Story 12 – Valeria – The People
Valeria stood in the first floor of the Magistrate’s house. So many were assembled. There was Abraxas, Crescent and Malik. Each of them seemed much more confident than she felt. Even Abraxas, her ‘hapless sidekick,’ seemed to stand much straighter. Galba and Merc watched the proceedings, each with an eye for their particular area of interest.
And the Magistrate was staring at her, his carved glass face pointed in her direction. She still did not know how he felt about the matter, what he wanted for her, what he expected. She did not know her place after he had taken her off of the previous expedition. The coloration of his skin was kept controlled, as it should be for a good Sculos. But she thought she caught glimmers of orange anticipation playing across his skin.
But Nestor was speaking. And Valeria would not let herself be distracted from the important matters by her own thoughts and fears. There were things bigger than her.
So she paid attention as a question was levied at Nestor.
“How many deer did you say there were?” asked Galba. The man’s voice was as soft and courteous as it always was, but it still had a certain bite.
“I don’t remember rightly—I was more focused on keeping myself safe than on counting them—but I think there had to be at least two dozen of them.”
It was a sobering number. She thought back to how a smaller herd had ended in Hildegard’s death. Valeria would not let the same fate befall another. She would not fail again. She had to—
Someone else was speaking.
“The first thing we should assess is the strength of the palisade.” It was the Magistrate speaking, and he commanded attention. His glassen skin was as clear as clean waters, showing no hint of emotion or disquiet. There wasn’t even the barest hint of swirling orange. “It is our primary line of defense against the deer,” he continued. “How far along are you, Jean? I understand that the fires the other day created some setbacks.”
Jean, second in command at the bridge guild, rolled her shoulders once before speaking. “That’s right.”
“How much of it will you be able to complete?”
“It depends on whether you want us to focus on patching up the parts that were burnt, or extending it further. The western edge is still the most secure, but we have made it south, almost to the river. We’ve started to cover the northern section, but we won’t be able to finish if we also need to repair the damaged sections.”
“How damaged are they? I made sure to visit them, but I have also had other matters to attend to. And I am no expert in carpentry.”
“The wood is blackened and weak. There are a few holes in some places, but small ones, and not too many. My boys are hard workers, but with matters of this side there is a limit to how much we can do and how quickly.” There was a spark of something within her eyes. “Especially with the collapse of Mary’s Bridge a bit back. The guild is hard pressed and spread thin.”
The Magistrate waved a conciliatory hand. “Of course. And I appreciate all that the guild has done for Verdant. If you need anything, come to me. I promise that you will be able to commandeer anything you need. As for our priorities, try and roughly patch up the holes, but don’t do any more of that. I want us to focus on extending the palisade across the rest of the northern side and hopefully to the east. Under better circumstances we would hope to do a better job, but such is not our lot at the moment.
“We do as you have commanded.”
“Thank you.”
“What else are we doing?” This time it was Abraxas who spoke up, giving Valeria a start of surprise. He had only spoken once at their last meeting, and only in aid of herself. She had not expected to see him being even this proactive.
“We should warn the populace,” Malik said, his voice a low rumble.
“No,” said Galba.
In the background, Valeria noticed Malik’s skin turn to seething grey disquiet.
Galba stepped forward. “We cannot tell them. Verdant has already been through so much. Telling them of the impending attack right now, as they are already recovering from the fires would incite mass panic.”
“Galba, is that really wise?” It was only when all eyes turned towards her that Valeria realized this was the first time she had spoken.
“What benefit could we possibly gain from informing the people? What would happen other than panic?”
“We could evacuate the northernmost areas and get the people to safety. We could try and recruit some of them into a militia. We could ensure that when the deer attack the people are prepared and are able to aid us instead of only getting in our way.”
Galba glanced in her direction, and his eyes were like the dying embers of a fire. “No, they would turn on each other. Only very recently did we convince the shops to sell to the refugees. And since then the people have been attacked by hawks and salamanders. Since then we sent out an expedition only to have it return with one fewer member. There would be no hope for any kind of orderly evacuation. There would be panic and rioting in the streets.”
Valeria stepped backwards and lapsed into silence. She saw the image of Hildegard’s broken body, her blood staining the ground.
