LITMIR.BIZ

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years. Why had the empire retained the old borders of the kingdoms it had vanquished – while it changed everything else? Wouldn’t it have been wiser to draw new provinces and mix up the peoples who had once been enemies?

      Ronko laughed when he heard the question. “I see you are a traditionalist, Uni. That is no way for the leader of an unparalleled country to think. The Heavenly Empire is a unique state, and there will never be another like it. We didn’t conquer those other peoples by force alone. If we had, we would have been no better than all the other countries that subjected this land to continual war a thousand years ago. We did not take away people’s property or their freedom. We didn’t even take away their homelands. With each country, we gave them what they needed. Vuravia had always been wealthy, but its citizens detested war and were slow to rise up against enemies. We protected them without asking for anything in return. Seregad, on the other hand, was the most militaristic of the twelve kingdoms. They wanted to conquer their neighbors, but they were enthralled by our culture. Semeria was a backward place, so we showed them how to work metal, helped them drain their bogs and build towns, and taught them how to grow crops with improved yields. The secret of our empire is that we always gave more than we received, but in the end all of them joined us.

      “But we still had to conquer some of the kingdoms by arms, didn’t we?”

      “Of course. The nobility never wants to give up its privileges. But how hard their subjects are willing to fight for their lords’ privileges is another question entirely. Recall the battle at Mueh, when the combined armies of three kingdoms threw down their weapons and surrendered, even though they outnumbered us. None of those soldiers wanted to die for an old order that gave them nothing but war, hunger, and poverty. They saw no difference between their own rulers and their rulers’ enemies. Norius swore that all the peoples would be a family united, but that each would retain what the Heavenly Lord had endowed them with. He said that land is the people’s flesh and blood, and that it is a terrible crime to separate people from their land.”

      “Fine words. But can you tell me why two-thirds of the land in Vuravia belongs to the same wealthy noble families that Norius fought? The peasants have to rent their homeland by the acre to keep their families from starving.”

      Ronko raised his eyebrows. “What an interesting conversation for the halls of the palace! The Solar Sentinels have spies in all the taverns, at the play houses, and even in every bath house, but here you are spouting treason in the very heart of our Heavenly Lord’s palace.”

      “I apologize, Enel Ronko. I wasn’t thinking…”

      “I don’t mind it in the least, but you must be careful around others.” He paused, and then went on. “And about those peasants of yours, they aren’t really all that bad off. Yes, they have hard lives, but that’s just from our point of view as spoiled residents of the capital. Their ancestors made a living on that land in much more difficult conditions. Don’t assume that the men working in this palace are all monsters with frozen hearts. Well, some of us may be a little chilly, but we certainly aren’t stupid. We understand that the empire must support its poorest subjects, and the Emperor frequently makes them handsome presents. Every five years he even forgives debts and arrears of anyone who can prove themselves unable to pay. We do our best to keep taxes low. Just last year, the fee for the use of imperial granaries was reduced by almost one percent. That is not much, but it is something. What matters is the direction we move in. People feel that change is possible, and that it’s change for the better. Things might not change as fast as they would like, but still.”

      Ronko turned to his companion to see if he had made an impression. “What? Don’t look at me like I’m an ogre. I know it doesn’t sound inspiring the way I tell it. But you have to understand. The wealthier a man is, the better able he is to protect his assets from imperial tax collectors. That means that the Emperor has to depend for the most part on contributions from simple people.”

      “So after four hundred years, everything has returned to the natural condition?”

      “That would be a long conversation, Uni. It isn’t as simple as you think, but we’ll have to discuss it some other time. We’ve arrived.”

      They entered a small room that was set back from the main palace chambers. Sunlight filtered weakly through the decorative bars on the windows, creating a strong contrast with the bright expanses of the halls they had passed through. Uni was distracted by the familiar smell of varnish coming from behind a small door covered by green drapes, and it was only when he turned his head again that he saw an imperial guard wearing a dress uniform and gilded armor. Ronko gave the man a friendly nod.

      “Wait here for now,” he told Uni, looking from side to side as if trying to remember something important. Finally, he straightened his shoulders and slipped between the green drapes, leaving Uni to anxiously await the next turn of events.

      He looked around again and noticed a smooth wooden bench along one wall. Feeling insignificant, he asked the guard in a whisper if he might be permitted to sit. The guard said nothing, and Uni was afraid to repeat his question, so he remained standing in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do with his hands, which were now sweaty.

      Only the statues on the roof of the archive could be more arrogant than these toy soldiers in fancy dress, Uni thought to himself. The statues, however, remained indifferent to the pigeons that crapped on their heads. Could this brave swashbuckler take the same kind of humiliation just as easily? Vordius said they were trained to withstand anything. Uni allowed himself a tiny smirk. “It’s too bad Vordius didn’t see me on my way here with Ronko. His eyes would have popped out of his head. What would he have said? I bet he would not have dared call me ‘Little Uni.’”

      He was startled when the drapes on the opposite wall began to move. An opening appeared, and two men entered the room. One of them was an agile, faceless palace steward wearing a yellow cape embroidered with what looked like a pattern of tree branches. The other was a giant of a man in a hooded, brown cape. The room began to feel too small. Having bent over to fit through the opening behind the drapes, the man now straightened up, removed his hood and looked around. Uni stopped breathing. He had never seen a real, live Arincil before, but there was nothing else the man could be – his copper skin and hooked nose gave him away instantly.

      The newcomers were just as surprised to see Uni and stared at him in horror, as if he were a hunter who had been waiting for them in that little-known room, instead of a miserable young man who had contemplated suicide earlier that day. The steward said something to the Arincil in a voice too low for Uni to hear, and both men exited the room, this time using the regular door.

      “Wonder of wonders,” Uni thought, still shaking. “An Arincil in the palace. Secret negotiations? Perhaps. I could ask Ronko about it, but I don’t think I will. I’d rather not know if the knowledge is dangerous! I have enough problems of my own…”

      He spent quite a while trying to put his thoughts in order, which was difficult business. Why had Ronko brought him here? How could his presence at the Ambassador’s Council do anything to help Ronko? And why was the empire suddenly interested in Virilan? He wondered if the rumors were true, and the two countries were edging toward direct contact.

      Uni’s rambling thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected ray of light just beyond the green drapes. An instant later, Ronko reappeared and gestured for Uni to come in.

      “Everything’s ready. Go ahead,” he whispered. “And don’t sweat so hard. The people in there are a group of old friends. They got together today to discuss foreign policy. Go in, bow politely, and act like you belong there. Otherwise they’ll laugh at you.”

      Uni didn’t have the slightest inkling of how to behave like he belonged in a place where he most certainly did not belong, but he stepped past the drapes and found himself in a slightly larger room with rounded walls. The floor, beautifully laid with panels of Torgendam oak, made no sound under his feet, and Uni almost floated into the center of the room. All eyes were on him. Feeling lost, he did his best to aim his bow at the maximum number of people. It must have looked odd, for laughter glinted in the eyes of several of the people present.

      “At least

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