The August Five Part 14

"That's how you really feel, isn't it?" he said sadly.

If she wanted any friendship with this man, Tamsin knew she should take back what she had said. But somehow she meant it. Maybe he was a coward to let men like her father face the firing squad while he printed his books and bulletins. After an intolerable silence, Gavin walked away, and she let him.

19.

THE ZUNFT CHAMBER TO BE REFURBISHED.

Chief Administrator Sh.o.r.e has commissioned a renovation of the Zunft Chamber. His aide says substantial funds have been set aside to recreate a replica of the Chamber room when it was first established following the War for Aeren nearly a century ago. His plans include commissioning an artist to refurbish the mural The Victory at the Hannon, which commemorates the Battle of Aeren.

-Zunft Chronicle, October 8 The appearance of the Zunft Chamber had changed drastically since the day Colston Sh.o.r.e took power in August. The two tiers of chairs that faced each other were gone. Now there was only one platform with chairs against the north wall. The chief administrator's podium had been raised to a height above the chairs, and the adjudicator's seat had been moved off to the side. As before, the loft only had a smattering of people viewing the proceedings. Gavin recognized the same official journalist who wrote for the Zunft Chronicle. He was sitting in the same chair and acted as bored he had last time.

The old man, Kaplan, appeared to be snoozing in the adjudicator's chair. Colston Sh.o.r.e stood at the podium before the Zunftmen who had a.s.sembled for Chamber. From the loft, Gavin could only see the back of Sh.o.r.e, but he had a clear view of the faces of the Zunftmen as they watched their chief administrator with rapt attention. Gavin sensed something else, too. Many of the men looked tense and worried, even men who had chosen to align with Colston after the August Rising. In the last session, Colston Sh.o.r.e's new supporters acted like c.o.c.ky victors. Now that arrogance was nowhere to be seen. Even Anderson was pale and withdrawn as he sat silently waiting for the session to begin.

"After a brief hiatus, the Chamber is back in session," Sh.o.r.e said. Kaplan opened his eyes and sat up straighter. The opening rituals were supposed to be his job. Almost immediately, his eyes drooped and he slumped back in his chair and swiped his arm across his face. Gavin wasn't sure if he was trying to raise his hand or wipe drool from his mouth. It was such an awkward motion that Gavin wondered if the old man might be drunk or drugged.

"The investigation of the disappearance of Mr. Hywel is progressing," Sh.o.r.e said. "As we speak, Zunft officers are closing in on a compound in Norde where we believe he is being held. If our information proves true, we hope to have him returned to the capital within days."

There was a tepid round of applause among the Zunftmen, and Colston continued. "I'm pleased to announce that the revenue resulting from the end of the bread subsidy-"

Richard Shieldman stood up abruptly. He stamped his foot on the riser, a reverberating noise that halted Sh.o.r.e's speech. The men around him seemed astonished at his affront.

"With all due respect, sir," Shieldman said. "But you are not following proper procedures of the Chamber. Adjudicator Kaplan should be directing the process. I have properly submitted a pet.i.tion, which must be addressed under the hallowed rules of the Chamber. Under Statute 289.3b, I am calling into question the pa.s.sage of the Food Purveyance Act..."

As Shieldman was speaking, Sh.o.r.e motioned to the guard at the door. Briskly, the guard opened the door and four armed soldiers marched in. The slam of the door and the thud of their boots drowned out Shieldman's voice. People glanced around in confusion, and someone shouted, "Kaplan!" But the old man merely opened his eyes a fraction and let them fall again. The guards stopped at the edge of the riser, near where Shieldman was standing. He tried to keep speaking, but when the guards closed in, his voice faded away.

"What is the meaning of this?" Shieldman asked Colston.

"A loyal Zunftman brought your recent activities to our attention," Colston said. "We conducted an investigation and found you guilty of treason."

At the word treason, there was a shocked silence in the Chamber. Gavin saw several people glance toward the revolvers strapped on the soldiers' belts.

"You are under arrest, Mr. Shieldman," Sh.o.r.e said.

"I have the right to face my accuser," Shieldman said.

