"The ELFs were responsible for acts of terrorism and murder," said King Douglas, still looking at the viewscreen. "The oversoul was responsible for stopping acts of terrorism and murder."
"That's not how the people in the street will see it," said Meerah Puri. "Some things are just wrong, no matter who does it, or why."
"Then the hell with them, and the hell with you," said Douglas, rising sharply to his feet. "I'd do it again in a moment. They were killing my Paragons. My colleagues and my friends. And my Champion… may be dead too. I should have been there at his side. You want my Crown, honored Members? You can have it." He took the Crown off and put it on the Throne. "I did what was necessary. I've always been able to do what was necessary. That's what a Paragon does. I'm going to see what's happened to my friend Lewis. You can send someone later to tell me if I'm still King. Maybe I'll care, later."
"You can't leave," said Tel Markham. "This House is still in Session. We haven't dismissed you yet."
Douglas looked at Markham, and the MP flinched despite himself and looked away. Douglas looked around the House, and everywhere people were unable to meet his dark and dangerous gaze. He smiled briefly. "God damn you all to Hell," he said quietly. "All of you together aren't worth one of the Paragons who fell defending you. What has the Empire become, what have we become, that such a price was necessary? There's a madness in the streets, a sickness in the soul, and I fear it has infected us. Make your compromise deals with the Church and the Neumen. Protect yourselves. I can't stop you. But I don't have to watch you do it. I still have my pride."
He turned his back on them, and walked out of the House, ignoring the uproar of voices that broke out behind him. Outside, Anne was waiting for him.
"Any news of Lewis?" said Douglas.
"He's been brought in," said Anne. "They've got him in the infirmary." Douglas set off down the corridor, and Anne padded along beside him. "They've got him in a regeneration tank. Douglas… the odds aren't good. He took a disrupter bolt at point-blank range."
"But he is still alive?"
"Yes. For the moment, he's still alive."
"I should never have let him go out there alone, Anne. I shouldn't have let you stop me going with him."
"If you'd gone, you'd be lying in a regen tank beside Lewis. If we were lucky."
"I let him down," said Douglas. "He was always there for me, and I let him down."
"You did the right thing, Douglas."
"What's that got to do with anything? Our friend is dying."
"I know. I know."
They strode down the corridor together, and people saw their faces and hurried to get out of their way.
Lewis was as surprised as anyone when the lid of the regeneration tank rose up, and he was still alive. He was even more surprised to discover that the reptiloid Saturday was gone, and there waiting for him in that cold and empty room was an utterly distraught Jesamine Flowers. She was crying, great shuddering sobs that shook her whole body as tears streamed down her cheeks. She saw him trying to sit up in the tank, and hurried forward to help him out of it. His legs felt like they belonged to someone else, and he sat down suddenly beside the tank, feeling at his side where the ragged hole had been. And Jesamine threw her arms around him, and buried her face in his shoulder. They sat together, holding each other tightly.
"Oh God, I thought I'd lost you," Jesamine said finally, her face still pressed against his shoulder. "I saw them shoot you, and it was as though someone had shot me too. I couldn't breathe. When they told me the alien was bringing you in, I came straight here. I couldn't believe the state you were in. There was a hole in your side the size of my fist. You were barely breathing. I was so sure I was going to lose you."
"The regen tank does good work," said Lewis, his face buried in her golden hair. It smelled good. It smelled like life, and happiness. "But even so, I hate to think how close it must have been. Even regeneration tanks can't work miracles. But I couldn't die, Jes. I couldn't die, and leave you behind. Not after I'd finally found you. Found the only woman I ever loved."
They pulled back a little, so they could look one another in the face. Jesamine's face was almost ugly, blotched with color, her eyes puffy from crying so hard. Lewis's face seemed somehow harsher, even with the blood and brains cleaned away, as though his brush with death had knocked all the easiness out of it. They were holding each other's hands, so tightly their knuckles were white.
"You mean that?" said Jesamine. "You love me?"
