Chapter 9: Another Proposal

“Our man in shipments picked him out,” Crick said. “Habitual drunk, has had discipline problems for years.”

“Why hasn’t he been Drained yet?”

Crick shrugged. They were sitting in Paene’s workshop in the caverns beneath the Wall. Paene was dropping marbles into a bowl of clear liquid absentmindedly. When he dropped the marbles in, they vanished from sight—but the liquid was still clearly disturbed on impact.

“Hard to say, Parish. Santori had no insight there; I asked him the same question.”

“And this man is in Lito’s guard?” Paene reached into the bowl and pulled out a handful of marbles, seemingly from nowhere. “Why would she have kept him around? She’s not known to be merciful.”

“I was also naturally suspicious,” Crick said. “Except Wrickon hasn’t done a thing to seek us out. Our man in shipping sought him out.”

Paene considered this. “That would imply he's not planning to double crossing us... but are we sure that this was Salva’s idea?”

“Salva came up with the secure transfer scheme in the first place,” Crick said. “I’d say he’s clever enough to notice if Wrickon was putting ideas in his head.”

“And if you’re wrong?”

Crick smiled. “Well… you know the old saying. Trust, but verify. We have methods to ascertain whether Dane is telling the truth or not.”

Paene shook his head. “That seems excessive to me. If you torture him, I don’t think he’ll be any kind of receptive to our ideals or proposal.”

“I think you can stop fretting, Parish,” Crick said. “Wrickon is exactly the kind of man we want.”

“I know,” said Paene. “That’s what worries me.”

Crick pointed at the bowl of clear liquid. “What’s that?”

“Water.”

“What are the marbles?”

“Just something I made up with low reflective properties,” Paene said.

“Are they dangerous?”

“I hate it when you ask me that question.” Paene thought about it. “They have the same property of reflection as water—which is why they seem to disappear when you drop them in.”

Crick thought for a moment. “So you could make anything with these properties?”

“If you're thinking of putting razors and sharp edges in a pool then no, I can't make just anything with this type of reflection. The process stops working when you apply it to something, ah, sharp.”

Crick laughed, and didn't press the issue.

“How is the secure transfer scheme going?” Paene asked.

“Wonderfully,” Crick said. “We got the package back today-- with a second lock on it.”

Paene grinned. “That priestess is a clever, clever woman. What's next?”

“We take our lock off and we send it back,” Crick said. “She should be able to open it on her end. And then... we work on seeing whether we can give them whatever supplies they need in small containers. Anything too large would be confiscated.” Crick picked up one of the marbles and studied it. “I might want to pick your brain about this later. There are a lot of things that need to happen for those prisoners to break out, and we need to be very careful about the sort of things we give them.”

“How destructive do you want to be?” Paene asked. “We could talk to some of the tinkers we have here; see if they can come up with any powders that could be used.”

“As destructive as possible,” Crick said. “Remember, we don't actually care if the prisoners get far or not. All we need is them to make enough ruckus to get Lito to send the majority of the City Guard down the Rush. Then we make our move.”

“I just don't know how I feel about using them like this.” Paene put his head in his hands. “What you hated about Altor Caeton was that he uses people as cogs in a clockwork machine. That he had this grand plan to make everyone happy, but it took away all freedom of vocational choice. That's what the Drain is, it's a place where the broken pieces go. My point is that you're using these people in a similar way. They're just tools to get what you want.”

Crick glared. “The difference is that Altor's machine forced people into roles against their desires. I'm forcing people into roles with their desires. Those people in the Drain want to be free, right? I'm helping that along, and this way we both win.”

“And if they overpass Lito's guard and come here? Do you think they'll be convinced? Sure, some people in that place are good people who didn't fit in the system, but a lot of them are murderers and thieves, who won't be able to join your society, just as they couldn't join Altor's.”

“We have ways of punishing such behavior,” Crick said in a deadly quiet. “And such punishments are excellent deterrents. Far more than a mass banishment.”

Paene shook his head. “Don't go too far, Crick. I've warned you of this before and I'll warn you again, before this is all said and done.”

“I won't.” Crick smiled. “I'm counting on you to be my conscience.”

Paene shuddered.

* * * * * * * *

The man before him shifted nervously in his stone chair.

