names
Stamos, a Procopian, played by Jake;
Yanalli, a town near Naapiisachi;
Hankha, the Fisher-priest of Yanalli, played by Jake;
Yabo’kachi, the Corn-maiden of Yanalli, played by Kim;
Wahalla, the Pickler of Yanalli, played by Kip;
Iiba-lokshi, the Brewer-priest of Yanalli, played by Charles;
1st Desire (cont’d)
Calvus is sending a messenger to the Prince, to report on the current situation, and ask for incursions over the border into the King’s lands.
The Finger and Mrs. the Finger are preparing a report for the Prince: there’s been an invasion of Judges, but they are weak, and the dragon-wizards have handled it well enough. He need not take direct action for now, though the situation bears observation, but envoys should be sent to Aafalakto’, to make sure the Lovers have recovered.
4th Desire
Calvus returns at dawn from a night reconnaissance. Palpebra’s been dropping a bucket of cold water on the Judge’s head from a great height.
Ishta’s been carrying her lantern with her wherever she goes. Sonata’s been staying in the basement.
In Tikba’atta, Perdix is sitting on one of the porches of Luknabbi’s yellow house, reading Palent’s notes. They’re stone-cold sober. But getting some work done. —Ilba’s making daisy-chains.
Tishkilla’s been canvassing priests on Crow-priests. Gieron’s of the opinion that they should all get stinking drunk. That way, they’ll never see the Crow when it comes to kill them. Tishkilla points out the road’s in grave disrepair.
Nil is awakened by Gi, in Gi’s bed. Nil is befuddled to be in Gi’s bed. Oh. Wait. Right.
Lhimpat’s grandfather has been drinking at the bar.
Murry heads into the Great Hall; looks about for someone; leaves.
Calvus is waiting in Nil’s room. After a quarter-hour, he heads down to the Great Hall, where he finds Murry, who says there’s a message: disturbing reports from Iyyonchaba. Refugees. Lots. Many are already walking the road up to Nemus Animæ.
Gi nudges Nil again, and Nil wakes up; fuck. Gi hands Nil his spectacles and his clothing. Thank you, says Nil. —Nil meets Calvus in the stairway; you’re late, says Calvus; sorry, says Nil; morning, magi, says Gi, passing them both. Calvus asks for a few minutes.
Calvus heads to the Finger’s rooms, and briefs Mrs. the Finger on the refugees. She asks about the state of the covenant’s food, and water, and shelter.
Calvus and Nil: Nil informs Calvus that the courier will be arriving today. Nil asks Calvus for a Miller. Calvus says it’ll take a great deal of work, and it’s not work he’s suited for. His apprentice has been doing some work that might prove useful. We could work with Manu Tenére. Alive, you understand, says Nil. I need to isolate what makes a Miller a Miller, outside their devices. Also, if you could get me a Judge. I’ll see what can be done in the next week or two, says Calvus. Calvus informs Nil of the refugees. Calvus tells Nil to warn Murry about the courier, so he can make it through the refugees.
Calvus warns the other magi about the refugees. Ndapé heads down to Iyyonchaba via the people-mover.
The Finger visits Tishkilla and asks after Gieron; he’s delightful. Can’t get enough of him. He informs Tishkilla of the refugees. He isn’t sure whether the magi would have let the priests know. There’s a knock at her door. It’s Gi, to come tell the priests about the refugees. Gi’s going to alert Jerry, who will help the priests. The Finger excuses himself.
Is the dick gone? says Gieron, sticking his head out of the kitchen. No, I’m still here, says Gi. I meant the other one, says Gieron. He volunteers the Scarecrow King as a refugee center.
Tishkilla’s concerned about the prophecy. Maybe a Judge is sneaking in? Judge’s don’t sneak, says Gieron. If you’re looking for a Judge, you look for the person who’s wearing the big black hat and killing half the people around them. Or they’re a mage. Come on, says Gi. We don’t wear big black hats.
