The Marus Manuscripts (41 page)

“Then you’ll have to arrest us,” Simet challenged. “And let the consequences fall heavily upon your shoulders.”

The soldier looked at Simet for a moment. Then he shrugged and barked at his companions, “Take them to Lord Hector.”

W
ell, well,” Lord Hector said disapprovingly a short while later. He stood next to a large bookcase in his office, as if posing for a portrait. He lightly fingered one of the books. “What am I to make of this?”

“Make whatever you like of it,” Simet replied. His eyes were cold, his jaw set as he dropped himself into a chair across from Lord Hector’s desk. Maddy had never seen him look so angry. She sat down in another chair nearby.

“I can’t help but wonder why you two were visiting a known criminal,” he said in a voice of satin. “Come to think of it, I can’t help but wonder why you two were together at all. Are you friends?”

“We have mutual friends,” Simet answered. “Annigua is one of them. And she is
not
a criminal.”

“So
you
say.” Lord Hector clasped his hands behind his back and sauntered to his desk with a forced casualness. “I happen to know she is a fanatic of the Old Faith, an illegal cult. I also happen to know that she conducts secret meetings in her house. Quite a coincidence that you were there tonight.”

“No one has yet said that visiting a friend whenever I like is a crime.”

Lord Hector smiled. “You should choose your friends more wisely.”

“Are you now determining who can and cannot be friends in Marus?”

“In the interests of the king, I may well determine
a lot
of things, including that.” Lord Hector sneered. “You know that believing in the Old Faith is contrary to the king’s wishes, and I am determined to eliminate that faith. Even tonight, my soldiers are paying surprise visits on suspected members.”

“Visits—or attacks?” Simet asked.

“That depends on whether they resist.”

“Annigua didn’t resist,” Maddy suddenly said, “and your soldiers still beat her up.”

“Oh?” Lord Hector countered. “Were you there when it happened? How do you know whether she resisted? Is that what she told you, or are you going by some other source of information?”

Maddy pressed her lips together and lowered her head. She was afraid that if she said any more, she might reveal that she
had
been there.

Then a question came to Maddy’s mind. Did Lord Hector already know that? Was it possible that she and Simet had been followed to Annigua’s house? Maddy remembered the man she’d seen in the street. Was he one of Lord Hector’s spies? If so, Lord Hector knew full well that they were there. He might even have sent his soldiers in to catch them in the act. If that were the case, he was merely toying with them now.
Can he do anything to us without proof?
she wondered.

“I’ll allow that you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Lord Hector offered, as if pardoning them. “But there are other matters on my mind. Your oath of allegiance, Simet—I want it on my desk in the morning.”

“You will not have it,” Simet replied.

Lord Hector’s face went red. “What?” he sputtered. “Do you openly defy me?”

Simet stood up. “I appeal to the king.”

“You can’t.”

“As a member of his royal guards, I have the right to appeal anything you or any of his other officials decree. So I appeal.”

“Why will you not sign an oath of allegiance unless you’re not loyal to the king? Or perhaps you really are one of those fanatics of the Old Faith?”

“I am a Marutian and bound by no Palatian oath of allegiance. I will appeal to the king on that basis. Even
he
respects the differences between our two nations, united or not.”

“He is king over all, which means you are bound by his laws!” Lord Hector nearly shouted.

“Then I will wait to hear him declare that for himself,” Simet said calmly. “Until that time, I will remain under our Marutian law, which says that no Marutian in a royal position can sign an oath of allegiance to any other government.”

Lord Hector grunted. “You quibble over technicalities.”

“If necessary. But you can do nothing to me until he returns from his honeymoon to settle the matter.”

Lord Hector narrowed his weasel-like eyes until they were mere slits. “We’ll see about that,” he threatened. He walked over to a window and pulled the curtain aside. “By the way, tonight I issued a new decree. We’ll call it
Lord Hector’s Decree
.”

“How original.”

“It says that to follow or subscribe to the Old Faith is now punishable by death.” He let the significance of his announcement settle into Simet’s and Maddy’s minds. “And in anticipation of the great number of superstitious fools my soldiers will catch, you see”—he nodded toward the window—“I have begun the construction of a new gallows.” Lord Hector smiled devilishly. “It’s been specially designed for them. They will be allowed to
kneel
before they’re hung.”

“No!” Simet said in an appalled whisper.

Lord Hector turned to him. “As a member of the palace guard, you may have the right to appeal to the king, but the rest of your countrymen do not. They are average citizens who must enjoy the justice of
my
courts. Now get out! I have work to do.”

Simet glared at Lord Hector, then turned to leave. Maddy stood up, but Hector suddenly added, “No, I want the girl to stay for a moment.”

Maddy looked at Simet, worry in her eyes. He nodded at her as if to say, “Be brave.” He walked out and closed the door behind him.

Lord Hector sat down in the chair behind his desk and gazed at Maddy. “You, dear girl, are a puzzle to me. My people can find out nearly anything I want to know about anyone, but you don’t seem to have a history. You might have fallen from one of the two moons for all I know.”

Maddy didn’t respond.

“Because you seem to be a favorite with our new queen, I want to give you the benefit of the doubt. I want to believe you’re merely young and impressionable and have slipped under the misguided influence of Simet.”

