The House, Chapter 2—Assembly, Part 1

Chapter 2—Assembly, Part 1

Tayl looked past the dark glass spheres suspended from the intricate metal bands to the darkening sky beyond the Archives’ glass dome, six stories above.

He shouldn’t be here. And not only because he had had little choice in the matter, but also of where exactly the passage had taken him. The echowell in the Archives’ auditorium had been dormant for millennia. So long, in fact, that scholars during Amik’s time at the House had raised doubts it had ever been bound to the time tides. If anyone saw him here, not calling attention to himself would no longer be an option. He moved but barely made it halfway up the tiered bench seats when a figure passed the open door to the lobby, pulling a formal robe over her slate-blue trousers and high-neck top. The woman stopped and looked straight at him.

‘Why are you still here?’

That, Tayl thought, was a good question. A sentiment obviously shared by the woman.

‘The reading room is closed for the assembly tonight. Which is about to start, and you are not in uniform.’ She spoke in accented Anglaise, her wry undertone undermining the rebuke.

‘I am looking for the Admission.’

‘The Admission is closed.’ She fastened her collar, revealing the three copper rings marking her as the Head Archiva. ‘Which you must know—’ She stopped and took in his appearance. Tayl wore the anorak and travel boots he had worn when he and Eass had travelled to the Arc Forest. Both had seen better times.

‘Did you just arrive?’ She asked, suspicion replacing her playful tone.

‘Tayl Bergin.’ He bowed his head and added, ‘Archiva.’

The formal address earned him a weary smile. ‘Liran Martim. Where is your mentor?’

‘He is unable to attend.’

‘The assembly or your admission hearing?’

‘Both.’

Martim raised her brows, then asked, ‘Your mentor sent you to apply to the Admission Board without him? Today?’

An application to the Admission Board without a mentor was unusual, but not unheard of, and Tayl preferred Martim to focus on the when rather than the how or where of his sudden appearance.

When he said nothing, the Archiva added, ‘Remembrance Day?’

He shook his head.

‘You don’t know?’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘Who is your mentor?’

‘Marcus Amik.’ Tayl drew out Amik’s token and offered it to Martim.

Both Graphyn and Amik had mentored Tayl much as a House mentor would have, but while Graphyn had been exiled, the House would list Amik as retired. And Amik’s name, even after his decade-long absence, might still be remembered.

Martim shook her head. ‘Marcus Amik is dead.’

Tayl decided to stick to his story. Even if the House assumed Amik to be dead, it could have no proof.

‘Amik is too fragile to travel,’ Tayl said. ‘But he is very much alive.’

‘This is…’ Martim trailed off, tracing Amik’s signet on the token with her thumb.

She looked to be in her forties, young to hold one of the most prestigious positions at the House, and too young to have met Amik in person.

Her terminal pinged with an incoming message. She looked at the screen, then gave him a hard look. ‘We have to continue this conversation later. The assembly is about to open. Administrator Poul will be there, and I will talk to him. You can wait in the public gallery.’

Tayl was about to thank her, when she shook her head. ‘I am not making any promises. The Administrator is as likely to throw you out as to grant you a hearing.’ She gestured to the gate. ‘This way.’

The sky above Founder’s Square, the House’s central precinct, had darkened with the incoming nighttide, but Tayl could make out most of the buildings circling the wide open space. To their right sat the Lacier Faculty and the Old Chancellery. To their left, the Faculty of Technology and the engineering workshops, followed by the Administration. In front, the echowell pavilion, and half-hidden behind it, the Rath’s Hall on the far side of the square.

They had just joined the crowd heading towards the brightly lit Hall, when the group in front of them split to let through a woman coming from the opposite direction, everyone seemingly keen to get out of her way.

Martim muttered something about ‘the last thing she needed,’ then whispered to Tayl, ‘I find the best approach in dealing with the Auditor is to let her make her own assumptions. Talk as little as possible.’

She faced the woman with a polite smile, placing herself slightly in front of Tayl to block him from view.

‘Auditor Lasell.’

‘Martim.’ The word was laced with practised dismissal. ‘I must talk to Poul. Have you seen him?’

Lasell wore a stark, form-fitting suit of garnet red, a colour Tayl couldn’t match to a faculty.

‘The Senior Administrator—’ Martim’s tone made it clear that she didn’t appreciate the way Lasell had addressed her or referred to Poul ‘—is on his way to the assembly.’

