“You are still telling me nothing.”
“Have you no eyes? The false object dangled on a thong around Yaa-Yimpe’s neck — at the horizontal. The true Perciplex holds itself forever upright, so that its sacred text may never be misread. Hache-Moncour paid no heed, and I am grateful for his vulgar haste. So now, what have you to say?”
“I must give the matter thought.”
“Two questions remain. First: who has the Perciplex, you or Sarsem? Second: how will you and Sarsem be at once rewarded for your services and punished for your faithlessness?”
“The former far outweigh the latter, at least in my case,” said Osherl. “As for Sarsem, who was so adroitly gulled by Hache-Moncour, I will make no recommendations.”
“And the Perciplex?”
“Ah! That is a delicate subject, which I am not free to discuss before unauthorized ears.”
“What?” cried Rhialto in outrage. “You include me in this category, when Ildefonse specifically placed you under my orders?”
“Subject to the limits of common sense.”
“Very well! We will lay the facts before Ildefonse at Boumergarth, and I hope that I may restrain all prejudice in my report. Still, I must take note of your sullen obduracy, which can only add aeons to your indenture.”
Osherl blinked and winced. “Is it truly so important? Well then, I can offer a hint. Hache-Moncour and Sarsem devised the plan as a joke. I instantly pointed out the serious nature of this matter, and gave Yaa-Yimpe a false crystal.” Osherl uttered a nervous laugh. “Sarsem of course retained possession of the true Perciplex, and his guilt far outweighs mine.”
At the pavilion Shalukhe the Swimmer jumped to her feet. “I hear a great tumult from the village … It sounds like men shouting in rage, and it seems to be growing louder.”
Rhialto listened. “I expect that Hache-Moncour’s gold zikkos have become bull-frogs or acorns, or perhaps my payments to Um-Foad have altered prematurely … In any event, it is time we were moving on. Osherl, we will now return to Boumergarth, at a time one minute subsequent to our departure.”
16
In response to Ildefonse’s urgent summons, the magicians assembled in the Great Hall at Boumergarth. Only Rhialto appeared to be absent from the conclave, but no one mentioned his name.
Ildefonse sat silently in his massive chair behind the podium, head bowed so that his yellow beard rested on his folded arms. The other magicians conversed in subdued voices, glancing from time to time toward Ildefonse and discussing the purported purpose of the meeting.
The moments passed, one by one, and still Ildefonse sat in silence. Other small conversations around the room gradually quieted, and all sat looking towards Ildefonse wondering at his reason for delay … At last Ildefonse, perhaps at the receipt of a signal, stirred himself and spoke, in a voice of gravity.
“Noble magicians: the occasion today is momentous! In full panoply of reason and wisdom we must consider issues of importance.
“Our business is unusual, even unprecedented. To forestall any intrusions, I have arranged a web of impermeability around Boumergarth. There is a consequential inconvenience, to the effect that, while no one can enter to disturb us, neither can anyone depart, neither forward nor backward, nor thither nor yon.”
Hurtiancz, with his usual asperity, called out: “Why these unique precautions? I am not one for stays and restrictions; I must inquire the reason why I should be thus pent!”
“I have already explained my motives,” said Ildefonse. “In short, I wish neither entries nor exits during our discussions.”
“Proceed,” said Hurtiancz in clipped tones. “I will restrain my impatience as best I can.”
“To establish a basis for my remarks, I advert to the authority of Phandaal, the Grand Master of our art. His admonitions are stern and direct, and form the theoretical background to the protocol by which we rule our conduct. Here, naturally, I refer to the Blue Principles.”
Hache-Moncour called out: “Truly, Ildefonse, your periods, while resonant, are somewhat protracted. I suggest that you get on with the business of the day. I believe you mentioned that new discoveries compel a redistribution of Rhialto’s properties. May I ask, then, what new articles have appeared, and what may be their quality?”
“You anticipate me!” rumbled Ildefonse. “Still, since the subject has been broached, I trust that everyone has brought with him the full tally of those effects awarded him and distributed after Rhialto’s trial? Has everyone done so? No? In all candour, I expected not much else … Well then — where was I? I believe that I had just paid my respects to Phandaal.”
“True,” said Hache-Moncour. “Now, describe the new findings, if you will. Where, for instance, were they secreted?”
Ildefonse held up his hand. “Patience, Hache-Moncour! Do you recall the chain of events which stemmed from the impulsive conduct of Hurtiancz at Falu? He tore Rhialto’s copy of the Blue Principles, thus prompting Rhialto to take legal action.”
