Haas said, “I’l go try to find out.”
“Or you could stay here and keep me happy.”
“I could do that, too.” Haas chose that course. But he did poke around in the shadows of Sedlmayr when he could get out of the Mundwil er complex unnoticed. He did not learn anything useful.
...
“I see three possibilities,” Babeltausque told the usual gathering. “What we found is a red herring. The King took the treasury with him and Shinsan has it now, which is what I think happened. Or, what we dredged up real y is the whole treasure and Kavelin was broke before we took over.”
Inger scowled at the “we” but let it slide. “Or somebody got to it before we did.”
Gales asked, “Somebody who could keep from bragging or spending a farthing?”
Wolf agreed. “Nobody could keep that secret. Even if they took the money out of the kingdom. We would’ve heard.” Babeltausque nodded agreement.
So. They al thought she had been chasing a fantasy, making wishful thinking over into policy. “Then we have to rely on ourselves after al . How much goodwil have we gained by rooting out those abusers?”
Wolf remarked, “The perverts aren’t happy.” He glanced at the sorcerer. Babeltausque scowled back.
Vigilante justice had caught up with several bad men. An especial y vile bordel o had burned. The mob responsible also laid into several known thieves, a moneylender, and his col ectors.
Inger said, “We should clamp down. How do we do that if we can’t pay our soldiers?”
Gales suggested, “There’s always the old-fashioned way.
Steal from them who do have money.”
Inger growled, “Cynicism noted. That would require soldiers, too.”
Gales observed, “Nothing should happen before the world sees what happens with the old king.”
Inger asked, “Has anyone seen Varthlokkur?” Headshakes. Wolf said, “I’ve heard that he went back to the mountains. I don’t believe it. He’d want to know what Shinsan is up to here, first.”
Inger suggested, “Maybe he hasn’t been seen because he doesn’t want to be seen.”
“That sounds right to me.”
“So what might he be up to while he’s keeping his head down?”
“Maybe trying to find the portals Shinsan has here,” Babeltausque said. “That’s what I’d be doing if I wasn’t trying to find treasury money that probably doesn’t exist.
Those portals might be a lot more important than the money.”
Inger glared. “Meaning?”
“Meaning we’re here and in charge because the Empress Mist hasn’t yet developed a taste for Kavelin.” Inger’s glare intensified. She was severely displeased. But Babeltausque had not said an untrue word. Kavelin could no more defend itself than could a naked virgin in a coma.
She admitted, “Facts are facts. We’re dead meat if that’s what Shinsan wants.”
Josiah said, “The Nordmen and Wessons would resist.” Nathan Wolf nodded. “But not on our behalf. And, probably, not very effectively.”
Inger shuddered. “Al right. It’s true. We’re in the stew. There are no obvious or easy ways out. Basical y, we spent a year getting ourselves into a place where we either have to run away or throw ourselves on the mercies of our subjects.” Wolf said, “That could end up ruining the monarchy.” He did not need to explain. Exactly that had happened in Ruderin only two years ago. The crown there never recovered from the Great Eastern Wars. The nobility so weakened the central authority that King Byar became nothing but a national symbol. Ruderin was in worse chaos than Kavelin. As in Kavelin, a bountiful harvest had contributed heavily to a root level economic resurgence.
That, in turn, had enfeebled the normal human inclination toward bad behavior.
One poor harvest and both kingdoms would descend into banditry, plagued by petty warlords.
Inger saw that future plainly. Anyone with half a brain could see it. But no one would yield anything of their own to prevent it.
“Cal a parliament,” Inger blurted.
“Your Majesty?”
“Send out word, Josiah. I’m cal ing the Thing, made up the same as last time.” She raised a hand to forestal comment. “I know. Some of them are dead. People know who the heirs should be. Just get the word out. We have to pul everyone together.”
Wolf said, “That’s begging for trouble. Begging for it.”
“And I’l give it back if they ask for it.” Pure bluster, that. “A Thingmeet should be good for Vorgreberg. Al those people wil be here spending money.”
The men eyed her curiously, wondering whence that notion had sprung.
It had begun as a fantasy about gathering al the troublemakers in one place so she could massacre them.
Her thoughts had trickled on to possibilities less bloodthirsty.
She said, “Babeltausque, you can drop the treasure search. Find Mist’s transfer portals instead. And any other evidence that Shinsan is stil interested in Kavelin.
Assuming Varthlokkur hasn’t found the stuff already.”
“Your Majesty?” Then, “Of course. As you wil .” He got it.
Inger had found an enemy everyone could hate.
A Thingmeet must, inevitably, devolve into incessant squabbling. Meantime, though, everyone would forget about fighting one another. Every grownup remembered the occupation by Shinsan…
And everyone attending the Thingmeet would have to spend money. So Vorgreberg would fal in love with Inger al over again for the first time.
For the first time in months hope surfaced. Too much, real y. But… Hope!
Inger said, “Once the summons goes out we issue new regulations for innkeepers, taverners, merchants, and so on. They wil al ow no credit. They wil demand cash in advance, of which a tithe wil be ours. They won’t do business with who already owes them, either. A Thing member who dodged his obligations before wil make good beforehand or not be seated. And we wil take a tithe.”
Her mind raced. Ideas came faster than she could articulate them. “Debtors won’t even be al owed through the gates while their obligations remain unpaid. How does that sound?”
“Populist,” Gales said. “The kind of man who welcomes dishonor by ignoring his debts isn’t likely to care enough about his seat to settle them.”
“Possibly. But if we make this sound like we’re real y putting the design of the future on the table… I think they’l al want to have their say.”
Babeltausque said, “There wil be a great deal of animosity from our enemies, Your Majesty.”
“How so?”
“They’l assume that you mean to chunk them into the dungeon with Dane if they actual y show up.” Inger nodded. She had not considered that. Her natural inclination was to say, “So what?” and declare anyone dim enough to disagree with her to be outside the equation. But that would only worsen the strains amongst the factions. If a Thingmeet was to happen there had to be a potent sense that it was real.
Josiah said, “You’d be taking a huge risk, Majesty. If you cal a Thingmeet to decide the future you’d better be ready to live in a future that you’l find less than condign. Whatever happens, we won’t be able to impose your wil .”
“That’s true. Al true. Hang on.” After a moment, she asked,
“How about safe-conducts for al Thing members? Whoever they are, say, beginning three days before the first meeting date through three days after adjournment.”
“That would stun the kingdom, Majesty,” Nathan Wolf said.
“It stuns me. I like it. If nothing else, it wil buy us time.”
“Thank you, Nathan. You and Josiah get it rol ing.
Babeltausque, I need evidence that Shinsan is lurking behind our hedges.”
The sorcerer nodded. Here was a chance to show off.
Carrie would be impressed by his royal connection.
Inger would give Kavelin a common foe. The gimmick was older than prostitution. It remained in play
