The Emperor's Speech

"You need to leave! You need to leave right now."

The inn owner was shaking, one hand on his hip, the other pointing at the door. He had entered their room without knocking again, startling Eden and Anya out of a sound sleep.

"Why?" Eden managed to ask.

"Why? Why?" The dwarf took an exasperated breath. "You're trouble. All of you. You're all trouble. Scrapers and drifters. I should've never taken you in."

"But we paid until the end of the week," Anya said, sitting up in her bed.

"I don't care. You need to go. They just announced the emperor is giving a speech today. And I already know what he's going to say. They'll be arresting the whole lot of you, sending you to the dungeons. Anyone connected to you will be in trouble. That would be me! No, no, you have to go." He took a breath. "All I ever wanted was a nice, quiet inn. For nice dwarves. And instead, I get dirty folk like you. Nothing but trouble."

"Then what's with the human-sized rooms?" Anya growled.

Eden shot her a warning look.

The dwarf stared at her for a long moment before finding his voice again, his face turning red. "You arrogant little — "

"What if we pay you two canars," Eden interrupted, "and you let us stay until the end of the week?"

The dwarf eyed Eden.

"It's a big city," Eden added. "I'm sure the soldiers won't be here that soon."

"Three canars. Until the end of the week — and not a moment longer!" the dwarf barked. He marched out, slamming the door behind him.

Anya stared after him. "Three canars? For four days? That's crazy. Do you know how long I have to work for that?"

"Still better than the slums," Eden said. "Do you think we should go to see the emperor speak?"

Anya shuddered at the idea. Empire Plaza. She had not visited since the riot, since Richard…

She felt anxiety rise, trying to take her power, trying to defeat her will to live. She pushed it back down. She would not cower in fear, would not let the innkeeper win. Would not let any of them win. She would face them all straight on. The way she always had.

"Definitely," she said. "They killed Richard. And we're about to be homeless. I want to know what I'm being accused of."

They left the inn and navigated through the city to the square. An enormous crowd had already assembled, filling the place tightly. Sprinkles of red uniforms flared everywhere, intermixed with the crowd. Eden and Anya squeezed themselves into the back, off on one side. Close enough to see the balcony, far enough to quickly disappear into a dark alley if necessary.

Anya glanced around. How different the square looked. The remnants from the riots had disappeared, the mosaic sparkling as brightly as ever, the bloodstains scrubbed away. Tall red banners hung from every wall, the rune for One on each.

"I saw Faras over there," she said, pointing.

Eden opened his mouth to reply, but just then the crowd cheered. The emperor had entered the balcony, flanked by two generals.

"Is that…?"

"Lord General Ashmace and General Thoar," Eden confirmed with a whisper.

"He was at the riot," Anya said. So that was who they had to thank for all their problems.

The applause went on until the emperor raised his hand. A hush fell over the plaza.

"Citizens of the empire," Emperor Doens called, his voice echoing across the square. "Thank you for coming."

Another wave of cheers. He again raised a hand for silence.

"For a long time, the main threat to our existence has come from the flying menaces beyond our border. However, today that threat has a new ally. You have heard of the violent uprising against me, you, and our way of life. Subversive criminals who want to change everything we hold dear and who are not afraid to hurt the innocent in the process. If you thought they were just a weak minority, you are wrong. If you thought them to be only worthless drifters, you are wrong. If you thought they could not harm you, you are wrong.

"Their audacity knows no limits. Not only do they fight us in the open, but they also sabotage our city from the shadows. Last week, the cowards destroyed several harvest silos. As a result, food will be scarce for the next few months."

An angry murmur crossed the plaza.

"They want to make us suffer," the emperor continued. "They want to divide us. But we are the children of the empire. Our ancestors bled to create this world." His voice rose. "These traitors will discover that they will never break us, that they cannot break the iron bonds that forged the One Empire!"

"One Empire!" the crowd screamed.

"Now it is up to you, citizens. The criminals hide in our midst. They could be anyone. Look around. Your neighbors might be sympathizers, sheltering radicals in their homes. Or worse, they might be one of them."

The emperor paused, and the dwarves shifted uncomfortably, sizing up the people next to them.

"The last two weeks," the emperor went on, "have shown us the real face of the enemy. Don't doubt their intentions. They hide behind ideological nonsense and far-fetched proclamations, created to confuse you, to convince you that they care about you. But they don't. They stand against the empire and will not rest until they have destroyed our civilization, our culture."

The crowd hissed in anger.

"The imperial cabinet has granted the Internal Security Service additional powers to combat this threat. Make no mistake, these traitors will be dealt with. Swiftly."

Approval rang through the plaza.

The emperor stepped back, turned, and addressed one of his generals. "Lord General Ashmace, if you would like to give an overview of the new laws."

Ashmace stepped to the edge of the balcony, wearing his blue ethersteel armor.

"Citizens of the empire," he cried. "These are difficult times for us. Beyond our borders is a foe whose only goal is our destruction. And worse, we are no longer safe within our own mountains, within the confines of this city. To protect ourselves, the following orders will go into effect immediately.

"First, a curfew is in place throughout the blue hours for all non-military citizens. Violators will be questioned and either fined or detained.

"Second, all non-dwarven refugees must register with the Internal Security Service. They'll be issued special neighborhood access passes. Anyone found without these papers or outside of their permitted neighborhoods will be arrested immediately. As part of the registration, their employment will be reviewed. If the position is suitable for a dwarf, the refugee will no longer be permitted to work in that role. Businesses that employ non-dwarves have to display the rune H on their door."

Applause erupted from the crowd.

Anya saw Eden pale. He likely would have been fired anyway. Roubin and Anya had served their last shift, too. The Chiseled Forge surely could not afford to be a marked business. She balled her hands into fists, her knuckles whitening as Ashmace continued.

"Third, anyone associated with the instigators will be arrested for high treason without trial."

"Traitors!" a dwarf shouted.

"Remember Dyiundur!" the crowd responded, their agitation palpable.

Anya eyed the dwarves nearby, grabbing Eden's hand. "Just like the innkeeper," she whispered. Eden squeezed back in acknowledgment. This exceeded even their worst expectations.

Ashmace raised his voice. "Finally, the Internal Security Service is offering substantial rewards for information leading to the arrest of violators of these laws. Details on how to submit reports will be posted on the bulletin boards shortly."

He took a step back and nodded to the emperor, who took front and center once more.

"My fellow citizens," he said, "the next few months will be difficult. But we will prevail. This empire will not bend. It can never break!"

"One Empire!" someone shouted, and soon the whole square echoed with the cry.

Eden squeezed Anya's hand. "Let's get out of here."