“And if there is nothing else…” Asherzu let the sentence trail away hopefully; she was already inching her seat away from the table.
“Your pardons, honored one,” said Izek, shattering Asherzu’s hope of escape. “We wish to say that the new brokerage group is having… difficulty on the Wall.”
“Of what sort?” said Asherzu.
“We cannot make trades as quickly as the Lightlings do,” said Guglug. “There is always an excuse for extra paperwork.”
“And when we do trade, the prices never seem to be as good,” said Izek.
“It should not be so,” said Asherzu. “Our agreement with the kingdom says we are citizens, with all the rights and obligations of any Lightling.”
There was an uncomfortable silence around the table, of the sort one hears when everybody knows the answer and nobody wants to be the one to say it.
“It is true,” Asherzu insisted. “If the Lightlings on the Wall do not know it, we must make them see it.”
A couple of the assembled Shadowkin nodded weakly, but the chieftain could see the doubt in their eyes. More drastic action was necessary.
“You will see as well,” she told them. “I will go to the Wall with Izek and Guglug tomorrow, and we will make trades together. I will show you the path of the aggressive seller.”
“I hope that you are right, Lady,” said Guglug, doubt still evident in her frog-like eyes. “It is good that we have all the rights that can be written down. But I fear that even with the ink long dry, we Shadowkin are not treated the same.”
“Nonsense,” said Mother Maeven. “We do not treat Shadowkin differently than any of our other tenants.”
“I think you’ll find that our documents are quite explicit on the subject,” said Father Snade.
“Your Troll employee was not a factor in our decision to evict you,” said Father Gaul.
Poldo glared up at the three senior lawyer-monks, though it was hard to make them out in the dim light of their chamber. The room looked like the mad vision of what a crypt builder would do with an endless supply of books. Massive tomes lined every arched wall, filled each cubby in the gothic pillars, even rested in the sculpted hands of robed gargoyles and cherubs. Neat stacks of books covered the floor around the office at the center of the chamber. The senior lawyer-monks’ desk was set above the lone chair for clients that Poldo now occupied. The desk itself was a mahogany juggernaut, wide enough to give three lawyer-monks ample space, and surrounded by great drifts of scrolls and periodicals to the point that they seemed to be sailing amid a stormy sea of paper.
“I wonder what did lead to your decision, then,” Poldo said. “The rent has been paid on time, we are quiet and courteous, and no provision in our agreement has been broken. The only reason I can see to evict us is that Thane is my bodyguard.”
“Really?” said Father Gaul. “It never occurred to us.”
“And frankly, I think it is a bit small-minded of you to think that way,” added Mother Maeven.
Poldo took a deep breath, if only to stop his mustache from twitching. The lawyer-monks stared back at him impassively; at least, he thought of them as impassive. He couldn’t be sure, as their faces were entirely concealed by the long, crimson hoods draped over them, and most of their hunched bodies were obfuscated by enchanted quills, ledgers, contracts, and office supplies that swarmed around the lawyers like flies around cattle. “Nevertheless, it seems probable to me that our eviction is due to traveling with a Troll.”
“It is not,” said Father Gaul. Poldo suspected he was a Dwarf; he was wider than the other monks and hints of a long beard occasionally flashed in his dark cowl. “We explicitly said as much.”
“You’ll find it on clauses six, nineteen, and thirty-four of your eviction notice,” added Father Snade. “As well as clause one hundred fifteen of our Master Agreement.”
“Writing a statement down doesn’t make it true,” snapped Poldo.
“But it does make it agreed upon,” retorted Mother Maeven. Normally the sister spoke with a melodic cadence that suggested she was Elvish, but now there was nothing but iron in her voice. “And while the law cannot say what truth is, Mr. Poldo, it can be certain of that which has been negotiated and agreed to by all parties.”
“That statement does not reflect upon the truthfulness of the lawyer-monks of Adchul in negotiation or preparation of your documents,” chimed in a small voice from beside Poldo. The high disclaimer sat at a tiny desk near the guest seat, her hands neatly folded in front of her. “Philosophical remarks should not be taken as statements of position or intent.”
“Then tell me the reason,” said Poldo. “I’ve seen the way your brothers and sisters shy from Thane. If not for fear of him, then why evict us?”
“The nineteenth clause states that we may issue notice of eviction without submitting a reason,” said Father Snade.
“Which we are choosing to do,” said Mother Maeven.
“Ah, but the sixth clause says that you agree to treat us fairly,” said Poldo. “And you haven’t evicted any of the other tenants yet. You can say you are not acting against the Troll, but we are the only ones you are evicting without cause.”
“Who said we are acting without cause?” said Father Gaul. “Not giving a reason is not the same as not having one. Why, we might plan to convert your chamber into an apiary.”
“This does not represent a statement of intent nor a commitment to build an apiary,” chimed the high disclaimer.
“Perhaps we need the space for new brothers and sisters,” said Father Snade.
“This statement is hypothetical and does not reflect actual membership numbers at Adchul,” the high disclaimer trilled.
“Or maybe we wish to renovate the space into more offices,” supposed Mother Maeven.
“Building plans are confidential and cannot be disclosed,” added the high disclaimer.
“You know none of those things are true!” said Poldo.
“We know all of them are defensible,” said Father Gaul.
The high disclaimer sang out, “This is not an admission of knowledge related to the truthfulness of previous statements!”
“If you believe otherwise, we could always take this up in a court of your choosing,” Mother Maeven purred.
The lawyer-monks leaned in like jungle cats sighted on a small deer.
