Patzau Mellen Minoc sat in a high-backed chair across from Patzau Murak Adagizhi’s empty desk. He sat impatiently, his fingers drumming a slow methodical rhythm on wooden armrest. His ringed fingers elevated what would have been the soft taping to the loud clanking of metal on wood. The chamber was spacious. The stone walls had been covered in plaster and detailed wooden wainscoting and mouldings. There was a pair of narrow windows to on left wall that were just beginning to let light peek into the room. On the right, a painted portrait hung over a bar table brimming with various bottles of wines and liquors. Next to the bar table sat a small sleeping hearth. Over the mantle sat rows of wax tablets, their surfaces erased smooth and resettled. The room still smelled faintly of the sweet oily scent of burnt wood and melted wax. The room was abhorrently foreign in its stylings. The wood was a redwood imported from Cayanoshi. As was the furniture; the desk and chairs. Just from the workmanship, Mellen knew which of his artisans fashioned the office for Adagizhi. The work was good, of course, just not to his specific tastes. In the chair next to him sat Kuta. The girl was always at his side these days and even for her, remained quiet of late.

“He’s here” Kuta said, unexpectedly breaking the silence.

Mellen stopped tapping and looked over his shoulder to face the door. A moment later, the door opened and a red-faced Adagizhi entered the room. “Apologies, Mellen” Patzau Adagizhi said, taking a seat across from them. “I’ve received some bad news and have been working to… remedy the situation.”

“What’s wrong?” Mellen asked.

“Shipments of raw ores from one of my mines in the mountains—they’ve stopped coming down altogether.” Adagizhi began, his voice gruff and edged with frustration. “There was a missed shipment a few days ago and another one yesterday. The stone isn’t a big deal. We’ve got other quarries across the island. It’s the copper that we’re missing. Without it, we’ll be in a pinch for forging more bronze. Your guild has been buying so much, our stores are dwindling. I’ll have to instruct a halt on orders if this continues. I know this will have an impact on your guild; you should be aware.”

Mellen nodded, his gaze steady but cold. “Actually, I’m already aware of the situation, Murak. This is why I’ve come. There have been rumblings in the mountains. In the administered villages, people are restless now that news of Mudtown has reached them.”

“Restless?” Adagizhi spat. “From what I was told, these people on the verge of revolt, Mellen. Its treachery and treason. Tell me what you know. Did they destroy my mine?”

“Revolt? no,” Minoc said, his voice low and dismissive. “Out there, just as it is here, there are frustrations being voiced but nothing organized or coordinated. I’d wager your shipments are late because men are abandoning their stations to protest just as Patzau Onudar has complained they are doing. And this is why I have come. We must give these people a resolution. If we meet their violence with more violence, things will only escalate until it truly is organized war. We have arrested hundreds and had them tried and judged guilty for crimes against us. We have had our justice. Now it is time for us to make peace.”

“You would have us reward these people for insurrection and depraved behaviour?” Patzau Adagizhi sneered.

Mellen leaned forward in his chair and stared challengingly into Patzau Adagizhi’s eyes. “I would have peace restored” he said, seriously. “Wars are costly. We are a city, nay a government built on mercantilism; on cooperation, not war. I fear we will learn that, in our love of wealth and luxury, we have not the taste for blood. But by that time, it will be far too late to recork that bottle.”

“When did you become a fearful old man?” Adagizhi mocked. “Patzau Ashill has been granted additional men and funds and is recruiting and training more and more soldiers each day. The crime and violence that has poisoned Mudtown has festered for far too long, its removal is far overdue.”

“You’ve seen Yohati’s version of justice” Mellen countered. “Even Patzau Ashill says he’s gone too far. We cannot punish common citizens for living amidst the gangs and violence.”

“These people are not as innocent as you think they are” Adagizhi argued. “Yesterday, the mob hung a soldier from a tree until dead and cheered as he died by the rope. You think these people are civilized? They celebrated as he died and defiled his body. These people support the gangs. With their words and with their money. They’re envious. They want to kill each and every last one of us here inside the city. They are invaders and traitors, each and every last one. It is now up to us to route them out, by blood if necessary”

“Oh, please,” Mellen ridiculed. “You can’t honestly believe the words that just came out of your mouth? You think these people wanted to be ruled by gang leaders? You think they willing give their money? You’re right, we have let this problem fester, but we won’t solve it through waves of indiscriminate violence. Nor will be solve anything by blaming the victims of our own conceited unwillingness to act.”