"With all my heart, Jes. It's wrong. I know it's wrong, I know it can't go anywhere. But I don't care."
"I don't care either," said Jesamine. "I love you, Lewis. So many men have passed through my life, but you're the only one I ever cried over. The only one who ever mattered to me."
"You're everything I ever wanted, Jes. Everything I thought love would be. Typical Deathstalker luck. To love the one woman I can't ever have."
"Can't? Lewis…"
"No, Jesamine. Listen to me. One of us has to be strong. Strong enough to do the right thing. You're going to marry my best friend. It's all arranged. All of Humanity wants this marriage. Douglas wants it, and I'd rather die than hurt him. You're going to be his Queen. The Empire needs you."
"I need you, Lewis! Doesn't that matter? Doesn't that mean anything?"
"It means everything," said Lewis. "But we can't let it matter. I'll leave. Go away. Marry Douglas and be happy, Jesamine."
"Lewis… I can't…"
"You must. I could not love thee half so much, loved I not honor more," said Lewis Deathstalker. "I can't, I won't, betray my friend, my King."
"It's not fair. It's not fair!"
"No it isn't. Let me go, Jes. Let me leave, while I still have the strength to do it."
"Where will you go? What will you do?"
"I don't know. Oh God, I don't know anything anymore."
They moved forward into each other's arms again, murmured their love for a while, and finally, tenderly, kissed each other good-bye. And that was how Douglas and Anne found them.
For a long while the two of them just stood there, watching, silent, and then Douglas said Jesamine's name. His voice seemed very loud in the quiet of the deserted infirmary. Lewis immediately let go of Jesamine, and looked around sharply. Jesamine held on a moment longer, her eyes closed, as though she could deny what was happening, but then her innate inner discipline reestablished itself, and she let go. She'd always been able to be strong when she had to be. She looked around, unhurriedly, her face calm and composed, though there was no hiding her puffy eyes or the damage to her makeup. Lewis rose to his feet, just a little unsteadily. He took a step towards Douglas, and then stopped, held where he was by what he saw in his friend's face. Jesamine looked accusingly at Anne, but she shook her head slightly. She hadn't told Douglas what she'd seen earlier.
"Lewis," Douglas said, and his voice was so flat, so empty, it was like a slap in the face. "What have you done, Lewis? I sent you out to stop a riot, not get involved in one. What did you think you were doing? How many people did you kill out there? Do you even know? I made you my Champion; it's important that you're seen to be impartial at all times. You can't get involved in political struggles. Once it was clear they weren't going to listen to you, you should have withdrawn. Not drawn your weapons against civilians. You looked like a butcher. My butcher."
"Those civilians were killing Paragons," said Lewis, meeting Douglas' gaze steadily. "They would have killed me. They did their best."
"You made a bad situation worse," said Douglas. "I had to call on the oversoul, to shut the riot down. God knows what the espers will want in return, for that service. All because you failed me, Lewis."
"What was I supposed to do? They'd gone crazy, all of them! I can't work a miracle every time!"
"Then what use are you to me?" Douglas said coldly. "I need to be able to rely on you, Lewis."
"You can! You know you can, Douglas. You know… I'll do the right thing."
&nbs
p; "I don't know anything anymore! I was ready to give up my Crown for you, Lewis, and then I come here, and I find you…" Douglas looked at Jesamine for the first time. "How can I do what I'm supposed to do, when I can't trust anyone anymore?"
He turned abruptly, and stalked out of the infirmary, his back very straight, his head held high, but none of them could see his face. Jesamine squeezed Lewis's hand, once, and then hurried after Douglas. Lewis sat down again, his legs all but collapsing under him, and stared at the floor, broken and hurt beyond anything Brett Random's disrupter could have managed. Anne walked slowly over and sat down beside him. She sighed heavily, and leaned back against the open regeneration machine.
"Some days… things wouldn't go right if you bribed them."
"Maybe I should have died," said Lewis. "Maybe… that would have been best, for everyone."
