“I guess I do feel vindicated now,” said Zeah Korlann. “Of course I didn’t realize so many people thought I was lying before.”
“They didn’t think you were lying,” replied Iolanthe Staff. “No one would believe that of you. They just thought you were addle pated.”
The Governor sat opposite the Mayor at a table beneath the awning at Café Etta. Between them on either side were their spouses. Radley Staff seemed to have aged at least ten years since Zeah had seen him last. Zeah wouldn’t have expected to see him out on the town less than forty-eight hours after having returned to Port Dechantagne, especially given some of the stories that were going around about the events on his trip, but then again Zeah knew from experience that Mrs. Staff wasn’t an easy person to dissuade when she set her mind to something. Never one for idle chatter, Staff stuffed a slice of rare beef fillet into his mouth.
“I never doubted you for a moment, Dearest,” said Egeria.
Zeah’s wife was stunning as usual. Her burgundy evening gown, trimmed along the bodice with antique lace, was a more traditional style than the simple and daring black, shoulderless dress that the Governor wore, but Zeah didn’t think she could have looked more beautiful. Her brilliant red hair was pulled back and draped down in ringlets behind her head, and the short fringe across her forehead forced one to focus on her emerald eyes.
“I must admit that I had my moments of doubt,” said Iolanthe. “Not that it would be any reflection on you. Those were trying times.”
“As are these,” said Staff after swallowing. “How did the council meeting go yesterday?”
“The War Powers Act passed,” said Zeah. “I myself don’t see the necessity. There was nothing in the law that was not already in de facto effect. But now the tribal leaders will have something to complain about. Khowass and Tuusuu will be in my office first thing, raising a stink.”
“Sometimes things need to be spelled out,” said Iolanthe. “Now it is official that the police may search lizzie homes without a warrant. It’s necessary in time of war, to search out any possible saboteurs or other undesirables. Kafira knows the kinds of damage that just a few lizzies with guns can do.”
“I wonder that it’s necessary to remove the need for a warrant, or to suspend the writ of habeas corpus for natives,” said Egeria, before taking a sip of water.
“Don’t forget,” offered Staff. “We already have lizzies importing dangerous drugs and murdering each other right here in town.”
“Yes, I forgot about your lizzie,” said Zeah. “Are there any leads in the murder investigation?”
“Inspector Colbshallow is gathering information for the case, but it seems that it is very difficult to cull any information from the lizzies.” Iolanthe folded her arms. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. We need to know what’s going on in those alligator brains of theirs.”
“I’m more worried about the humans,” said Zeah, “like that boy that tried to shoot you—Yuan Weiss.”
“One lone sad individual,” said Iolanthe, “foolishly afraid that people would somehow be contaminated by working side by side with lizzies.”
“Are we sure that was the reason?” asked Staff. “What did he say when Mother Linton cast a speak-with-dead spell?”
“He didn’t because she didn’t,” said Zeah.
“What do you mean she didn’t? She didn’t cast the spell? She refused?”
“She said she couldn’t do it,” said Iolanthe. “Weiss had some kind of protective ward.”
“I didn’t believe her though,” stated Zeah. “And now we may never know why the boy did what he did. He was clearly troubled.”
“What about that other piece of legislation?” asked Egeria, changing the subject.
“What piece… oh, the dinosaur thing?”
“The Dokkins boy and some of his young friends gave an impassioned argument for a law to officially allow dinosaurs with riders on their back to make use of the streets,” Iolanthe explained to her husband.
“And did they succeed? I may want to get my own iguanodon.”
“Good heavens, why?” wondered Zeah. “The streets are crowded enough with the all the steam carriages coming over and now the rickshaw traffic.”
“You could be king of the road on a dinosaur,” replied Staff, looking sidelong at his wife. “You could look down on the other drivers.”
Iolanthe was thoughtful for a moment, and then dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand.
“Council decided that such a law was superfluous. Anyone may ride an animal on the street, so long as they follow the rules of the road.”
“That makes sense,” said Staff. “After all, they don’t have a law that says people may ride horses in Brech, but I’ve had to step over my fair share of horse…”
“Radley!” snapped Iolanthe. Egeria burst into a fit of musical laughter.
After dinner Zeah and his wife walked to the trolley station. The lamplighters had already been down the street and it was growing dark. It was dark enough in fact that one had to listen for the bell to know that the trolley was just up the street. At one point a genius in the transport department, who didn’t know dinosaurs nearly as well as Graham Dokkins, had come up with the idea of attaching lights to the horns of the three triceratops employed as trolley pullers. After Harriet, in a rampage of fear and anger, had completely destroyed her trolley car, the idea was suitably disposed of.
