Practical adept book 17.., p.80
Practical Adept: Book 17 of the Spellmonger Series, page 80
“We will table the discussion about that until later,” I said, as the attendant brought us our tea and poured it with great ceremony and no words. “I have some serious concerns about those. But we’re here for another reason,” I reminded her. Then I cast a magical bubble around us that would keep our discussion from being overheard. Usually, that sort of thing takes about ten minutes to set up, but I had irionite in my pocket and did it in a matter of moments. “We can speak freely, now,” I assured her.
“Yes. Your proposal. Lemari explained as much as she could, but it was felt it would be best if I took a hand in clarifying some things. Such as who you claim you are, really,” she said, suspiciously.
“It’s true,” I admitted. “I am happy to prove it, though I would prefer not to do so here. But it’s true. I am Minalan the Spellmonger, Count of the Magelaw and Head of the Arcane Orders of Castalshar. As is the reason I told her I came to Farise.”
“Why would you want to come to Farise? I don’t know much about you, and the rumors I have heard are unlikely. But assuming you aren’t lying to me – which I would not advise – why did you come to Farise?” she repeated.
“It wasn’t my idea, nor is it my inclination to screw around in Farise,” I promised her.
“It appears you already have,” she said, dryly. “Of that I am certain. My sister was quite enamored of you, I recall. And your prowess.”
“I was young and terrified,” I dismissed. “That can inspire you. My point is that I have no real desire to conquer Farise. I’m here to get the pirates out of here, permanently. It’s just to do that, well, it’s a lot more complicated than I thought,” I admitted.
“When such common bandits are included in the city’s government, that’s going to be difficult,” she agreed. “Which is why I’m concerned about your unwillingness to oppose Pratt the Rat. He’s decidedly a pirate.”
“A retired pirate,” I reasoned. “And from what I understand, the real corsairs don’t consider the Brotherhood to be legitimate corsairs, more like scavengers and opportunists. Regardless, he’s the leading candidate, regardless of his past crimes. He’s a mage, he has irionite, and he’s popular, in certain circles. He’s charismatic, he has a loyal group of men around him, and he has vision,” I listed. “Do you have another candidate in mind?” I asked, pointedly.
“But how do you think you can persuade Rellin to get rid of his fellow pirates?” she asked, coolly. “Farise has almost always been a safe haven for corsairs. We’re dependent on them. That’s what built the Great Market, originally, and the Citadel and most of the city -- we have benefitted from the commerce. There will always be corsairs on the sea preying on the weak and slow. They need someplace to sell their booty. Farise has provided a market for that for centuries. Rellin knows that. It’s in his interest to keep the trade, not banish it.”
I heaved a big sigh, partially for effect. “I understand that argument,” I conceded. “But I think that it is built on too narrow a foundation. It demonstrates a very limited understanding of the factors involved, and as such it misses greater opportunity.”
She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “Explain,” she said, patiently. I suppressed a chuckle. She really did remind me of Pentandra. I couldn’t wait to introduce them.
“Let’s look at this from an economic perspective. Farise isn’t dependent on piracy,” I suggested, “it is dependent on trade. Indeed, it is uniquely situated to inevitably be a factor in international trade, no matter what flag flies over the Citadel. Whether that trade comes from legitimate or illicit sources doesn’t matter. Indeed, Farise has borne the cost of protecting the corsairs over the years, an expense that has proven extravagant in the long run. When it comes down to it, Farise is a commercial hub, and any vision of its future must take that into consideration first.”
“Agreed,” she admitted, uncomfortably. “Go on.”
“More, Farise loses the commercial advantage it could aspire to if it is dominated by Castalshar,” I reasoned. “If it’s just one province among many, then Rard and his family control Farise’s destiny, not Farisians. You’ll be bound by Kingdom policy. I think Farise stands far more to gain, commercially speaking, by remaining an independent entity – able to establish its own rules for trade and commerce. And banking, insurance, law, and all of those other factors that conspire to bring prosperity to a people.