Gieron’s looking for Palpebra. Jerry and Gi and Tishkilla and Honey are talking about food and time limits and night-soil ditches. —In Iyyonchaba, Ndapé discovers the nature of the refugees: mostly from Yanalli, who left when Naapiisachi was attacked; also some stragglers and hangers-on from other towns, orphans, some confused and addled refugees, some wounded and ill. Ndapé warns Calvus, and organizes shuttle-runs with the people-mover to get the wounded and ill into the covenant.
Nishoba sees Tully for a tool to dig a septic field. (Jerry’s also a digging a septic field.) Tully offers him two shovels and Marzipan. Nishoba takes the shovels. Also the pipe-layer. Tully reminds him of the 30-rule. The pipe-layer is an enormous metal hen. Nishoba asks for something to prevent stench. Well, if you lay the pipe correctly...
Ndapé pings Murry, looking for a couple of guards to be sent to Iyyonchaba to assist with the wounded. Where did you get the arcane connection? asks Murry. Calvus, says Ndapé.
Calvus asks Gi to take care of the wounded that'll be coming in via the people mover. Gi says sure and goes to Nil's room for vis, to let Nil know what's going on and to ask if Nil knows where the heck Sonata is. Nil pings Sonata, asking her to help with the wounded. Can’t anyone else see to it? she says. I’m busy. Not really, says Nil. I’ll do so as soon as I’m able. Nil passes this on to Gi, who gives him a peck on the cheek before going to the library for healing texts.
There’s a knock at Nil’s door. He opens it; there’s a glass doll there. Lhimpat, says Nil, I hope you acquired this legitimately. She giggles.
(Jenn wishes to point out that Nil has a hickey, right there.)
The Finger is working with Murry’s guards to arrange for a census. The guards are disarming everyone, and Woochi’s putting everyone to the three drinks. There’s lines set up and gates to prevent anyone from running through without being tested and questioned. They’re then passed on to the tents in the market-yard. Priests are asked to be diverted to the Finger and Mrs. the Finger. Woochi’s catching a couple of Monkey-men. (Heshe’s making eyes at the Monkey-women.)
Calvus checks with Nil. He informs him of the number of refugees—800 at the outside. Nil asks what administrative services he can supply Calvus with. Nil’s room will serve as the nerve center.
Murry’s sent the Wolves out hunting. Mrs. the Finger is arranging for emergency supplies of grain.
Ndapé’s working with Lhinkokow-oshi to put the three drinks to the wounded in Iyyonchaba, before they’re put on the people-mover. He sends them up three at a time, with a soldier in the first car to help unload at the other end. There’s 20 or so wounded and ill and otherwise incapacitated refugees.
Calvus talks to Tishkilla about the time-limit on the refugees. We don’t know, he says. We don’t have supplies to keep them indefinitely. Is there any custom for dealing with refugees? Is there a cultural obligation? In Chæronia, for instance, any person in need may stay in a village up to eight days. Yes, says Tishkilla, but this isn’t really the same sort of situation. If a family comes to our village and asks to join it, they should be settled here. After a year’s time, if they don’t meet the approval of the priests, they can be sent on their way again. An individual can only stay for a month if no one finds them satisfactory. But this is a fortress, intended for the protection of the Prince’s people. That seems to be why they’re here. I guess you have to protect them until their villages are safe. Here, says Calvus, or send them on to safer ground.
I thought you killed all the Judges, says Tishkilla. All but one, says Calvus. But there’s politics. Well, I guess you need to keep them here until that’s dealt with, says Tishkilla.
Shoha, who’d been out in the woods eating mushrooms for the past couple of weeks, sees the refugees coming up the road, joins them, is put to the three drinks, recognized, hangs out at the gate, and chases off when he starts swigging from the bottle of green-moon liquor. He’s sent out to the market-yard to help Gieron.
Gi’s taking in the wounded and the ill in Nemus Animæ. Sonata shows up as the last few trips are arriving; he briefs her on the scope of the problem. She wants to talk to Gi relatively soon; she’ll need to speak with Nil closer to Transformation. In a few days, though, with Gi.
