by Kris Schnee
He tried to tell them of the foreign religion, straying from the exact wording he'd prepared. "Already this city recognizes that the Bound can be useful if they're treated as more than slaves or masters. In the west I've seen a culture that awakens magic in more people than we thought possible. What else could we accomplish if we let everyone live up to their full potential? Even their animals live better lives than some of us." He casually made a hand gesture that some might miss, and made a veiled promise to one of the quieter segments of the population: "In the old tales it's said our ancestors threw away the power of the Hawk. We need all the rites that we can have on our side. None should be forbidden." There; that was done. "Including the very power of the Sun King. We don't need to bow down to the westerners, but we can still join them among the nations as equals. Equals who inherit the old ways and suddenly have powerful allies. With everyone that joins our cause, we will grow stronger. The Bound will fight for us in new and better ways, and Seaflower will prosper as never before!"
He'd been speaking over a growing murmur that he'd tried to ignore. There'd been sincerity and cynicism alike in his speech, including the virtues he'd learned and the practical matters of getting foreign aid and ceasing tax payments to Temple Island. There was one more bit of showmanship, one more omen to try too. "Guards!" said Dominic. "I see a Servant has slipped in. Bring him!"
Jakob "struggled" but got hauled up to the stage. Dominic said, "We have the power here. I call on you to remove your mask and face us openly, as a free man and no one's Servant." Of course, Jakob soon gave in. His own mask and robe had been confiscated yesterday from a more troublesome Servant that Bastian was keeping as a "guest".
Some of the Citizens called out. "What is this? The guards are allowing this treasonous talk?"
"I am!" said Bastian. "This man is just who we need. Without him, we suffer a siege at best, and at worst the enemy army comes in as our enemy, to pillage and burn. Think of your wives and daughters, and think of new trade routes and peaceful commerce in the western bay. The westerners are our friends, if Prince Dominic is here to keep both the State and the foreign Dukes out."
"Prince?" The Citizens scoffed and clamored.
Dominic held up one hand. He stepped to the edge of the stage and looked at the Citizens, directly in the eyes, one man or woman at a time. "I've been Bound and Servant, high and low, from the capital to foreign lands. I grew up in a village near here. I've led men in battle, and watched a friend die. I've fought with word and spear and spell. My hands have copied books, tilled fields, and healed the wounded. I know of exotic spellcraft that might heal this city's namesake, and have friends who know it better. Have you heard of the ancient wizard Veles? He still lives in a huge magical fortress, and one of my allies knows him personally as her god. Have you heard rumors of wolves somehow trained to menace armies? The man perfecting that spell is my ally too. I say you can choose a better life as a new and independent state, and for that you need someone the westerners will respect. It's not a question of taking a risk or not; you already have an army on its way here. Will you place your bets on withstanding the wrath of the Sun King's forces, or on embracing this new path and outwitting the westerners who think they'll take over?"
"And you're not arresting this traitor?" someone shouted in Bastian's direction.
The guard-master had already placed his bet. "He's who we need! He's the direction this city is going."
One Citizen said, "Then hail the Prince!"
"Traitor!"
The fight began as a ripple in the crowd. Someone threw a punch and got a knife in return. Dominic tried to make his face as grim as his mask had looked; Bastian had told him to expect a brawl. He put up a screen of flying darts and bellowed, "Stop!"
Some adept among the Citizens flung a wood-hilted blade of his own at Dominic. It flew clumsily -- too much metal to lift easily -- but came close enough to force him to sidestep. The second threat was a pair of men climbing up on stage after him. Dominic saw them hunched over as they reached the stage. "The Holy State has already lost," he told them. "Getting yourselves killed won't help it." He made his blades spin around him flashily and then focus on them.
The men exchanged a glance and hesitated. Dominic took the opportunity and shouted, "Stand now as allies and be prepared for success and a better life! Everyone come up and stand with me, the prince who will lead you to victory! The Holy State will fall! Who has even dared to say this to you before?"