‘This can’t wait. The disciplinary hearing for Attendant Tolman is scheduled for tomorrow?’

‘Yes, and—’

‘We need to reschedule. My office needs more time to make our case.’

‘Disciplinary hearings fall under the jurisdiction of the Administration—’

‘Poul’s office informed me that the Administrator has appointed you to represent Tolman in the panel?’

‘That is correct, and I am sure that the panel will address your concerns in the hearing. You must be expected at the—’

‘Why are you not in uniform?’ Lasell had spotted Tayl, and her lips curled with instant disapproval.

‘Applicant—’ Martim paused and Tayl added, ‘—Bergin.’ Martim seamlessly continued, ‘—arrived today.’

‘Why wasn’t I informed?’

‘It’s been a busy day, as you can imagine. I will send the paperwork to the Admission after the assembly.’

‘Why hasn’t his mentor presented the application?’

‘He is unable to travel—’

‘You can’t present an applicant to the Admission Board without a mentor.’

Martim leaned the slightest bit forward. She was a head taller than the Auditor, and even though there was nothing threatening in the gesture, Lasell stiffened.

‘I can and I will. Every protégé may request a hearing—’

‘—which the Admission will deny,’ Lasell interrupted.

But Martim continued, ‘—for the Admission to consider.’

Tayl felt as if he was part of a carefully arranged play to which no one had given him a script, nor did anyone seem to expect him to be anything more than a silent bystander—the only role he felt capable of playing.

‘So this is what?’ Lasell snapped. ‘One of your lost causes?’

A young man hurrying towards them spared Martim a response.

‘Auditor Lasell, my apologies, but you are expected at the assembly.’

Martim nodded to the newcomer. ‘Managing Assistant Amry. Auditor Lasell, we can—’

‘What about Tolman’s hearing?’ Lasell interrupted her again.

‘It will take place tomorrow.’

‘This is not acceptable.’

‘The Administration confirmed the date, but I will make sure your concerns are added to the record.’ Martim turned to Tayl. ‘We should go.’

She inclined her head to Lasell, then stepped around her.

Lasell looked ready to block her path, when Amry leaned forward and whispered something in her ear.

Martim took the opportunity to rejoin the throng of attendants and staff heading towards the Hall. Tayl followed her, casting a glance over his shoulder. Lasell was talking to Amry, her expression furious, but Amry wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were fixed on Tayl. His eyes narrowed as if trying to remember where he had seen him before.

The sky above Founder’s Square, the House’s central precinct, had darkened with the incoming nighttide, but Tayl could make out most of the buildings circling the wide open space. To their right sat the Lacier Faculty and the Old Chancellery. To their left, the Faculty of Technology and the engineering workshops, followed by the Administration. In front, the echowell pavilion, and half-hidden behind it, the Rath’s Hall on the far side of the square.

‘We’d better hurry.’

They had just joined the crowd heading towards the brightly lit Hall, when the group  in front of them split to let through a woman coming from the opposite direction, everyone seemingly keen to get out of her way.

Martim muttered something about ‘the last thing she needed,’ then whispered to Tayl, ‘I find the best approach in dealing with the Auditor is to let her make her own assumptions. Talk as little as possible.’ 

She faced the woman with a polite smile, placing herself slightly in front of Tayl to block him from view. 

‘Auditor Lasell.’ 

‘Martim.’ The word was laced with practised dismissal. ‘I must talk to Poul. Have you seen him?’ 

Lasell wore a stark, form-fitting suit of garnet red, a colour Tayl couldn’t match to a faculty.

‘The Senior Administrator—’ Martim’s tone made it clear that she didn’t appreciate the way Lasell had addressed her or referred to Poul ‘—is on his way to the assembly.’ 

‘This can’t wait. The disciplinary hearing for Attendant Tolman is scheduled for tomorrow?’ 

‘Yes, and—’

‘We need to reschedule. My office needs more time to make our case.’ 

‘Disciplinary hearings fall under the jurisdiction of the Administration—’

‘Poul’s office informed me that the Administrator has appointed you to represent Tolman in the panel?’

‘That is correct, and I am sure that the panel will address your concerns in the hearing. You must be expected at the—’ 

‘Why are you not in uniform?’ Lasell had spotted Tayl, and her lips curled with instant disapproval.

