was intelligent, that hailed from unknown origins, and was in possession of incredible information. In fact, the reports claimed it carried an entire library from an alien civilization; that it had knowledge and skills and information beyond anything in any Rris land.
“Some questions arose regarding the sanity of those making those reports. However, reports kept coming, and we received new information from sources in Shattered Water, then in Bluebetter and Cover-my-Tail. On the basis of those we had no choice but to take the reports more seriously. More details about the outsider arrived, making it clear that this creature was in no way a Rris, nor was it any known animal. It was a complete unknown, as were its intentions and motives. However, more details about its activities also arrived and the picture they painted was at first difficult to believe, and then increasingly disturbing.
“It had been stated that the creature had access to knowledge and technology that Rris didn’t have. We didn’t fully comprehend what this entailed, but we were hearing that it was providing this information to Land-of-Water, aiding them in the development of new steam engines. At first glance this didn’t seem like a serious issue, but shortly thereafter the ripples started up.
“Other countries were responding in much the same way we were. At first they were disbelieving, then interested but not overly alarmed. Then various agents started submitting their own reports which pricked up ears across the world. A slew of new innovation coming from Land-of-water: printing techniques, glassmaking, metallurgy, and news that they had developed a steam engine using unheard of principles. Shortly thereafter a vessel was tested that was similarly unique; proving faster and far more economical than anything else on the water. As we investigated this further we learned that the process for developing that ship meant that vessel itself was merely the peak of a mountain of new knowledge and sciences: mining and refining techniques, metallurgy and manufacturing, transportation, constructi
on and design techniques. A few months had wrought more changes than any time in Guild memory.
“This certainly hadn’t gone unnoticed. Other countries were starting to respond to what they perceived as a hoarding of a valued resource, petitioning Shattered Water with requests for access to the outsider. The Land-of-Water government handled these by deferring as best it could and then reluctantly granting audiences. There was an incident at a function; first accounts stated that it was an attempted poisoning by unknown parties, after which Shattered Water rescinded invitations and secluded the outsider.”
I listened, somewhat incredulously. Being referred to as ‘outsider’ was something I wasn’t enthusiastic about, but more importantly, what was being talked about here was stuff I’d never been told; had never heard about from my hosts. How much of it was true? Mediators were supposed to be interested in the raw truth, but how empirical were they in reality?
The Mediator lord was continuing. “The result was that tensions between countries grew taut. Various parties claimed that Land of Water had arranged the incident themselves, to allow them to place the claim of protective (something). Shattered Water denied this and continued to refuse access or to share information despite growing pressure. We heard mutterings of this, but the reports were too scanty and slow at arriving for us to make use of the information.
“Finally, there was an open attempt on the outsider. A party of well armed mercenaries assaulted a convoy, causing casualties. We are not sure that their objective was to kill or abduct the outsider, it’s more likely that the attempt was a message in itself, showing Land-of-Water that they could cooperate with other lands or have nothing. The assailants were well equipped and briefed, but attempts to track their sponsor led to multiple dead ends. Involvement by a neighboring government is almost certain, but none have been implicated.
“After that incident, Land-of-Water did grant the representatives of other countries greater access to the outsider. Foreign representatives were allowed audiences with him. Various items of knowledge and technology were distributed for their appraisal: machines for harvesting in one hour what would normal take a farmer a week to collect; new types of medical information; manufacturing machinery and metallurgical techniques.