The Mullinix Book 1: Ascension

by Rodney Mountain

  Chapter 15 - Students in the Chamber

  Simon and Copeland took the same seats they had taken yesterday, though this time Miranda and Stacy joined them in the back. Copeland, surprisingly, was holding up pretty well despite the alcoholic indulgences of the night before, but Simon and Miranda were both feeling the effects nicely. Copeland even had to drag Simon up so he’d make it to class at all.

  "I still say you should have had more respect for the dead," Simon grumbled, "You drank as much as I did Steele, why aren’t you showing it?"

  "I don’t know," Copeland shrugged, "You ok, Miranda?"

  "Never drank that much before," Miranda chuckled, "And stop shouting, ok?"

  "And here I am, fresh as a daisy," Stacy grinned, "I had a couple more with Rav before I left."

  "I don’t see what you see in him," Miranda shrugged, "But ok."

  "So anyone have any idea what we’re in for today?" Copeland asked them, "Or should we just ask Mr. Irons to delay long enough for us to bury Simon."

  Simon grunted and made an obscene gesture at Copeland, causing laughs from all of them, quieting down a bit when Mr. Irons entered the room. It was obvious from the lower level of noise in the room that most of the students had partaken in the nightlife much like Copeland and Simon did.

  "Welcome back everyone," Mr. Irons boomed, causing more than a few people to groan, "I see that everyone has tasted their first day of freedom. Glad to see that you’ve all survived."

  "If you call this surviving," One malcontent quipped.

  "Yes," Mr. Irons grinned, "I remember that first night out well. Well, since I knew most of you weren’t going to be in much of a mood for a lecture I have managed to arrange a special treat for all of you."

  "Uh oh," Copeland mumbled, "Deviation from plan is never good."

  "Anything beats a lecture right now," Simon said, rubbing his eyes a little.

  "Shhh," Miranda said, trying to listen.

  "The Mullinix," Mr. Irons continued, "Insegniferro himself has decided he wants to meet some of the students this year, so they’ve arranged for us to go into the palace and witness the session. We’ll even get an audience with the Mullinix after the session ends."

  "Ok," Simon said quietly, "This is something that I sure as hell didn’t expect."

  "I didn’t know the Mullinix ever did this sort of thing," Miranda gasped, "Maybe we do have something to worry about."

  "Pray for his health," Stacy said, "That’s all we can do."

  "The session is starting now," Mr. Irons said, "So leave your stuff here and come along. We need to get through security and get to the gallery."

  Julia and Marianna were assisting Taliaferro to an upright bed in the balcony area while "Mr. Irons" was getting his class up and running and through the security outside the gallery. Hidden behind a one way glass mirror, Taliaferro was able to see and hear everything that happened in the hall, mainly because the hall’s acoustics were designed so that everyone could hear what was going on in the front area, while the gallery remained a bit muted.

  "Is there anything else we can do for you, Tali?" Marianna asked him, "That position doesn’t look comfortable."

  "Nothing is particularly comfortable for me at this point," Tali grumbled, his fragile body writhing with pain, "But I want to see this, and it will be better for me to be in pain here watching than in pain in bed wondering."

  Julia nodded at Marianna, letting the younger woman know that she’d stay with Taliaferro while he watched and make sure that he was comfortable during the whole process. Marianna slipped out and checked with the Medico, who shrugged her shoulders knowing that there was little she or anyone else could do for the dying Mullinix.

  Insegniferro finished his coffee and put on the robe and hat that signified his station, the same thing he was required by tradition to wear when hearing cases or conducting audiences. It was the worst part about being the Mullinix proper, he thought. Being an Apprentice or an Elder allowed one to get away with a much lighter ceremonial dress, but being the titular ruler required (if only for appearances sake) a full regalia.

  "The kids are lining up in the gallery," Sascha, one of the house staff, told him, "Massy is standing in front of them, try not to laugh when you see the getup."

  "I’ll do my best," Iggy smiled, "How many cases do I have before I deal with the kids?"

