Uachi had taken quarters in a far wing of the palace, in a small suite of little-used servants' rooms. He liked the privacy it afforded him, and he liked the freedom to come and go as he pleased.

He took Ealin to the servants' wing, since he had been tasked with treating her more like a guest than a prisoner. "This is where you'll stay," he said, wondering if she could tell that he was making everything up as he went along.

Pushing open the door to one of the rooms, he stepped inside and, with a frown of disgust, touched the small spirit globe that rested on a sconce near the door. A pink-orange glow illuminated the small, windowless chamber. There was a cot in one corner with a chest set against its foot and a set of shelves with a few forgotten books. A chamber pot, just visible underneath the bed, was the only other furnishing.

Ealin crept past him into the room, looking around with her wide, fearful eyes. "I don't want to stay here," she said.

"Well, I'm afraid you haven't much choice. The emperor gets what he wants, as a rule, and we don't," Uachi said. He was reminded of Matei's refusal to grant him leave to return to Hanpe and scowled at the memory. "There will be guards outside your door and all that, too, so don't get any ideas."

She wrapped her arms around herself with a shiver.

"It's not so bad," Uachi said, perceiving her discomfort. "They'll treat you kindly, or they'll answer to me."

"Why can't I stay with you?" 

Taken aback by her question, Uachi fixed her with a curious look. "I'm busy," he said, which was the first thing that came to mind as an answer. "And I can't have you trailing at my heel all day long. It's not my intent to be hard about it, girl, but there you have it."

Ealin shrank back from him, throwing another nervous glance around the small cell—that was, the small room he had selected for her. Her gaze settled on the spirit globe and there rested, and she pressed her lips into a thin line.

"I'm sorry," said Uachi. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to reassure her; she seemed so frightened of everything in the world. "But you'll be safe here. I'll leave you now; I've matters to attend to elsewhere."

He backed out of the room. The last thing he saw before he swung the door closed was Ealin's pale face, her wide eyes, and one small hand, reaching out for him. He turned his attention to the two Hanpean soldiers, a man and a woman, who had accompanied him to this wing of the palace. "See that she doesn't run off."

***

It had been an exhausting day already, and it was bound to only get worse. Matei and Mhera had not been content with quarreling about sellswords with the supercilious weasel of a man who'd once had the Corpsemaker's ear; nor had they had their fill of excitement with rattling through the empty rooms of the Mage's Keep. They had settled on this day, quick on the heels of their contested coronation, to set into motion the cogs of their grand design for the government of the city.

"Are you certain you want to do this today?" Uachi asked as he swung back up into the saddle of his horse. Behind him was a group of mounted, armed Arcborn men and women, each of them with a scroll tucked close into a vest or a belt.

Matei and Mhera were standing side-by-side, watching the soldiers mount up in the stable courtyard. Matei frowned at Uachi, giving him a curious look. "I would have thought you'd be eager to put this all underway."

"I am, of that you can be certain, but you might have waited for the city to stop smoldering."

"It is rather hasty," Mhera said. "With that, I will agree. But I think this plan will give the people hope that their suffering and their pain will not go ignored by the palace, Uachi, and perhaps it will instill in them a fragment of trust in us. They must have representation in the decisions that impact the future of our city and the realm. We must start rebuilding, and soon, and neither I nor Matei is arrogant enough to believe that we will know the best way to approach the immense task before us."

"I'll remember your pretty speech when they're throwing rocks at my head," Uachi muttered. He shifted in his saddle and glanced back, assessing the readiness of his posse at a glance. Then he looked back at Mhera and, seeing the look on her face, he offered her a smile. "I'm joking, Your Grace...I hope."

"May you be well-received, my friend," said Matei. "I'll look for news when you return."