“Did you enjoy your beef steak, Dearest?” asked Egeria.
“I did. It was perfect. I used to have dreams about steak, but I guess I’ve grown used to eating dinosaur.”
“I’m happy to eat iguanodon,” said Egeria, who had in fact eaten iguanodon in white wine. “But I don’t want one sitting at the table with us.”
“What are you on about?”
“Yuah. You didn’t ask Iolanthe about Yuah and she didn’t offer any information. What’s to be done about her?”
“I don’t know.” Zeah pulled Egeria to the side, turning them away from others arriving at the stop, so that their conversation would stay private. “I don’t understand what is wrong with her, so how can I help her?”
“She’s devastated. She never got over Terrence’s death. Think about how you felt when her mother died. What did you do?”
Zeah chewed his lip. “I lost myself in my work.”
“Yuah doesn’t have that option. She’s a victim of her own elevated status. Women of our class don’t have that much to keep us occupied anyway. I would be destroyed if anything ever happened to you.”
“No you wouldn’t.”
“Well, no, probably not. But I’m special.”
By this time the trolley had arrived and everyone climbed aboard. Zeah helped Egeria in and then followed. He dropped two pfennigs into the glass box next to the driver. It took a bit over half an hour before they reached what Zeah still thought of as Egeria’s house. The gaslights, inside and out, were burning, using an extravagant amount of fuel.
“Why don’t you go to the Dechantagne house tomorrow and bring Yuah and the children over here,” said Egeria, bringing him back to their earlier conversation.
“I was going in to the office.”
“Why? No one will be there.”
“Khowass and Tuusuu might, and I have paperwork to do.”
“Nonsense. We’ll have a garden party.”
“I do have the meeting at the Gurrman building.”
“Yes, I know. Go by and pick up our family on the way home. I’ll write a quick invitation and send it over right now.”
The next morning, Zeah enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of kippers and porridge before making his way to the Governor’s office building. When he arrived, Mrs. Wardlaw ushered him not into Iolanthe’s office, but into the large conference room in the back of the building where the governor and her husband awaited, along with Senta. The young sorceress wore a white day dress with a black tie that looked very much like something Iolanthe would have worn. Just after Zeah arrived, Eden Buttermore and Isaak Wissinger joined them. Zeah greeted Wissinger, who had become a close friend in recent years, warmly. They waited about twenty more minutes for the final member of the group to arrive, but at last Wizard Bassington swept into the room. They took their places around a large oak table, with Iolanthe at the head.
“First things first,” she said. “This morning a courier arrived with the latest on the war. There have been major battles all over Sumir—Xygia, Argrathia, Dallor, Forlond. By and large, Brech forces have been performing as well as expected. Unfortunately not all the news is good. Our naval base at Nutooka, Enclep has been captured. In addition, two merchant ships heading for Mallon have been sunk by Freedonian submersibles. So there will be no resupply from Brechalon, either for us or for Mallontah.”
No one spoke for a moment.
“Let’s hear about Tsahloose, shall we?” said Bassington.
Staff began the narrative of their journey, beginning with the discovery of the dragon fortress and their arrival at the lizzie city. As he completed each detail, Wissinger filled in a few additional notes, and Buttermore held up eight by ten glossy photographs for illustration. The former naval officer described the Freedonian airships and their complement of soldiers in detail.
“And the magic-users?” asked Bassington.
“Five wizards minus the one I killed,” said Senta. “I think he was their only master wizard. I don’t know how many witch-doctors are among the lizzies, but I would imagine in a city that size, they must have a dozen or more.”
“No one in our class though?” asked Bassington in an oily voice.
“No one in your class,” agreed Senta, and then with punctuated words, “Certainly no one in mine.”
The wizard didn’t seem to notice the implication, but Zeah stared at the girl, who was in turn staring at the wizard. How different she seemed now. He had thought the previous night that the trip must have aged Staff quite a bit. Now he saw that the same was true of Senta. He had always had trouble thinking of her as anything but a twig of a little girl, even as he watched her grow up. Now he realized, she was a grown woman, and like so many other women that he happened to know, she was one with whom to be reckoned.