"Oh shut up," said Anne. "I'll work something out. Though God alone knows what, or how. You couldn't have screwed this up worse if you'd tried, Lewis. You must know this can't go anywhere. There's no possible future for you and Jesamine. Too many vested interests have committed themselves to the new King and Queen. The momentum we've built up is unstoppable. Any change now, and there'd be riots in cities all over the Empire. A Royal wedding, a golden couple for a Golden Age, could heal the rifts in society, change the atmosphere, get people talking again instead of shouting. You can't be allowed to interfere, Lewis. Too much depends on everything going ahead as planned."
"I know," Lewis said miserably. "I'd already decided I was going to leave. Get the hell offplanet and disappear. Let someone else be the Champion. I never wanted the job anyway. Let Finn have it. He'll do a better job. He understands politics and he's never had any bothersome emotions to get in the way."
"You can't resign as Champion, and you can't leave," Anne said remorselessly. "So far, there hasn't been even a whisper of gossip, and we have to keep it that way. You just up and go, abandoning your best friend on the eve of his wedding, and people would be bound to wonder why. Sooner or later, someone would discover the truth. Someone always does. And a scandal like this… would be the end of Douglas as King All the various causes and politicians would have a field day. I don't even want to think about what it would do to the balance we've been carefully creating in Parliament… No; Lewis. You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay here and tough it out, until we can figure out some way for you to credibly retire, and disappear into the background. Maybe a family emergency… Virimonde's a long way from anywhere… Give me time to think. I'll come up with something. In the meantime; stay away from Jesamine. If you're at the House together, don't even look at her, unless you're forced to. I'd say act naturally, but you're not that good an actor. I'll arrange the schedules to keep the two of you apart as much as I can, until she's safely married. Think you can keep it in your trousers until then?"
"This isn't about sex! It was never about sex! I love her, Anne!"
"No you don't. You can't. Too many people would be hurt. The fate of the Empire depends upon you doing the right thing. Remember your duty, Deathstalker."
"I know my duty," said Lewis. "I've always known my bloody duty."
Back at Finn's place, they were all back in their favorite chairs, passing bowls of snacks around, and watching replays of the riot on the big viewscreen. The news channels were broadcasting uninterrupted coverage, running all the best bits in slow motion, the better to show off all the blood and gore. Nothing like a little death and suffering in close-up to pull in the viewers. Hell, the riot was getting better ratings than Friday night at the Arenas. Finn relaxed almost bonelessly in his chair, smiling and nodding, and even applauding some of the best bits. He'd come out of it very well, looking extremely heroic. Especially when he cut down his own people, right in front of the camera. He couldn't have planned it better.
Emma Steel had also come out of it well; her cool and calm composure in the middle of madness making her look very professional. Commentators were already saying that she and Finn should make a great partnership. Finn wasn't so sure. He didn't know just how much Emma might have seen, or suspect. She hadn't said anything, either to him or the media, but… That was a problem for another day. Right now he was feeling too good. The channel showed Brett shooting Lewis again, and Finn laughed out loud. The scene changed abruptly, to show people holding a candlelight vigil outside the House, praying for the Deathstalker to survive. Finn frowned. He hadn't realized Lewis was so popular. Still, there was no danger of Lewis actually dying and becoming a martyr. Brett had aimed his gun very carefully, following his instructions to make it look as impressive as possible, while still missing all the major vital organs.
He glanced across at Rose Constantine, sitting scowling in her chair, sulking. Finn studied her for a moment. He'd never intended for her to kill Lewis, but of course he couldn't tell her that. The fight had to look natural. She had to be convinced, to be convincing. No; Lewis couldn't die yet. Not while Finn had such useful, amusing plans for him.
The vidscreen showed again the moment when someone in the crowd blew Veronica Mae Savage's head right off, starting the riot. Finn couldn't be more pleased. It was the exact visual image he'd needed, to blow everyone's minds. It helped that he'd never liked Veronica Mae, but any Paragon would have done. He made a mental note to send the assassin a bonus.