The Carpenter's men had blindfolded Dane before leading him through the underground passages to the caverns below the wall.

Crick Hasting had started his uprising in secret hideouts throughout the city. His men would meet and plan in an attic over a brewery, or in a friend's cellar. They had always felt one step ahead of the guard, and getting to and from meetings was exhilarating.

One of Crick's men, however, worked as a stone smith for the maintenance area on the Wall. During one of his routine expansions, he inadvertently discovered an enormous system of caverns under the Rush and under the city. Some passages dwindled into impossibly tight enclosures, but most were big enough to stand up and move around in. The Carpenter had managed to convince the stone-smiths to dig a connective passage from these caverns to an entrance outside any of Lito's checkpoints, and had moved in.

He had been waging a silent war against the King Enclosed from these areas ever since. It was here that his men had brought Dane Wrickon, to discuss the possibility of his betrayal.

They had mocked the cavern up with stone walls, a cloth entrance, and the other facilities. To Dane's eyes, it would appear like any normal house. To prevent the normal feeling of chill that was present in the underground network, they pumped heated air through a system of vents in the floor. There was no sunlight, of course, but they had heavily covered the 'windows' to prevent suspicion.

Crick had decided not to attend the meeting. It was too much of a risk for one of Lito's guard to see his face, even one who was a potential agent. It was up to Paene to ascertain whether Dane could be trusted.

Paene watched the man in front of him. Dane was nervous, incredibly so, with good reason. He gave a hand motion, and his men took off the blindfold, leaving him tied to the stone chair..

“I don't know anything,” Dane said at once. Paene tried very hard not to laugh.

“I doubt that very much, sir,” Paene said, “but we're not here to torture you.”

Dane struggled against his bonds. “This is going to be on of those friendly interrogation sessions, then. How kind.”

“I could get the devices if you wanted.” Paene offered. “The Carpenter has a new toy, fresh from Invercard. They call it the Mind Mill. It's powered by air, you see-- your nostrils are clamped together so that no air can escape. A delicate helmet is placed on your head, with a tube connecting its inner mechanisms to your mouth. When you breathe in, a valve opens to the outside, granting you precious air.”

Paene leaned forward. “But when you breathe out, a different valve opens, pushing air pressure into the helmet mechanism. The more air pressure is present, the farther the thousands of needles positioned around the helmet are expanded into your skull. They start out withdrawn, of course. You can try to hold your breathe, but you will need to exhale sometime-- and when you do, out come the needles. The longer you hold your breath, the more likely it is that you will begin to hyperventilate. And if you do that... well, the needles expand at an alarming rate.”

“So we could bring that device, Dane,” Paene concluded. “But we would rather not.”

“Why do you want me? Why did you bring me here?”

“You came highly recommended by a mutual acquaintance,” Paene said. “We heard that you are having problems, and we want to help you.”

“What kind of problems?” Dane said, slowly.

“Drinking problems, for a start. We hear that you have an immense problem keeping your drinking habit under control-- and we both know that if you don't soon the guard will have no choice but to banish you to the Drain. We want to help.”

Dane started to laugh. “That's very kind of you,” Dane said. “But believe me when I say that there's nothing you can do.”

“That's where you're wrong.” Paene stood up and walked over to a table, which had a variety of vials and mixtures on it. “Do you know who I am?”

“I do not,” Dane admitted.

“My name I will not give, but I am a follower of Dotean, the Master with his Forge. That means that I make wondrous and powerful things. Some people make intricate clocks, which give the time of day even after the sun has set beyond the wall. Some people are masters of cloth and weaving.”

“I know this guy who is a master of toys,” Dane volunteered. “Maybe you and your troop of infants could go see him sometime.”

Paene passed his hand over his eyes, and continued. “My specialty is liquids, Wrickon. From subtle and dangerous poisons to alchemically improbable compositions.”

Paene brought over a small bottle of a milky white substance, and poured it into a small bowl. He then brought out a bottle of dark brandy.

“We have a solution to your drinking problem. It is this.”

He poured the brandy into the bowl. The white liquid in the bowl began to react violently, bubbling and splattering onto the stone table in front of Dane.

Dane strained against the bonds on his wrist. “What in the sunken hells was that?”