Staff continued the tale of the ugly grandeur of Tsahloose and the spectacle of its arena, the battle that had taken place there, and the group’s escape from the city. There were fewer details added by Wissinger at this point, and fewer photographs by Buttermore. Staff told of the deaths of Manring and Werthimer, and the journey northward, the escape from the burning apocalypse created by the dragon-god Hissussisthiss, and the crossing of the river, and finally of the last leg of the journey aboard the railroad.
When Staff finished his story, everyone was quiet for a moment. Then Buttermore said, “At least with only five airships, the Freedonians can’t mount much of an attack against Port Dechantagne.”
“I’m afraid that may not be the whole story,” said Bassington. “There is some word that they have landed a force west of here. My intelligence says it may be a full brigade.”
“Um, how many men is that?” asked Zeah.
“Two thousand, there abouts,” replied Staff.
“Well that doesn’t sound so bad. There are more than one hundred thousand people in Birmisia Colony.”
Staff snorted. “We have two companies in the Colonial Guard, fewer than four hundred men. Maybe another thousand civilians who can back them up. The rest are women, children, old people, and idiots.”
“We have machine guns,” offered Zeah.
“Yes, and the Freedonians definitely will as well.”
“More than that,” said Bassington. “The Freedonians have deployed some steam powered war machines along the Mirsannan border, designed to roll right over the defensive trenches. I don’t know if they’ll waste their time with those here, but who knows what they might come up with.”
“When the lizzies attacked eight years ago, there were more than two thousand, and Zurfina wiped them all out.”
“We can also expect the Freedonians to have spell-casters, at least in a supporting role,” said Bassington. “That may well keep the three of us—Zurfina, Senta, and myself—occupied.”
“So,” said Iolanthe. “We’re facing a force at least twice as strong as anything we can field, and we can expect no support or resupply.”
“That’s about it,” said Staff.
“So what do we do?”
Staff stood up and walked to a cabinet along the far wall, where he opened a drawer and pulled out a large scrolled map. Unrolling it out onto the table, he pointed to several spots that corresponded to the edge of the forest west of Port Dechantagne.
“This is where we’ll set up our defenses. We’ll use as much time as we have to build bulwarks and firing positions. We’ll cache weapons and supplies. We can use the train to move men and equipment back and forth.”
“Take charge and start immediately,” ordered his wife.
Zeah left the Gurrman building feeling more apprehensive than when he had arrived. He felt at the same time oddly comforted. Staff was a competent and experienced military commander. And if Zurfina could banish a dragon—a dragon that he from experience knew was awesome—then what worry would be a few thousand soldiers.
Zeah started for the trolley stop. He noticed that Senta was being met on the other side of the street by a sharply dressed Graham Dokkins. Zeah imagined that the boy was asking her out on a date, but she seemed to be acting hard to get. While he was observing them a shiny new steam carriage pulled up next to him. Mrs. Staff drove while Mr. Staff sat in the passenger seat.
“Are you on your way to pick up Yuah?” asked Mrs. Staff.
“Yes.”
“Climb in and I’ll drive you.”
Zeah had ridden with the lady many times in the past, and while it was safe to say that her driving had probably not gotten any worse, he was sure it hadn’t gotten any better either. She swerved around street corners, over curbs, and onto medians. Her husband didn’t seem to notice and didn’t, as Zeah did, grab hold for dear life of whatever was handy. The pedestrians noticed. Some of them noticed within an inch of their lives. When they arrived at the Dechantagne home, Zeah climbed out and followed the couple in through the back door, while a couple of lizzies saw to the carriage.
In the parlor, Augustus and Terra were dressed and waiting. They both ran forward to give their grandfather a big hug. A few minutes later, their mother came down the stairs. She looked better than Zeah remembered having seen her in quite a while. Some of the rosy hue had returned to her alabaster complexion. She kissed him on the cheek.
“Good day, Papa.”
“Hello, Yuah. How are you feeling?”
“Never better.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“Can we go to the beach again?” asked Augie. “I want to see more dinosaurs.”
“Yes,” said Yuah. “Perhaps we can all be eaten this time.”
“Egeria has planned a garden party,” said Zeah. “Shall we walk?”
“We’ll take my steam carriage,” replied Yuah, and then turning to one of the lizzies. “Skye, bring the carriage around please.”