  "Just the wife beater," Sascha told him, having checked the roster before, "There are three murder cases outstanding, but they are all from the east and won’t be here for another day or two."

  "Massy will probably end up with them then," Iggy sighed, "Is Taliaferro ready for the session?"

  "He looks like hell," Marianna said as she entered the room, "Julia is sitting with him. The medico doesn’t look particularly happy he’s doing this, but if we hadn’t he would have crawled in on his own."

  "I guess there’s no use delaying it," Iggy said with the usual touch of foreboding that always occurred when he ran cases, "Let’s get it over with."

  The single trumpeter played the slow note entrance as Insegniferro walked into the room. As was protocol, everyone stood as a sign of respect and bowed their heads at the nation’s leader. Insegniferro smiled and waved them down as he always did, as pretty much every Mullinix since the first one had done.

  "Welcome everyone," Insegniferro said, "I’m told we have a case that must be disposed of before we can continue with the audiences. I’d also like to welcome the class of students from the Service center. I hope you find this as enlightening as it will be boring."

  Chuckles passed among the students as they watched the way the Mullinix put people at ease with just a dry joke. Mr. Irons slipped to the back of the group to watch the student reactions as things progressed. It was a tradition that was loose in nature, but rigid in the fact that it had been around for so many centuries.

  "Bring in the accused in the first case," Insegniferro said, using his harder edged teacher voice, "Who brings this case before the Mullinix authority?"

  "I do, Mullinix sir," A middle aged man said, standing up and walking forward as the accused walked in, "I am Medico first grade, Marcellus Straddling."

  "Very well," Insegniferro said as one of the pages handed him the file, "And the accused is," he paused while reading, "Roge Kelly? What do you, Medico Straddling, a citizen of good standing in the Mullinix Empire, accuse Mr. Kelly of?"

  "Roge Kelly has been a menace," Medico Straddling said, walking forward, "I have been in charge of the main hospice here in Mullinix Centre for nearly three years and in that time Roge Kelly’s wife, Kristiana, has been into my hospice twenty four times for various injuries."

  "She’s accident prone!" Kelly exclaimed, and earned a stare from the Mullinix.

  "You went through class," Insegniferro said sternly, "You will have your opportunity to talk. I suggest you keep your council until I get to you."

  A rebuke from a Mullinix was a chilling thing indeed, especially since that Mullinix held your life literally in his hand. It was an awe inspiring power and one that the Mullinix would use as rarely as they could get away with. Roge Kelly shut his mouth and let the Medico talk.

  "She wanted to do something about it," Medico Straddling continued, "And we talked about it several times. We’ve even called the guards in the past."

  "Why was nothing done?" Insegniferro asked, taking the words for now.

  "It would always be lost in the system," Straddling continued, "She would either be forced back by her family or the regional head would lose the case because Roge is his gaming buddy."

  The case continued as such while the students watched quietly. Simon was bored by it, but Copeland and Miranda were fascinated by the man who was decked out in the regalia and asking questions. It seemed that he had an instinctive way of ferreting out the truth and sifting through a pile of manure to get it. Stacy and Suvorov watched their charges in this situation, figuring that they’d be asked to report on their reactions.
/>   "Which ones are the favorites?" Taliaferro rasped to Julia, "Do you know?"

  "I haven’t been involved with the process," Julia admitted, "Iggy and Massy are doing that with Edwina."

  "How is that old wench handling it?" Tali asked her.

  "She’s retiring after you go," Julia told him, "Marina is being groomed to watch the newbie since she’s the youngest of us. She’s smart, so we’ll probably continue to push her to take on more responsibility."

  "She’s a good kid," Tali agreed, "One I might have gone for, many years ago."

  "She’ll be here a while," Julia admitted, "I think they’ll do ok."

  "They’ve been ready for years," Tali said, "I’ve just been too stubborn to die."

  "Nobody expected Crian to go quite as young as he did," Julia shrugged, "I think Massy is coming up here."

  "I figured you’d want to see me while watching this," Massy said from behind his "Mr. Irons" mask, "What do you think so far?"

