The Day of Reckoning

Chapter 4--The Pillar of Government (Part 1)

"All right," Carsius cleared his throat, "I think you all know the added challenge we will face in trying to continue this mission."

The others exchanged glances before Atis replied with the obvious answer, "The soldiers."

Carsius nodded. "The snares and alarms and defense systems constructed by Atis and Barmier keep us safe here, but—" he paused and glanced at the burly warrior.

"But the blasted cadets are on us as soon as we set foot outside!" Barmier finished.

Scander raised his hand, "Sir," he said when acknowledged, "I don't mind being a scrounger. I can move fast and fit into tight places, and Sverana provides diversion when I need it."

"Why can't we just hole up in here till it all blows over?" Augustus suggested.

"Fool!" Gorrmunsa spat, leaping onto his chair in a squatting position. "It is not a matter of waiting for the current storm to subside. This is a war of our own making, and it has only just started!"

Augustus raised his hands and shied away from the Kytarr. "Whoa, okay, fine; don't get your dander up!"

Carsius sighed, "Gorrmunsa speaks true. We started this thing, and we must see it through. Scander," he nodded toward the young man, "I appreciate your dedication to the cause, but unfortunately, we can't send just anybody to do what needs to be done." He glanced toward the huddled, muttering figure, and everyone caught his meaning.

"And how do you expect to get Laurel out there, may I ask?" Atis queried. "The place is crawling with soldiers."

"Where did all the soldiers come from, anyway?" Scander interposed. "It's like they doubled or tripled in number overnight."

Carsius shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps you can spy on the garrison, Scander, and find out why there are suddenly so many. The rest of us must figure out how to get Laurel past them." He turned to Atis, "Were the soldiers wearing wyrts?" Atis shrugged, "Well, yeah, but this place is invisible to them, isn't it?"

Carsius frowned, "And yet somehow you were not. Perhaps because the soldiers themselves—not the wyrts—saw you and reported the theft. That means that even though at first no one could see us because they did not expect us, now they can—and out of loyalty to the Elitinati, they will report us."

Barmier huffed, "Can't we just glue wyrts to our clothing and act like we are behaving under their influence?"

Augustus chuckled, "Not if what we're doing breaks some kind of law! No Eillumaeian with a wyrt would do that. Besides, that's half our number recognized by the network. No doubt they are watching this area very closely to see who comes out without a wyrt."

An alarm bleeped, and Atis moved to check the monitor. "Aw, snazzlefritz!" he swore.

"What is it?" Carsius asked.

"Don't look now," the young Lumminean said, "But I think the government has just put a bounty on our heads."

Sure enough, the announcement proclaimed a generous reward for any sighting of any type of subversive activity. A map of the city showed that the notice was going up all over the city.

"Great, now we'll have people turning in their own neighbors for money, to say nothing of how quickly they'll rat on us for what we're doing!" Renata pointed out.

"What can we do, then?" Atis asked, glancing over at the miserable young Elf, who had left off muttering and was now tracing designs in the dirt. "We can't just send her out alone."

"Which one of us do you want her to suddenly turn and report when she is overcome by the influence of the wyrts?" Augustus retorted.

"The truth will set you free!" cried a voice.

The seven men looked at Renata, who shook her head. They turned to Laurel. She had stood, and was now wobbling over to them with a wild gleam in her eye.

"The Truth is my shield and protector. The one who comes from Truth will be my guide."

Atis snorted, "Aren't we all on the side of truth?" he muttered to Carsius.

"Maybe," the commander replied, but she said 'comes from Truth.' It must be the name of another Syndicate like ours." He caught Laurel's roving attention. "Fair maiden," he addressed her, "Who is it that comes from Truth?"

Laurel seemed incapable of looking at them directly. "Ra'dith," she intoned.

The table erupted.

"Absolutely not! Out of the question!"

"She cannot be trusted!"

"But none of us can go with Laurel without being reported, and we can't just send her out on her own. She may lose her sanity entirely."

"Cursed black imp slipped my grasp!"

"But Laurel said she came from Truth!"

"Scander, just because someone names their faction Truth doesn't make someone trustworthy or their cause a noble one."

"EVERYBODY QUIET!" Carsius roared. Once he had their attention, he said, "We will think on that matter a bit more before deciding anything. For now, we still have some planning to do. So, to move on," Carsius continued, "Deej and I have agreed that though the citizens of Eillumaeia are free to reason for themselves, to think for themselves, and to accept each other—but according to the laws of their government (presided over by the Elitinati, of course), they are not free to act upon these beliefs."

"But shouldn't the legal professionals and judicial authorities have the same sentiments of freedom?" Atis objected.

Augustus shook his head, "Not as long as the law stands. These people are hard-wired to uphold the law at any cost, giving no thought to whether or not it is just. All the Elitinati had to do was issue their own set of laws, and presto! Instant subjugation."

"Aw, heck!" Atis replied, "We don't need Laurel to bring down the law. We can just establish a revolt, and do it ourselves!"

Carsius glared at the lackadaisical young man. "That isn't the point, remember? An idea can only be replaced by another idea if these people would be truly free."

"So what combats the law without promoting anarchy?" Gorrmunsa asked curiously.

Carsius smiled. "That is what I want you to think over this evening. We'll break for supper and sleep for now, and reconvene tomorrow morning. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"All right," Carsius said, "Deej and Renata, you'll be in charge of the food, and the rest help where you can. Meeting adjourned!"

As darkness collected around them, everyone thought furiously at what kind of attitude or thought process would eliminate the need for stringent laws. Meanwhile, Laurel curled miserably on the fluffy cushion that served her for a bed. Renata had brought her a bowl of soup, but that was her only interaction with them, after trying to beg them to allow Ra'dith to protect her. She had avoided their faces on purpose, knowing that the concentration of serum inside her turned her into a living wyrt. The last thing she wanted was to betray her friends—even if it meant being shunned by them. Laurel closed her eyes and drifted into troubled psychedelic dreams.

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