The Magistrate held up a hand. “Would anyone else like to offer their insight?”
Merc didn’t look at Valeria as he spoke. “I think Galba is right. There— there is a lot of distrust and infighting. I don’t know how everyone will act to the impending danger. But I don’t think it will do us any good.”
Abraxas spoke, fingers playing with his shirt sleeve. “Won’t we have to tell them at some point? If we wait, won’t it only be worse? If they are going to panic, I would rather it not be while the deer are already here. Wouldn’t that just make things worse?”
“I think,” Galba said, his voice soft in a way that made everyone lean closer to listen, “that if there is one thing we can trust people to do, it is to run away from the aberrations if they ever appear. Better they panic and do that than get on our case and cause disruptions while we prepare. They would ask us for answers and for special attention, and we would only be waylaid.”
Galba looked out at the other members. “Does anyone else wish to dissent?”
It seemed that no one did. All was steely silence.
“If we aren’t telling the people, what are we going to do? If the deer come, and if they do make it into Verdant, how will we stop them?” It was Crescent who spoke this time, her wide blue eyes passing over different people disconcertingly. “If we aren’t telling anyone else, everything is going to be up to us. I would be willing to fight, if it comes to that. Are you the rest of you?”
“Yes. Of course. I will.” Valeria found that she had spoken even before she considered her words. She did not regret them.
Slowly, those in attendance professed their willingness to fight and to die for Verdant. It seemed that everyone felt the need to affirm their dedication, those who stood in the dark room together.
Not all such professions were met without resistance.
“Myself, my wife, and my daughter are able to fight.” Nestor tried to stand tall, but the effect was dampened by the way his whole body was trembling and his need to lean back against the wall.
“Illoc said that you still needed tending to,” said Abraxas. “I don’t know if you should fight while in this condition. You just got back from the forest. Surely the rest of us can carry on without you.”
“And Emily is so young,” Valeria said. She remembered how Emily had been found by the deer on their last expedition. The girl had almost died then. And it would have been her fault.
“She is older than you were when you started working for the Magistrate,” Nestor said. “Emily can lift a sword.”
“Emily may be able to lift a sword, Nestor, but you cannot.” Abraxas’ voice, again, was stronger than Valeria had ever heard it. “I’m sorry, but as an apothecary I think it would be best if you rested. Your injuries could be a liability.”
Nestor only nodded his head briefly, before lapsing into a silence. And Valeria noticed that it seemed as though Emily would still be fighting. Such a thought made her want to vomit.
Once everyone had pleaded their devotion, the Magistrate began to speak again. “We will need to have people watch for any sign of the deer from atop the palisade. When they arrive I want advance notice.”
They discussed, then, all the ways they would defend against the deer and who would be stationed where. Valeria did her best to pay attention. This was what she had been prepared for. This was the moment that everything had built up to. But her focus wavered, and she had trouble thinking about anything aside from the splintered array of thoughts that kept swirling through her mind. A few times she was called upon by name and she found that she was able to give some form of intelligent advice, drawn somewhere from within her— people should work in pairs, weapons needed to be gathered and those in the room should be armed at all times, the storehouses needed to be given special attention. She was not yet entirely worthless, Valeria hoped.
And then the meeting was over, and she found herself following the throng as they moved towards the outside.
But something bid her to hang back as others filtered through the exit. There was something still gnawing at her, still twisting her insides. Valeria turned, and there was the dispassionate face of the Magistrate, his intricate facial carvings unblemished and giving nothing away, hanging over her.
Valeria could not help but look away. “Magistrate, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” were his soft and steadfast words.
Valeria did her best to compose herself, straightening her shoulders and standing taller, trying to mimic the way she remembered Hill Mackrin standing. She had no excuse to look sorry for herself; the Magistrate knew to expect better of her. “I know that I have fallen short of others’ expectations of me.”
“Perhaps of some, but not of mine.”
Valeria’s eyes shot back to look at his face. “Magistrate?” Just the faintest ripple of pink contentment flitted across it before the Magistrate’s face was as unreadable as ever.
