Chapter 127: A House Divided (1/2)

Boston, early November 1861

“The battle of Bull Run, and other skirmishes in Missouri and Virginia, have overwhelmingly favored the Confederacy. We argue that their victory remains a distinct possibility, one that we should not dismiss out of hand. Thank you.”

The Warden of Missouri sits down, and Lord Kouakou stands up to provide an answer.

“The Warden of Louisiana has the floor,” Constantine says with a certain impatience.

“Thank you Speaker. We would offer a rebuke if the Warden of Missouri had made a point. We have yet to hear how a country split in two is to our advantage. Thank you.”

Lord Kouakou sits back down and I allow myself a minute smile. Each Warden has two opportunities to speak tonight in order to limit the risk of delay. With his answer, Kouakou both preserved his vote, and offered a scathing retort.

“Next, we shall hear the proposal of Yann, Warden of Virginia. You have the floor.”

A tall Lord with a hawkish nose and thinning hair stands up. His height almost equals that of Constantine’s himself. He smiles benevolently and speaks in a calm, reasonable voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow leaders. As the Speaker mentioned before, we come from very different backgrounds and traveled here pursuing different dreams. There are, however, values that bind us as vampires and as members of the Accords. Values that we all understand and support. One such value is to let mortals be mortals, provide a guiding hand, and appreciate their efforts and failures from a distance.

For decades now, the nation that we call the United States has existed as an uneasy marriage between two dominant cultures. The north favors progress, the south, tradition. The north favors industry and the south, agriculture. The north promotes equal opportunity while the south takes to their peculiar institution, as they named it themselves. Now, the fires of war have ignited, and the country has been torn asunder. Two peoples now stand where there was once one.”

Yann allows himself a condescending smile.

“No matter what Lincoln and members of this assembly believe, there will be no unity even if they win. Slavery and segregation are deeply ingrained in the culture of many of the southern states. No defeat, no matter how total, will strip away this legacy. Rather than force the abusive couple back together, would it not be preferable to allow them each to go their separate ways? To choose their path and see where it leads them? Beware, my friends, the cost of hubris, for to favor the Union is to force the hands of mortals when the wish of the many is to separate. My proposal will center on favoring the separation of the two antagonists in a way that minimizes damage. I have spoken.”

“Thank you, Lord Yann,” Constantine says as he stands up again, “does someone wish to offer a rebuttal?”

I raise my hand to the surprise of my own party. The fact is that I can provide an adequate answer to such a trite argument without much effort while the times of Kouakou and Sephare remain precious. The Union faction nods, and I am now in charge of providing an answer.

“History is an old thing, and like old things, it tends to repeat itself.”

The tiny jab is well-received.

“Five thousand years have passed since the kings of Sumer sent raiding bands to abduct captives to work their fields. Five millennia since the cities of Mesopotamia and elsewhere engaged in fractious disputes and intestine wars. If the mortals have not learned everything they could about secession and slavery since then, they never will. By supporting the Union, we are not putting two people back together who stand for different things. Our estimates are that less than one man in five owns slaves in the south, which means that four in five are somehow convinced that the practice benefits them despite all evidence to the contrary. What we are doing is severing the powerful hold that slave owners have over public opinion.”

Constantine and the others appreciate brevity. Deep inside, none of us will be swayed by words, as we are all creatures of conviction. What we are doing is, in fact, facing off for the sake of those among us still on the fence. If one party appears as too irrelevant or unconvincing, they will be seen as weak, and we abhor weakness. If the Union faction is to bring more people to its cause, we need to be perceived as competent and well-prepared. Such is the purpose of my argument, and that is why I must remain concise so as to not waste everyone’s time. This is not a lecture.

“To think that splitting countries will afford us more power is a mistake, for our reach in this government will simply shrink with said government.”

This is aimed at the people around Yann. The Confederacy has its capital in Richmond, where the Roland lord also made his seat. He has the most to gain from their continued existence. The others, however, do not. With this sentence, I cast a doubt on Yann’s true motivations by reminding everyone that he has his own selfish interest in the matter.

