How would we justify that?
The new filing system would be an Elene invention, Milord. Were obviously going to have to send Elenes into the various ministErs to evaluate the current methods and to instruct the officials on how to convert to the new system.
Now Ive got you, Baroness, he said triumphantly. This is all a fiction. We dont have a new filing system.
Then invent one, Milord Stragen, she suggested sweetly.
Prime Minister Subat was deeply troubled by the suggestion the Chancellor of the Exchequer had just placed before him. The two were alone together in the Prime Ministers ornate office, a room only slightly less magnificent than one of the imperial audience chambers. Youre out of your mind, Gashon, he declared flatly.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Gashon was a bloodless, corpselike man with sunken cheeks and no more than a few wispy strands of hair protruding from his lumpy scalp. Look at it more closely, Pondia Subat, he said in his hollow, rusty-sounding voice. Its only a theory, but it does explain many things that are otherwise incomprehensible.
They wouldnt have dared, Subat scoffed.
Try to lift your mind out of the fourteenth century, Subat, Gashon snapped. Youre the Prime Minister, not the keeper of antiquities. The world is changing all around you. You cant just sit still with your eyes firmly fixed on the past and hope to survive.
I dont like you very much, Gashon.
Im not terribly fond of you either, Subat. Let me go through it for you again. Try to stay awake this time.
How dare you?
I dare because Id sort of like to keep my head where it is. First off: the Elenes of Eosia are absolute barbarians. Can we agree on that at least?
All right.
They havent caused us much trouble in the past because they were too busy fighting among themselves about religion, and because they had Otha of Zemoch to worry about. Would it surprise you too much if I told you that Othas dead and that the Rendorish insurgencys been almost completely crushed?
I have my own sources of information, Gashon.
Have you ever considered listening to what they tell you? Now then, there was open warfare in the streets of Chyrellos preceding the elevation of this Dolmant to the Archprelacy. Id say thats a fair indication of the fact that hes not universally loved. The best way I know of for a shaky ruler to consolidate his position is to contrive a foreign adventure, and the only real foreign ground for the Elenes of the Eosian Continent is Daresia the Tamul Empire. Thats us, in case you hadnt noticed, Pondia Subat.
I know that, Gashon.
I just wanted to be sure, thats all. Are you with me so far?
Get to the point, Gashon. I dont have all day.
Did you have an appointment with the headsman? All right, then. The Elenes are religious fanatics who feel that theyre called on by the Lord to convert everybody in the world to their absurd faith. For all I know, they also want to convert snakes, spiders and fish. Dolmants their religious leader, and theyd probably try to subdue glaciers and tides if he told them to. So, weve got a religious leader who has an uncertain grasp on power in his own Church, and he has hordes of fanatic followers at his disposal. He can either use those followers to crush his opponents at home, or he can hurl them against a foreign power on some trumped-up excuse that will inflame the commons and stifle objections to his rule. Isnt it a coincidence that at precisely that time we have this state visit by a silly femalea female Foreign Minister Oscagne assures us is the Queen of Elenia. I hope the fact that we only have Oscagnes word for that hasnt escaped you. This so-called queen is obviously more accustomed to doing business in bed than she is on a throne. She clearly wrestled not only that silly ass Alberen of Astel into submission but probably Androl of the Atans as well. We can only speculate about her adventures among the Peloi and the Styrics at Sarsos. Then, once she reached Matherion, she lured Emperor Sarabian to her bedchamber before the first day was outyou did know that Sarabian and Oscagne crept across the compound to that imitation Elene castle on the first night she was here, didnt you?
Subat started to object.
Yes, I know, Gashon cut him off, that brings us to Oscagne. Id say that the evidence strongly suggests that Oscagne has gone over to the Eleneseither for personal gain or because hes fallen under the spell of that blonde Elene strumpet. She had plenty of time to work on him while he was in Chyrellos, you know.
Its all speculation, Gashon, Subat said, although his voice lacked conviction.
Of course it is, Subat, Gashon replied with heavy sarcasm. What would be the fastest way to get to Matherion from Chyrellos?
By ship, naturally.
Then why did the strumpet of Cimmura choose to come overland? Was it to look at scenery, or to grapple her way across the continent? The girls got stamina, Ill give her that.
What about this recent coup-attempt, Gashon? The government would have fallen if the Elenes hadnt been here.
Ah yes, the famous coup. Isnt it astounding that a group of Elenes, who didnt even speak the Tamul language when they arrived, were able to unearth this dire plot in about six weeks? When the agents of the Ministry of the Interior, whove only been in Matherion for all of their lives, hadnt come across a single clue about it? The Elenes crushed an imaginary coup, Subat, and now theyve used it as an excuse to imprison the Emperor in that cursed fortress of theirsnot only the Emperor, but Interior Minister Kolata as well, and Kolatas the one man in government who has the resources to free our ruler. Ive talked with Teovin, Director of the Secret Police, and he assures me that no one from the ministry has been permitted to speak with Kolata privately since his incarceration. Our colleague is obviously a prisoner, and the orders hes issuing to the Interior Ministry are just as obviously coming from the Elenes. Then, if that werent bad enough, theyve sent the so-called churchman, Emban, back to Chyrellos to lead the Church Knights back here to deal with the crisis. We have all the resources of Interior and whole armies of Atans at our disposal, Subat. Why do we need the Church Knights? What possible reason is there to bring the most ruthless force in the entire world to Tamuli? Would the word invasion startle you? Thats all that the famous coup really was, you realizean excuse for the Elene Church to invade Tamuli, and quite obviously its been with the Emperors full cooperation.
