Elements (Tear of God Book 1) (16 page)

“Thanks, Uncle Durren.” Mink wasn’t sure what his uncle was talking about, but he didn’t ask for clarification, because he wasn’t ready for it. On the way out to the hall, Mink saluted Housh with the nearly empty bottle.

Thurbt’s office ended up being in another wing of the building. From what little Mink knew, that indicated he represtented a distant area of the country, perhaps one Mink had yet to visit. When he and Durren arrived, Mink was surprised to see that the reception area looked exactly like his uncle’s, save for the assistant.

Thurbst leaned out of his private office and waved Mink and Durren in, shaking their hands as they passed him. Thurbst also wore his hair in the smooth way of a statesman. However, his plump features and marble-pattern suit made him less appealing in Mink’s opinion. Once he noticed that Thurbst also used powder to darken and dry his oily complexion, he lumped him in with all the politicians who tried too hard and did too little.

“Thurbst, I’d appreciate the honor of introducing you to my sister-nephew, Mink.” From the way Durren spoke, referencing the matriarchal title, Mink figured Thurbst was from somewhere up in the plainslands’ prefectures of the north.

“Mink, be my friend and call me ‘Thurbst.’” His thick accent, heavy on consonants, confirmed he was from the far north. Mink glanced at the maps on the wall. Millshur Prefecture. Yikes. Conservative to the point of fundamentalism.

Hoping he remembered his manners correctly, Mink extended his hand and said, “Thurbst, my friend, the honor is mine.”

Thurbst bowed and shook Mink’s hand warmly with both of his own. Mink patted the handshake with his free hand, as was the custom. He started to think that Thurbst should just take the rotten crystal, but stopped for fear that he might be a Spirit user.

“So, Durren. What’s eating at you to prompt such an early visit?”

“My sister-nephew brought a report from his father, who is an Intelligence Operative, and I think you should be the recipient and presenter of this information.”

“Why me?” Thurbst asked, intrigued.

Durren handed over the crystal. Thurbst held it and leaned his forehead in, indicating to the other two that he was concentrating on the frequency embedded in the crystal. He occassionally cocked his head from one side to the other. Eventually, Thurbst started to cry. Now Mink did want to know what his father said in the report. Thurbst wiped his eyes and stared at Mink quizzically. Mink returned his gaze for a couple seconds, but it became too uncomfortable and he had to look away. Finally, Thurbst tucked the crystal into his own leather pouch.

“Mink, my friend, you have honored your country more than it can repay you.”

Durren clapped Mink on the shoulder. “I take great pride in my sister-nephew. Will you be the presenter, Thurbst, my friend?”

“Yes, sir. It will be my great honor.”

“What do you think the split will be when it comes to the vote?” Durren asked.

“There aren’t enough isolationists to prevent a three-fourths in favor of taking some form of action. The struggle I see is keeping emotions in check so the majority action won’t be an all-out war.”

“I know what you mean. Please do the honor of making my sister-nephew available for questioning after you present. It could help our cause for maintaining the peace.”

Mink straightened nervously. He was prepared to answer a few questions from his uncle, but not in front of the High Council. Maybe he wouldn’t have to go to that party with Dreh after all.

“Certainly, my friend. It’ll take more to ensure peaceful action when a Tear of God is at stake. We must make a few bargains and trump up the scenario of war being brought to our borders. A war on Rift Ridge would be too costly on all levels. Priority one is to get the Tear of God across our borders and away from the Machinists. Then we can be fortified here and impervious to their attacks, as we were in the early years of our country.”

“Please excuse the interruption, huthph Thurbst,” Mink stammered, using the Smranksth word for friend to emphasize his respect. “Won’t all of that bargaining take too much time? Wouldn’t the Advocates see to do the right thing?”

Thurbst laughed longer and louder than Mink felt was necessary. He leaned close to Mink and whispered conspiratorially, “This is politics, my huthph boy. Right and wrong don’t have anything to do with it.”

T
HURBST AND
Durren prattled on about their chamber strategy as Mink did his best to keep up. He found that Advocates’ offices held little to no lasting interest for regular people. When visiting with his family, Mink had always thought to bring along something to do. Without, he became painfully aware of how tedious and frustrating dealing with the politics of his country could be.

At last, the two statesmen left the private office, ushering him along. In the hall, they engaged in small talk about their families while Mink people-watched from a couple of paces behind. A courier zoomed by with the characteristic cracking sound of Flash Feet and Mink remembered Blin with a shudder.

Security was tight around the Main Cameral’s High Council deliberation chamber. Eight guards stood silently, only nodding to the group as they approached. Mink knew each of them must represent a different Element, and figured they had some crazy effect or another chanted and ready to go as soon as they gave the implementation. All being dressed alike, it was impossible to guess each guard’s affinity.

Inside the chamber, the Advocates’ seats were arranged stadium style with four rows of sixteen seats. The few Advocates who had gathered were busying themselves at their seats and didn’t seem to notice Mink’s entrance. In front of the Advocates’ seating, a Wooden dais held a glass podium and eight high-back chairs. Behind the eight chairs, the Octernal flag hung, depicting a red eight-pointed Star of Order against a blue background.