The men who'd come after him didn't attack. Their moment had passed. Dominic smiled and shook their hands before they could think to refuse. If he were killed now, they'd be next, and they knew it. "Proud to have you on board."
Bastian's guards were battling to get the crowd under control and force them all into the same situation. They'd attended a meeting with this conspiracy and didn't come out carrying Dominic's severed head, so that would be proof enough to justify having them killed if the revolt was put down. Dominic had hidden a few coils of rope backstage, so he and the "new convert" Jakob whipped them around to bind those who were making the most trouble. Other Citizens came onstage, eyeing the new Prince warily.
One young man with flashier clothes than most said, "Can you really do it? Stop the branding and beating and the stupid senseless breakup of Bound families?"
The light in the Citizen's eyes loosened the knot in Dominic's chest and made the entire trip feel suddenly worthwhile. "Not alone. But with you and the many people who'll join us --"
"Look out!"
Dominic spun and sidestepped in time to dodge a Citizen with a knife. The interruption made anger flare in him, and helped him to do what he had to. He whipped a rope up from the stage and sent it coiling around the man's neck. "Surrender!"
"You're no better than any Servant!" the Citizen said.
Dominic faced him down. "A Servant wouldn't give you a choice. He'd have snapped your neck already."
"Then fight me without your tricks!"
You'll need to do some fighting yourself to prevent worse fighting by others, Bastian had told him. And you'll want to appear invincible. Try not to bleed.
Dominic looked around at the packed theater full of angry, bewildered Citizens, trying to gauge their reaction. These were people he wanted alive and happy, every one of them if he could help it. "My 'tricks' come from years of learning and practice. I don't need to shove and bellow like a bull to prove I'm tougher than you. In fact I can knock you on your back with my hands tied behind mine. Want to see?" The man gulped, with his neck already held by the improvised noose. Dominic grinned and spoke loudly. "This is why we're going to beat the Holy State. Already our troops are being equipped and trained to fight intelligently and not waste people's lives, and we're about to turn a siege of this city completely around. But if you want to come at me, here." He released the noose and tied his own hands, letting his darts float up to orbit him.
A nervous chuckle from the crowd. Someone said, "Maybe he's Bound after all." With that, the tension in the room seemed to break. There was a sense of inevitability. Dominic looked warily around, but took a bow.
* * *
That evening, Dominic came to the south gate from the inside. He had a dozen hand-picked Citizens and several of Bastian's men. They lit torches once they'd reached the area around the gate controls. These were at ground level in a little stone enclosure. The light revealed its defenders. Holding the controls were a score of armed, trembling men with brands on their foreheads and crossbows in their hands, and a gaggle of Bound with spears. All of Dominic's party had shields.
Dominic called out, "This city is now under the rule of me, Prince Dominic, and your guard captain Citizen Bastian. Open the gate." He spoke as though he were merely stating the facts.
"Come closer and say that again, traitor!" one of the gate men shouted back.
Dominic sighed. The people of Seaflower weren't his enemy, collectively. "I want to set you free. Including you Bound, there. You won't be forced into the Mithraic ch
urch, and you'll be able to go where you want." The gate men didn't answer, but they weren't willing to shoot first either. He tried not to glance at the additional hidden men he had to one side, ready to open fire. Dominic saw his more obvious men looking to him for direction. Torchlight made their faces resemble angry masks. He began to feel another fire in his own heart, one that made him glare at the gate's defenders. Damn them! Why couldn't they make this job simple? A proper Servant would simply kill those who defied his orders, but he'd pledged himself to a higher standard.
He said, "Fall back, men," and began to step backward, watching the defenders. His allies gaped. "I said, fall back!"
As soon as Bastian's men could whisper to him without being overheard, they converged on him. "What was that? Are you trying to get us killed? Coward!"