He waited a moment to see if she would now speak. She didn’t.

“Do you understand what’s happening in this kingdom? It isn’t a conflict between Palatia and Marus. It’s not a battle over geography or heritage. It’s a battle over
ideas.
The
new
ideas of Palatia are those of a world made better by the supremacy of mankind. We reject the
old
ideas of those fools who still believe in unseen gods, who have faith in things outside our control.”

Maddy watched him silently.

He rested his elbows on his desk and folded his hands in front of him. “You seem to be a perceptive girl. Surely you must see where—and with whom—the future lies. Join the winning side.
Use those sharp eyes and ears of yours for those who will benefit you the most. Put them to use for your king and beloved queen. Work with me and help me to root out the believers in the Old Faith. It will put you in good standing with our monarchs.” He paused again. “Well?”

Maddy wanted to say a resounding
no
right away, but she thought better of offending him. Simet could appeal to the king, but could she? Would her ties to Annison be enough to protect her?

“An answer, if you please,” Lord Hector persisted.

Maddy cleared her throat nervously and spoke as diplomatically as she could. “I would like to speak to Queen Annison about it, to seek her advice,” she declared.

Lord Hector’s expression, which had been alive from his anticipation of her answer, now fell back to its normal boredom. “If you insist,” he said coldly.

“I wouldn’t dare do anything without her permission,” Maddy explained and stood up.

Lord Hector leaned back in his chair. “In the meantime, you had better be careful, child. Anything can happen to you in a large palace like this. People can disappear and not be missed for days.”

Maddy didn’t reply but left the room as quickly as she could.

Maddy was awakened the next morning by Tabby’s loud voice. She sounded agitated as she spoke with one of the other servant girls.

“Riots!” she said. “It’s as if the people have lost their minds! They’re in the streets, fighting the king’s soldiers, tearing the city apart!”

Maddy got out of bed, wrapped her robe around her, and went into the main chamber. Tabby stood in the center of the room, gesturing wildly as she spoke.

“It’s all because of Lord Hector’s decree. He’s going to
execute
anyone associated with the Old Faith. Mind you, I couldn’t care less about superstitions like that, but I hate to see Marutians slaughtered for such an absurd reason. I wonder if the king knows? I wonder if anyone has told Annison? It’s an outrage, that’s what it is. An outrage!”

“The believers in the Old Faith are rioting?” the servant girl asked in a shrill voice.

“Maybe some of them, I don’t know. But the decree has brought
all
Marutians into the streets. Don’t you see? They’re rioting because the decree violates their civil liberties. They say this is the first step to complete domination.”

The servant girl clutched her apron and strangled it nervously. “What will happen to us? Do you think the mobs will win against the soldiers?”

“Anything is possible.”

Maddy leaned against the doorway, trying to take it all in. Was this the rebellion that might overthrow King Willem’s forces in Marus? Was it possible that Annison hadn’t needed to marry the king after all?

Maddy spent the day going about her duties—more packing for the queen—but kept her ears open for news about the riots. Occasionally, through the open glass doors, she could hear a distant roar of people, then muskets being fired, but the palace seemed like a remote island otherwise. At midday, she heard a rumor that Lord Hector had several regiments positioned around the palace to make certain it was safe.

Deep in her memory, she recalled the stories from her grandparents about how the Russian revolutionaries stormed the cities, vandalizing homes and palaces, driving those who resisted into the streets. Some members of her family had crowded into a church for
sanctuary, only to have the church burned down around them. Several had died.

Now she was on the other side. She
wanted
the Marutians to win. She wanted the mobs to force the Palatians out of the country so they could believe and worship freely again. But could they do it? How could a disorganized mob fight against a powerful army?

Maddy also wondered about Simet. Would he take to the streets to help the mob, or would he stay to protect the palace? Where was his allegiance at a time like this?

As midday turned into afternoon and afternoon turned into evening, Maddy decided to go to the bell tower at six to see if Simet was there. She crept cautiously along the halls, even going the wrong way several times to make sure she wasn’t being followed. Though it was a period of crisis, she didn’t doubt that Lord Hector might have someone keeping an eye on her. But it seemed as if all the men were out of the palace, and the few maids and servant girls she saw didn’t seem to pay her any attention.

The old wooden door to the bell tower was already ajar when Maddy reached it. Normally it was closed and locked unless Simet was already there, in which case he would open the door as she approached. They then met either in the doorway or, if they were worried about being seen, just inside the tower, at the base of the stone steps that curled up to the top.

Maddy peeked her head through the open door. “Simet?” she whispered.

No one answered.

She thought about turning around and going back to Annison’s chambers, but it occurred to her that she’d never been to the top of the tower. Her meetings with Simet had always been so rushed that she hadn’t asked him to let her see what it was like. Glancing around quickly, she closed the door. A pale light spread down like a fan
from somewhere above. She went to the stone steps and began her ascent.

She had no idea how high the tower went, and she lost count of the steps somewhere around 100. They continued to circle upward, and she was now determined to make it to the top. She hoped Simet was up there somewhere.

Then she wondered what she would do if Simet
wasn’t
up above. Perhaps no one was there and the door had been left ajar by accident. Or, worse, what if Lord Hector were there? How would she explain her presence in the tower? But her aching legs told her it was too much of a waste to go back now. So she persevered.