Wednesday, 15 February 2017

Into the Fairy Lands: Chapter 6

Into the Fairy Lands
By J. R. Bennett
<Chapter V~*~Chapter VII>

Chapter VI
Parliament
~*~
The following morning everyone had to wake up early.  Alice was dressed in an Edwardian styled dress; she took less time getting ready the men!   Ed, Travis, and Zach had to dress in morning suits with starched collars and fronts.  Ed was able to slip quite easily into the suit, while Zach and Travis’ shirtfronts kept uncoupling from the back collar stud, not to mention they felt strangled by the heavily starched collars!
            Once ready, they went down to the entrance of the hotel to take a private car to a restaurant for breakfast.  It was empty for the most part with the exception of a few people at one table.  In one corner was a bar that was closed until the later part of the day where a waiter was wiping the brass on the bar with polish.  When he saw the group, the waiter quickly brought them to a table.
            While the group were conversing, waiting for their orders to arrive, Ed was scanning through his copy of the report and was scribbling, scratching and re-editing it in a frantic action.  Every time he would reach the last page, he would flip back to the beginning and revise the report again.
            No one knew what to say, Ed had been so over confident during their time in Newtown, but now he seemed tremendously nervous in Bathill.  His hands were shaking the whole time over breakfast.
            After breakfast, they climbed into another cab and taken to the main entrance of the Parliament.  The cab rolled along a cobble stone road, traveling through another set of gates to enter into a courtyard, where in the centre some maintenance workers cleaning an ancient canon on a stone platform.  When the taxi finally reached the end of the courtyard, it stopped before a long series of steps leading up to the doors.
            As Ed, Travis, Zach, and Alice walked up the stairs, they passed many of the same people from the day before.  Guthrie Bloom, who had a friend with him to escort Alice to the viewing gallery, quickly found them.  When Alice had left, Bloom gave the three men the information he knew on where the parties stood in supporting the report.
            “The Working Class, Liberals and the Unionists are still in favour, they’ll both be voting as a block.  The Methodist, they’re intending to vote against it as a block.  I still have no clue about the Conservatives though; they seem to keeping things quite secretive this time.”
            “Sounds like our work won’t be nearly as hard as I thought,” Ed said, sounding evermore relieved.

The chamber that both houses were to meet in was vast and heavily laid with woodcarvings.  Ed, Zach and Travis were directed to sit in a set of chairs on one side of the room.  The three men looked uncomfortable with the strong lights that were cascading hot radiance upon them.
            Alice stood up in the viewing gallery, watching the events unfold.
            Two pages opened the heavy oak doors to the chamber and two stewards entered.  Each steward carried a massive sceptre, one gold and the other silver.  Following the two stewards were the Prime Minister and Governor General of the Deltic Empire, each wearing fur gowns over their suits.  At this point, once the Prime Minister and Governor General had taken their seats, trumpets sounded as her majesty, Clair II, Queen of the Gallan-Gallet and Empress of the Deltic Empire entered the chamber, dressed strictly, in what was deemed acceptable for Parliament.  As the queen walked into the chamber, all the members of the Halls of Commons and Honours stood to attention and sang the Imperial Anthem, which was played by a brass band.
            The music died away and everyone sat in their places.  One of the stewards, dressed in a green gown with white trimming, stood and read from a roll of parchment: “On this day of our blessed Queen, we join for this closing of this session of Parliament.  We shall be hearing a presentation from the Order of the Four Keepers, followed by a speech from the throne before concluding this session.  Is their presenter within these halls?”
            Ed stood to attention. “I am!” he called back.
            “Have you your supporters?”
            “I do.”
            The members of the Deltic Parliament watched in attention as Ed spoke.  The facts of the matter were quite simple.  The city of Apothem had mysteriously vanished from the Finylands.  The accounts from those outside and from surviving recorded messages from within the city reported a large purple cloud descending upon Apothem.  The description of this cloud met the description of the cloud the Manookoo cult from Zeltic myth.  Other reports were claiming that the cloud was on route to the Gallan-Gallet.
            “What are you suggesting,” called a politician with the face of a bullfrog.
            “I am suggesting,” replied Ed, choosing his words carefully, “that our very empire is under threat from unknown forces.”
            “This is non-sense!” the frog-faced man cried.  “Are we to have our time wasted for some fairy story?  Are we to be sent up to our bed’s after the meeting is convened?”
            “Honorable speaker!” called Bloom from his side of the house.  “Might I remind the honorable member that it is this gentleman and his two companions who are giving the presentation and not himself?”
            The council broke out in to intense argument.  Half of the house was calling for immediate action while the other claimed Ed’s comments were merely fear mongering from the Order of the Four Keepers.  At last, her majesty arose.
            “Silence,” she bellowed.
            The chamber became quiet.
            “It appears,” the queen continued. “We are at a standstill.  Would you not agree Prime Minister?”
            “It appears so.”
            “And our Governor General?”
            “I quite agree your majesty.”
            Clair II turned her attention to Ed, Zach and Travis.  “Young man, how long do you think we will have until this cloud appears here?”
            “I would estimate, based upon what happened in Apothem, at the earliest a week or as late as a month.”
            “Then parliament will not close,” proclaimed the queen.  “I order both houses to meet in session tomorrow and discuss the matter.  If what this young man says is true, I would advise clear sober thought on the matter.”
            The three were lead out of the chamber by an armed steward.
            “That went well,” said Zach to no one in particular.
            “Yes,” agreed Ed.  “That is why I suggest we skip town while the going is good.”
            “What?”
            “Did you not see the look on the face of Augustus Maverton?”
            “Who.”
            “Maverton – the guy with the ugly face who asked what I was suggesting.”
            Travis and Zach then gave a look that suggested they both did and did not understand what their friend was saying.
            “Maverton,” continued Ed, with an air of gravity, “is head of the Royal Secret Police.  He does not like people suggesting the empire is under threat, that’s his job.  I won’t be surprised if we are arrested tonight.”
            “So we’re leaving?” asked Travis.
            “Yep.” Answered Ed.  “Right now actually.  Bloom has arranged a cab for us and our things will be at the station, that’s who I was meeting with last night in the lobby.  We shall be riding the Evening Star, it’ll have us home by morning.  It’s a good thing I never submitted our real names.”
            “What do you mean?” inquired Travis.
            “I usually go by pseudonyms.  You know, John Marrick, Brian Wilson, Joseph Bennett, stupid names to cover up my appearances.”
            At the three departed for the doors, Travis realized something important.  “What about Alice?”
            “Oh, she’ll be fine.” assured Ed.  “Her escort is a member of the Order.  Bloom has given him strict instructions to take her to the station when we left the room.”

The four friends sat in their compartment of the train.  The enchanted coaches served them their tea and supper as the train made its long cumbersome voyage to Newtown by going north to the moorlands and then south along the Tashford River. 
            Over supper, Ed shared the story of the Canker the fallen star who was captured by Kon-luk, the warrior of the Deltics.  Kon-Luk wanted to fight the ghost of the warrior Lomassmay, in order to gain the strength of a thousand men, and hoped that in capturing a star he would be able to wish the ghost before him.  Canker tricked Kon-luk into freeing him by telling him the ghost of Lomassmay would only appear to those who proved themselves honourable.  In order to prove he was an honorable warrior, Kon-luk was told by Canker to free him, and the ghost of Lomassmay would appear.  In doing so, Kon-Luk never got his wish, nor did he ever see the ghost of Lomassmay.

            It was dark now and the stars were beginning to come out.  Ed sat staring out at the black abyss as everyone else slept. 

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