212 - The count of the votes of the people

My mind was suddenly full of the sight of her holding Esora-e that way as an infant. “Katanrani’s around somewhere, too,” I said. I wanted both of them to feel this touch as the first thing they knew of her.

“Keep naming children like that and we’ll have mouthfuls like the Enks… er, Enchians,” she said, rocking from one foot to the other unthinking as mothers do, while I introduced her to Servants, administrators, judges, writers and so forth, as well as Kaninjer, Minis, Kyriala and every other foreigner I could pull in. She barely took her eyes off the baby to greet any of them.

Then she was insisting on changing his diaper, and chuckling when I opened the wrong pouch, pulled out the semanakraseyeni shirt by mistake, and whipped it back in before anyone could see, I hoped. “Good strategy, bad tactics, lad… where can I do this?” I went with her, Kaninjer notwithstanding; gooey as she’d turned, some part of me worried she’d sneak out back with Tyiso and lay him in the stream.

As we came back, the bell started ringing. I saw Kuraila hastily kiss Surya and then scurry towards the Assembly chamber door. “Go on,” Krasila said. “I’ll get him back to his mother; it’s not as if she’s hard to spot.”

“I’m on leave, so I’m not actually required until they resolve to invite me to sit in the visitor’s chair,” I said. “So I’m going to lurk by the door.” I spotted Niku, mouthed to her, “You’ll never guess who’s here!” and, when she came over, introduced them. They swapped babies, and Krasila wanted to change Kat’s diaper. “Just born today... and you’re already in a political crowd,” Krasila cooed to her. “My poor kids can’t avoid it,” I said. “Though maybe I, and they, will be tossed out for good in a moment.”

Inside the chamber, Artira began calling Assembly to order; then Skorsas was at my elbow, so I introduced him to Krasila. He was, of course, in his finest, far outshining me or anyone else here, even Minis, and she looked him up and down without hiding it. “Enchanted, Sera,” he purred down his nose. “I’ve heard so much about you, all of it deeply impressive.”

“Mezem boy? You must have seen many fighters, then.” It was absent again, though, her eyes drawn back to Kat and her face softening again.

“Oh yes.” He laid his hand tenderly on my chest. “But really, only one. You have war-students here, as I understand, Serina; how many guest rooms will you and they need?”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought to presume on my shadow-grandson’s hospitality... we’re in an inn in Terera.”

That struck Skorsas blessedly speechless. “Shadow-grandma!” I said. “You’ve got so much family in this town that with this latest two I’ve lost count, and you’re paying for a room?”

“That is proper, given our years of estrangement, is it not?”

“Shadow-grandma, I told you you have a standing invitation, that our doors and our arms are open to you! My house is yours!”

“I recuse myself from presiding and relinquish the speaker’s crystal to the angaseye daiga krisa,” Artira said, inside the chamber, in her official voice. There was but one item on tonight’s agenda.

“Well, I… thank you,” said Krasila. In between her making mush-eyes at Kat, she and Skorsas worked out how many rooms, just in time for my parents to show up insisting she stay at the Dependent with them. The compromise we worked out was that my parents would all stay up at the Independent tonight. Skorsas had started the hot-tub draining as soon as we’d got out; it would be filled again by the time we were back.

“We convene so as to record and certify the national referendum on the matter of re-approving as semanakraseye First Virani-e Fourth Chevenga Shae-Arano-e,” the adakri said, “in light of his conviction under the Statute semanakraseyeni sections 21-1 and 21-5-7 and the findings of the Chevengani Mental State Assessment Committee as stated in their final report.”

I could no longer pretend to myself that my heart was not in my throat. Kaninjer probably had calming essence, but I didn’t want anyone to see me take any. I’d never imagined I’d be in Krasila’s presence while the results were read; somehow that made it more nerve-wracking.

“Now, little girl... are you going to be big and strong too?” Whatever my people had decided for me, I reminded myself, I had twins, and I’d keep both of them.

