The Black Sword Trilogy: The Four Nations (22 page)

             
“You sir,” Kenner said to him, “Can kiss my…”

             
“Oh for heaven’s sake!” The voice of Janna called from behind him.  Everyone turned to face her and then Firth bowed and Kenner’s escort did the strange, straight-backed lowering motion they’d seen the day before.  The guards bowed as well.

             
Janna was followed by a procession of guards along with elegantly dressed men and ladies.  She herself was wearing what looked like a combination of a fashionable dress and military uniform.  It was a tunic with two rows of gold buttons, a long, billowing skirt and shiny black, high-heeled boots; all the same scarlet color as Sheyron’s flag.  Her fiery red hair fell freely over her shoulders and a red cape was draped over her.

             
“I think we can make an exception for the bearer of the Black Sword.” She finished.  “Besides, you know damn well I’m bringing this in,” she said holding out the Golden Spear.  “Now open the doors before one of you goes swimming back to Korsh.”

             
They both politely bowed and pulled open the doors.

Chapter Twenty Six

              The doors opened to large room filled with about a hundred men and women.  All were well dressed; though seemingly half were wearing the fine rich clothing of the palace, while others were wearing more familiar materials (to Terri and Kenner) and more natural colors; such as brown, green, orange and gray.  There were men and women in scarlet military uniforms and everyone was wearing the, now familiar three-pointed hats that seemed to identify citizens of Sheyron.

             
The talking and chattering quickly stopped when Janna entered the room and as they bowed and the women made their gestures, a path opened up to a raised platform, not unlike a stage at the far end of the large room.  On top of the platform was a single, long table with eight people, all in military uniform sitting in tall, straight-backed chairs.  One chair was larger than the others and covered in rich, plush, scarlet velvet.

             
As Janna walked past the crowd, someone raised his hat and announced, “Hail to the Admiral of Sheyron!”  Everyone else responded with “Hail!  Hail!  Hail!”

             
“What’s going on?” Terri asked Firth.

             
“The men and women on the floor are the council.” He explained to her.  “On the platform is ‘The Captains’ Table, the governing body of Sheyron.  Most members of the council are elected from the individual districts of Korsh and the islands.  Ship Captains are automatically members.  All of the men and women seated at the table are the highest ranking ship Captains in the fleet.  Military Captains are chosen because of their supposed neutrality in political or economic matters.”

             
“So how does it work?” Terri asked.

             
“Bills are presented to the council by the various districts,” Firth explained.  “They are then debated in committees and special meetings.  In those meetings, the details and legal language is worked out, bills are written and rewritten and then a final bill is written.  It is then brought to this monthly meeting.  Here, speakers for both the ‘Boots” and the ‘Shoes’ present their arguments for or against a bill.  After that, it is brought up to the Table and a vote is taken.”

             
“How many bills are considered in these sessions?”

             
“How ever many are ready to be voted upon.  Today you are fortunate.  There is only one.”

             
Edum then approached Terri and Firth.

             
“Good evening to you both.” He said politely.

             
“Good evening father.” Firth said bowing.

             
“That’s a lovely dress you’re wearing, Terri.” Edum said to her.

             
“Thank you, sir.” She answered.  “I hope it’s one I can take with me.  I don’t often have the opportunity to be ‘girly’.”

             
“Of course, you may take it with you.  It is a gift from the nation of Sheyron.”

             
“And a fine gift it is.  I’m curious as to the origin of its material, though.  Silk, I believe it’s called?”

             
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you.” He said politely.  “The Blackwoods is not the only nation that has secrets to keep.”

             
Janna then struck the Spear three times on the platform with a booming, echoing sound, much like thunder.

             
“I really love that sound.” Janna said grinning.  “The Council will now come to order!”

             
“If you’ll excuse me,” Edum said to Terri, “I must now attend to this meeting.  I’m the Speaker of the Floor.”

He then bowed and walked away.

              Terri then turned to Kenner.

             
“Why are we here?” She asked him.

             
“The Admiral made a deal with me this morning.” He told her.  “In exchange for us submitting to a question and answer session at dinner, she’d show us how the Sheyron government works.”

             
“You agreed to this without consulting me?”

             
“It’s very difficult to consult with someone who’s half dead.”

             
“Good point.”

             
“The Captains’ Table will now consider bill number One Thousand, One Hundred and Seventy Three!” Edum announced.  “It is a bill to allow the owners of merchant vessels the right to offer foreign workers less than the minimum wage offered to Sheyron’s citizens.  Speaker for the ‘Shoes’, you may proceed.”

             
“The ‘Shoes’?” Terri asked Firth.  He leaned over to her in order to speak into her ear.

             
“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but half of the council are wearing shoes and stockings; whereas the other half are wearing boots.”

             
“I have noticed that.  What’s that all about?”

             
“That represents our two political factions.  The ‘Shoes’ represents the upper class, owners of ship yards and wealthiest ship owners.  They tend to be more conservative.  The ‘Boots’ represent the working classes, labor guilds and merchants and they tend to be more liberal.  There are extremists in both groups, but the majority of both sides are moderates who mostly keep the extremists at bay.”