“But,” I continued, sharply, raising a finger, “attempting to do so where a man’s freedom is imperiled by the institution of slavery will ultimately doom Farise. The labor market here is so saturated by slaves that the common man labors all week only to afford tea and porsago and a leaky roof over his head. Life is cheap here, and where life is cheap, the insecurity of the people undermines any hope of higher aspiration except by the exceptionally daring.”
“I can see your reasoning,” she conceded, “at least in the matter of slavery. But the corsairs dislike taking slaves, as a rule. At least the respectable ones. The Brotherhood of the Rat, on the other hand . . .”
“An independent Farise could dictate policy,” I argued. “I’ve eliminated involuntary servitude in my own lands and seen a dramatic effect on the economy. If slavery is no longer permitted here, then there will be no real market for the practice. And if Farise is the dominant naval power in the Shattered Sea, then it will be in a position to enforce that policy. Security increases trade,” I argued.
“It does,” she agreed, with a sigh.
“Regardless of which power wins the competition for the Shattered Sea, the enforcement of their rule will be based out of Farise by necessity. Farise might as well control it and make policy to its advantage. Farise could prosper more as the haven of pirate hunting privateers than it could as a haven for pirates. Pratt’s vision for a new empire could manifest that way,” I reasoned.
“But that assumes that Farise is a dominant naval power,” she pointed out. “Have you seen that sad shard of a navy over in Calafel? Everyone says its barely enough to patrol the Sound. Hardly a force that could police the entire Shattered Sea.”
“At present,” I admitted. “But we live in revolutionary times – and revolutions have a way of creating new opportunities. I’ve taken that into account,” I promised. “But a good navy is no substitute for real defenses against foreign aggression. I think Farise’s basic defenses need to be re-built, with a liberal use of magic. As it so happens, I know the greatest wizard in the world, so I think it’s possible to do so.
“If Farise was secure in its independence with an adequate defense then it would free up its naval forces for other duties – such as enforcement of anti-piracy regulations. And being uniquely armed with irionite-bearing warmagi would give the Farisian Navy a huge advantage over the competition.”
“But there aren’t more than thirty shards of irionite in Farise, if you count the Censorate’s stones,” she pointed out. “Even if you managed to secure them all, which you can’t, it would be difficult to—"
“As a close personal friend to the greatest wizard in the world, I think I can amend that,” I proposed. “Did Lemari show you my gift to her?” I asked.
“Yes,” she answered, uncomfortably. “It frightened three hells out of me. You gave a tool of such great power to a child?”
“I’ve done so before,” I admitted. “My apprentices all have witchstones and are taught to use them responsibly, under my oath. The same oath I demanded of Lemari. Imagine a force of maritime warmagi armed with them stationed on the ships of the Farisian Navy,” I proposed. “What force could stand up to it, short of a leviathan? What if the ships of Farise were augmented with spells that made them faster, stronger, and more dangerous than any navy in the world? You want witchstones? I can supply them. I can build Farise into the dominant naval power in the Shattered Sea,” I boasted.
Tirkia chewed her lip as she thought about it. “You’d just give them to us?” she asked, skeptically.
“I would consider it a grant,” I nodded. “And would require an oath against misuse from each recipient. But I can provide enough irionite to make Farise a city of High Magi, too powerful to lightly conquer ever again.”
I could tell that the proposal interested her. “That’s a tempting offer, Spellmonger. But what do you get out of it?”
It was my turn to sigh. “It takes Farise from my long and growing list of problems, and allows me to move along to more important things. I could have just burned the fleets to the water’s edge, or invaded the city with three hundred men as dangerous as Azar, but I didn’t. I wanted to do this right, and so I’m willing to invest in a prosperous future for Farise to ensure that. Now that I have a daughter who lives here, that has become suddenly very important to me.”
“So we get irionite and independence in exchange for becoming a military base and outlawing slavery,” she assessed. “I can see the potential.”