“I recall the situation perfectly: a tempest in a tea-pot, or so it seems to me.”
A tall figure wearing black trousers, a loose black blouse and a loose black cap pulled low, moved forward from the shadows. “It does not seem so to me,” said the man in black and moved back into the shadows.
Ildefonse paid him no heed. “If only from a theoretical point of view, this case absorbs our interest. Rhialto was the plaintiff; the group now assembled are the defendants. As Rhialto stated his case, the issues were simple. The Blue, so he claimed, declared that any purposeful alteration or destruction of the Monstrament or obvious and ostensible copy thereof, constituted a crime, punishable at minimum by a fine equal to three times the value of any wrongful losses sustained; at maximum, total confiscation. Such was Rhialto’s contention, and he brought forward the torn copy both as evidence of the crime and as his documentation of the law itself.
“The defendants, led by Hache-Moncour, Hurtiancz, Gilgad and others, decried the charges as not only artificial but also a wrongful act in themselves. Rhialto’s action, so they claim, formed the substance of a counteraction. To support this position, Hache-Moncour and the others took us to Fader’s Waft, where we examined the Monstrament there projected, and where Hache-Moncour asserted, and now I paraphrase, that any attempt to present a damaged, mutilated or purposefully altered copy of the Monstrament is in itself a crime of major consequence.
“Hache-Moncour and his group argue, therefore, that in presenting the damaged copy of the Blue as evidence, Rhialto committed a crime which must be adjudicated even before his own charges can be considered. They argue that Rhialto is clearly guilty, and that not only are his charges moot, but that the only real issue becomes the degree of Rhialto’s punishment.”
Ildefonse here paused and looked from face to face. “Have I fairly stated the case?”
“Quite so,” said Gilgad. “I doubt if you will find dissent anywhere. Rhialto has long been a thorn in our side.”
Vermoulian spoke. “I do not favor Forlorn Encystment6 for Rhialto; I say, let him live out his days as a salamander, or a Gangue River lizard.”
Ildefonse cleared his throat. “Before passing sentence — or, for that matter, before arriving at a judgment — there are certain odd facts to be considered. First of all, let me ask this question: how many here have consulted their own copies of the Blue Principles in connection with this case? … What? No one?”
Dulce-Lolo gave a light laugh. “It is hardly necessary; am I not right? After all, we made that chilly and inconvenient visit to Fader’s Waft for that very purpose.”
“Just so,” said Ildefonse. “Peculiarly, my recollection of the passage accorded with Rhialto’s torn copy, rather than that at Fader’s Waft.”
“The mind plays peculiar tricks,” said Hache-Moncour. “Now then, Ildefonse, in order to accelerate a possibly tedious —”
“In a moment,” said Ildefonse. “First, let me add that I referred to my personal copy of the Blue, and discovered that the text duplicated that placed in evidence by Rhialto.”
The room became silent, with the stillness of bewilderment. Then Hurtiancz made a vehement gesture. “Bah! Why ensnare ourselves in subtleties? Rhialto irrefutably committed the crime, as defined by the Perciplex. What more is there to be said?”
“Only this! As our esteemed colleague Hache-Moncour has pointed out, the mind plays strange tricks. Is it possible that the other night we were all victims of mass hallucination? If you recall, we found the projection unaccountably turned upside-down, which had a very confusing effect, certainly upon me.”
Once more the figure in black stepped forward from the shadows. “Most especially when the Perciplex will not allow itself to be altered from the upright position, for fear of just such a consequence.”
The dark shape returned to the shadows, and as before both he and his words were ignored as if non-existent.
Hache-Moncour said weightily: “Could this entire group, all keen observers, have witnessed the same hallucination? I tend to scout such a possibility.”
“I also!” cried Hurtiancz. “I have never hallucinated!”
Ildefonse said: “Nevertheless, in my capacity as Preceptor, I hereby rule that we now transfer ourselves into my whirlaway, which is also enwebbed to protect us from nuisance, and visit Fader’s Waft, so that we may settle the matter once and for all.”
“As you like,” said Dulce-Lolo peevishly. “But why this elaborate system of webs and screens? If no one can molest us, neither can any of us go off about his business should, for instance, a sudden emergency develop at his manse.”
“True,” said Ildefonse. “Precisely so. This way then, if you please.”
Only the man in black who sat in the shadows remained behind.