Dominic had to quell this talk right now, despite the tightness in his throat. "I have a plan!" he hissed back at them. He then had to make one up. "We'll return later tonight when they're off guard. Someone get word to the hidden squad. There's someone I need to see first."
His escort began to disband in disgust. He stomped one foot on the cobblestones. "Trust me on this. We'll have the gate before dawn -- or you can have my head."
It was easy to promise.
* * *
He wore a hooded coat to the Seaflower plaza. Would she accept his invitation? Did she even still live at the Lynx's Den? He paced, barely aware of his guards securing the plaza's entrances. Julia, the Bound woman who'd helped to open his eyes years ago, needed that favor repaid. With her, he told himself, he'd have a valuable ally in liberating the city. Innkeepers' servants had to know a lot of people. In truth, he'd come because she was a stable point, one that he'd navigated by, and he now felt dangerously off course.
He waited in the cold wind and felt that the buildings around him blotted out the stars.
She came. Dominic saw her approaching the fountain, past the guards, between the shuttered market stalls. His memory of her had painted her more beautifully than reality, but she still had the simple, honest look of a lady who had spent her life working and not just riding out to collect taxes and harass peasants. She wore a plain brown dress that matched her uncommon brown hair and fluttered in the summer breeze. Her lips were pursed, her brow furrowed, and her arms folded tightly across her breasts as she faced him down.
He said, "Julia. Part of the reason I came all this way was you. First because of what you taught me, then because I saw how you were being mistreated for daring to teach."
Her expression wavered, then broke. "Why are you here, Dominic? You've started a war!"
"The Holy State tried to take a Mithraic city. I saw what they were trying to conquer and ruin, and decided to protect it instead. Now the war's rebounded."
"What was so important out there that it was worth betraying everyone? Their silly god?"
"No. The things that their god stands for. 'Justice, valor, diligence.' I don't know if it's the same list I'd pick, but it's a good one. The Holy State has none of those things. It's falling apart already. See how fragile it is, that one ex-Servant can turn the tide against a Baccatan invasion?" He reached out toward her from several paces away. "I want you to join me, Julia."
She stepped closer, fists at her sides. "So you fought an army for the sake of a girl you met a few years ago, for a few days?"
Dominic blushed. "It's... it's like their religion, the westerners'. I remember you, and that you were brave and bright. You don't have to spend your life as a barmaid or even as a teacher." He gestured at the night sky. "We'll travel the country and see things you've never known. I'll teach you to use magic; we'll see the hanging waters of Temple Island and sail out to watch the Madlands."
"As what? Bound to you instead of my current Citizen?"
"As a free woman, Bound to no one. Travel with me because you choose to, not because you're owned." He took her hand and said, "You have the potential for more choice in the matter than I had."
Julia stared at his hand. "I don't care about the war, really, so long as it doesn't get my home burned. And home is here. I have someone who takes care of me, who keeps me safe and fed and warm."
"A master! An owner! I can give you a better life than that. It just won't be a sure thing, and not as your owner. As an equal." He paused, clearing the knot in his throat. "A husband, if you like." He'd imagined the possibility in idle moments for years, sometimes with fear. It was much like the responsibilities of a Citizen. Easily twisted into abuse.
The Seaflower fountain burbled beside them as Julia thought. She bit her lip in worry. "I can't be with someone who's off to fight and kill, who might not come back. You're not content with just this city, are you?"
He shook his head, picturing the armies that lay beyond these city walls. "Then I'll just set you free. End the relationship of Bound and Citizen between you and your innkeeper. You can work for him or not, come with me or stay behind. I just want you to have the same freedom that I do, and to be happy."
She pulled away from him, turning to one side. "If it's my happiness you're worried about, then don't tease me like this!"
"It's no tease. Last time I asked you to leave Seaflower I had no power to help you. Now, you can go anywhere you want, do anything you want. I can make it happen."
"No. No, Dominic. I'm scared of what's out there, of what you'll do. Of what I'll do."