“Oh, you’ll get far more than irionite,” I chuckled. “You’ll have access to snowstone, advanced enchantment, and a thousand new things that will transform your society. More, if things play out properly, then Farise will be included in the most lucrative trade deal ever. I’ve instituted a series of interdimensional portals between the major cities of Castalshar,” I revealed. “Right now there are people who live in Sevendor, in Castal, who can step through a threshold and have lunch in Falas, and then return home for supper.”
“I’ve heard rumors of such things,” she admitted. “I thought it was perhaps an exaggeration.”
“I’ve mastered dimensional magic,” I lied. But it was close enough to the truth. “The portals are real. It’s part of the reason we won the war against the dark forces that invaded us. They connect the Kingdom from Vorone and Falas to Remeralon and Wenshar, now. Soon Cormeer will be added to the regions served by the portals. And its not just people going through.
“Enormous amounts of goods are flowing from one market center to another,” I boasted, “and that amount will grow to the capacity of the portals. Farise could be part of that,” I suggested. “Indeed, Farise could be the primary coastal hub for interdimensional trade. Sugar unloaded at Calafel this morning could be sold at market in Castabriel by afternoon. .So far, there are no other port cities that are a part of the network. Farise could be the first, and largest.”
Her eyes widened as the implications of the proposition played out in her mind. I had just handed her two positive reasons to consider my plan. Now I had to present the negative, in order to compel her to act. It’s part of the craft of negotiation, after all, whether it’s haggling for porsago in the market or proposing world-changing revolutions: there’s always a repercussion for inaction.
“Of course,” I continued, before she could speak, “this offer has a limit to it. You may not be aware of this, but the Duke of Merwyn has aspirations of fishing in the troubled waters of Farise. He’s preparing an armada of over seventy ships to suddenly attack this spring. Now, you can imagine what would happen if Cingaran is in charge of the defense of the city.”
She snorted. “I don’t need to resort to prophesy over that,” she said, shaking her head at the mention of the Alshari count. “He’s returned to the city,” she reveled, “but he’s hiding out in the Garrison District until he’s certain that Viscount Azar is gone. You had a hand in that as well?”
“In the absence of sovereign authority to say otherwise, Alshar pursued a legitimate legal course of action,” I shrugged. “I may have advised Azar about that. But you make my point: Cingaran is a coward who will instantly sell out to Merwyn. Indeed, he already has. So Pratt is a better option. But even Pratt, on his own, could not repel such a concerted attack. One witchstone is powerful, but it didn’t keep the Mad Mage from being overwhelmed, in the end.
“But if Farise had the Spellmonger on their side,” I suggested, “and a few score warmagi, then I can assure you that Merwyn will not find Farise a friendly country to invade. As my allies are at war with the Duke of Merwyn at the moment, that serves my purpose, too.”
“All of this sounds lovely,” she conceded, after a few moments thought and sipping tea. “But it presupposes that you can somehow control Rellin Pratt.”
“A man who has spent his life pursuing power is easy to control,” I assured her. “I have the proper leverage over Pratt. He will do what I want when the time comes,” I predicted, confidently. “But I can assure you that the result will be, as Lemari desires, a free and independent Farise. And a prosperous one. What says the Contramara to that?” I asked.
“I will have to consult with my associates,” she decided. “I cannot answer you fully, until I have explained your proposal. And we have no true assurance that you can do what you say you will do –“
“Every word I’ve spoken is in good faith,” I pledged. “And my assurance is Lemari. I will do everything in my power to ensure her bright future. One where she doesn’t have to kill people and blow things up to feel fulfilled.”
“I should be able to let you know something tomorrow,” she predicted. “But I think they will find in your favor. It’s a matter of trust,” she explained. “You are an unexpected factor in our decisions.”
“That’s what I do,” I nodded. “I’m the Spellmonger. My friends prosper and my enemies wither. I can’t quite shoot lightning bolts out of my arse, yet, but I’m working on it.”
