Catalyst - 2021

ch 8 - changing tides

The lead up to the ball was hard. Calico was swamped with work and she avoided Hycein when she was at the castle. She was already flustered and anxious about what was coming from the new law and its actions. She did not need Hycein giving her more information about it, it was bound to be bad news anyway. 

The night of was even harder. Kel especially was upset at her refusal to attend the ball. They had asked her to be there in order to make sure the flowers stayed at their finest all night, but Calico had refused. She did not want to be there when the announcement was made. The anxiety she had all night made her not eat, and even still her stomach found something to empty into the dirt that evening, multiple times. 

Life didn't change all at once. Laws take time to implement themselves but much like tides, it doesn't seem like it is changing until the waves have already consumed the beach around you. 

For Callicarpa's household, it didn't change all that much. The next week, everyone in the household that had the affinity collected together and was bound to the heads of house by thick collars. They weren't catalysts to them so they were not taking all of those servants' affinities but instead, they were something new. They were what was now called 'stock.' The collars made them not able to use their affinities unless the one who holds their key allows them to. 

"They are no better than the slave collars of old." Kel squeezed her finger between the collar and her skin. "Calling us stock is offensive too."

"The name is just a stepping stone to seeing you all as a different kind of livestock," Calico sorted the flowers in front of her, "a group of people to be bought and sold." 

Kel sat on the countertop of Calico's workstation, careful not to sit on any plants. "I have heard whispers in the stable yards, it's already begun." Kel stared into her hands. "The crown is taking all those without training or masters as their own. Bounding them to their head staffers and employing them." 

"That means they have employment, and the crown pays well from what I heard." She was struggling to keep her hands from shaking as she pulled flowers together. 

"That is what they thought too, and they do have adequate housing and food but..." Kel rubbed her face and blinked back tears. "They aren't paid, Calico. I know it is early right now but I was in the stable yards yesterday picking up new horseshoes and there was someone from the castle there. They said there is no talk of pay even when they inquire about it." 

"That's unfair." 

"That's the law, the new law says any unbound person with an affinity who is not in training or has been trained is bound to the ruler of the land. There is no mention of pay, Calico, there is no mention of food or shelter either. They could just refuse to feed or house them at a certain point and be within the law." 

The two women look at each other, fears and stress was obvious on their face. There were a lot of unknowns that were rising and from their position, they could do nothing to change the course of their worlds. One was physically bound to their master now, leaving meant risking being taken by the crown. The other needed to never get caught. 

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You called, my Prince?" Hycein stood at attention before Odell. 

"Yes," Odell stood behind his desk looking out at the courtyard below. "I wanted you to look over the new directive I wrote."

Slowly Hycein crossed the room. Dealing with Odell was like dealing with a hungry leopard. It always was tracking its prey and had no qualms of turning on an ally if it meant it would get fed. The parchment was ready for reading. They quickly read the script handwriting of the prince, he would not be kept waiting long. 

"Your Highness, you can't honestly be serious about this." Hycein set down the parchment and was flabbergasted at his sheer audacity. "Why even ask my opinion on this if you had already signed and sealed it into law? Why ask my opinion at all, surely you knew I would not stand with you on this."

"Come now, you know how full our castle has been this last month." Odell turned to face Hycein and it was that sticky sweet smile. "Even now more people come to be bound to the castle. We do not have the space or resources for them all. It is only fair to make sure they find good employment." 

"And your plan is to take them to market? To sell them to their employers?" Hycein slammed their hands on the desk. "That is no better than a slave market. They already are collared like slaves, how much more do you do before you are actually calling them slaves."

"The populous has turned to calling them 'stock,' I believe." Odell picked up the parchment and calmly rolled it up, "Besides, they are not markets, rather those looking for someone with affinities in their household can come to us and meet with our matchmaking staff. They will help anyone looking for new employees find what they are looking for."

Hycein stared down Odell, "And of course this is all for free out of the goodness of finding these people homes and employment."

"Ahh, but we need to be paid too, Odollam, we can not house and feed these people for nothing. Also, the matchmakers need to be paid for their work too." Odell tucked the rule under his arm and strode across the room, "We are not a charity, and it is their fault for not being trained on their own." 

"Their fault for being poor then, you also set the prices for the academy since the Royal Academy is the only one allowed to train the affinity in Listaviel." Hycein watched Odell stop and straighten. 

"Watch your tone, Odollam. I am not above testing the abilities of those collars to contain you, even if it risks the lives of others." He did not turn and Hycein knew his words had real meaning under them. 

But then again... so did theirs, and clearly, Hycein's words had gotten under their skin.