  "Good group of kids," Tali admitted, "Which are the favorites?"

  "Iggy and I pretty much narrowed it down to Copeland and Miranda," Massy told him, "I’m leaning towards Copeland myself, but Iggy is still divided. Today should give him the push either way."

  "Which ones are they?" Tali asked, using a pair of binoculars to watch the students, "Can you point them out?"

  "Copeland and Miranda are actually sitting together with Stacy Cossy," Massy told him, "There are four of them together in the back. Copeland is the one with the brown hair and Simon Sutcliffe is the blonde. Miranda is the one next to Stacy."

  "Pretty girl," Tali admitted, "Good head on her shoulders?"

  "Very," Massy said, "Stacy thinks so too, but she did send a curious report last night."

  "About what?" Tali asked him, his racking cough starting again.

  "She and Miranda met Copeland and his friend Simon at the bar last night," Massy said, "Ended up sitting with both of them. She thinks that Miranda would do well, but that Copeland would probably be the better Mullinix."

  "Really," Tali said, impressed, "The guards usually develop affinity for their own charge. That’s unusual for them to put in a report like that."

  "I’ve seen Copeland in class," Massy said, "Like I said, my personal vote goes for him, but Iggy gets final say."

  "I think you’ll win either way," Tali admitted, liking what he saw, "You’d best get back down there, Massy. The kids will miss you."

  Massimaferro smiled and gripped Taliaferro’s shoulder lightly before heading back downstairs. The old man watched contentedly through his binoculars at the boy that he figured would become his successor. Julia noticed him relaxing and sighed, reaching for his free hand and holding on to it.

  Down in the chamber, Insegniferro was talking to the participants in the case still, trying to determine the facts of the case from the passionate people there. The local Colonel had come into it, knowing that if Insegniferro found Roge Kelly guilty it would look bad on him for not doing something sooner.

  "This is a case that should never have been sent to you," the Colonel blustered, "Roge Kelly is…"

  "A jackass," Insegniferro countered, "Now sit down before I have you removed. This is my case now and you have no standing in it."

  The Colonel reeled back a bit, knowing that he’d gone too far with the Mullinix. Insegniferro stood up and walked down to the gallery, where the battered wife Kristiana Kelly had been wheeled in, her leg broken in the latest attack.

  "I know that you’ve been through a lot," Insegniferro said as he looked at the young woman, "You are in my chamber now, nothing will happen here without my approval and if anything happens to you outside of here for what you say you can be sure that I will hear about it. I want you to tell me the truth."

  The young woman looked up at the Mullinix, the awe and fear apparent in her eyes. Insegniferro was not a large man, but the position he held made him look a hundred times larger to the scared girl. He knew that she was scared and crouched a little to bring himself closer to eye level.

  "You are a citizen," Insegniferro told her, smiling a little and offering a hand, "You have the right to be heard and not to be hurt for it. Tell me the truth and you will have nothing to fear."

  "He’s been beating on me for years," Kristiana said hesitantly, "I try to leave, my family sends me back. I tell someone, he beats me worse when I get back. He was in service training with the Colonel here, so nothing is ever done."

  "Why didn’t you run?" Insegniferro asked her, believing her so far, "You have no legal requirement to stay with him."

  "Where can I go?" she asked him, "I have nothing of my own, my family loves him and I…"

  The girl broke down and Insegniferro put his hand on her shoulder. He looked up at the local Colonel and Roge Kelly with fire in his eyes. They both knew that this was not going well for them and backed up a little. The guards in the chamber pulled their weapons, ready to do anything that was necessary.

  "Say no more child," Insegniferro said, "I’ve made my judgment."

  Insegniferro stood up and nodded at Sascha, who was standing by the doorway. She went over to comfort the scared woman, sitting with her and putting her arms around the battered woman. Insegniferro walked over to the defendant’s area and looked directly at Roge Kelly.

  "I find you guilty of spousal assault," Insegniferro said, "Marriage is a sacred union under the law and you have perverted it long enough. Your marriage is now officially dissolved. All possessions that belonged to you now belong to your now ex-wife, save for your clothes and a few personal possessions, to be determined by the Colonel of the area."