Patzau Adagizhi sat across from Mellen, staring intently and meeting his gaze. His long fingers tapped rapidly across the desk between them. The rhythm fast and incessant. Finally, Adagizhi spoke, “Yohati is right about you, Mellen” he said disappointingly. “You’re a blaggard in fine clothes.”

“Excuse me?!” Mellen scoffed.

“We all know you have your spider strings spread across this whole island, watching and listening. We’ve known each other for years. At one time, I’d have even considered us friends. But to find out you’ve been paying serving men in my house to keep tabs on me and my family. And to learn you’ve done the same for so many other people across this city…” Murak put his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes. He looked even more stressed now than he had when he walked in.

“I don’t pay spies on your staff, Adagizhi” Mellen said, frustration flashing across his face. “Nor do I employ spies in any other homes inside the city.”

“You’re a damned liar” Adagizhi growled.

“I am not” Mellen growled back. Where has this come from, all of a sudden?  “I pay for information; I won’t deny this fact. But there is a difference between encouraging information to reach my ears and placing servants in powerful homes to spy. It’s not my fault that people talk and I listen.” Nor is it my fault that control over your own staff is so lacking that you let rumours leak from your home like fish from a tattered net, Mellen thought bitterly. He refrained from instigating further.

“Here we go again…” Adagizhi said, “its always twisting words and specific definitions with you. You’re more elusive with your words than a spirit in a windstorm.”

“The information I collect is shared with our council, the Patzau, time and time again. It is for our collective benefit.”

“What benefit is there from encouraging dishonesty and eavesdropping?”

“The benefit is that somebody on this council has a damned clue about the things that happen inside this city. About the things that happen out of sight from the guilds. Most of what we know about the gangs is from whispers shared with me.”

“The information you shared about the gangs was woefully inaccurate” Adagizhi snapped back.

“And have you ever considered that this is the case because you all collectively asked me to stop listening out for criminal business and ‘to let Patzau Ashill focus on the issue’. The information I had was several seasons out of date.”

“Your spies are a blight on this city. One that makes the people, including your fellow Patzau, distrust you. There is no benefit to your corruption.”

“Corruption?” Mellen reeled. “The benefit is that your secrets end up in my hands, not somebody else’s, Adagizhi. Someone who thought of you as a friend, and not an enemy. Are you so foolish as to think that whispers occur only because I put my ear up to hear them? That your secrets would simply fade into the wind if we all turned away deafly?

“Rumours have always been nasty things, but you enable them for your own gain.”

“And suppress them for yours!” Patzau Minoc challenged, raising his voice. “I have used my influence to aid even you out of tenuous circumstances. Perhaps you’ve already forgotten you daughter’s affair. And thankfully, this city has too. Thanks to my intervention and a few quiet payments made to keep certain servants quiet.”

“How could… how could you even dare to speak to me of…” Patzau Adagizhi shouted, irritated and confused. “I… I didn’t ask you to….” His tone shifted from embarrassment to anger, “Wait, was that a threat? Are you blackmailing me?”

“Spirit of the storms, no!” Mellen cried, exasperated. “I think that you are, for the most part, a level headed member of our council and you are certainly respectable in leading your guild. Replacing you would have been bad for all of us, for the entire city. If the scandal had gotten out, and it would have, it could have meant you losing your seat on the council.”

“That’s preposterous.”

“You may think so, but I decided it was worth supressing. Better to keep you than lose you.”

“I don’t like this, Mellen” Murak said, shaking his head. “I don’t like it.”

“Think critically for a second” Mellen said, chasing an idea. “If not me, someone else will be the one to learn your secrets. Someone who you really can’t trust. Wouldn’t you rather know that I at least have yours and Caso’s best interests at heart. I will not apologize for keeping my sails ready for words on the wind.”

“That’s just it, Mellen. I don’t trust you.” Patzau Adagizhi said. He cast a side glance at Kuta as he said it. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it was enough. Ah, so that’s how it is, Mellen thought. A weight settled over Mellen’s heart in that moment. “You’ve always been ambitious,” Murak continued, “but I no longer see it the same way. You’re a plotter and a manipulator; always looking for the advantage. Forever power hungry. Spirits, the way you’re always fighting with Patzau Onudar and Patzau Hadashenta. The way you attacked Yohati in the Patzau Meeting.”