Dominic tried to approach her again but she stepped away. He said, "Believe in yourself. You're smart and more educated than your peers. Ha, you're even willing to talk back to a 'prince'. You're the sort of woman that a new Baccata needs. Just stand up and be her."
Julia just shook her head. "I'm sorry."
"Why? Is it me you don't trust, or yourself?"
"You don't understand. I want to be a Bound. To have that certainty and safety and know what each new day will bring."
He paced, feeling his feet stomp the ground. "Are you in love with your Citizen? Is that why?"
"He takes care of me. It's enough."
Dominic stared into Julia's tear-wet eyes, not comprehending. The things he'd given up his comfortable life for, were worth so little to her that she'd rather stay. He turned the rejected bargain over in his mind. The thought of it hardened his heart.
He called out to the guards. "Is her Citizen here? Bring him."
Indeed he was; he'd been peeking from the inn. The branded man looked frightened of Dominic.
Dominic shook his hand, then gave him a few coins. "For her."
"What are you doing?" said Julia.
"Buying you away from him. I'm paying well over the going rate. Now come!"
"You can't do that!" she said.
He snapped, "Your ownership is none of your concern, Bound. Guards, please take her away and make sure she's decently kept until I decide to visit her again."
The innkeeper scowled. "By what right?"
Dominic said, "She wants a master. You want property. You have coins now, and I've seen men die for coins. Fair trade."
He walked away, suppressing an angry snarl, and held his fists at his sides. Julia sobbed behind him as a guard took her away, and the innkeeper said nothing. Dominic beckoned to the other guards as he walked, and he said, "Enough talk. To the south gate. We're taking it now."
* * *
Ten minutes later he'd reassembled the posse that had thrown in its lot with him. The men murmured among themselves, unsure what he would do or even whether to participate. He had already decided, though, and mainly needed them for backup. The gatehouse men weren't organized enough to have lookouts, and formed only a mass of defenders at the ground-level gate controls. He walked right toward them, holding a thick "pavise", a sturdy lacquered shield, in his right hand. In his left was a simple block of wood. "Open! Now!" he shouted, not slowing his pace.
"Get back!" someone called out. The defenders were still hoping to bluster and shout him away.
Dominic feinted with all the darts he'd tucked behind the shield, then shatt
ered the wood block into splinters. It flew at the enemy mass just as he'd done in the west. Men went down screaming. Some of them fired wildly back. Dominic leaped away to one side and crouched behind the big shield while stabbing wildly with his darts. There was nothing to say to these people, these livestock! Something bit his leg but he didn't care. Now that they were being shot at, his own men were following his lead, cutting and shooting into the packed mass and using the enemy's dead-end location against them. After only seconds of red-hazed action Dominic saw the last few men standing, holding their empty hands in the air. He pointed at them and said, "On your knees."
He was glad that they complied so quickly. He'd been very close to running them through by sheer habit at that point. He staggered and finally noticed the iron crossbow bolt piercing his leg. "The gate. And tend to the wounded."
His men scrambled to get it done. The southern portcullis cranked slowly up until there was a clear view of the fields beyond the city. Dominic made himself sit and try to slow his bleeding. It was up to the soldiers outside, now.
One of the Citizens tapped him on the shoulder with a bloodstained hand holding some bandages. "I'm going to have to push that the rest of the way through."
Dominic lay back and looked away, nodding. He was thinking the same way in general. He'd come this far and done violence against his own countrymen; there was no better way to proceed than to keep going. He was still consoling himself with that thought when the medic shoved the metal bolt out of his leg through already torn and bleeding flesh, making him scream.
* * *
With the gate open, Dominic's forces now had access to the city and its water, and free rein of the nearby countryside to keep themselves fed. Rose and Perrin were with the first group of soldiers to reinforce the city that night.
Perrin looked triumphant. "Not bad! All you had to do was tear up some stubborn slaves, huh? I was worried you didn't have it in you."