“Walk with me.” The Magistrate led Valeria into a side office where she was presented with two chairs and a desk. It was not the first time she had been here; It had even been where she was when she first told the Magistrate of the deer. “I told you that I only wanted you to take a short break. It was supposed to be good for you.” The Magistrate trailed off, his head now pointed moreso towards his own hands than at Valeria.
“Please, sit down and be comfortable,” the Magistrate said. “You seem so pulled taut that you might topple over at any moment.”
Valeria sat, keeping her back straight and her posture upright. She had had time to collect herself and was now forcing her breathing to remain steady.
The Magistrate clasped his hands together atop the table. “Well, I suppose that is better. Please, is there anything I can do for you? Tell me what’s wrong.”
Her eyes met the Magistrate’s face. “There isn’t anything wrong, nothing that cannot wait, at least. I am doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances and there are more pressing matters that we need to attend to.”
“Valeria, if the deer begin to attack Verdant I will need the best men at my side. There is no one that I trust or depend on more than yourself. As I said, my hope was that your rest would do you some good. Clearly that has not been the case. So I need you to tell me how you are doing. Be honest with me. I am still the Magistrate of this small city and I will not tolerate being lied to.”
Valeria fell back in her chair. “Yes, Magistrate.” She let out a long breath and felt as though her soul was escaping through her teeth as she spoke. “It’s just… I- I don’t know what I’m doing any longer. You prepared me for the senate chamber in Caespen Ru, not for any of what has happened. Everything I have tried to do these last few weeks has fallen into ruin. Everybody depends on me because they think I know what to do, but I am only verging on failure and disappointment. You told me not to search for Nestor, and even if you say it was because you wanted me to have some rest, we both know that I would have been of no help.”
“The whole world is too large a thing to rest on any person’s shoulders. Even Verdant cannot be carried by a single woman. Yes, you have been prepared and guided, but it was never with the aim of your doing everything yourself. I am sorry if I have failed you by leading you to think that.”
“I wish people would stop expecting me to have answers when I have none.”
“Valeria, what do you think it is like to be Magistrate?” From the sound of his voice, Valeria could tell that, if he had a mouth, he would be smiling. “Every day people look to me for guidance, and I am still only a man. Even if our world had not diverted onto this unique path, if you had been a leader in the Senate instead, you would still be left with people who had higher expectations than you had answers.”
“Then what was the point?” Now that she started speaking it was all coming out like the flood. And Valeria couldn’t stop it—just another item to the list of things she could not do. “All those years I spent training and working—it was to be for something, wasn’t it? If I cannot carry Verdant, what is the point? Perhaps I shouldn’t be putting everything on myself, perhaps such expectations are unrealistic. But surely the goal was for me to amount to something, wasn’t it? Nothing I have done since the aberrations appeared has done anyone any good.”
“Tell me, Valeria, is that really what you think? Yes, things and Verdant have not gone as well as any of us would have liked, but they would have been so much worse if not for your intervention. You alerted us to the presence of the aberrations, you saved Willowbrook, you defended against the hawks. Surely Abraxas has reminded you of this? So many people owe debts of gratitude to you.”
“Abraxas did say something along those lines.” Here Valeria’s words came out as almost a mumble. She was beginning to feel foolish, but she still could not shake away her sense of helplessness.
“Battle will come for us, I fear. I wish that I could have more time to talk with you, to assure you that I have total faith in you and to remind you that there are others who can shoulder the burden. But I do not know how much time is left to us. So instead I will have to settle for telling you that I am immeasurably proud of you, that you have met and exceeded any expectation I could ever have for you. Now, I need you to calm yourself; go to Abraxas and do whatever he asks you, drink whatever kind of tea he gives you. We will need you battle-ready.”
“Yes… Magistrate.”
Valeria nodded as she stood up to leave, walking back through the halls of the Magistrate’s house. She ignored the paintings on the walls and the thick carpet. The hall building had emptied itself out—except for Galba who seemed to still be mired in discussion with some members of the bridge guild on some technical matter. Valeria would have joined if she had had her usual wherewithal.
She soon approached the exit.
Feeling—if not necessarily lighter and more at ease—at the very least different, Valeria stepped outside, closing her eyes as she met the cool springtime breeze. The sunshine warmed her skin and kissed her face. Something within her eased, perhaps taking the Magistrate’s words to heart.