Within minutes they were chugging around the corner to Egeria’s house, this time with Yuah at the wheel. Zeah felt much more relaxed, not because Yuah was a better driver than Iolanthe, but because she went much slower. For years, she had employed a boy as her driver, but when he had grown up and gone on to other things, she hadn’t yet bothered to hire anyone else. She negotiated the streets of Port Dechantagne, never besting the speed of a running man.
Parking on the street, she pulled up on the brake, while he climbed out, first helping the children down, and then stepping to the driver’s side to help his daughter. Yuah sat for just a moment and then took a deep breath.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” asked Zeah.
“Yes. Finally.” She stepped out onto the pavement. “I’ve been barmy for months—years maybe. I guess it took Cissy’s death to wake me up—to make me realize that life is too precious to ignore. I have two beautiful children that need me, after all.”
“Yes, but…”
“But what?”
“Why would the death of a lizzie of all things have such an impact?”
“Cissy wasn’t just a lizzie. She was sweet and kind. Next to Honor Hertling maybe, she is the… was the… most caring person I’ve ever known. She saved my life the day Terrence was killed. She probably saved my life more than just that once.”
“Okay,” said Zeah, thoughtfully.
“Let’s go inside. I’m sure Egeria is waiting for us.”
“All right. Oh, wait. I’ll open the relief cock for you.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m always forgetting to do that.”
The children had already gone through the house and come out in the garden. Egeria had ordered the dining room table set up in the backyard, and Chunny was already covering it with fancy dishes filled with delicious looking food.
“Can we play games?” shouted Augie.
“We will play after lunch,” said Egeria.
“What games can we play? We don’t have enough people to play Doggy Doggy.”
“Perhaps we could play Honey, Do You Love Me.”
“That’s no good,” said Terra, in her squeaky voice. “Everybody here already knows who loves who.”
“You mean ‘who loves whom’,” corrected Egeria. “I have a new game I think you will enjoy.”
She made a sweeping gesture to indicate that they should all sit, and insisted that Zeah sit at the head of the table. He was still dressed in his suit, so he still felt rather formal. His wife certainly seemed formal as well. Her white day dress made her fiery red hair stand out all the more. Yuah’s dress was, in Zeah’s opinion, slightly scandalous. It showed entirely too much back. She sat at the opposite end of the table, while Egeria and the children stared at each other from either side. Both women sat with a posture that could only have been achieved by rigid corseting.
“Pass around the chips,” ordered Egeria.
“I want a biscuit,” said Augie.
“Not till after.”
They passed around golden fish, beans, cheese, fruit, and of course crisp, beautiful chips. Augie wanted nothing but chips and beans, and Terra wanted only fruit. As the little girl used both tiny hands to hold the platter loaded with grapes, sliced apples, pear halves, bananas, and strawberries, she dropped the edge onto her plate. With a loud crack, the plate broke into two pieces. With a little cry, she dropped the platter, and although it didn’t break, fruit went rolling in all directions. Zeah caught his breath. Here as everywhere, Egeria employed dishes that were far too valuable to be used by normal humans, let alone children.
Egeria made no sound or expression that could be construed as any kind of admonishment. She simply got up and gathered the stray fruit. Yuah was upset though, probably with the same thoughts in her head that Zeah had in his.
“What kind of fool leaves out dishes like this for little children,” she said.
Egeria didn’t reply, but both her mouth and her eyes grew small.
Chunny came out to the table and removed the two plate halves, replacing them with a plate that to Zeah’s mind looked even more valuable than the one that had broken. A few moments later, the lizardman returned with another platter loaded with butter biscuits. These were the neat, perfect biscuits that Egeria bought in a tin, preferring them over homemade ones. Now that his duty had been done by eating his chips and beans, Augie set to work ridding the property of buttery desserts.
When they had all finished, Egeria led the children around the house to the side yard. Set up across the green lawn was a net for badminton, and four light rackets had been placed on a small occasional table that had been brought down from the upstairs hallway. Zeah went to the gazebo near the edge of the yard and picked up the wicker armchair, bringing it back. He intended to be a spectator in this sporting event. By the time he had made himself comfortable, the sides had already been chosen. Yuah and Augie were set up on the east side of the net, while Egeria and little Terra, whose racket was almost as large as she was, were arrayed on the west.
Yuah served first, taking the bright yellow shuttlecock and whacking it with a force that should have knocked it clear to the ocean. The feathered birdie lost its steam though just above Egeria and wafted down right in front of her. With a mighty backhand blow, she sent it soaring back again over the net. Despite the fact that neither woman, with their corseted waists, long dresses trailing upon the ground, and voluminous hairstyles seemed ready for athletics, they pummeled the hapless cork and feather device back and forth.