"You have the right," Sh.o.r.e repeated. "Very well. Mr. Anderson?"

Karl Anderson stood up abruptly. Anderson had been a supporter of Hywel prior to the August Rising, but had quickly become a vocal supporter of the Carvers. Gavin had written an article about him, calling him a "plump sheep in the company of wolves." At the thought of the articles he had written, Gavin was struck by fear. He realized how much risk he'd put himself in by being here. Maybe no one noticed him, but he felt as if a beam of light were shining down on his head. Gavin suddenly realized that he hadn't brought a false identification card. If he were stopped, he would have to hand them a doc.u.ment with his real name. Gavin cursed himself for his stupidity. He'd barely slept after his argument with Tamsin and his tiredness had made him careless.

"During the debate over the Open Education Act, Shieldman approached me about voting for the act," Anderson said. "He told me that there would be financial reward should I vote for the act and that he himself had received payment from cottager elements."

"You're a liar!" Shieldman yelled.

"Did you take such a reward, Mr. Anderson?" Sh.o.r.e asked, ignoring the outburst.

"I did not," Anderson said.

"You voted for the act!" Shieldman shouted.

"Richard Shieldman is under arrest," Colston said. "You're to be held until such time as a trial is scheduled and your sentence is determined."

At those words, Shieldman seemed to deflate. He turned back toward his peers and colleagues, but most averted their eyes from him.

"First the cottagers, now one of your own?" Shieldman asked the Chamber. "Aren't you afraid you'll be next?"

Of course the Zunftmen were afraid they were next, Gavin thought. That was why no one spoke in support of Shieldman. With one hand, Sh.o.r.e had played the fearmonger card while the other hand sh.e.l.led out rewards to his loyal followers. Shieldman's earnest idealism was no match for Colston Sh.o.r.e. A guard put his hand on his gun and moved toward Shieldman. Resignation crossed Shieldman's features, and he let the guards take him into custody without incident. Gavin surveyed the faces of the men as Shieldman was removed from the Chamber. Their expressions ranged from the smugness of the veteran Carvers to the undisguised horror on the faces of the few remaining men who stayed loyal to Hywel. There was fear in many of the new Carvers' faces as well, but they were doing their best to conceal it.

When the door of the Chamber slammed shut and Shieldman was out of sight, Kaplan lumbered to his feet and weakly stamped the floor for attention. All heads turned toward the aging adjudicator. Colston walked over to the man's chair, leaned down, and whispered in his ear. Kaplan stood up straighter.

"In light of the recent political unrest and with the revelations of corruption in the Chamber, I move to dissolve the Chamber for a period of not more than six months," Kaplan said, slurring his words. "During that time, Colston Sh.o.r.e will have full legislative powers and the authority to prosecute those who are found to have partic.i.p.ated in this bribery scandal. We will vote by secret ballot."

In response to this, two of Hywel's men stood up and left in protest. When the men had reached the door of the Chamber, Colston motioned to one of the guards to follow them. Gavin wondered if they would even make it out of the building before being detained.

The remaining Zunftmen wrote their votes on sc.r.a.ps of paper that were put into a silver dish. Kaplan left the Chamber to count the votes. He returned in less than five minutes.

"The decision was overwhelmingly in favor of the emergency legislation," Kaplan announced. "This Chamber is officially dissolved."

Colston Sh.o.r.e stood up, but there was no applause. "We will hold a ma.s.s trial for the rebel leaders this week," he said. "Justice has been delayed for too long."

This time, no one disagreed. After all, they had witnessed what had happened to Shieldman, the only man courageous enough to speak out against the ma.s.s trial back in August. Now that Sh.o.r.e had full legislative power, there was no way to compel him to reconvene the Chamber. In effect, power was completely in his hands. Gavin decided it was time to leave. He avoided the main entrance by ducking into a side stairwell, which led down to the lower level and into an alley. But when he turned the corner, he saw that a checkpoint was set up in front of the side doors. The soldiers motioned to him, and now that they had seen him, there was no way to go but forward.

"Identification card, please," the guard said gruffly.

