Brink of Despair

Meetings

"I just do not see why we let her off on her own. What if something happens to her?" Den Mark asked, "What will we do then?"

"She is under no surveillance whatsoever if something does happen we will have no idea." Den Carr pointed out.

"This is precisely why I disagreed but we were all out voted by Domru Brink." The entire assembly turned to Brink who stood at the windows of his assembly room looking out over the north of Dunya, humming a tune to himself.

The assembly men looked each at the other and quietly began whispering.

"What in Dunya is going on?"

"He is so quiet and drifty."

"Almost not all there."

"Look at him though, he's smiling!"

"He must be having a vision!"

The assembly men stood and hurried over to Brink. He snapped out of his dazed state and looked at his assemblymen. Running his hand through his hair he sheepishly grinned, "Sorry did I miss something?"

"My boy," Den Mark began "You must have been having a vision."

Brink smiled, "In a sense I was."

All of the assemblymen gasped one even leapt to the table, and dragged Brink's chair over to him, and motioned for him to sit. Excitedly the men assembled to inquire of Brink all about his vision.

"Was it beautiful?"

"So beautiful it left me speechless."

"Was it wonderful?

"So wonderful that I feel like I could fly."

"Was it of our future."

"No." Here, the assembly man chittered, confused, "It was of a past event which, let's just say gave me Hope for the future." Brink stood and waved his hands to tell the assembly men to go back to their seats. "We need to work for the Hope of Dunya. We need to Immerse as flawlessly as possible. For our ambassadors we will need questions, every question we need answered must be answered by them. We will only assist and point out advantages and disadvantages of their solutions." Brink smiled, "I just so happen to be very good at asking questions." He moved his chair back to the head of the table and sat down, the assemblymen following suit.

"I am going to ask you a general board of questions, if you all cannot come to an agreeing answer in two minutes, we will have the ambassadors solve the question, do we understand?"

The assembly men nodded, Brink pulled out a small hourglass from his pocket and tipped it as he spoke to empty it all into one chamber before beginning. "What do we need to do to move people to their trades?" Brink asked, "Do we move the trade or move the people?"

The assemblymen began to deal out ideas. The same ones that had been repeated over and over in hour meetings before.

"People! Homes are easier to build than circuit houses."

"Circuit houses to not upset the people."

"Why not a combination of both? We could build according to the desires of people."

"One minute up!" Brink announced, grinning at the men around him. They all looked at each other astounded and all stopped speaking. "Oh? Do you give up?"

The assemblymen then sat in their chairs, silent, a few nodded. "Now we are getting somewhere. Would you like to assist me in supplying questions for the ambassadors instead?"

An agreed chorus responded with nods and sounds of confirmation. Brink smiled, finally it was going his way, and he was in a pleasant and teasing mood. Maybe because Dem Racket is not here. Brink thought, eying the empty seat at the assembly table. He was attending to some fishing duty of the wall of Beaste in the dock. Brink didn't receive all the details, bt he knew it had something to do with some boat repairs and some enormous catch. He really didn't care either. If it kept Dem Racket out of his meeting, it was worth it.

"So first, we ask what to move."

"Then details about workshops, who stays and who goes?"

"Also, if Dicio is allowed on these circuit exchanges."

Brink sat up straighter, "Hope and I already discussed and Dicio is in the rotation block. Every Circuit is coming through us."

After Brink's comment, there was no argument or back-slash statement. The assembly men simply nodded and carried on. This meeting is going very well. After an hour or so of easy decisions, and hundreds of questions, Brink dismissed his assembly and went to his study.

Here, he opened the curtains, and dragged his study table to face the wide window.

Facing the north as his entire palace did, he had a plain, easy view of the path from the front gates. He wanted to be the first down to meet Hope. there was a feeling from Hallack in his heart that almost made him glade. For so long he wanted to make Hope understand, and now, she just might. Might understand what he meant whenever he said 'I love you'. He sat at his desk, feet on the top, as he read an old battle strategy book. Although scanning words, he couldn't concentrate on anything more than the soft feeling of a kiss on his cheek.

"I am in love," He whispered silently, "I'm in love with Hope."