Alchemist (16 page)

Connor dropped his
voice even lower. “What are we going to do if she doesn’t give up
this mad plan?”

Terry saw Darius
looking at her too. She hesitated. “Lyle and I have spoke about it
but we’re not sure yet. I suppose it all depends on her.”

Connor’s
expression turned grim. “I think as highly of Faye as you do
but...” he sighed, “you’re right, she is not the same person as I
remember and if she becomes a threat to my wife and her family then
we must not hesitate to do what we must.” He looked at Darius, his
stark gaze making it clear that he was not messing about. The young
man held his gaze for a while, then gaze a slight nod before
looking sheepishly away. But it was all the answer they needed.

Politics

The minister
appeared flustered. Terry could tell by the red blotches on his
cheeks and the sheen of sweat on his balding forehead that he had
rushed to meet them. She felt sorry for the man. Her father had
only sent a messenger ahead to the capital three hours before the
main party arrived. She imagined the shock the ministers in the
Senate must have had, learning that they had a mere afternoon,
rather than weeks, to prepare for the state visit. Such affairs
took months to arrange what with political negotiations and
ceremonial pomp, though far more of the latter. The Senate, as well
as the city must have been in absolute chaos at making such hectic
last minute arrangements for their visit.

The minister drew
a breath, inflated his chest and approached where King Fallo and
his party waited. They had been shown to the central gardens of the
Senate building where refreshments and entertainment had been laid
on while they waited. On previous visits the King had always been
presented to the Prime Minister in Marrich’s Cathedral Square where
millions of the population would gather to witness his arrival. The
day was always declared a national holiday and had a carnival
atmosphere; but there was none of that today.

King Fallo stood
at the forefront of the assembled party. Terry stood to the right
while Lyle stood to attention on his left. Their escort stood in
formation as a single unit of human-shaped Alchemists behind them.
Connor, Faye and Darius stood to one side in a row, but clearly
apart from the insects.

The minister
bowed. “The Prime Minister welcomes you my Lord to Marrich and the
capital of our nation. He also offers his sincerest apologies for
not being here to greet you in person.” He puffed, his large chest
heaving. Terry knew he must have run to meet them. “But I am
pleased to inform you that he will be arriving shortly. I have been
asked in his place to greet you, I am Jojan Kino, the Senate’s
Foreign Minister.” He forced a smile, bloating his red cheeks. “I
hope I may be an adequate substitute until the Prime Minister
arrives.”

King Fallo stared
hard at the man. “I remember who you are Jojan Kino.” He nearly
spat the name. “You are a man who needs no introduction to me. You
are also among the ones in the Senate that I do not hold any
respect for despite the high rank you now have.” He drew closer to
the minister, who was now sweating profusely. Leaning close to the
man’s ear he said, “You were among the nine who voted in favour of
my daughter’s exile. If I have my way one of these days I will have
your head.” He swept passed him, looking back with a murderous look
in his eyes.

Terry and Lyle
followed their King inside the Senate while Jojan Kino stood
looking on in trembling silence.

******

The hour was late.
Following a lengthy meeting with the Prime Minister, the premier
had agreed to call an emergency meeting of the Senate in two days
time. Seven of the fifteen ministers were away from the city and
forty eight hours would be the soonest that they would all be back.
The prime minister had wanted a few more days to get the Senate
organised before chairing the meeting but Fallo’s impatience to
have his daughter’s exile annulled had forced him to hold it
sooner. The premier had made no promises that Terry’s sentence
would be scraped, but the man had managed to placate the King with
the promise that he the meeting would be an open debate.

A primeval Terry
regarded her hand. She then squinted at Connor, who wore his poker
face. Glancing back at her hand she plucked one of the tiny cards
from between her clawed fingers and dropped it on the pile. She
nodded her large head, indicating that it was his turn.

Connor dropped his
two remaining cards. “Beat twenty.”