“What are you talking about?” Mellen fussed. “Patzau Yohati seized control of the Soldiers Guild and marched this city into bedlam. Our soldiers are fighting to maintain order and people are being beheaded without due trial and my deeds are seen as ambitious and untrustworthy?!”

“Those people were criminals, Mellen.”

“And so are we, so long as we choose not to adhere to our own laws. Criminals are tried for their crimes. It’s called justice. It is the mast and keel of society.”

“This is war. There isn’t the time for ceremonial justice. And we are the law.”

Mellen scowled and sat back in his chair. “If we choose to forgo civility, how are we any better than these gangs we hope to destroy? Perhaps you’ve forgotten or history, Murak, but I haven’t. The original seven Patzau deposed the last King of Caso for precisely the same justification. He held himself above the law.

“Oh, fuck off, Mellen. He was a tyrant!”

“And you think we don’t sit in our palace, the same one he built, and cast the same shadow?”

“We have built this city up to be the wealthiest and most powerful the world has ever seen. More people have gained from our governance and planning than people thought imaginable back when the Guild’s took control of the city. And these people, these savages, they want to take it from us. Like leeches they’ve descended from their backwater villages to suck the lifeblood from our great city. They must either assimilate with the rest of us, or like leeches, we will burn them out.”

Mellen looked to Kuta. For the very first time he could remember, she was visibly angry. Her body was tense, and her expression was grim. The peculiar metallic scent of her sorcery singed his nostrils. The sensation was so strong that he could almost swear he tasted blood on his tongue. For the briefest of moments, he had the terrifying fear that she might kill him, right here in his own office. Patzau Adagizhi had the same fear and he cowered under her piercing stare. She rose suddenly, and turned abruptly to leave. As she walked towards the door, the hinges screeched audibly in unnatural protest as the door bent and warped open before her.

Mellen turned back to Patzau Murak, who tried to appear unphased by the sudden departure and failed. Echoes of fear still lingered across his face. “Order her back” Patzau Adagizhi said, rather timidly.

“I don’t think you want her in this room right now” Mellen said, disapprovingly. “You’re lucky she’s a good kid with a kind spirit. If I were her, I’d have…” …killed you for that, he thought. Hm, how uncivilized of me. It was true, though. Or at least he believed so.

“Bring her back” Murak ordered.

Mellen squinted, confused by the sudden urgency in the demand. “No” he answered.

“Mellen, I need her here”

“You need her here?” he huffed. “Then maybe you should have considered that before you called her people backwater savages and leeches. You debase yourself, Murak. And, I think, I’ve overstayed my welcome as well.”

Mellen moved to stand but Murak barked at him to stay seated and Mellen flinched in surprise, still on the edge of his seat. He frowned deeply and found himself chewing on his lip to try and keep himself from saying something regrettable. The taste of blood, real blood this time, splashed across his tongue. It had the opposite effect. Unable to contain himself, Mellen rose, planting his palms on the desk between them. He looked directly into Patzau Adagizhi’s eyes as he spoke, “You’re pathetic, Murak. I thought you were better than this. I might have expected as much from Onudar or Hadashenta, but not from you. You… you…” Too many thoughts stirred through his mind. Vulgar insults and venomous threats, each less cunning and more spiteful than the last.

“Fuck you, Mellen” Patzau Adagizhi spat. “You’re an arrogant bastard and you deserve what’s coming to you.”

“You better hope to grow a spine in the next few weeks for when things get worse” Mellen said, ignoring the insult. “Because you’ve cast this net. And when you haul in your own demise, I’ll sit idly by and watch with joy as it pulls you under.”

“Get out of my office!” Patzau Adagizhi ordered.

“Gladly” Mellen grumbled. He turned and swept from the room, passing a glace at the malformed hinges on the doors. He found himself sniggering as he left. Right up until he hit the ground floor landing and a dozen armed soldiers stood between him and the exit. He moved to pass by the soldiers, but they barred his exit, hands on the hilts of the swords. Swords his guild manufactured.

“What is the meaning of this?” Mellen asked.

The lead soldier before him was a giant of a man. He was even taller than Mellen himself, with broad shoulders and a muscular brutish look to him. He wore the lighter salt-dried cotton armour common across the guild, rather than the heavy plate his squad was famous for. The sword on his hip, to any other man, might have been called a long sword. Mellen recognized the young captain. It would be difficult not to. Captain Gal Burm, Mellen thought. As he looked across the squad, he realized that he recognized most of the soldiers within it. Several were sons or daughters of one of the older and more prestigious families across the city.