Valeria stood outside the apothecary, wind tousling her hair. It took her a moment to orient herself before she pushed the door open—even though she had done this many times before.
“Abraxas?”
A brief clattering sound came from deeper in the apothecary before the response rang out. “Valeria? Come in! Sorry, I was just in the middle of something.”
Soon Abraxas appeared, his hands covered in a faint green residue. Whatever it was, it smelled less bad than other things she had seen within the apothecary.
He beamed when he saw her, even if the expression was briefly marred as a look of concern flitted across his face. “What brings you here today? Has anything happened? Can I help?”
“No, nothing has happened. It’s just, the Magistrate asked me to come to you. I think he figured that you might be able to give me something to calm my nerves and set me at ease.”
“Of course, I can do that for you. Let me see what I have.” Already Abraxas began to wash his hands before looking over the various jars that lined the apothecary walls “How was the conversation with the Magistrate; I noticed that you’d stay back with him. Anything important?”
“Not really. And I don’t know if I want to talk about it at the moment.”
“Of course, I understand.” Faint notes of off-tune humming filled the apothecary as Abraxas selected something from one of the jars. “What good things have happened to you this week?”
“Hm?” Valeria raised her head to look at Abraxas, who was still putting together some kind of concoction. She was growing increasingly apprehensive. “What good things…?”
“It was something Illoc mentioned to me a bit ago. She said that I needed to engage with the patients more and help them focus on the positives. And, well, I finally decided I wanted to get better at my job. So I’m trying it out on you.” Abraxas paused and turned to stare directly at her. “Tell me something good that happened to you recently.”
Valeria thought for a moment, the seconds ticking by. “Ninra,” she said eventually, “Do you know her?”
“I know of her, I think. I don’t interact with the Sculos as much as I do the others. They have their own biology and own medicine and all. They’re even reluctant to allow Illoc to see to them. What of her?”
“I suppose one of the perks of my station was being allowed into the Sculos enclave. Well, she used to make the best pies. I think I brought you one of hers a while ago.”
“Yes, I remember that now.” Abraxas seemed to have collected all of the disparate ingredients and was now starting to mix them together.
“She’d stopped making those pies with the onset of the aberrations. Food needed to be shared and conserved. And some of the more particular ingredients just weren’t available whatsoever with the collapse of the supply lines. It’s a little thing, I know, but I had missed that pie.”
Carefully Abraxas set before her a small brown cup. “Alright, here’s the drink. This should calm the nerves somewhat and give you some strength.”
Peering down into it, Valeria saw that the drink was red and pulpy, filled with some thick substance that she did not wish to know the name of. Carefully, she brought it to her lips. It tasted much better than she expected—clean and cool, with just the barest hint of sweetness.
“What do you think of it?”
“It’s— good.”
Abraxas broke into a wide grin. “That’s wonderful. You can never quite tell with some of these things. I might be able to try it now.”
“You haven’t…?”
“Nope! But please, finish your story. When you stopped you were still in the depressing bits—Which is, notably, the opposite of what you’re supposed to do in this exercise.”
Valiantly fighting the impulse to pour what remained of her drink on Abraxas’ head, Valeria continued. “Well, it seems that Ninra’s been working on some substitutions, trying to tweak her famous recipe. She let me try one of the slices recently. It wasn’t good, certainly not compared to some of her previous triumphs, but it was warm, and she shared it with me.”
“That’s wonderful. Does she have hopes of improving on it further?”
“She does, and she invited me to her store in a week to try it. We’ll see if I—”
“Hey, look at me. Don’t worry about it, alright? Let tomorrow come when it comes, and save next week’s worries for then. You had some pie with a friend, and you just had a refreshing drink that calmed your nerves, and which—as we have discovered—tastes great.”
“Alright, Abraxas,” Valeria said, smiling despite herself.
She then glanced at the light drifting in through the apothecary’s windows and noted the change in the angle of the sun. There was more for her to do. Even if she would like to stay longer, even if she did feel more at ease than she could remember feeling, she was still Valeria Waxwright and she still had her duty.
Abraxas seemed to notice this shift within her, for he too glanced at the sunlight and said, “You have to go now, don’t you?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Well, safe travels and may the stars watch over you. Be less hard on yourself—as a favor to me, alright? I’d like to see you happy and whole again.