“More borders, more taxes, more regulations, a perpetual state of hostility and a rift that only widens with every year, this is what we will all have to contend with. I have spoken.”

I sit back down. Constantine lets another Warden speak up. This one is a Roland from Quebec and a secret ally of Sephare.

One thing that Sinead taught me is that the mind is an imperfect tool. For example, if one proposal is immediately dismissed as ridiculous, then the next one will appear as more attractive by comparison. Such biases also affect us vampires. We are, after all, made from human molds. Sephare and Yann know this, that is why Yann offered his proposal after the Warden of Missouri’s weak statement, and the Warden of Quebec will be used as a sacrificial tool to introduce Sephare’s own resolution. After a short speech on the possibility of neutrality, his opinion is quickly deemed as pointless by both larger factions. Sephare does not speak last. Kouakou does.

It surprises me a bit. The tall Ekon lord usually contents himself with letting the smooth Hasting handle diplomacy. I know, for participating, that they focus most of their efforts on their home fief of Louisiana, as well as the numerous requests for freedom they receive from their Supplicants.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Accords, thank you for hearing me tonight. I fear that the topic of our debate has drifted away from its true core. The war, the splitting of the land, even the peripheral questions such as state rights, they all are symptoms and effects of the true cause, and that true cause is that one person in eight in this country are colored slaves. Slavery, is the cause and heart of tonight’s meeting.”

A daring approach, and one that serves Kouakou well. Despite some posturing, our dealings are mostly cold and methodical, and yet tonight Kouakou speaks with a fire that I did not expect from one of us outside of battle.

“In the past year, I traveled to the north of my state to attend to some errand. I rode on horseback from New-Orleans to a plantation near the border of Arkansas. I rode alone. In that short period of time, I slew seven men who tried to rob me, and charmed more away from my path despite my burning desire to kill them. I am tired of it. Tired of the same requests to reunite a mother and their child, to take revenge against an overseer for the loss of a limb or that of a relative. I am tired of the perpetual institutional discrimination I must tolerate on my own land for the sake of peace. I want it to be clear when I say that there is no coming back.”

I resist the urge to turn to Sephare and gauge her reaction. This feels off-script. It would not help anyway, the wily Hasting would never betray her reaction.

“I cannot withdraw from mortal affairs when said mortal affairs prevent me from moving across my land. I cannot let the mortals experiment when said experimentation leads to the suffering of my followers. I am no cattle, and I am done pretending to be one. We now have one opportunity to bring to a close a conflict that has been delayed for decades. We can purge the wound clean and reunite the central nation of the Accords, or we can let it fester in endless warfare until every drop of blood drawn by a lash has been paid by one drawn by a sword, and by the Eye, either one will happen.”

Stupefied silence descends upon us. I never expected him to be so vehement! And… I like it. Finally, some politics I can get behind!

“I will now present a proposal for full support of the Union in their mission to reabsorb the south. We will offer both measures to allow war to come to a swift conclusion, as well as ways for our southern brethren to offset the losses incurred by the emancipation of their workforce. Please be advised that our ability to assist is limited, and so is my patience. I have spoken.”

Meaning that only the southern lords who vote with us will be compensated.

In the end, we are left with four proposals. Constantine calls the session in recess until we have had time to study them in detail. We all retreat back to our respective aisles of the manor, and pretend that it does not show the clear faction split. We take some time to read the printed documents until Sephare interrupts us as she struts into the room we have chosen as our gathering spot.

“Do not waste your time reading the ‘neutrality’ and ‘stalling’ proposals. They are not true factions, merely decoys. Ariane, please see Wilhelm while the rest of us plan. He has something for you.”

I barely had the time to get off my ship in time for the vote, so I have little idea what the man has in store for me. I stand up and leave Melusine to pore over Yann’s proposal. She did not need Sephare’s advice to understand that the two other texts were inconsequential.

I climb down the manor’s busy stairs to the steward’s office. The entire building is a hive of activity, with security present at every step. Vassals and guards alike step aside to let me through, and my travel time is short.