Terry glanced at
her remaining cards then growled in disappointment. She threw the
cards down. This was the fifth time in a row she had lost.

Connor picked them
up. “One more round?”

Terry grunted. She
slid the remaining cards to him. She scratched behind one of her
antennae while she waited for him to shuffle the cards.

The large doors to
her quarters suddenly swung open. Terry and Connor both looked
around as Lyle stalked in. He hastily pushed the doors shut, the
hinges creaking in protest from the sharp movement. Terry flinched
from the noise – the hinges clearly had not been oiled for many
years.

“I might have
found where Rilario is hiding.” Lyle said quietly as he approached
them.

Terry growled, her
antennae standing on end for a second in surprise. Connor stood up.
“How? Where is he?”

“I know a lot of
people. Fortunately for me a lot of them still live here after so
many years. I didn’t think I’d be so lucky.”

Connor frowned.
“How do you know so many people?”

Lyle hesitated.
“I’ll tell you another time but anyway, I think he is on Naris
Island.”

Terry gave a low
growl.

Connor frowned
again. “Are you sure? Naris is a long way away to be wrong.”

“Three separate
people told me the same thing.”

“So what do we do
now? I think they might notice it if some of us went missing.”

The corner of
Lyle’s lip curled. “I managed to get out without anyone seeing. It
can be done if you keep your wits about you.”

“I know but you
were gone for a couple of hours. I think they would notice if we
all went, especially Terry.” He cast a sideways glance at her.
Terry just blinked at him.

“I don’t see what
the problem is. If you took a bus you could be there in a few
hours.”

“A bus? That’s
your plan?” He looked up at Terry again. “I thought you two had
planned this before we left the colony?”

“We did. Out of
all of us you could get there the fastest. Take a bus, walk or
fly.” He shrugged. “It’s entirely up to you. I know there is no way
me or Terry could leave here without being noticed. You on the
other hand could go.”

“Excuse me?”
Connor asked, suddenly feeling put on the spot.

“Well they can’t
arrest you, can they? You left here voluntarily. You’re not in
breach of any international laws or agreements.”

“Won’t they get
suspicious if I suddenly disappeared?”

Lyle shook his
head. “I bet you they don’t even remember your name. No offence,
but to them you’re just another citizen. You’re not famous and
you’re not royalty.”

A thin smile
crossed Connor’s face. “Thanks.” He wasn’t sure whether he was
being complimented or insulted.

“The point is no
one will notice if you can convince them that you only came back
with us to visit family or something.”

“But I haven’t got
any family in Naris! Besides, earlier one of their officials told
me that they wanted to speak to me tomorrow about how we got back
here.”

Lyle looked
unconcerned. “So? They told me the same thing too. I think they
want to charge us with using temporal technology illegally.” Connor
rolled his eyes. “It will never happen, they wouldn’t be brave
enough to upset Fallo with such a claim and even if they did, he
would ignore the punishment. If they have a go at any of us, you’ll
be under the king’s protection.”

“Great, I
will be a wanted man running away on public transport.
Great
.”

“Don’t get smart.
I wouldn’t be asking you to do it if I could go so easily
myself.”

Connor
folded his arms. “Well, seeming like I don’t have any choice, where
do you
think
he is in
Naris?”

“How well do you
know it?”

He shrugged. “I’ve
been there a couple of times. But the last time I visited it I was
only about twelve.”

“Did you ever
visit a small town called Mana at all? It’s right on the edge of
Naris.”

Connor thought
about it for a few moments. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I have...”

“He’s supposedly
holed up there. I will get a hold of a map. No one would tell me
exactly where he was but one of my contacts agreed to pass word
along that we wanted to talk to him.”

“What if I get
there and he doesn’t show up?”

“I’m thinking he
will. I said that I would publicly defend him in the Senate if he
did. But there’s no guarantee. I’ve arranged for you to meet one of
his associates in a bar called The Grove. He’ll let you know
whether Rilario will talk to you or not.”