Brett had gone back to drinking heavily. He hadn't said a word since he returned. He watched the viewscreen, and took a big handful from the snack bowls when they came his way, but he seemed lost in his own unhappy thoughts. Finn decided he'd better keep a close eye on his new esper.
They watched the news coverage on the viewscreen for over an hour, switching back and forth between the channels to get a representative angle on the public's perception of the riot, and their reactions on how Parliament and the King had handled it. (The House was expressing solidarity with the King. For now.) A surprisingly large percentage of the viewing public were already expressing their displeasure over the way the powers that be had overreacted. Specifically, they didn't like troops being brought into the city and unleashed on civilians, and they really didn't like the use of espers to control human minds. Comparisons were already being made with the way the despised Empress Lionstone used to do things. And every commentator on every channel was drawing comparisons between the ELFs and the oversoul, despite all the soothing words coming from the esper center on New Hope. The general public feeling was that the King and Parliament had been heavy-handed in their reaction to a legitimate protest, and that that was what had caused the riot. A lot of people still supported the Church, even if they weren't too sure (as yet) about the influence of Neuman philosophy within it.
There was a lot of public sentiment over the death of so many Paragons (thirty-seven and still counting), but again the general feeling seemed to be that they shouldn't have been there in the first place. Paragons were supposed to deal with crime, not political protest. They were supposed to be the King's Justice, not his bully boys. There was no public call for a day of mass mourning, as usually happened when a Paragon fell in the line of duty. Finn found that especially significant.
Angelo Bellini turned up late, without even the grace of an apology, but ended up sitting on the edge of his chair, fascinated by the media coverage of the slaughter he'd helped to instigate. It was one thing to work quietly behind the scenes to ensure that everything went to hell on schedule, but quite another to watch the carnage unfold before you. Angelo all but bounced in his chair, his face flushed, breathing heavily. Finn thought Angelo looked a bit like Rose when she was contemplating killing someone horribly. Angelo sensed Finn's gaze on him, and looked around, grinning foolishly.
"Death and violence and insurrection in the streets. The death of heroes and of ideals, and all of it at my command." An idea occurred to him, and he scowled suddenly. "I hadn't planned for the oversoul getting involved. Could those espers dig our names out of those people's heads?'
"I planned for everything," Finn said ca
lmly. "No one actually present at the riot has any direct knowledge of me, or you. Their instructions came via so many cut-outs that the security forces will end up running in circles trying to make sense of it all. My people in the Rookery have already set in motion a wide-reaching plan of disinformation. No one's coming after us, Angelo. I have put a lot of thought into this."
Angelo nodded and looked back at the viewscreen, and immediately all his doubts were forgotten. "I have to congratulate you, Finn. I never knew politics could be such fun. Such a rush. People going out to fight and die, at my command. The Parade of the Endless torn apart, and all because of me. I never knew power could be so… intoxicating."
"Don't make a mess on the chair, Angelo," said Finn. "You didn't cause this. I did. You merely helped. This is all my plan, my work, and don't you ever forget it."
"You couldn't have done it without me," said Angelo, just a little haughtily. "I put the Church in bed with the Neumen. I worked out the logistics for the marches. Those people listen to me, not you!"
Finn leaned easily out of his chair and slapped Angelo hard around the side of the head. Angelo rocked in his chair, and almost fell. He brought up a hand to protect himself from further blows, and opened his mouth to protest. And then his eyes met Finn's, and the words turned to dust in his mouth. Finn wasn't angry. He wasn't even excited. But in that moment he looked cold and controlled and very very dangerous.
"You are my creature, Angelo," Finn said calmly. "Mine, to do with as I wish. I own you. You can't go back to what you were, and if you ever think to cross me, or cultivate ideas above your station, I will destroy your media sainthood overnight, and have you removed from your own Church in disgrace. I will drag your good name through the gutter, and throw you to the wolves; and I will do it the moment you even think of setting your wishes in any way above mine. Or… I could just give you to Rose."
"Give him to me," Rose said immediately. "The Deathstalker got me all hot, but I never got the chance to finish."