“Mellen Minoc” Captain Burm said, his voice deep. “Where is your Aginjigaade?”

“Not here” Mellen answered, casting a glace around the hall where others watched in curiosity.

“Where is she?”

“I just told you, not here” Mellen said. He fidgeted nervously with one of the many rings on his hands. Understanding came. He felt afraid, but was trying his best not to show it. He already knew how this would end. So, this is what you meant when you said I deserved what was coming for me, he thought. A fucking coup. “Which one of them put you up to this Burm? What are they paying you?”

“Mellen Minoc, you are being taken into custody of the Soldier’s Guild on suspicion of treason against the City of Caso.”

Burm bellowed the order. The announcement wasn’t for him; Mellen already knew what was happening. It was for everyone else in the room. They would spread the rumour. You’re a fucking hypocrite, Murak, Mellen thought to himself. Of course, I suppose I already knew that.

Mellen raised his voice to match the captains, “For what crime? And under whose authority?” Speaking gave him another thought, a gamble; “Unless Patzau Ashill herself stands across from me, I refuse to comply” he added.

“They have my authority” a voice boomed from behind. Mellen turned to see Patzau Murak Adagizhi standing over the balcony, glaring down at him in the wide hall below.

“I reject your authority” Mellen repeated. “You have no authority over these men or this order.”

“But I am Patzau, leader of the city” Murak said.

“As am I–”

“No longer!” Murak interrupted. “It has come to light that you have been supporting rebellious factions in opposition to your duties as Patzau. You orchestrated the attack on Patzau Yohati. This is grounds for immediate dismissal, and so you are dismissed.”

“What are you talking about?” Mellen huffed. “What evidence do you have of such a crime? Produce it and I think all will plainly see your handwriting signing any such confession. The only treason committed today is here and now by–”

A heavy-handed blow to the gut stole the breath from Mellen’s chest. Gasps echoed around the hall. He hit the ground and wheezed for air, then looked up to see Captain Burm standing over him. “If you resist, we will take it as acknowledgment of your duplicity. Run, and we will strike you down for your crimes. Do you understand? If you are innocent, you will have nothing to fear.” Burm added. Again, the words were theatre. Mellen, still lacking breath, hadn’t the opportunity to oppose as strong hands forced him into submission and ropes were produced to bind his hands.

“You claim I will have a chance to speak for my innocence and yet you already treat me as if I have done this. I have not, and know your accusations are baseless. I must know what you claim my crimes are so I may prepare defenses.”

“Innocent men have no need to prepare defenses. Only criminals seek time for ways to hide their duplicity” Murak answered. And in that moment, Mellen knew that his trial would echo the ones Yohati had strung together for the hundreds of poor souls taken prisoner after the Auction House attack. He knew, too, that his trial would be equally fair and just.

Light from the street below filtered up and into the room, illuminating the ceiling with the white glow of illum stones. The market below the window of Kuta’s apartment had several luxurious sellers who advertised their services even into the evening; a well-known seamstress and her worker bees, a butcher who imported cured meats from across the Casoyan sea, a bathhouse, four different crockery stores, a woman posing as a fortune teller from Osiidan, and a pair of guildsmen who carved statues and patterned designs into keystones. The street was narrow and unfrequented by foreigners. Even with the violence outside the city, the killings and destruction of blocks of Mudtown, the market was busy.

The day had been muggy and a layer of sweat clung to Kuta’s skin. She had already removed her robes to bathe, only to find the pail of water she paid to have delivered every so often had already run dry. She would need to stop the men on their rounds tomorrow morning. Usually, she could make the water last a few days, longer if she slept at the guild as she did on occasion. She sighed disappointingly. She would have to visit the bathhouse to clean properly. Her hair was already unpinned and hung long and loose down to the small of her back. She would need to tie it back up quickly, prior to leaving.

Kuta redressed and collected a towel only to hear a loud thumping from what sounded like her front door downstairs. It was rare for anyone to visit, let alone visit unannounced. Cautiously, she made her way to the narrow stairs that led directly down to her front door, which opened directly into the market below. Perhaps it was a mistake. The knocker was intending to visit one of the shops and happened upon the wrong door. The knocking came again.