“A relatively harmless solution, Wrickon. It will do no damage to the stomach or any other part of the body if ingested. But if it happens to be in your stomach when you drink alcohol... well, the consequences are dire indeed. I could supply you with this, Dane. You could drink this every few hours, and never have to worry about drinking too much again. Your natural fear of death would override your irrational desire for ale.”

“You presume that I would remember or want to drink this filth every few hours,” Dane said. “To quote a friend of mine, there's no limit to my ability to wreck myself in any situation. It won't work, as impressive as it may be. Add it to your list of freakish miseries that you and your master peddle out like traveling tinkers, perhaps.”

“You don't approve of our methods?” Paene asked.

“I think your methods are crap,” Dane said. “Everyone thinks so.”

Paene darted forward suddenly, drawing a knife. Dane recoiled, but Paene used it only to slash the bonds that were keeping Dane at his chair. Once Dane had been freed, Paene sat down opposite him.

“I think it is time that I dropped the charade,” Paene said. The ominously impressive voice that he had been using for the conversation dropped, and he sounded like this endlessly thoughtful self again. “I am not a torture master, I agree with you when you say our methods are bad, and we're not here to hurt you in any way.”

“The truth,” Paene said, “is that we want to recruit you. We want you to act as our agent in the Sunset Knight's guard.”

Dane eyed him cautiously. “That's quite a lot,” he said. “Why me?”

“Salva Santori has told us a lot about you,” Paene replied. “He suggested that you might be interested by this opportunity. We know you have no great love for the guard or the King Enclosed; we know that you never wanted to be a soldier at all. We're giving you a chance to strike back at the system that put you in the miserable place you are. The Carpenter isn't interested in merely making life difficult for the current regime. We hope to replace it entirely, and end these idiotic programs.”

Dane frowned. “I still say you're doing a shit job of it. If you revolt, the people won't recognize you as their savior. They'll hate you. Your master's tortures have made sure of that. And most people love those programs. The King has granted them security, and a profession that they enjoy.”

“We don't want to shake up the current system too much.” Paene clarified. “If you enjoy what you're doing, we have no interest in taking that from you. What we want is to help people in your situation, who have a desire contrary to the King's programs. We want to help you follow your desires. We want the young people to have that opportunity too.”

“I can understand that,” Dane nodded. “But the torture is going to be hard to sell.”

“We have a plan for that too,” Paene said, attempting to project confidence. He did have a plan for it, but as far as he knew it was an angle that the Carpenter hadn't considered.

“So what do you want?”

“We... I want to make this as bloodless as possible. I want a man on the inside to give us details of Lito's movements, so we can have a swift and clean change of regime's. Your position would be invaluable in that regard. The more we know about Lito and the less she knows about us, the smoother the transition will be.”

“Well...” Dane rubbed his chin, and hesitated. “I think I should tell you-- Lito already asked me to spy on you.”

Paene sat there in shock, thinking quickly. “And what did you say?”

“I said no,” Dane said. “And I think that was a mistake. As far as I can see, they only kept me around because of the potential connections I would have to you and your people. Now that I've refused to help them... they might Drain me any week.”

“That would be a problem,” said Paene. “I wish to the gods you had accepted. We could have fed her false information. It would have been perfect.”

“I haven't accepted this offer either, mind you,” Dane said. “I'm just explaining myself. Reciprocating, I guess, since you were so open with me.”

“I appreciate that,” Paene said. “Let me conclude. If you assist us in this way, we will ensure that you will be safe and well compensated. After this is over, you will be free to do and pursue anything that you desire. We even have the means to help you with your drinking problem, if you wish, and you can bring that up if they decide to Drain you. It might help you say on the guard a bit longer. Think it over.”

He stood up, and offered his hand.

Dane looked around. “That's it? No threats? No poisoning, no torture? Just a good will offering and a good day?”

“Dane, you've been working for Lito for a while. Tell me, does it sound like we need more spies on the inside? You know that our secret men outnumber hers three to one. We can recruit spies easily; thanks to our tortures she is finding that quite difficult. We don't need you, Dane. We can overthrow the King Enclosed perfectly well without your help.”

“It would be bloody, of course. It would be bloody, and painful, and Olean would be shook to the core. With your help and your knowledge, you could save a lot of lives. If you don't do this for yourself, you can damn well do it for them. So think about it.”

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