At Last a Proper Brute to Redeem House Hadan

11. The Elders

The council meeting that night was held in the second floor of the main governing office in the city square. Baya learned from her informants (more than one) that it was made to appear private, but was surrounded by spies. The meeting began with tea and dates. Baya gave the usual greetings and received a small gift -- a miniature idol of the local god, Toton. The council chatted casually about foreign affairs and local politics, "It's impossible to rule these tribes," a councilwoman said, "Turab. Lemia. Hadan. Can't even control their own backyard. These are difficult lands and impossible to master at scale. The Bear must have realized this and decided he had had enough of the insanity."

"Maybe he's a coward." Baya offered. And then the tea was finished, and a servant brought wine. The men and women of the council addressed immediate issues of honor, rations, and resources. Baya had been thinking about the water issue the entire morning. Her failure the night before lead her to feel that she may as well do some advocacy for the west side of Qara. She doubted that any resistance from the council could be worse than her encounter with son of Bear.

They finally reached the subject of the annual mist. Before the council moved on to another topic, Baya interjected, "I've heard that the diversion of annual healing mist toward the east has hurt the peasants on the west side. They tell me that ten homes have already become unlivable due to the baking sun."

A councilwoman screamed loudly. Baya paused and looked at her. She wore the baby blue color common in Qara. Her chin was tattooed. Baya estimated she was as old as her mother. There was a silence about the council. She began again.

"camel blood mounds have been cursed for a reason--" And another shout interrupted her. She continued anyway.

"It's not too late to reverse the water diversion project. Many common folk have informed me --" and then the councilors became furious. Eyes widened, brows furrowed, chins tilted upwards. Two sets of men began separate conversations that drowned her out. The elders were almost howling.

Baya quieted for a minute, her face was burning in shame and rage. The hollering slowly quieted. What had started as a noble meeting of local governance, ideas, dates, and tea had transformed into what looked like a bunch of savages in fancy robes. She stood up off the reed mats, too angry to think of anything but a term she had learned earlier that day -- gilded camel dung!

"You haven't been dismissed." The tattooed councilwoman said.

Baya took the idol of Toton out of her pocket and snapped it in half. She threw the pieces on the ground. She departed, followed by Kotem. "It is time," she told him loudly, within earshot of the meeting, "to leave this wretched town."

***