Page 96 of The Commons

Everyone is seated. And silent.

The moderator of the meeting begins to orate, his eyes roaming across the table, “The emergency meeting on the matter of the theft of The Begon is hereby called to order.”

“On the matter 495, if I may start by speaking as the Secretary of Defense; If there has been an infiltration and The Begon has indeed been stolen by one of our own, like Pesh, I say we find him and reprimand him instantly,” that slimy self-defence instructor howls.

“Subtlety, Shay. But first, we need to be sure it’s Pesh,” Patron De Londe states.

“At this time, all we know is that The Begon was stolen,” the moderator says. “We do not know that it was Pesh who did the deed. Plus, there were reports that they jumped into the water at a dangerous height, but we suspect they are very much still alive.”

“Another topic of great importance is to find out where the suspects are hiding,” an Aristocrat says. “We’ve looked everywhere. They are most likely trying to hack The Begon, and you know it contains all of our investments in The Seventh Zone. We can’t have the public seeing that.”

“Oh my goodness, are they talking about us?” Swin realizes.

“That day, the guards reported three times Pesh carrying out orders you never commanded him to,” one of the men articulates, speaking to Londe.

“It’s definitely Pesh then!” Shay interjects.

Patron De Londe’s eyes strike Shay’s with his blood-red gaze. With the flick of his wrist, he sends a dagger zooming past Shay, almost slicing his face, landing in the wall behind him. “Keep. My. Son’s. Name. Out. Of. Your. Tongue,” he commands.

The room is quiet in silent dread. Shay’s body jitters as though struck by a spell from De Londe’s words. His eyes are widened in horror as he glances to the side to view the weapon, then back. A bead of sweat trickles down his forehead.

An old man with white hair breaks the silence. “Please, Patron De Londe. May I speak?” He bypasses the moderator, looking to Patron De Londe.

Londe’s fingers flick in a sign. The moderator nods and speaks accordingly, “You may.” He extends his hands. “Since time is of the essence, let’s all have a free discussion about the issue at hand.”

“We are not sure who’s behind it all. But students keep disappearing from The Seventh Zone. That’s not good for business, and you know that.”

Doctor Val interrupts, wise and calm, her tone graceful like the voice of a wise spirit. “What I am worried about are these students. What conditions could they possibly be under that they would need to escape? I was under the impression that The Seventh Zone was a safe working environment.”

“Is she pretending not to know about The Seventh Zone?” Swin whispers to Pesh.

“No, she knows about it, but she doesn’t know all the horrible things that happen,” Pesh responds.

“I thought you said she knew?” Levon asks.

“With limits, I said. She knows students are there, working at low wages and against their will, but she doesn’t know that they’re being abused and killed,” Pesh states.

“So, she’s only against De Londe because they are abusing the students?” Swin asks in a whisper.

“Yeah,” Pesh responds.

“Strange moral compass,” Swin mutters under his breath.

“And that’s strong enough for her to help us?” Levon asks.

“Yeah. If she wants to know anything more, she’ll ask… when she’s ready,” Pesh adds.

“So how are the Aristocrats behind The Seventh Zone?” I ask.

“They are behind the business side of it and the forced labor. However, De Londe is the one behind the killing,” Pesh explains.

“Guys, can you stop talking? Let’s watch!” Swin shouts.

Pesh pushes Swin’s head with a smile. Swin grins, knowing he is the one who has asked the most questions. Levon shakes her head, and we all look back to the screen, continuing to listen in on the conversation.

“If we allow these children to pick to work there, then there will be no need for them to escape! I have always been wary of the choice of The Seventh Zone officials and the need for forced labor,” Doctor Val says.

“Wary of my choice in officials? Like a certain Doctor Val who does not respect the system,” Shay rebukes in a strangely calm undertone.