Page 42 of Apple Boy

“I should have spoken to you much earlier, but so many things clouded my mind.” He admitted an ominous tone at the edges of his voice. He sat straight and pinned me with a stare so serious my skin prickled with anxiety.

“What I am about to share is not widely known for fear of starting riots in the city among the common folk, and a run on the depositories by the gentry.”

It was just as I’d thought!

“Serein is in the midst of a secret power struggle, mah boy.” Ivon declared solemnly. “It is why what you told about that cursed ship’s cargo has worried me so.”

Ivon unbuttoned his lavender frock coat and waistcoat to free his large round belly from the restrictive garment and leaned forward to speak covertly.

“For twenty long summers power over Serein has remained in the clutches of Osia. The kings placed far too much strain upon the coffers of this city, and unrest has bubbled under the surface for quite some time. But, there are signs that, finally, the Von Harte’s hold is weakening.”

Adam and I were enrapt.

“I shall begin with a history lesson for you, Master Sewell”, Ivon informed presumptuously.

“When a city is given free status the power of the king or kings is traditionally delegated to the Great Council of the city and therefore the city rules itself. The council is made up of seven, and these offices are filled from the aristocracy. Every ten years there are elections in which the gentry of the city vote.”

“Uncle. Adam is from Erias; I’m sure he knows this”, I butted in. Ivon gave a curt nod and a tight-lipped smile. Adam sat attentively but remained silent, and honesty he looked a little too scared to speak.

“Very well.” My uncle continued. “When Osia revoked Serein’s free city status, they did not disband the council, but kept it in place to carry out the orders of the Crowns. They did not permit new elections either. Instead, the kings put their man Karsen Augustin to head the council, and those already on the council were picked off, one-by-one like harvested apples and then crushed to ensure the Great Council was made up solely of king’s men. Augustin maintained an exhaustive grip on the city. However, that reign ended six months ago when he was found dead, not a mark on his flesh.”

Adam gasped. I was also surprised to hear of this. Again, it proved to me how little news was reaching Thorn. I knew nothing of the goings on in this city, and I had no notion there had even been a change power, let alone a mysterious assassination.

“On the death of the council chair, new elections were set in motion without permission from the Crowns. The election resulted in ousting all of the kings’ councilors in one fell swoop. They were replaced by council members who are borne of the city and are, in fact, descendants of the original seven mages who created Serein. The kings say it was an illegal election, but the city made its choice, and the new council is holding on to power.”

Now it was my turn to let out an exasperated breath. No wonder the Kings were retaliating. It was clear to me now that in these circumstances the Great Council could not be responsible for requesting a shipment of illegal slaves.

“So, I am a pawn in a power struggle between Kristoff, Fabian and the Great Council of Serein?”

“Yes, it appears to be so. I am sorry you have become mixed up in this mess.”

“Can you tell me anything about who I will be meeting with today?” I asked.

“Aye. The elections saw AlisandreDe Belamine win to head the council. Madame De Belamine is a very powerful member of a first family. For some forty summers, she has remained the Eminent of the University and holds great respect in this city. The other elected councilors are Marcus Mortdel, Bowe Copperstone, Gilda Crowport,Mahon Darkemore,Amber Silverrich, and Featherwin Rainster.”

None of these names were familiar to me.

“As I said, they are all descendants of the first families. The kings’ councilors who were ousted at the elections were arrested for crimes against the city and they now reside in the city gaol. The cargo on the Trojan Star is the first move in retribution, of that I am sure. These new councilors are well-respected, and they know the inner workings of the city from the time before Osia’s take over—the time of magic.” Ivon paused dramatically, his eyes searching deeply into mine for something, some kind of reaction to the mention of magic. I schooled my features into the awe he expected from talk of sorcery. I wished I could tell Ivon of what I had discovered in Mallowick, but it was of such import that I could not risk it. If indeed the chill of war was coming to the Empire I needed a weapon to protect those I loved, and my rare Star-fall was the best weapon I could think of. No one but Adam and I could know of its existence.

Ivon sighed and sat back in his seat. “The wheels of the city move on as if nothing of significance has occurred since the king's men were ousted from the council. The lack of drama has indeed been unsettling—as if we are awaiting a storm, yet no one can see it on the horizon. Even though the Kings say the council is illegal, they send orders and demand taxes as if nothing has changed. The council still officially takes orders from Osia and no one has directly informed of an official coup, but I can sense something bad is coming. Luca has his ears to the ground on Thorn’s behalf and is assembling information.”

I nodded in understanding.

“Filling the Great Council with city borne gentry is tantamount to a pack of hounds pissing on their territory to claim it back,” I said.

“Aye. That was the first step in taking power back, but I do not believe the kings will give up the city’s wealth without a fight.”

“Serein seeks self-rule once again, and that is a good thing, is it not?” I quizzed, trying to understand the complicated politics of the city.

“Serein of old was a wonder, a gem. As a free city with open use of magic, everything worked beautifully. The city never wanted to give up its free status, but the greed of the boy king’s knew no bounds. Aleccio and the other Lords of the Empire were put against one another in a game set by two greedy fifteen-year-old boys who were handed the power of the Empire. Altea was bankrupt when King Emmerich died, and so the boys looked for a way to make money, fast. The Lords were coerced into doing the bidding of those damnable brats to rape the wealth from the only city that had escaped the clutches of Osia’s taxes. Serein and all of its wonders were the spoils of their game.”

A thought that had troubled my mind came to the fore. “Uncle, why can no one tell me what happened when Osia revoked Serein’s free city status? I have not seen an account in a book or on a scroll to tell of it, and even when I asked about the Dark Harvest while at the court of the kings in Altea, no one could give me an answer.”

“You asked? HA! You have the stones of an Aeling, t’is true!” Ivon guffawed slapped his thigh. Then in a more subdued tone, he said,

“A haze surrounds all that occurred during the Dark Harvest, even for me, and I was here in the city!”

“You were here?”