Stamos shows up and is told to go through the gate and up to the Great Hall to see Nil. Lhimpat lets him in, as a flock of birds flutters down the hall and assembles next to him. Are you the Procopian? she asks. Yes, he whispers. You are the Maga Sonata? He hands her a package and a form. Sign here, he says. Who is that from? she asks. I’m sure I don’t know, he says. I’m sure I don’t know either, she says. She peers at the form. It’s Gratuitus Turturellus. There’s a note on the package.
Nil and Stamos introduce each other. Nil asks Lhimpat to hold his calls. Come in, come in. Lhimpat and the glass doll walk out to guard the hall. Sonata scurries down to her room. —Nil hands Crow-eggs to Stamos: one for Bethelion; one for Annalum; one, if asked, for Quintus Opacus and lost along the way, but to Quartus Oriens. Nil includes a note to dad, need money and fuck-ton of vis; is this a personal note, business, incidental? Business, says Nil. You’ll need to initial here, here, and sign here. Would you like to buy insurance? It should be included in our account, says Nil.
Look what the book made, says Gratuitus’ note. Inside, a lumpy fleshy thing that pulses.
Cameron goes looking for Gi to aid with a small boy who has a broken leg, out in the market-yard. Gi heals the leg; the kid will be named for him.
Aponta’s trying to deal with orphans and children traveling alone. He goes to the whores to ask for help; they’re glad enough. But the orphans have to come to the whorehouse. There’s cookies there.
The refugees have goats, chickens, rabbits, some sheep, oxen, some horses. The Wolves return in late afternoon with a passel of game.
Calvus arrives at the gate to see Murry throwing out a man; Heshe, the priest on duty, insists he be tossed out. A couple of villagers ask why: it’s Iiba-lokshi, the Brewer-priest of Yanalli, and Wahalla, the Pickler of Yanalli. The man tossed out is Wahalla’s best Bitterman. There’s a brief and fruitful colloquy of priests. Honey is introduced to Yabo’kachi, who will help her sorting the emergency grain on its way from Okla Lokchok.
Calvus finds Palpebra, who’s hovering, napping, over the Judge’s house. Hans is flinging rocks and buckets of water on the Judge. Virgil swings from Palpebra’s machine to Hans’ machine, so Palpebra and Calvus can fly higher to discuss matters alone.
Calvus informs Palpebra of Nil’s request for a living Judge. Perhaps allowing this one to deputize a couple, then grabbing one or two and separating the rest. Oh, and also a Miller. But they’re easy to grab from across the mountains.
Iiba-lokshi finds Ishta and lets her know the refugees are here to stay until the valley is once again safe. I see, says Ishta. Well. I don’t see a problem with that. It is a place for the defense of the valley, is it not? says Iiba-lokshi. Of course, says Ishta. She points out that Gieron (“the Wastrel Gieron, that’s his title”) is fiesty and might not look kindly on interlopers. Iiba-lokshi says there are two possibilities. How large is your village? Fairly large, says Ishta. There are 500 people from my village. —Some discussion of the size and capabilities of the village; food that could be offered to the priests. Smoked pheasant, pickled carrots and potatoes flavered with yew and raspberries. Melos. Cheese, even. Of course you’d have cheese.
Ishta and Calvus arrange a formal meeting of the priests. Calvus wishes help organizing a firewood collection expedition on the 5th.
The children are settled into the whorehouse for the night; preparations are underway for the orphanage—including a possible headmistress.
Calvus and Ndapé discuss the ramifications of quadrupling their population. Will their be friction between the priests? Possibly. Especially if their Brewer or Fisher is halfway competent. Calvus asks Ndapé to see whether there are any priests among the amnesiacs.
Aponta goes to speak with Jerry, who tries to take him to the orphanage. I know about the orphanage, says Aponta. I’m in charge of it. Jerry laughs. No, really. Whose joke is this? I need a sewage pipe, says Aponta. Really, says Jerry. What’s so funny? says Aponta. I mean, I guess poop is funny...
meta
“One of us needs to stay here with the kids, one of us needs to go to the whorehouse.”