Kuta descended the steep steps until she reached the tiny landing before her door. “Who is it?” she shouted. Whoever it was, either didn’t hear her or didn’t answer as she got no reply. Opening a sliding panel on the door, she peered through. On the other side was the unexpectedly familiar sight of Elvi Batari, Aginjigaade for the Soldiers Guild.

“Aginjigaade Batari?” Kuta asked confused, opening the door. The other woman seemed to take the action as an invitation and she barged inside, pushing the door closed behind her.  

“What the hell?” Kuta exclaimed, startled at the intrusion. She was barely clothed and certainly not comfortable with an unexpected visitor. “Can I help you?” Kuta asked in common Casoyan.

“Yes” Elvi said with a seriousness in her eyes. Above her officer’s uniform, she wore the lightweight armour most of the guildmembers wore. On her shoulders marked her special rank as Chief Aginjigaade. This is business, Kuta realied. Elvi continued, “I need you to answer some questions” she added. Kuta’s heart sank. Spirits, Yoharum’s been caught. Or maybe they learned of my relation to him? But he wouldn’t say anything. Would he?

“What kind of questions?” Kuta asked carefully. Kuta brought her wrists to her chest, feeling for the pins she kept hidden up her sleeves. All six of the metal pin talismans were still there, ready to be manipulated with a whim. The only one missing was the one she kept in her hair, which she hadn’t the time to put back in. She avoided the instinctual use of her agindan sense. It would be risky in such close proximity. Only if she truly intended to use her abilities would she dare.

Elvi Batari passed her and climbed the steep stairs, letting herself into the small apartment. Kuta wanted to protest but didn’t know how. She could only watch with cautious disbelief. She followed the older woman up the stairs and found her gazing around the simple room with curious eyes. Kuta didn’t keep anything sentimental or identifying. It was safer that way, as now proven.

“You said you had questions for me?” Kuta asked with a timid nervousness.

“Yes” Elvi answered hastily, turning around abruptly. She hesitated a moment before speaking, “I was hoping you would be able to clarify something for me. Could you help me better understand Patzau Minoc?”

“Patzau Minoc?” Kuta repeated.

“Yes” Elvi said, “I need to better understand him as a person. You are his personal Aginjigaade.”

“I work for the guild” Kuta corrected.

“Who else at the guild do you spend time with, then?”

Kuta hesitated, knowing Elvi already knew the answer. “Officially, I work for the guild. I’m an active voting member.”

“I understand” Elvi said, “But I need to know more about the man himself. Mellen Minoc. What were his aspirations? What did he value? Who did he trust? What kind of work did you do for him?”

“His aspirations?” Kuta repeated, not understanding. “He’s a father” she said.

“And…?” Elvi dug.

“And, he cares about his daughter. He wants her to grow up in a safe a prosperous home” Kuta answered. Elvi gestured for her to continue. “I… he… He values relationships, and good business deals. He has aspirations for his guildmembers to thrive. He values information.”

“What kind of information?” Elvi asked, pouncing on the detail. Kuta hesitated, which prompted Elvi to add, “Kuta, I know about his web of informants. Patzau Ashill and I were always aware. Can you share with me some of the details?”

“You know?” Kuta said, cautiously.

“Of course, all of the Patzau know… to some degree. Now, tell me more about his web of informants. How does his network actually function.”

“I’m not sure that I have a sufficient answer. Nor whether it is my place to explain” Kuta said.

“That’s fine” Elvi said in a tone that made it clear that wasn’t. “Who did he trust? Besides you, who is in his inner circle?”

“His wife, Mira.” Kuta answered. “She manages a lot of the administration and administrators in the guild. There are a few prominent guildmembers that represent the larger companies of artisans.”

“Who?” Elvi pushed, “I need names.”

“No,” Kuta said, now uncomfortable, “I need to understand why you are here and why you are asking all these questions. In my home, at this hour no less.”

“I promise I’ll tell you, but I just need you to answer a few more questions.” Elvi said sincerely. Or at least it felt sincere. Kuta wasn’t sure anymore. Elvi had always seemed kind enough, but that wasn’t enough to trust her. “What kind of work did you do for Patzau Minoc?” Elvi asked.

“I didn’t do much” Kuta lied. “He asked a lot of questions and thought out loud constantly. Mostly, he talked and I listened. He would have me keep tabs on any anomalies within the city. If a new Aginjigaade arrived or left. I would help him read or write information on tablets. I checked the quality of the metals across the various forges around the city.”