“All of this will have to come after today’s meeting,” she said, her focus shifting. “The location has shifted once again, for security reasons. We’re meeting back in the Citadel, not the Imperial Theater. It’s a symbolic move, of course, but also practical. It’s just too difficult to defend the theater.” She paused and considered something in silence for a moment before she continued. “It’s not generally known, but Adept Nandus is pushing to move the date up dramatically. And . . . well, he’s demanded the qualification criteria from our committee. Since you had the most complete proposal, I . . . I submitted what you presented,” she revealed.
I chuckled. “That sort of thing happens to the Spellmonger quite a lot, too.”
“Now I must dash,” she said, rising, “if I want to visit the privy before the Congress. It has been a most revealing discussion,” she admitted, as she left.
I sighed, and drank the final few dregs of me tea as she left.
I also established a mind-to-mind link with Mavone.
Tell Azar Cingaran is somewhere hiding in the Garrison District, if he wants to go after him, I reported. I just got that straight from the Contramara.
***
The Citadel was somber as the Electors filed in. There was security present in the form of a score or so of private guards from upper-class households who had been donated to keep the Congress from being disturbed while deliberating. They were doughty men, there was no doubt; well-muscled, armored and armed with heavy falchions for the occasion. They warded every entrance and were a visible presence on the grounds and in the halls of the Citadel. I saw no warmagi, I noted, but the private soldiers knew their business.
It wasn’t nearly enough, I knew. The old, familiar paranoia I associated with the place crept in as I surveyed the grounds and the looming tower above. The mist was long gone, but the rain clouds sweeping in from the west promised a gloomy background in which to determine the fate of Farise.. The city was on the edge of chaos, the rickety structure that had sustained it was buckling, and this tepid attempt to rescue it was opposed by thousands. It was doomed, I knew. Yet my feet kept compelling me forward the great tower.
The actual meeting of the Congress was anticlimactic. Adept Nandus made an impassioned speech about the vital necessity of action, in the face of recent events. The forces of the false occupation were crumbling and could not be relied upon as a partner in the security or the stability of Farise. Law and order were memories, but were the foundation of the great society that had built the remarkable land. There was a lot of stuff like that, and even my memories of Prince Maralathus had to admit that Nandus was an adept orator.
When Nandus moved that the qualifying criteria be adopted on a simple majority vote, and that candidates for the position of doge be examined, the motion was passed by acclimation. The few dissenting votes were quickly overwhelmed. The entire affair had the feel of theater, with players reading a script and performing their roles like marionettes in a market puppet show.
I voted in favor, of course. It was my proposal, after all – Heeth’s, actually, but I had produced it. It was solid, too, with very few objections from the committee. Had we had time, I’m sure it could have been made better, but as it stood it was a decent proposal for who was qualified to lead the nation.
It was a solemn moment. There was a lot of patriotism in that big chamber, and not a few tears. I could appreciate their struggle: for the first time in a generation they had taken a step toward reclaiming their sovereignty, their destiny. They were proud of that, and fearful, and both emotions swept the three hundred forty four Electors as we passed the motion. There was a few minutes of unremitting celebration afterwards, and Adept Nandus even choked up.
After that first motion, several others were put to a vote in rapid succession: reports from the various committees were hastily reviewed and largely passed, acting as directives to the future doge. Or at least suggestions. There was a lot of ambiguity about just what role the Electors’ opinions would have in the proposed government, and I noticed that there was little mention of enforcement, nor means put in place to provide leverage over the new doge. Indeed, it seemed that he would have near total executive power, including the power to constitute a government any way he saw fit.
That was by design, I quickly saw. The Electors had been selected for their willingness to concede to such a powerful single node of power, an investment of national sovereignty into the hands of a sole autocratic leader. Certainly, their additional motions hoped that the new government would be fair, just, and resolute, but there was very little mention of founding principles or any means to ensure those motions. History, legacy, and national destiny, yes – but as a directive for governance the motions passed left much to be desired. This was a desperate plea for leadership.