Uachi nudged his horse into a trot. He rode at the head of the party, choosing a path out of the stable courtyard between the outbuildings nestled near to the palace; when they had reached the Sovereign Square, he went straight on, while a third of his party broke to the left and another third broke to the right. They would continue to fan out until they had permeated the city in pairs. There was no way to reach all ears at once, but if they stood on a dozen street corners and posted their notices, the word would get around—that was the hope.

Glancing down, Uachi checked that the scroll he carried was still securely tucked into his belt. He was not much for reading or for fine words, so he planned to speak from memory, direct and to the point, like the man of common roots that he was.

When he had come to his appointed place, he dismounted his horse and left the reins in the hand of his companion. Then he strode toward a crumbling wall, waving the scroll aloft. "Attention!" he cried, choosing a path up over the broken bricks. "Attention!"

There were not many people on the streets. A woman at a well looked their way when he called, holding her daughter by the hand. Seeing Uachi and his armed companion, the two of them edged away. A man carrying bundle on his back drew to a stop, giving Uachi a curious look.

"Attention! A decree from the sovereigns!"

A couple of faces appeared in windows. Uachi met their questioning stares with a blank look of his own. He wasn't going to wait around all day for the citizens to harken their devoted ears to the whim and fancy of Matei; he would get straight to the point of it and let them sort it out for themselves.

"His Grace the Emperor Matei u Rhodana and Her Grace the Empress Mhera..." Uachi grasped for Mhera's full title, but he could not remember her mother's name for the life of him. He decided it didn't matter. "They have something to say, and I'll make it quick. The city is to be divided into four quarters: north, south, east, and west. You here are in the Eastern Quarter, which will be bordered by Rackle Road and Daelinna Way."

He waved the scroll, addressing his audience of three. "No need to think too hard on it; there's a map on this page that will make it all plain. Here's the crux of the matter: the sovereigns request that you select two representatives from the Eastern Quarter to serve as a part of an integrated council to be convened a few weeks hence. These men or women will meet regularly with the existing High Council of crook-nosed noblemen and talk at length about all sorts of matters—including the rebuilding of Karelin."

The man lowered his bundle, knitting his brow. "Everyone east of Rackle Road is Arcborn," he said.

"You catch on quick." Uachi broke the wax seal on the scroll he held and unfurled it with a jerk. He produced from his pocket a nail he had brought for the purpose and hopped down off of the wall on which he stood. Poking the nail through the parchment at the top edge, he raised it to eye level and worked the point of the nail into the crumbling seam between two bricks. "Read it, if you can read, and if you can't, just remember: you've a hand in your government henceforward. Don't waste the chance to choose. See to it that the word spreads. Those in the other quarters are receiving the same news; altogether, there will be eight councilors chosen from among the people, by the people of Karelin."

"But there's no highborn people here," the man said. He seemed not to be grasping what Uachi had said. "There's no fine lords what sit at councils, sir."

Uachi shrugged. "Who says it has to be a fine lord? I've a penny to bet a laborer knows more about rebuilding a burnt-down house or a broken road than any nobleman who's never worked a day in his life, and you've merchants here, haven't you, and mothers and teachers, too. Why shouldn't ordinary people have a say? That's what your sovereigns want, man: ordinary people—those who'll have to live with the choices that are made up there in the palace on the hill."

He strode toward his horse. The woman by the well crept forward, pulling her daughter by the hand, and leaned in to read the missive. As Uachi and the other soldier turned his horse's head back toward the palace, he heard the sound of door hinges creaking as those who'd been hiding came out into the afternoon light.

Happy Sunday! How has your weekend been going, my friends? Did anything exciting happen?

Here in Virginia, summer is winding down and autumn, my favorite season, is upon us. It has been an extremely rainy summer and I'm hoping for some milder weather...We have has the hurricane scare, but now it looks like it will mostly miss us. If you are in the Carolinas or VA Beach area or are otherwise in the path of the storm, stay safe!

Your next chapter is coming Tuesday, and we will see some of the aftermath of the momentous decision to gather representation from among normal citizens in Karelin.