Gavin's hands trembled as he handed over his card. He was mere steps away from the door. A beautiful autumn day beckoned him to come outside, but these men were like an impa.s.sable wall. Gavin felt a rising sense of panic as the soldier read the card carefully and jotted down information in his ledger.

"Gavin Baine," the guard read. "What's your profession?"

"Machinist," Baine lied.

"Is this your current residence?" the soldier asked, peering at the address printed on the small piece of paper.

"Yes, sir," Gavin lied again. The address on the card was actually an empty warehouse in the butchers' district, but the numbers and street name were a plausible place for a cottager to reside.

The soldier jotted more notes in the ledger. It seemed to take forever, and every once in a while, he'd consider Gavin critically and then make another note. Finally, after a tense silence, the man spoke.

"You're free to go," the soldier said.

Gavin had to restrain himself from sprinting into the street. Now that they had his name, he wondered how much freedom he had left.

20.

Ma.s.s TRIAL FOR REBEL COTTAGERS BEGINS.

The ma.s.s trial of the rebel leaders has begun at the Zunft Compound in Sevenna City. While the good people of Port Kenney try to rebuild the ruins of their village, they call for justice to be done. The families of the soldiers murdered in the August Rising demand action! Chief Administrator Sh.o.r.e has heard their cries and he has answered: justice will be done!

-Zunft Chronicle, Evening Edition, October 21 On Sat.u.r.day, Tommy entered the dining hall as the bell rang to signal the beginning of the evening meal. Across the sea of tables, Kristoph and Dennett were laughing together as they sat at their usual table with Bern. When Tommy entered the dining hall, Bern glanced at him and quickly turned his attention elsewhere. The two brothers hadn't spoken since the night at Ash Street Garden, and Tommy had mostly avoided the dining hall. But he was tired of lukewarm soup and crackers. He didn't want to avoid his brother anymore. Tommy had been in the right, not Bern and his buddies.

Tommy wove his way between the tables toward the back of the hall and stood behind the chair next to Ellie. As always, Ellie and Kristin were the only students at the large table near the entrance to the kitchen. The servers were so accustomed to this arrangement that they only put out two place settings instead of eight. Tommy stood there, waiting for an invitation to join the girls, but they both stared at him like he had two heads, which oddly hurt his feelings.

Everyone in the hall stopped talking and stared. Tommy pulled a chair out to sit down, but the legs screeched against the floor. The unpleasant noise reverberated loudly in the hall as Tommy plunked down in his seat. With everyone watching him, everything seemed overly loud and overly dramatic. It was so silent that Tommy could hear the clink of the dishes from the kitchen as the servants prepared the meal. The blood rushed to his face as he felt all eyes on him.

Kristin tossed her blond curls and laughed. "I don't know if there's room for you, Tommy. This table is pretty crowded."

"Is it all right if I sit here?" Tommy asked. "I should have asked first."

"Of course, Tommy!" Kristin said. "You don't have to ask."

Finally, the students returned to their eating and chatting-probably about Tommy-but at least the racket felt like a shield around them. He glanced over at Ellie, who was frowning at him.

"What?" he asked.

"This is where Zunft careers come to die," Ellie said.

"Ellie!" Kristin said.

"I'm sorry," Ellie said. "But he has to know what he's doing."

"No problem. I already ruined my political future by disagreeing with the lads," Tommy said.

"Is that what happened to your eye?" Ellie asked. Tommy still had a faint black eye from Kristoph's fist. Tommy shrugged as if it wasn't important. Ellie and Kristin glanced at each other, and then they both grinned at him.

"Well, then, welcome to the table where the fun never stops," Kristin said.

"We put the 'fun' in funeral," Ellie said, and Kristin groaned. It took Tommy a second to get her joke.

"Ugh, Ellie, that was terrible," he said, and she laughed, delighted with herself.

"Ellie is the master of bad puns," Kristin told him.

"My father was this incredible genius who was tickled by dumb humor like that," Ellie said. "When I was little, I would get him laughing with the silliest jokes."

"What did your father do?" Tommy asked.

"He was an engineer with the Bureau of Innovations," Ellie said.