“But like I said,
what if I get there and his friend says no? What am I supposed to
do then?”

Lyle shrugged.
“Then you’ll just have to try and persuade them.”

Connor seemed to
deflate at the mammoth challenge that lay before him. “When am I
due to meet this guy?”

“Tomorrow at
1pm.”

“Oh well at least
I won’t have to get up that early then?” The fire elemental
joked.

“You will have to
if you want to avoid the guard when they change shifts.”

Connor sighed.
“The more we talk about this the more I don’t want to do it.”

“Darius or Faye
could always go with you if it would make you feel better.”

Terry
sneezed loudly, causing the two of them to stare in her direction.
Catching them watching she stared back as if to say
what
?

Connor looked back
to Lyle. “If it keeps them from killing one another...” he
shrugged.

******

“My Lord,” began
the Prime Minister, fatigue evident in his voice. “I unfortunately
find myself saying, with regret, that it will take weeks, if not
months, to overturn the order of your daughter’s exile.”

King Fallo sat at
a small table near the centre of the circular Ministers Hall – the
heart of the political world in the Southlands. The hall had been
purposely situated at the centre of the Senate building, to
encompass the notion on a physical level. The hall was large,
occupied by rows of empty chairs - where the lesser ministers sat
when the Senate was in full session.

The chairs were
arranged in curving rows around the circular mosaic which dominated
the centre of the chamber. Forged from the finest onyx and granite,
the mosaic depicted two mythical birds, their long, flowing tails
wrapping around each other – one in black, one in grey – back to
back, spreading one wing each in both directions with their heads
also pointed in the same direction. The black bird symbolised the
fire elementals, the grey; their water counterparts. Its design was
created following the end of the Great War between the two then,
separate nations. On the other side of the mosaic, on a slightly
elevated platform, the Prime Minister and his cabinet sat behind a
long, curving, wooden podium that commanded the room.

The King stood.
“It will be repealed within the week as I originally asked.”

This caused a stir
amongst the ministers. Some exchanged disapproving glances, other
mutters.

One of the
ministers indicated to Prime Minister Joii that he wished to speak.
The premier nodded for him to proceed.

“My Lord, your
daughter has returned home illegally.”

“Not
under
my
laws.” The King
interjected, his gaze burning into the Minister of National
Security and Armed Forces.

The man put up his
hands in supplication. “My Lord, with respect she was exiled under
our laws, not yours. Thus it will take the same length of time to
deal with your request and carry out the subsequent investigation
before we can reach a decision.”

“How dare you!”
King Fallo shouted, his voice ringing through the Ministers Hall as
he banged his fist against the desk. Terry flinched from his sudden
ferocity. “I had no intention of coming here when my daughter
returned! I am only here because she persuaded me to come!” He
looked from face to face. “I have said everything I wished too. If
you choose not to heed my warning then the horrors that arrive on
your shores will be your own doing. I did not come here today to
seek your approval of my daughter and quite frankly, I do not care
what any of you think.” He fixed his gaze firmly on the Premier.
“But know this. I recognise Terryfallo as the legitimate heir to my
throne, our people and our territories.” Kicking the chair back he
stormed off without waiting for leave.

“Father!” shouted
Terry, going after him. He did not turn back. The ministers
exchanged startled glances, while the Prime Minister’s face dropped
into his hands.

“Father! Will you
please talk to me!” she shouted, running through the doors into the
lobby.

He suddenly turned
on her. “We should never have come here!” He spat, his face burning
with rage.

“Listen, I know
you’re mad, but you have to keep talking to them, just for a little
longer.

“I’m done with
talking! They have no respect for me or our people!”

Terry was taken
aback by how angry he was. She stared at him, lost for words.

Realising what he
had done he drew a breath and calmed himself. “I’m sorry.” He said,
lowering his voice. “None of this is your fault.”