‘Applicant—’ The Archiva paused and Tayl added, ‘—Bergin.’ Martim seamlessly continued, ‘—arrived today.’

‘Why wasn’t I informed?’ 

‘It’s been a busy day, as you can imagine. I will send the paperwork to the Admission after the assembly.’

‘Why hasn’t his mentor presented the application?’

‘He is unable to travel—’

‘You can’t present an applicant to the Admission Board without a mentor.’

Martim leaned the slightest bit forward. The Archiva was a head taller than the Auditor, and even though there was nothing threatening in the gesture, Lasell stiffened. 

‘I can and I will. Every protégé may request a hearing—’ 

‘—which the Admission will deny,’ the Auditor interrupted.  

But Martim continued, ‘—for the Admission to consider.’ 

Tayl felt as if he was part of a carefully arranged play to which no one had given him a script, nor did anyone seem to expect him to be anything more than a silent bystander, which was as much as he could muster. 

‘So this is what?’ Lasell snapped. ‘One of your lost causes?’

The young man hurrying towards them spared Martim a response.

‘Auditor Lasell, my apologies, but you are expected at the assembly.’ 

Martim nodded to the newcomer. ‘Managing Assistant Amry. Auditor Lasell, we can—’

‘What about Tolman’s hearing?’ Lasell interrupted her again.

‘It will take place tomorrow.’

‘This is not acceptable.’

‘The Administration confirmed the date, but I will make sure your concerns are added to the record.’ Martim turned to Tayl. ‘We should go.’ 

She inclined her head to Lasell, then stepped around her. 

Lasell looked ready to block her path, when Amry leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. 

Martim took the opportunity to rejoin the throng of attendants and staff heading towards the Hall. Tayl followed her, casting a glance over his shoulder. Lasell was talking to Amry, her expression furious, but Amry wasn’t looking at her. Martim took the opportunity to rejoin the throng of attendants and staff heading towards the Hall. Tayl followed her, casting a glance over his shoulder. Lasell was talking to Amry, her expression furious, but Amry wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were fixed on Tayl as if trying to remember where he had seen him before.

Martim steered them to one side of the dense crowd blocking the access to the Rath’s main gate. Above their heads, the pale stone of the hall’s colonnade gleamed against the darkening sky. The tall pillars supported the famous dome, its copper alloy cladding and circling spires glowing in the last light.

‘I would apologise for the Auditor,’ Martim said. ‘But apologising for Lasell is as pointless as talking to her. However, she gave me an idea.’

She led Tayl up the stairs to the peristyle, and down a covered walkway to a side entrance. Inside, they walked past the doors to the main floor and took the staircase to the public galleries. The first landing led them onto a wide balcony. It provided ample space for the public to observe regular Rath sessions, but an assembly meant there was standing room only.

While Martim leaned over the railing, scanning the two upper galleries, clearly looking for somebody, Tayl took in the Rath’s main floor. Rows of benches curved around a central dais where a dozen seats were arranged to either side of a lectern. Most places had been taken, but a few people still stood in groups, talking in hushed voices.

Martim must have spotted who she was looking for. She turned to Tayl. ‘We’ll have to climb to the top balcony. I would like you to meet someone who can keep you company during this farce.’

They returned to the staircase. They passed only a few people as they ascended, and the narrow top gallery was almost empty.

‘Attendant Tolman, I had hoped to find you here.’

The young man thus addressed turned and raised an eyebrow. ‘You told me to keep a low profile.’

‘I did, but I wasn’t expecting you to listen.’ She gestured to Tayl. ‘This is Applicant Bergin. He arrived today and already drew the ire of the Auditor. You two will get along splendidly and shall keep each other company.’ She turned to Tayl before Tolman could get a word in and added, ‘I have to take my seat. Please remain with Attendant Tolman until I return.’

And with that, she was gone.

‘Is Lasell now waylaying new applicants?’

Attendant Tolman was about his age and wore the dark grey trousers and tunic most of the older attendants seemed to wear.

Tayl shook his head. ‘We ran into the Auditor on the way to the Hall.’

Tolman nodded and held out a hand. ‘I’m Em.’

It took Tayl a second to remember that the gesture was part of a greeting. He shook the offered hand and added. ‘Tayl.’

‘You arrived today?’