“I’ll do my best.”
Valeria sat in the Herald’s Spoon, tucked away in her own booth. The pleasant hum of conversation rippled about the room, and it helped Valeria feel more at ease, as she ate her thin slice of bread and the crust of cheese. The bread, at least, was warm, the people were not unhappy, and the inn was still standing. Perhaps she should try and appreciate the little things more. Perhaps she would have better sleep that night. Perhaps all of the aberrations would just up and disappear. Many things could happen that would be good for her.
Valeria finished the bread and turned to the cheese.
Slowly, Valeria noticed an alteration in the hum of the conversation. It turned sharper, more acrid. Whispers poured over the gathered people like a tidal wave. Valeria could see the change in expression, as once happy faces were now filled with fear and unease. And anger. A growing sense of unease filled Valeria.
And then she caught the snippets of conversation.
“Deer—50 of them.”
“Coming here?”
Valeria was awash with white terror. They were supposed to have had more time. But then more furious whispers reached her ears.
“Yeah, Nem told me.”
“Within the week.”
“Why did they keep this from us?”
“What are they hiding?”
“What are they doing?”
And then, slowly, attention was turned towards Valeria. And she could not stand the hostile eyes on her. Because she knew that she had fallen short.
A man with tangled black hair approached her. He’d been a volunteer that had helped work on the palisades; Valeria thought his name was Harkson. When he spoke, his voice rumbled and cracked. “Valeria, did you hear about this?”
“I-”
There must have been fear and torment welling in her eyes, and that must have done her in.
Harkson looked at her. “You knew.”
There was no malice in the man’s voice, only weariness and fear. Valeria could not look at it. She broke into a run and fled from the Herald’s Spoon, pushing past angry civilians as she did so. Perhaps she had always been a coward, a child merely playing at being someone important.
Valeria dashed through the street, weaving around the populace. She thought that she could hear rising shouts. Some people were knocking on doors, windows were being open, and all was a flurry of noise of hostility. When she reached the Magistrate’s house, there was a small crowd already forming there. She pushed her way towards the entrance.
The guard let her in without question.
It was not hard to find the Magistrate. He and Galba were embroiled in harsh conversation, their low tones still carrying throughout the house. When Valeria entered the room where they were meeting she lingered at the threshold and peered in, not wanting to enter, not yet.
She watched as Galba paced. “So help me, Magistrate, I knew that this would happen. The people are rioting and will not be stopped. We need to find who leaked this and have them in chains.” His words were controlled, as always, but there was a slight rise to his voice
“Other issues are more pressing.” The Magistrate’s glass carapace was awash in writhing grey. It was only a faint bit of discoloring, but it swirled across his skin and seethed across his face. Rarely did Valeria ever glimpse his emotions, and never were they so uncontrolled.
Galba stopped. “If we cannot trust someone, then I do not want my life to depend upon them.”
Dark humor tinged the Magistrate’s voice. “I do not think this was done out of malice towards Verdant—towards us, perhaps, but not towards Verdant.”
Then there came a voice like chiming bells. “In times of war certain punishments are often put on hold. After this battle, we can see them bound.” Crescent sat crosslegged on the floor and looked at the two men with her wide blue eyes.
Galba barely looked at Crescent as he acquiesced. “Perhaps you are right.”
“And that leaves the matter of what is to be done about this,” said the Magistrate. “We cannot have anger and rioting now. Any man spent on this is a man not helping us prepare. Stars help me if anyone gets hurt.”
Galba’s face was a mask of stone. “Either we ignore this and let it die down as we focus on more important matters, or we end it swiftly.”
The Magistrate inclined his head slightly. “Ignoring this isn’t an option.”
“No, I agree it isn’t.”
Valeria decided that it was time for her to enter. She couldn’t hide from this, not when she had a duty to Verdant. Slowly, she pushed open the door. Immediately three faces turned to her.
“So, what are we doing,” she asked.
Galba’s face was pulled in a taut smile as he looked at her. “Ah, Valeria, so kind of you to come to our aid.”
“Yes, well, we all care about the same thing. We need everything under control before the deer arrive. How- how bad is everything?” Valeria looked to the Magistrate with broken eyes.