  The Colonel nodded at Roge, but Insegniferro was not even close to being done yet. He went over and stared down the local Colonel who was probably even more at fault than the accused himself. Insegniferro looked the man in the eye and realized how much they had misjudged the man who had been in the job for a few years.

  "You are now relieved of duty, Colonel," Insegniferro said, "You are as much at fault as the accused, therefore you will receive punishment as well. You will forfeit within 30 days one third of your accrued assets to the orphan fund. If you fail to do so you will lose half and your citizenship privileges for a span of three years. You are also hereby prohibited from holding another government position."

  There was a look of shock in the hall as Insegniferro made this judgment. He was rarely this harsh on anything, but cases like this pissed him off. The students watched in silence, riveted by the drama of this case. This, to them, was like watching a photoplay in person.

  "That leaves the assault sentence," Insegniferro said, "Because I find both of you equally guilty, I sentence each of you to ten lashes each. This sentence will be performed post haste in the square."

  Both men knew better than to challenge the pronouncement of the Mullinix, as much as they wanted to. Mullinix judgments were final in this land, as the Mullinix was the final arbiter of justice. The fact that they were maddeningly good at it was something that kept crime levels low in the empire, that as well as strict punishments for any and all crimes.

  "Medico Straddling," Insegniferro said, "Thank you for bringing this case to me. I want this warning passed out on the empire. I will not stand for any of my representatives condoning this sort of behavior. A citizen is a citizen. If they have achieved full citizenship rights then they deserve protection. Even from those that claim to care for them. I declare this case concluded."

  With that, the participants were brought out of the room. The entire process had taken less than an hour, which was common for Mullinix cases. Many of them took much less than that. It was seeing cases that kept them in touch with the people, however, so that was why they did it.

  "Now that that is taken care of," Insegniferro said, "We now have a new piece of business. We need a new Colonel for Mullinix Centre. Medico Straddling, you have proven yourself to be a wise man. You knew when to petition for a hi
gher hearing, as is the right of any citizen. I’ve met you before, and this isn’t the first good thing you’ve done for this community. I would like to ask you to consider the Colonel position for a term."

  "I have patients, Mullinix," the Medico explained, "I can’t…"

  "Yes you can!" Medico Rasten said, "Your assistant can handle the day to day and you can still see patients in between cases."

  "I…" Medico Straddling said, looking for a way out of it.

  "I think you’ll do fine," Insegniferro said, "But I don’t want you if you aren’t willing."

  "I can’t refuse an offer like this, I guess," Straddling said, "So long as I can continue my practice, I accept."

  "Thank you," Insegniferro said, "The documents will be filed before the session ends."

  Copeland breathed a sigh. He couldn’t imagine himself doing what Insegniferro had just done. He hoped he was wrong about the reason they were there. Miranda was thinking much the same thing for the same reason. They looked at each other and the concern was evident in their eyes.

  "That was a doozie," Simon said, looking at the guards hauling the two away, "Looks like it turned out for the best, though."

  "We can but hope," Copeland said, "I wonder what is next."

  "I still can’t believe we’re here," Miranda said, "This is amazing."

  "Really," Stacy nodded, "It’s fascinating…"

  Mr. Irons returned to the class and watched the discussions. Insegniferro put his Mullinix seal on the paper outlining the judgment and stood up again, turning towards the gallery where the class was sitting. This was going to be the interesting part. Instead of being completely official, Insegniferro decided to put some humanity to the job. Something he was able to do very little and that Massimaferro was far better at.

  "I’m glad you could join us today," Insegniferro said, his eyes going over the crowd and picking out the ones he was most interested in, "We should do this more often, having classes here. Might in the future as well. So do any of you have any questions about what you saw here?"

  Nobody said a word, they were all afraid to say anything. The Mullinix was standing right in front of them, a man that they all knew of but nobody really thought they’d meet. They were all afraid of acting stupid and gaining unwanted attention. It was a reaction that Insegniferro was familiar with and decided to see if he could change a little.