Elvi sighed heavily and kept her gaze focus. The attention made Kuta uncomfortable. It felt as if the other woman were looking through her into her very soul and she didn’t like it. She was afraid of what Elvi might discover. “Did he ever do any business in Mudtown?”

Kuta furrowed her brows, “Not that I’m aware of.”

“So, he might have?”

“No” Kuta said more confidently. “All of the guild members are inside the city save for the new forge being built on the north side.”

“Was Patzau Minoc funneling money or weapons to the gangs in Mudtown?”

Kuta blinked rapidly, unprepared for the question. “What?” was all she could say before her wits returned. “No. Spirits, no. Not that I know of. Where did you hear something like that?” she asked, perplexed.

“Do you support the gangs in Mudtown?” Elvi drilled. “I know you’re from the mountains. Are you sending them weapons or money? Are they extorting you?”

Kuta reeled, shocked and then angered by the sudden twist in the interrogation. “What are you talking about? No. What is going on? Why are you here asking me these questions?”

“You don’t support the gangs in Mudtown?” Elvi asked, one last time.

Kuta frowned angrily. “No, I don’t support the thieves and criminals who extort and rape and kill innocent people.”

“I had to be sure” Elvi said, letting out a deep breath.

“Had to be sure of what!?” Kuta demanded. The anger spilled from her. Memories of Patzau Adagizhi’s tirade still replayed through her memories. “You had to be sure I’m not some backwater savage who supports murderers and thieves? Had to be sure I’m not corrupt and violent like the rest of them? You want to check that I’m not some leech here to suck the blood from the city; to greedily take more than my share? Is that what you want to know?!”

“No” Elvi stammered, caught off guard by the sudden shift. “That’s not what I–”

“I’m so fucking sick of this shit.” Kuta yelled through tears. “You come into my home and accuse me of… of… this bullshit all because I wasn’t born here in Caso? How is it this city welcomes foreigners from across the world but can’t stomach a family born on the other side of the same fucking island?”

“I didn’t–” Elvi started.

A hard glare from Kuta silenced her. “You didn’t what?” Kuta snapped. “Didn’t mean it that way? Then what exactly did you mean?” She huffed angry breaths. A few silent seconds passed before Kuta realized she had, in fact, pushed out with her agindan sense. She felt herself, her consciousness, pressed right up against Elvi’s, who held her ground defensively. As Kuta calmed and regained control, she perceived the various spirits spread about the room. She could feel how they recoiled from her. In her rage she had drawn them into her orbit and held them, threatening to channel through their power. Just the softest push and the scent of her own sorcery would fill the room. As would Elvi’s in response. She felt the apprehension from Elvi’s consciousness.

No, I don’t want this, Kuta thought. She felt the distress from the spirits she gripped and released them. Then she pulled herself back from Elvi, both spiritually and physically, taking two steps backwards. Elvi remained where she stood, still wary. She looked ready for violence. But Kuta didn’t want violence. She just wanted to be free of all the pressure. The pressure to be something less than what she was. To be the model citizen despite the preconceived opinions about her. To quietly ignore the insults and slander. To be ‘one of the good ones.’ She cried.

Kuta looked up to find herself in Elvi’s embrace. The sobs came harder and she wished for her mama’s or even her auntie’s arms instead. They would understand and comfort her. But neither one was here and so she cried in Elvi’s embrace instead. Her crying slowly subsided, replaced with soft tears and jerky breaths. Elvi spoke, cutting the silence. “What happened?”

“I think it was a mistake” Kuta said through heavy sobs, “leaving home and coming here, to Caso.”

“What makes you say that?” Elvi asked softly.

“People don’t want us here,” she said. “They want us to farm the fields and dig the ditches. They want us to serve and labour and build. But they only want to use us. They don’t want us here as people.”

Elvi didn’t know what to say. “That’s not true” she replied. Though she wasn’t sure she believed it.

“We are born, here, on the island of Caso. But never are we referred to by you as Casoyans.” Kuta scowled, “we’re the others, the mountain people, inlanders, backwater brutes, tribal barbarians, savages.”

Elvi looked down at the thin girl in her arms. She was so young. It was easy to forget it when she walked around in the guild uniform. But here, wearing just a thin shift, Elvi was reminded she was just a girl. A girl born with great power, but a young girl all the same.