Durren directed Mink up to the dais. Mink found four slots for holding crystals, each a different size, carved into the top of the glass podium. The Wood of the dais had grains, proving that it was natural Wood and not Materialized. Very fancy.

“Mink, please have a seat over there,” Durren said, indicating one of the eight seats behind the podium. They were also natural Wood and possibly thousands of years old. Mink had never sat in a chair worth more than his house before. “Thurbst is going to call you up at some point to answer some questions. Only answer what you are absolutely certain about and can verify.”

“That won’t be a whole lot, but we’ll see.” Mink shuffled off to the closest chair and plopped down.

Durren took his seat in the upper tier in the column of seats for the Floth Prefecture. Ready to call in the other Advocates for assembly, Thurbst went to the podium on the dais. He removed a crystal from a cloth pouch and placed it in the recess on the top left of the podium, where it began to flash red, signaling Advocates throughout the Main Cameral building to come to the chamber. Turning briefly back to face Mink, Thurbst winked and then put his game face on.

In no time at all, every Advocate had entered the chamber and taken their seat. Mink expected to have plenty of time to work up a maybe-next-time excuse for the party. His presence sitting on the dais did not go unnoticed, but it didn’t cause as much of stir as he had feared. Mink knew Advocates from the same prefecture sat in the same column of seats, two elected and two appointed. He made a game of trying to guess which prefecture each one represented. Thurbst stood statuesque at the podium, waiting quietly until all eyes were on him, and all voices silent.

“My fellow countrymen, I ask you here to work with me on addressing what will be the most significant turning point of our time.” Thurbst held aloft Juré’s crystal. “A classified message from one of our intelligence operatives in Floth, Juré Jolle, has been brought to me by his son, my friend Mink Jolle.” Thurbst gestured grandly toward Mink. To the mild amusement of several members, Mink waved to the Advocates.

“In just a moment, I will ask all of you to honor me by listening to Juré’s report. But first, I will ask all of you to empty your thoughts of the prefectures you represent and the agendas you have waiting for you back in your offices. Please, listen with unburdened mind and heart, thinking only of the country we serve. The direction this country’s history will take is in your hands.” Thurbst followed his preface by ceremoniously placing the crystal in the slot at the top right of the podium.

All of the Advocates, even Durren, placed their hands on the crystals that sat on the table in front of their seats. The room fell quieter than a thornball factory. Mink watched as some became emotional. At certain points, all members turned to one prefecture or another. No one said a word. Just before they released their crystals, they looked at Mink. The room then buzzed with chatter as the Advocates started discussing the message with their neighbors.

Thurbst raised his hands and stood at the podium until all focused silently on him again. “We must make ready for war!” shouted an elderly stateswoman from the left of the room. Conflicting reactions to the declaration filled the room simultaneously. Mink looked to Durren who reassured Mink with a patting motion of his hand.

“That’s a move for action of war from Briph Prefecture.” Thurbst presented, settling the room once more. “Do the other Advocates from Briph support this action?” One stood and voiced his favor, but the other two remained sitting. “The action has been quashed.” A long silence followed. Thurbst took the initiative, saying, “First we must secure the Tear of God for Octernal. Do the other Advocates from Millshur support this action?”

All three of the other Advocates from Millshur stood and gave their favor. “We have an action on the floor for securing the Tear of God. Does the assembly support this action?” Mink counted ten Advocates who remained seated. He wondered what reason they could have for not wanting to secure it, but guessed he might never know.

“Fifty-four for and ten against. We have decided on action for securing the Tear of God for Octernal. We will now hear suggestions for actions by which to secure it.”

“This is a Tear of God we speak of,” trumpeted a statesman from the middle section. “We must send all of our army to bring it here. We cannot risk losing it.”

“There is a motion for action of sending the army from Atriarb. What say the other Advocates from Atriarb?”

The stateswoman sitting behind the one who presented the action stood and declared, “I have an objection to the motion. Sending the army will be seen as an act of war.”

“Do the other Advocates support the objection?” asked Thurbst. None stood or spoke, and the stateswoman sat. “Do the other Advocates support the motion for action?” The other two Advocates from Atriarb stood and gave their support of the action. “The motion for sending the army goes to the floor. How does this assembly support the action?”

A small number of Advocates stood and gave their support, including the stateswoman from Briph. It was clear to Mink that there wasn’t enough support.

“The motion for sending the army has been quashed. Is there another motion?”

After a long stretch of silence, Durren stood. “I move that we send a smaller team, just large enough to extract the Tear of God and bring it here.”

“What say the other Advocates from Floth on the action of sending a smaller team?”

“I object to the action,” said Maino, who Mink recognized as one of the two Advocates appointed by the Prefect in Floth. “It puts successful transport of the Tear of God at risk, as well as jeapordizing the lives of the entire team, should the enemy catch up with them.”