  "Don’t worry," Insegniferro said, "I don’t bite. You’re here to learn and if you don’t ask, how do you learn?"

  "How did you know she was telling the truth?" Simon asked, deciding that his curiosity was worth satisfying.

  "Very good question," Insegniferro smiled, "This is a very large part of what I do. I see people and I learned to read them. The way she carried her body, the way she framed her answers and a few other things that I don’t know how to explain told me she was telling the truth. It’s something that anyone can do, but something you have to work at to hone."

  "Why do you see cases like this?" another voice asked, "You don’t have to, do you?"

  "We are the last line of defense for justice," Insegniferro explained, "This is how we know what people are like in our nation as well. We learn as much from the cases as we do from our reports and from the guards."

  Copeland and Miranda watched the questioning intently, especially when Insegniferro made eye contact with them several times. They both knew that they were being watched and it didn’t make things very much easier.

  "You look scared, Copeland," Miranda said, "Afraid the prophecy will come true?"

  "Yeah," Copeland said, "I am."

  Simon didn’t know what to say. He saw the way that Insegniferro watched his friend as well, wondering whether Copeland really had to worry about being chosen. Copeland himself was scared and decided to ask a question that could easily be misconstrued, but might just save him from a fate he didn’t want.

  "I have a question," Copeland said, raising his hand as Simon and Miranda looked at him in surprise.

  Insegniferro stopped for a second and looked up. He wasn’t expecting questions from either Miranda or Copeland, as their profiles pretty much said they weren’t much for that sort of thing. But he wanted to hear the boy speak, so he went ahead and pointed at him, careful not to say his name.

  "Go ahead," Insegniferro said.

  "What makes you better than anyone else?" Copeland asked, almost to the horror of the others, "Why should you pass judgment on them?"

  The question stunned pretty much everyone. Even Insegniferro was taken aback for a second, as nobody had ever really asked that question directly of a Mullinix before. The Mullinix was an institution that had been around so long that nobody really questioned it, it simply was.

  "Sharp mind that one has," Taliaferro coughed as he watched, "I wonder how Iggy will field that…"

  It took Insegniferro a minute to process his possible answer. When it sank in he looked up at Copeland. Much to Copeland and everyone else’s surprise, he smiled and laughed a little bit. Massimaferro, who had been having just as hard a time keeping a straight face in the back, was stifling a laugh as well.

  "The simple fact is that we’re not," Insegniferro told him, making eye contact with the young man, "We’re just like you. I was a poor kid from the south when I was chosen for this awful job. I don’t like it, but it has to be done. I was the right person in the wrong place at the wrong time."

  Much like you, Iggy said to himself. He had made his decision on which of the two to take now. Copeland pretty well knew it himself when he saw Insegniferro’s reaction to it. Simon breathed out finally when he saw that Copeland wasn’t going to get them thrashed with his impudence.

  Taliaferro knew that the boy was going to be it too, as did Massimaferro. It was obvious to anyone who knew anything about the process that the choice was pretty well made by that one statement.

  "Take me back to my room," Taliaferro said to Julia, "I’ve seen enough."

  Changing of the Guard

  "I can’t believe you asked that!" Simon exclaimed as they walked towards their next class, "Man, I thought you were nuts."

  "The way he looked at you," Miranda said, "I think you’re going to be chosen if it happens."

  "Me too," Copeland said glumly, "I thought that would throw them off guard."

  "Put their attention right on you is what it did," Rav Suvorov said, actually walking with his roommates, "The look on his face was priceless though."

  Copeland sighed as they entered the building. He was feeling more than a little down, and the alcohol had nothing to do with it. The looks he was getting proved that even though the Mullinix choice process is supposed to be a quiet process, information was getting out.

  What Copeland didn’t know was that this was absolutely normal when there was a lingering illness or when a Mullinix was known to be on the deathbed. It had been so many years since there was a controlled succession like this one was turning out to be that very few people still living knew what it was like.