             
“Now look under the table,” Firth continued.  “How many people are there wearing shoes and how many wearing boots?”

Terri looked under the table and then answered, “It looks like there’s a five to three majority of shoes.”

              “Since the days after The Great War…” An older man wearing fine silk clothes and gold buckled shoes began saying, “Sheyron has been under the ill effects of a plague.”  The end of his sentence was answered by groans, cheers and other noises from the Council.  “Yes, a plague; an infestation.  For five hundred years, men and women from the other nations have been pouring over the borders of our great land in an effort to leach off of the riches that mighty Sheyron has become famous throughout the world.” More sounds of approval and disapproval followed.  “They have come here like parasites.  They seek to rob us of our hard earned wealth.  They seek to take our money away from our blessed shores and fill the coffers of the Kings of Masallah and Walechia so that they may become richer from our trade; so that they can be made stronger and more powerful than us.  While the Lady of the Woods may be content to live with the world in perfect balance…”

             
“He says that because only Sheyron has trade with the Blackwoods.” Firth said to Terri.

             
“Walechia and Masallah build more and larger ships to carry their armies to our shores.  They seek to take away the trade agreements that put food on our tables and clothes on our backs.  They mean to wage an economic war against Sheyron; to starve us into economic submission by sending more and more of their workers to take away from men and women born and raised in this country.  We must resist this!  We must win this war before it begins.  And the best way, in fact the only way we can win this is to not offer the same privileges our citizens have earned through their hard and faithful work.  This bill will allow our Captains the ability to fight the battles of this war and help us to resist the tyranny that Walechia and Masallah wish to impose on a nation, though much smaller is also so envied for what he have worked since the last Dark Lord fell into the cracks of the mountains.”

A crescendo of cheers and boos followed the end of his speech.

              “Speaker for the ‘Boots’?” Edum said.

             
A woman in an orange dress and black boots stepped forward.

             
“My learned colleague,” She began, “Speaks of a plague.”  The same sounds answered her speech as did the man who preceded her.  “Indeed there is a plague infesting our nation and robbing of us of our strength.  But it is not the plague of which he speaks.  The most dangerous pestilence facing our nation is not of outside origin; but one that has its beginnings right here in Sheyron.  It comes not from foreign shores, but from the offices of ship builders; the temples of the priests growing fat on receiving the wealth of their patrons, but never having to pay any in taxes and from the finest houses of the men and women whose only contribution to the great nation they say they cherish was to have been born.  It is greed that robs the strength and health of these shores.”

             
“You lie!” A man from the ‘Boots’ section called out.  “Traitor!” Another followed.  Soon the hall was filled with yelling and shouting from both sides and then silenced by the booming of the Spear.

             
“Enough!” Janna yelled.  She then pointed at the “Shoes’” speaker.  “You were given an opportunity to present your side without interruption and I expect you to offer the same respect to your opponents.  One more outburst like that,” She said pointing the Spear all around the room, “And I will clear this hall!”

When she was sure her point was made, she gestured toward the “Boots’” speaker.

              “You may continue.” She said to her.

             
“As I was saying,” The woman continued.  “It is greed that is the greatest enemy our nation faces; not an outside threat.  Yes, our citizens have worked and fought hard to earn their wages; higher than any offered in the world.  While the ship owners, builders and wealthy aristocratic families may have us believe that it is through their benevolence that our workers earn more than our neighbors in Walechia and Masallah; they tend to forget the hard won battles the labor guilds fought in order to secure better wages and safer working conditions.  Were it not for the contracts secured by our guilds with the ship owners and builders, they would still be working like slaves where more of Sheyron’s sons and daughters died than in any war.  They want us to believe that this bill is to fight immigrants from taking our money and giving it to our rivals.  But I haven’t yet heard them say anything about stopping or even restricting immigrants from coming over our borders.  No, they simply want to offer them lower wages.  And to what end?  Isn’t it obvious?  They do not wish to solve our immigration problem, if there even is one.  No!  They wish to use this excuse to wage a war, not against any foreign power; but rather the negotiating power of our guilds to maintain better wages and safe work places.  They don’t want fewer immigrants. They want more!”  The calls from both sides began to grow louder.  “They want more workers to come here, so that they can pay them lower wages than they would our own citizens.  And their ultimate goal is to break the negotiating power of the guilds, forcing us to accept their terms at the bargaining table.  Work for us at the wages we offer or we’ll hire someone else!”

             
Once again, the noises of the hall began to sound as if approaching a violent crescendo; but the Admiral tapped the Spear and it quieted down.

             
“Council for the ‘Shoes’.” Edum repeated.

The older man stepped forward again.

              “No one is talking about or even hinting at breaking the contracts we have with the guilds.  Our own citizens will still be offered the same fine wages they have enjoyed.  This bill only applies to foreign workers sailing our ships.”

             
“Really?  And how long before there are more foreign sailors under our sails than domestic?  How long before they captain our merchant vessels or wear our uniforms with the promise of citizenship?"

             
“Why shouldn’t the privileges of citizenship be offered to those who serve in defense of our land and our people?”