“Some people have begun to riot, but only a few. I suspect that number will grow,” said the Magistrate. “We need to put a stop to this now, before the issue grows.”
The door Valeria had previously come from opened again. Malik stepped through, his skin bursting with smoldering red. The smell of smoke was upon him.
He looked at Galba and ignored everyone else. Within seconds Malik had cleared the room and stood face to face with the man. “Fervor has broken out. The people are scared. A few started ransacking Merc’s store. I put a stop to that, but I’m sure they’ll be back. None of this would have happened if we had told them in the first place.”
“Really, you think that? You see the people acting like this and your first thought is that we should have placed more faith in them?”
“Yes. So help me if anyone dies because of this their blood will be on your hands.”
“Malik, if the deer come people are going to die. I cannot bear the blood of all of them. But I promise you I will do everything in my power to save every life. I do not want anyone to die.”
“Fine, let us focus on what we can do for the people.”
“Yes, let us.” Frustration tinged the Magistrate’s voice.
Crescent spoke, from her seat on the ground. “Well, someone needs to go to the people and try to calm them down. It can’t be you, Magistrate—you’re the problematic authority figure. Malik is too standoffish, I’m not quite sure if he can play a crowd. I don’t think people like you, Galba. And, I’ve, sadly, never been good at talking to people.” Crescent turned to Valeria, as if expecting her to finish.
“You want me to speak with them,” Valeria said. Somehow, she had known it would come to this.
“It is not a bad idea,” Galba said.
Valeria looked outside a cracked window. The people had gathered outside of the Magistrate’s house. Anger marred their faces. She caught the hint of flames smoldering on a torch, and smoke gathered around someone’s hand.
“I should do it now… shouldn’t I? I should apologise to them.”
The Magistrate glanced at his bookshelf briefly. “I suppose now is the best time for it. Are you ready?”
“No. But I don’t see that changing.”
Summoning all the courage that she had gathered throughout the day, Valeria turned and left the room. Her feet carried her to the entrance, toward where people had gathered, towards her fate. She had been taught to be a leader. This, at least, was what she was supposed to do. If she were unable—
Valeria thrust open the double doors of the Magistrate’s house, feeling her nails sink into the hardwood.
The people were angry, but that was alright. They were restless and afraid. And they were as uncertain as she was.
“Hello, Verdant, I am sorry.”
Murmurs came from the crowd, and some fury. A few people told her that she had good reason to be sorry, and she knew she did.
But Valeria’s shoulders eased and her back straightened as she looked out over the crowd. There was no more time for fumbling or for hesitation. Whatever she was, she had to be it now. She spoke, and the words rose from within her like the first star came at nightfall.
“Friends, Family, Verdant. I stand before you now in humility. These past few weeks we have suffered more than should be our allotted portion. We have watched too many loved ones die. And the only reason that any of us are still left is because of the hard-won efforts of every single one of you here. We owe everything to all of you. And you owe everything to each other. I was chosen to speak to you in the hopes that some of you would know and trust my voice. Perhaps not many of you will listen, but it would mean the world to me if you did. I have spent long years in dedication to Verdant, and I promise that I will do everything in my power to keep it safe.
“Here is what I know and what some people were too afraid to tell you. We have word that more than two dozen deer are nearing the edge of Verdant. We do not know when they will arrive, or even if they will pass us by entirely. But we expect the worst to happen. We have people already prepping the palisades. I know that Verdant is strong, and that our people—that you are brave. We will weather this storm.
“We did not tell you because we were afraid of how you would react. We were afraid of our own people. But I know that we have nothing to worry about. I know that, even though we have not acted as we ought to have.
This is our failing and I take full responsibility.
“We will make announcements,” she said. “Clear ones. There will be watch rotations, evacuation plans for the northern quarter, and provisions set aside for those who need them. Anyone spreading false numbers or stirring violence will answer for it after this is done. Not before. After.”
Behind her, she felt it rather than saw it—the presence of the Magistrate at the doorway, Galba somewhere in the shadows, Malik’s heat like a brand at her back. They had given her this moment. Now she was spending it.
Valeria inclined her head to the crowd. “Go home. Check on your neighbors. Tomorrow we prepare—together.”