Why would the Emperor conspire with the Elenes to topple his own government?
I can think of any number of reasons. Maybe this so-called queen threatened to deny him her favors. Most probably, though, shes been spinning fairy-tales for him, telling him about the joys of absolute power. Thats a common fiction in Eosia. Elene rulers like to pretend that theyre the ones who make all the decisions in their kingdoms rather than permitting the government to do it for them. We both know how ridiculous that idea is. A kingor in our case, the Emperoronly has one function. Hes a symbol of government, nothing more. He serves as a focus for the love and loyalty of the people. The imperial governments been engaged in a selective-breeding program for the past thousand years. The Emperors Tamul wifethe one who produces the heir to the throneis always selected for her stupidity. We dont need intelligent emperors, only docile ones. Somehow Sarabian slipped past us. If youd ever really taken the trouble to pay attention to him, youd have discovered that hes frighteningly intelligent. Kolata blundered there. Sarabian should have been killed long before he ascended the throne. Our revered Emperors beginning to hunger for real power, Im afraid. Normally, we could deal with that, but we cant get at him to kill him as long as hes inside that blasted fortress.
You weave a convincing story, Gashon, the Prime Minister conceded with a troubled frown. I knew it was a blunder to invite that Sparhawk savage to come to Matherion.
We all did, Subat, and youll recall who it was who overrode all our objections.
Oscagne, Subat spat.
Precisely. Is it beginning to fit together for you now?
Did you devise all of this by yourself, Gashon? Its a little elaborate for a man who spends all his time counting pennies.
Actually, it was Teovin, the Director of the Secret Police, who brought it to my attention. He provided me with a great deal of very concrete evidence. Ive summarized it for you here. Interior has spies everywhere, you know. Nothing happens in the Empire that doesnt generate a report for those famous files of theirs. Now, Pondia Subat, what does our esteemed Prime Minister propose to do about the fact that our Emperors being held prisonerwillingly or unwillinglynot a hundred paces from where we sit? Youre the titular head of government, Subat. Youre the one who has to make these decisions. Oh, and while youre at it, you might want to give some thought to how were going to prevent the Church Knights from sweeping across the continent, marching into Matherion and forcing everyone to bow down to their ridiculous Godand butchering the entire government in the process.
Theyre trying to stall, your Majesties, Stragen reported. When supper-time comes, they escort us to the door, push us outside, and lock the door behind us. The building stays locked for the rest of the nightalthough there are always plenty of lights moving around in there after dark. When we go back the next morning, everythings been rearranged. The files migrate from room to room like ducks in the autumn. I wouldnt actually swear to it, but I think they move walls as well. We found a room just this morning that I dont really think was there last night.
Ill send in Engessas Atans, Sarabian said darkly. Well chase everybody out and then tear the building apart brick by brick.
No, Ehlana said, shaking her head. if we make an overt move against the Ministry of the Interior, every policeman in the Empire will scurry down a rabbit-hole. She pursed her lips. Lets start to do inconvenient things to the other ministries as well. Dont make it obvious that were concentrating all of our attention on the Ministry of the Interior.
How can you possibly make things any worse than they already are, your Majesty? Oscagne asked in a broken voice. Youve disrupted centuries of work as it is.
Can anyone think of anything? Sarabian asked, looking around.
May I speak, your Majesty? Alcan asked in a small, timidsounding voice.
Of course, dear, Ehlana smiled.
I hope youll all forgive my presumption, Alcan apologized. I cant even read, so I dont really know what files are, but arent we sort of letting on that were rearranging them?
Thats what were telling everybody, Mirtai replied.
As I said, I cant read, but I do know a bit about rearranging cupboards and such things. This is a little like that, isnt it?
Close enough, Stragen replied.
Well, then, when youre rearranging a cupboard, you take everything out and spread it on the floor. Then you put all the things you want in the top drawer in one pile, the things you want in the second drawer in another, and so on. Couldnt we do that with these files?
Its a nice i-dee, little dorlin, Caalador drawled, but they aint e-muff floors in the hull buildin fer spreadin out all them there files.
There nne lots of lawns around the outside, though, arent we just take all the files from every government building outside there? Alcan kept her eyes downcast as she spoke. Couldnt and spread them around on the lawns. We could tell the people who work in the buildings that we want to sort through them and put them in the proper order. They couldnt really object, and you cant lock the door to a lawn at night, or move things around when there are seven-foot-tall Atans standing guard over them. I know Im just a silly servant girl, but thats the way Id do it.