“I propose that we invite Virani-e to the visitor’s chair as it would only be appropriate to this occasion.” Darosera, bless her.

“Strong, like your mama and papa both?” Something made me take a deep breath and still myself inside, then look at Krasila. My eyes must have taken on the aura-seeing gaze. Inside her, from the crown vortex to long past the base one, low as her knees, was a spear, sickly grey-white, like pus, with age.

“Discussion... I see no hands requesting the crystal. That we invite First Virani-e Fourth Chevenga Shae-Arano-e to the visitor’s chair as it would be appropriate to this occasion, all chalk, all charcoal, all abstentions, I have seen chalks only, carried unanimously. Runner, enact.” Barely behind me was the Arch-Keeper of the Counting Chamber, with the papers. She’d be called in next.

“Beautiful like your papa, even if in brown, hmm?” Krasila drew Kat in close, and I saw the spear in her curve away from the baby, and the blue around her arms strengthen, between it and her, as if to protect her from it. Krasila could not know she was doing this.

“Chevenga.” The runner touched my arm, and several more hands patted my shoulders as I went in. It was written afterwards that I sat forward in the visitor’s chair from tension; in truth I was keeping the cracked rib off the chair-back.

“As I hold both my own and the crystal of the Assembly of Yeola-e in my hands, in the worldly witness of the people of Yeola-e as represented by the Assembly of Yeola-e and the spiritual witness of All-Spirit,” said the Arch-Keeper, “this vote and count was completed entirely properly and legally, no procedure omitted and no precaution neglected, in the witness in every counting-room in Yeola-e of the Counting Senaheral, Second Fire come if I am forsworn.” Deep breath. The spirit of Surya, I think, will be with me the rest of my life.

“As you have so sworn, sib Arch-Keeper of the Counting Chamber, we ask that you reveal the count of the votes of the people on the question, that we fully reinstate as semanakraseye First Virani-e Fourth Chevenga Shae-Arano-e in light of his conviction under the Statute semanakraseyeni sections 21-1 and 21-5-7 and the findings of the Chevengani Mental State Assessment Committee as stated in their final report.” I stood up, feeling drops of sweat trickle down between my shoulder-blades, as she handed the packet of papers to the adakri, who opened them.

“Oh yes, and fly on one of those mad contraptions like your mama, yes!” When there was a baby in Krasila’s arms, the rest of the world didn’t exist for her. Several people around her said, “Shh!”

“The vote of the people of Yeola-e on the question, that we fully reinstate as semanakraseye of Yeola-e First Virani-e Fourth Chevenga Shae-Arano-e in light of his conviction under the Statute semanakraseyeni sections 21-1 and 21-5-7 and the findings of the Chevengani Mental State Assessment Committee as stated in their final report, we have duly totaled as, of two thousand thousand, seven hundred and fifty three thousand, four hundred and twenty two proper and unspoiled votes: chalk, one thousand thousand, nine—”

I gasped—I couldn’t help it, and it rang out clear through the chamber. I threw my hands over my eyes.

“…hundred and seventy-one thousand, five hundred and seventy-three; charcoal, four hundred and eighty-seven thousand, nine-hundred and seventy-one; by our calculation a majority just shy of seven and one quarter in ten.”

Everything dimmed, and the room was spinning. I sat down fast, put my head on the table and buried it in my arms; it would be wrong to break my neck keeling over in a dead faint after a seven-and-a-quarter national chalk telling me to come in to work tomorrow morning. The result showed me what I had expected at heart, though I had hidden it from myself: either a slim win, or a slim loss.

The Servants were doing the somber applause that is proper from them; the crowd in the gallery and outside the door were madly cheering, some jumping up and down. A hand touched my shoulder; the adakri, asking, “Semanakraseye, are you all right?” I sat up hard and threw out a firm chalk, hurting my back; she still had to proclaim it and I to say, “The people wills.” But it was still all I could do to not bury my head in my arms again. She put her arm around my shoulders and said, “Take a little time, lad.” It was all too much.

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