Elvi led Kuta to a chair and she sat. “I’m sorry” Elvi said, “I didn’t mean to upset you with my words and concerns. But you’ve said far too many specific things for me to think you’re only upset with me. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Patzau Adagizhi” Kuta answered. “He… he called us savages and leeches, right to my face. Then he said, ‘like leeches, we must burn them out.’ He accused Mellen of being a traitor to the city for having me at his side. He wants us all dead.”

“I see” Elvi said carefully. “Kuta, what you have told me is related to the questions I came to ask you tonight; the reason for my visit.” Kuta looked up from where she sat with puffy eyes. Elvi hesitated a moment, then found her voice. “Kuta, Patzau Minoc was arrested earlier today by Patzau Adagizhi and several soldiers. He stands accused of treason. I can’t speak to the specifics. This is something the Patzaus must resolve. But the story that is being circulated is that he has been supporting the gangs and criminal groups in their fight against the city, and…”

“And people think I’m related” Kuta said, finishing Elvi’s sentence. “Patzau Minoc is no traitor, and neither am I!” she added, pushing thoughts of Yoharum’s attack out of her mind.

“I promise you, Kuta” Elvi said, “I didn’t come here to accuse you of anything.”

“That’s not what it felt like” Kuta countered.

“I know. I came to hear your side. I can’t speak to Minoc. Nobody can. We need more information. Patzau Ashill and I, we don’t fully understand what is happening. And while she speaks to those making the accusations, I wanted to speak to the person accused.”

“Accused?” Kuta repeated. “Am I in trouble as well? I didn’t do anything!”

“Patzaus Onudar and Hadashenta are calling for your arrest as well” Elvi said. “They claim you escaped arrest, but I think it unlikely that had you escaped arrest, you’d be home in your night clothes and willing to open your front door to a soldier like me.” Kuta looked shocked. Elvi didn’t blame her.

“I don’t understand,” Kuta wondered aloud, “Was Patzau Ashill not involved in Patzau Minoc’s arrest? Is that legal?”

“It’s not explicitly illegal, no” Elvi answered. “But there isn’t a precedent for a Patzau being accused of treason. I’ll share with you my honest opinion” Elvi said, attracting the girl’s attention again. “I think there’s a conspiracy afoot. One meant to discredit and destroy Patzau Minoc and you by extension. And I think the worst thing you can do is run. If you run, Mellen will be viewed as guilty, as will you.”

“Then what else can I do?” Kuta asked, hugging her legs tight against her chest, “wait for them to come and take me? Wait for them to hunt down my family?” Her mind spun circles around her thoughts. She felt for a moment as if she might cry again. The feeling shamed and embarrassed her.

“Patzau Ashill and I will support you, as will Patzau Murocil. She’s always seen eye to eye with Mellen. But I fear we may have to do so from the shadows. What you need now is protection: political protection. Address your guild and win them to Patzau Minoc’s side. Resist the faction of opposition that is sure to be propped up against you. If you can convince your guild to trust and support you, and if you can convince them this attack is meant to weaken their place in this city, your guildsmen should be powerful enough to protect you. They caught Patzau Minoc unready. And because Minoc was unready, they’ve already begun their campaign to discredit him. Ada, Yanata, and I will work to clear his name, but you must be outspoken about your innocence. You must sell the idea that this is an attack meant to seize power and destroy your guild.”

Kuta swallowed hard, the weight of her predicament settling in. “And if I fail?” she asked.

Elvi’s eyes were hard. “No matter what, you must try. You must try for yourself. To show them that they are wrong. Wrong about you and wrong about Mellen.”

“How can I stand up against the most powerful men in Caso?” Kuta asked.

“You will win by reminding them that while they may control the guilds, they do so by the consent of the guildmembers they represent. If people become angry enough with their leaders, they will find new leadership. We have done it before.”

“This is impossible” Kuta mumbled.

“If at the end of the day, you find that you have played by their rules and have fought hard. If you have given everything you have and it still isn’t enough. Then at that time, if you so choose, you may give up and admit defeat. Run and hide and hope they don’t find you. Or let them arrest and execute you if you wish. It’s not my choice. What you do is yours. For you, and Patzau Minoc. But if you find giving up leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, it would be wise to remember that you too have the power to change the rules.”

Kuta nodded in understanding and wiped the tears from her eyes.