Thwack! Egeria smashed the birdie directly toward Yuah’s face. Thwack! Yuah sent it back. Thwack! This time Yuah had to reach around. Thwack! It went toward the back end of the court. Egeria, a good four inches shorter than her opponent was unable to reach it, and the birdie alighted gently upon the grass.
“Ha!” cried Yuah. Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell to the ground in a faint, an often enough occurrence for women walking in corsets, let alone participating in sporting events.
Egeria smiled triumphantly. She wobbled for a moment and then she too fell down into the grass, gulping for air.
“Hey, I want to play!” shouted Augie, but Terra had already lost interest and was busy chasing a butterfly.
“Grandpa will play with you,” said Zeah, “as soon as we clear the court.”
When the time had come around for Yuah and the children to head for home, she and Egeria seemed to be getting on just fine. Zeah decided that it might be a good idea to install a badminton court at City Hall. That way people who found themselves on different sides of an issue before council could take out their frustrations on the birdie rather than each other, or him.
“Now remember, Yuah,” said Egeria. “You and the children are coming to church with us tomorrow.”
Yuah nodded.
“Does that mean we don’t have to go to shrine this week?” wondered Augie.
“No,” said his mother.
“Only my friends go to one or the other. I don’t know anybody that has to go to both.”
“I attend both regularly,” said Egeria.
“I have to go to both, too,” said Zeah, and when a sharp elbow hit him just below the ribs he corrected. “I am fortunate enough to go to both, too.”
The following morning Yuah and the children arrived again by steam carriage. Augie was dressed in a brown suit with knickers, and he pulled at his collar as though it was choking him to death. Terra looked like a precious little doll covered in red velvet and white lace. She was quite a contrast to her mother in her simple black shrine dress, that Zeah was happy to see showed no back at all. Egeria had a simple black dress that she usually wore to shrine too, but she floated down the stairs in a shimmering white dress with a bustle even larger than the one she usually wore. From the front she looked to be a normally formed woman, but when she turned sideways, it seemed that one could, if so inclined, array an entire dinner upon her bottom like a dining room table. Zeah wondered if she would be able to sit down in a pew. Egeria’s servant Chunny came with them too. He wore no clothing at all, but looked as though his green reptilian skin had been polished.
A group of six was too many to fit into a steam carriage, so the family took the trolley. This was not an unusual thing for Zeah, but it was a rare and wonderful thing for the children.
“May I pet the dinosaur?” asked Terra.
“I don’t think…” started Zeah.
“Of course you may pet the dinosaur,” said Yuah.
The little girl stroked the right hind leg of the triceratops, and though her grandfather held his breath, the beast probably didn’t even feel her hand. They climbed aboard and Chunny moved to the very back of the car.
“I want to ring the bell!” called Augie.
“I don’t think…” started Zeah.
“Here you go, young man,” said the trolley conductor, pulling the boy up to stand next to him, and handing him the string connected to the bell. “Ring when I tell you.”
The triceratops started down the boulevard and Augie pulled the string. The bell clanged twice, and he looked back at his mother with a big grin.
“I rang the ssotook out of that bell.”
“Ssiss zat tassta,” warned his mother.
Nearing the south end of Terrence Dechantagne Boulevard the trolley came to a stop and the car disgorged its by now full complement of passengers just below the gentle rise upon which sat the Church of the Apostles. The beautiful white stone structure stood like a symbol of Brech power and authority. Zeah thought it was also quite a reminder that Kafirites ruled the world. Pulling Terra away from the dinosaur’s back legs, he hoisted her up onto his shoulder. Then he took Augie by hand and they all made their way up the walkway and then up the stone steps to the church.
At the top of the steps, just in front of the church door, a group of people were milling around the entrance. This was not significant in and of itself. People frequently socialized at the church entrance. But this time there seemed to be some sort of dispute going on. When Zeah approached, he could see the people were gathered around and gawking at a sign in a metal signpost set ten feet from the door. It read “Members Only.”
“What’s all this then?” Egeria asked Brother Galen who was just exiting the church.
“I’m sorry Mrs. Korlann. You of course are welcome, but I’m afraid the rest of your family may not come in.”
“Who ever heard of a members only church? Who’s idea was this?”
“Mother Linton’s instructions,” replied Brother Galen. “No Zaeri and no lizzies.”