"He has the patent on volt-cells, right, Ellie?" Kristin said.

"Your dad invented the volt-cell?" Tommy asked. He suddenly remembered the name Peter Sommerfield from his engineering book. He was considered the father of the industrial revolution.

"His original model was incredibly unstable," Ellie said. "But it's the foundation of what they make now. That's why they let me into Seminary-to carry on his legacy or something."

"Both Ellie and I come from notable families," Kristin said. "We're smart, sure, but our dads have spectacular pedigrees. It was Charlotte who was the true genius. Her dad's a n.o.body, and they still let her in."

Kristin had a funny inflection every time she talked about the Zunft. To someone who didn't know her well, it made her sound ditzy. Tommy had come to understand it as a layer of sarcasm. She wasn't as overt as Ellie about her disdain for the Zunft, which was definitely the safer choice.

"How is Charlotte doing?" Tommy asked as a server arrived with plates of chicken and fresh bread.

"I haven't had a letter from her in a while," Kristin said.

"Not since her mother took her back to her grandparents' house on Norde," Ellie said. "Apparently, she's going to stay there for a while."

"Poor Charlotte," Kristin said. "She thought her grandparents' manor house was haunted. She's going to be miserable."

"Charlotte left Seminary for good?" Tommy asked. He actually wasn't surprised. He hadn't seen her since the day she was ill and went to the hospital. The same day that he and Ellie had walked around Sebastian's Circle.

"Did you hear what they did for Rannigan?" Ellie said. "They rewarded him with a full professorship and a shiny new office on the top floor of the administration building."

"Did she leave because of Professor Rannigan?" Tommy asked.

"The rest of the students weren't exactly friendly," Ellie said. She and Kristin exchanged glances. "But he targeted her specifically. There was a bet among some of the professors about who could get us to leave."

Tommy glanced up at the row of men eating at the head table. Sure enough, Rannigan was now wearing the stripes of a full professor on his black robes. He was talking to Headmaster Olberg, who was seated on his right. Even from a distance, Tommy could see Rannigan's self-important smile. It was amazing to him that anyone could congratulate himself for bullying a girl-a girl he was supposed to be teaching and helping find her way in the world. And his colleagues had rewarded him for his efforts. Tommy stared down at his chicken. Suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore.

"Well, the issue of girls in Seminary is being examined in the Chamber now," Ellie said. She lowered her voice. "Not that there is a Chamber anymore."

"Ellie!" Kristin hushed her. "Not here."

"I can talk about the facts," Ellie retorted. "The chief administrator dissolved the Chamber. All power now resides with him."

"It's a temporary thing, right?" Tommy said.

Ellie scowled at him. "Your father crowned himself the metaphorical king of the world. Do you really think he's going to willingly hand his scepter back to the peasants-ever?"

Tommy felt annoyed and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was her tone of voice. "It's not like the 'peasants' ever had any power."

"Did you think I meant the cottagers?" Ellie retorted. "Your father treats his own faction like peasants. And you know what? They're starting to desert him. He's taken his power trip too far, and it doesn't matter how much he tries to pay them off, they don't want to be second-cla.s.s citizens to King Colston."

"Uh-oh," Kristin said softly. She tilted her chin toward the front of the hall. A group of lads were approaching their table. Kristoph, Dennett, and Frank were among them, but Bern had disappeared from the hall.

"They're swaggering," Ellie whispered.

"Swagger alert," Kristin agreed.

"Like c.o.c.ks showing the hens what's what," Ellie whispered back, and Kristin made barely discernible chicken noises under her breath. c.o.c.k-a-doodle-do! Tommy realized that the girls were rehea.r.s.ed at this. Maybe it made them feel better, but Tommy wasn't laughing.

The lads lined up along the edge of their table. The dining room was surprisingly empty considering the meal had been served only a short while ago. Kristoph and Dennett lifted the edge of the table up and dropped it back down with a loud bang. The three water gla.s.ses tipped over, and the rest of Tommy's food was ruined. Ellie was about to speak, but Kristin shot her a warning glare, and Ellie closed her mouth.