Tayl nodded. His encounter with Lasell had proven how much he didn’t know about the House. Martim had been surprised when he hadn’t been aware of the assembly or what Remembrance Day meant. ‘The Archiva and the Auditor didn’t seem to like each other?’

Em snorted. ‘All the senior faculty staff hate her.’ He gestured to the people assembling in the Hall. ‘She wouldn’t even be here without all this.’

‘Why?’

Em raised an eyebrow. ‘You are kidding, right? How can you not know?’

‘I have been shipwrecked on an island.’

‘News of a breach at the House killing more than a hundred people would have reached every island with an Entrelacier on it.’

A breach of that magnitude would explain the tension Tayl had felt since he arrived. ‘When did it happen?’

‘Five years ago. When did you last have contact?’

‘Fourteen years.’

‘That is a long time to be cut off.’

Tayl shrugged, deciding to change the topic. ‘Why are you up here?’

‘The amazing view.’

The view was not why Em was here, but it was amazing. It not only allowed them to observe the assembly, but the glass panels in the facade between the upper colonnade and the dome offered views across the Founders Square and the sprawling faculty buildings beyond.

On the main floor, Martim talked to an older man leaning on a cane. His sage-grey robe identified him as a member of the Administration. 

‘Senior Administrator Adrin Poul.’ Em had followed Tayl’s gaze. ‘He speaks for the Administration.’

Tayl took in the gathering’s size. 

‘Are assemblies mandatory?’ 

Em nodded. ‘Even for suspended attendants without privileges.’ He put a hand on his chest and bowed. ‘But from up here you can slip away without being noticed.’ Em leaned over the railing. ‘And if I am really lucky, I might be able to spit on Lasell’s head while she drones on about the lives we lost and the cowardly attack and this once-great institution…’ Em trailed off, bitterness seeping into his words. 

On the floor, a third person joined Martim and Poul, clad in Lacier Faculty’s dark sepia.  

‘I wasn’t here at the time,’ Em continued. ‘But my mentor told me that the days after the breach were pure chaos. People left, including senior staff. Poul and Soreman—’ he pointed to the woman now talking to Poul and Martim ‘—organised the emergency response with then-Rath Speaker Anar, while he saw his chance to gain political influence.’ Em pointed to a broad man clad in pale grey standing with his back to the dais, and holding his hands behind his back.

‘Augustine Trent. Chair of the RISE board. He wants a seat on that dais and he will stop at nothing to get there. It was his idea to call for an independent inquest.’ Em’s emphasis made it clear that he thought the inquest had been anything but independent.

He gestured to where Lasell had joined Trent. ‘The inquest installed an auditor to provide’—Em drew air quotes—‘much-needed oversight.’

Lasell and Trent exchanged a few words, then both took a seat on the front bench. Martim looked up at Tayl and Em, then nodded to Poul and Soreman before stepping off the dais.

‘Speaker Anar left before the vote,’ Em continued. ‘Nobody knows why. She wasn’t the type to throw in the towel. Now no one can get the required votes to replace her.’

‘The Rath is without a Speaker?’ Tayl asked.

Em nodded. The position of the Rath Speaker had replaced the Chancellor centuries ago, after the House had rejected the idea of too much power in the hands of one person. The Speakers were voted in by the Rath and could be replaced by a majority in a non-confidence vote.

A bell rang, calling the assembly to order. The few people still standing took their seats. The bell rang again. Poul stood and took to the lectern, asking for a moment of silence to honour the lives lost. The audience obliged but stirred when the bell rang again two minutes later and Auditor Lasell took to the lectern.

She gave a curt nod to Poul, then launched into a speech with the attitude of a diver not planning to resurface for breath any time soon.

‘I am honoured to lead this assembly. Today, the House remembers the lives we lost this day five years ago in a cowardly attack that was supposed to bring down this once-great institution…’

Em pushed away from the railing. ‘I can’t listen to this.’

‘I know the feeling,’ Martim said from behind them. ‘Luckily for you, Poul suggested you take Applicant Bergin to the Apartments, and I agree—the sooner we get both of you out of Lasell’s sight, the better.’

‘The Apartments?’ Em asked.

Martim nodded. ‘You have been hiding there for years, and Applicant Bergin does not seem the type to squirm at … vintage-style accommodation.’

‘Applicant?’ Tayl asked.

The Martim gave a brief smile. ‘The Admission will hear your case tomorrow. Now go. Both of you.’

—

---