  Massimaferro had separated from the group and watched the exchange and the looks. He didn’t know how long it would be but he was certain that it had to be soon otherwise the fur would really start flying. He went back to the palace and met Insegniferro in the kitchen. It had been a short session, but a tough one due to the case that he’d been stuck with.

  "You’re right," Iggy said, seeing Massy, "Copeland is the one."

  "Everyone else knows it too," Massy said, "Even his classmates are talking about it. Copeland Steele is in for a hard ride if this lasts much longer."

  "I think you chose just in time," Julia said, walking into the room with a tear in her eye, "He saw the exchange between Iggy and the Steele boy."

  "You mean…" Iggy said and trailed off.

  Massimaferro didn’t wait, but headed straight to Taliaferro’s room. Iggy followed as quick as he could, but he couldn’t match Massy’s speed. Massimaferro went into the room just in t
ime to see Medico Rasten closing the old man’s eyes, with Insegniferro arriving soon after.

  "He saw what he needed to see," Julia said, walking into the room, "I think he knew that you would be all right after the way you handled that case and the exchange."

  "Do I pronounce now?" Medico Rasten asked them, "Or do I need to wait?"

  "Go ahead and pronounce," Iggy said, sighing as he looked at his mentor, "Keep the information to yourself for now though."

  "As you wish, Mullinix," Medico Rasten said.

  "Mullinix-Elder," Insegniferro sighed, "For that is what I am now."

  "We don’t need to debate anymore, do we?" Massimaferro said, "Copeland Steele will become the new Mullinix-Apprentice?"

  "As the new Mullinix," Iggy smiled, "The final decision is yours to make. My vote is yes."

  "Where is Edwina?" Massimaferro asked Julia, "Have you seen her today?"

  "No," Julia said softly, stifling her tears, "I’ve been with him all day."

  "Stay with him now," Iggy said, hugging the older woman, "We’ll take care of the rest of it."

  Iggy walked out of the room, followed closely by Massy. Both of them were saddened by the loss, no matter how much they had been expecting it. It was like a large piece of their lives was now gone.

  "Medico Rasten," Iggy said, when she left the room, "Keep an eye on Julia for a while, will you?"

  "Sure," she said, "The certificate can wait until you notify the new chosen."

  "Which of us gets to do it?" Massy asked, "I don’t know the protocol."

  "You do," Iggy said, "I’ll prepare the mechanism for advancement. Find Edwina and get the Steele boy here before he hears about it from somewhere else."

  Massimaferro nodded and headed downstairs, passing Marina and Marianna as they were rushing up the stairs. The news had already spread through the house staff, so it wasn’t going to be too much longer before everyone else had found out.

  "Is there anything we can do to help?" Marianna asked, "We just heard…"

  "Yes," Iggy nodded, "Julia needs you, Marianna. You were Crian’s favorite, so you know what she’s going through."

  "Right," Marianna nodded and entered the chamber, "I’ll be there if I’m needed."

  "Marina," Insegniferro said, "Massy is going to arrange for the transfer of the new Mullinix. We’ve chosen Copeland Steele."

  "I heard about the exchange in the chamber," Marina nodded, "I always knew…"

  "Everyone knew," Insegniferro nodded, "Doesn’t help, does it?"

  "No," Marina sighed, "It doesn’t. We’ve been cleaning out the spare chamber when we have off time. I take it that it will be his?"

  "Yeah," he nodded, "If there’s anything left to get ready, do it. Just be there for him if he needs you."

  "Anything he needs," Marina nodded.

  "Just don’t scare him," Insegniferro smiled in his grandfatherly way, "You’ll probably have to go slow with the boy."

  "I know slow," Marina smiled, "It’s what I do best, not that you’d know."

  "Maybe thirty years ago I would have," Iggy chuckled, "Go on and get ready for him. Massy will have him within an hour or so."

  "I’ll be ready" Marina nodded, "No worries."

  Insegniferro sighed and went downstairs to fill out some papers that he had been taught how to do years before. It was a set of papers that one hopes never to have to use, the papers that legally declared the elder position vacant and allowed them to bring in Copeland Steele as the new apprentice.