Wilhelm’s office is still earthy and cozy, with woods and earthy tones, but the mood is less welcoming now. An armor stand occupies the corner. Sheathed blades hang from several pegs on the wall. The man himself reviews a map on his desk, and casually invites me over to join him.

“We are mobilizing,” he informs me. Wilhelm has dirty blond hair in a tail and his beard looks wilder than usual. He is much more woodsman than butler.

“Most Masters and lords who have not left are now training in teams under the direction of a few battle lords and experienced fighters like Naminata. One of our three training grounds is in the state of Texas, in the Natalis compound. Lord Jarek just sent us word that he expects to be attacked. I need you to go there and support him during the evacuation.”

“We are not going to attack?”

Wilhelm sighs, his muscular frame making the gesture more visceral.

“We are not ready. You have never been in a vampire war?”

“Not yet.”

“Vampires are most effective when fighting in squad-sized groups, but the volunteer teams we have need to work their kinks out in order to be even remotely effective. We will not have the time to match the coordination of some of our foes, but even a month of training will make the difference between a bunch of fighters vaguely on the same side, and a functional raiding party. We do not have a month. The Europeans are moving in.”

“It feels rushed. Are you certain?”

“Yes, and they are right to do so. Lord Jarek wants to transport his retainers and the fighters he has trained north, by sea. The land route would not allow fledgelings and mortals to make it out in time. The old monster asked you by name.”

“I’ll have the Dalton’s Spirit depart immediately.”

“They can help with evacuation, but you must leave immediately. Vadim will help you travel to the compound. Can I count on you?”

“Yes.”

“Vadim will leave after the voting session. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Understood. I will be off then.”

I leave the office and make my way back to our shared office, only for Melusine to stop me by the entrance. I am still wearing a formal dress, but she is not. I recognize the armored suit I had made for her and enchanted myself, with an elaborate heart protector and an integrated focus in case she loses her usual gauntlet. I designed it from the top down to serve my faithful second. I even wrote ‘hussy’ on the inner plate of the heart protector before sealing it shut. Truly, it suits her.

“Hunting something?” I ask.

“I am coming with you. I have been cooped for too long doing politics. Even a Lancaster must sometimes partake in the king of all hunts, lest I forget the taste of my own blood.”

“The king of all hunts being other vampires.”

“Indeed. So, do you accept?”

I was not aware that I could refuse. Melusine is a City Master, and our agreement is clear.

“Of course. We only need to make sure that Vadim can transport the both of us.”

“He said that he could, because we both have blood-bound Nightmares. The strain will be lower on his mind.”

“Very well. After the vote.”

“After the vote.”

Times are grave. We did not even bicker.

The vote goes exactly as predicted. Every round, the proposal with the least votes is eliminated. Stalling is dismissed first, then the neutrality proposal goes next. Surprisingly, it received support from a few more people than I expected. Not enough to make a difference.

Only twenty-seven Wardens remain after last session’s warning. Seventeen vote for support of the Union, while ten vote for support of the Confederacy. Thanks to my and Sephare’s actions, a number of southern lords have joined our cause, including the twins. The opposite side is led by Yann, unsurprisingly, and a few Roland and Cadiz including that backstabbing prick, Lord Ceron. Suarez voted in favor of the Union, even though he has much to lose financially. His support split the Cadiz faction in two.

Another vote, and the stalemate remains.

To triumph, the Union faction needs a majority of two-thirds plus one, so nineteen votes. We are two short.

Constantine ends the session with the next planned in three days to allow both sides to conduct backroom negotiations. I fill the necessary paper to delegate the voting rights of Illinois to Sephare while I am absent. Melusine could have done it, but she is coming with me.

“You can depart in peace,” Sephare tells me, “I will work on the other side while you go rescue the big lug. Do keep him alive, please.”

“It might be difficult to convince Yann.”

“Not really. He already contacted me with an absolutely outrageous proposal. I refused, of course.”

“You did?” I ask with some surprise.