Return Of The Fontalo
by Linda Rigsbee
Chapter 3
Two months after the celebration, Donte received the kind of communication he had been expecting from Lochfowk. Chait’s attitude during the celebration had indicated that he gave greater importance to his position as president than that of the colonists. Donte read the message from Chait again:
"Today the colonists gave me an ultimatum – resign my position as president or be forcefully removed. They no longer listen to me or the council. They want all the Mascots removed and replaced with colonists. I’m concerned that if this happens, our colony will collapse in violence. They will listen to you, Donte. Would you talk to them?"
There was a legitimate process the colonists could use to remove Chait. It sounded like they didn’t think that process was going to work – or they simply wanted to scare him into doing what they elected him to do. Either way it could wind up being a dangerous situation for Chait – and ultimately Donica.
Donte had warned Chait of this possibility when he replaced the council with only Mascots. Donte had informed Bergen and its sub-colonies of The Prophesy, but Chait thought it would be best to keep it secret. No doubt he held Donte responsible for this situation. It was one of the things Donte didn’t like about Chait. He rarely accepted responsibility for his actions. When things went wrong, he always had someone else to blame. When things went according to plan, he accepted all the credit.
Donte would help Chait, and not simply because Chait’s mate was his sister. He would do it because any unrest in Lochfowk would affect the other colonies. Chait was right. The Lochfowk colonists would listen to the ruler of Bergen. Those who believed in The Prophesy would stand behind him for that reason alone, but there were people who believed in equality between colonists and Mascots. As Chait very well knew; Donte had enemies as well.
Donte took the message when he left his office. He found Rianne in the kitchen and handed her the message. She read it and looked up at him.
“Are you going?”
“I don’t see how I can turn it down. Would you like to go with me?”
For a moment he saw hope in her eyes, but she quickly turned away. “I’d only be in the way.”
He stepped behind her, putting his arms around her waist. He drew her back against his chest and kissed her neck. “We could leave Petra and Andras with Saskia. It’s been a long time since we traveled together alone.” His lips felt the pulse in her neck quicken.
“Saskia might not want to watch them.”
“If she says yes, will you go with me?”
She was quiet a moment. “Would it be dangerous…for you?”
“I doubt it, but you never know. I could trip stepping off the tram and break my neck.”
She looked up at him, a glint of humor in her eyes. “I doubt you’ve ever tripped in your life.”
He laughed. “I assure you; I have.” He sobered. “It would give you the opportunity to visit with Donica.”
She smiled. “Donte. I thought you said we were going to be alone.”
He drew back and looked at her hopefully. “Is that a yes?”
She sighed. “It might be the last time we can be together. I’d like to spend some time alone with you.”
He couldn’t say he liked her reasoning, but if it convinced her to go, he wasn’t going to say anything. Not that it would do any good to argue the matter.
When they presented their plans to Saskia, she thought it was a great idea and would be good for both of them. Petra and Andras weren’t happy about the situation, but with a little encouragement from Saskia, they accepted it.
Donte and Rianne packed a few clothes that night and they took the tram to Libertad the next morning. From there, they took the tram to Cuna. They spent the first night in Cuna. It was the only time they had been there alone and the first time they had been there since the assassination attempt over three years ago. It was a romantic evening other than that thought.
They had dressed in casual clothing for the trip and attracted very little attention when they ate in the dining area. Rianne wanted to pretend that it was their first night together. He didn’t know what that was all about, but had to agree it made their stay exciting and enjoyable. Rianne could be exciting enough without playing games. He had to admit that, for that night, it was as if nothing was hanging over their heads.
The next morning Donte dressed in his uniform. He wasn’t sure what the day would bring, but whatever happened, he wanted to do it as the ruler of Bergen, not the brother of Chait’s mate.
When they went down to the dining room for their morning meal, they attracted a lot of attention. It was hard to sneak a kiss or hold hands. The game was over and Rianne was back to her reserved self. He was ready to go back upstairs and change clothes, but it was too late. The spell had been broken.
They caught the morning tram and arrived in the main colony of Lochfowk a little after noon. The village was as quiet as he had ever seen it and they soon discovered why. There was a meeting in the community building and Chait was in trouble. Donte left Rianne with Donica and walked to the building.
When Donte entered the building, the crowd was near mob mentality. Chait stood on a large elevated platform at the back of the building. Probably the only thing that had saved him up to this point was that the platform was taller than most of the men. If something wasn’t done soon, they might physically harm Chait. That fact wasn’t missed by Chait. His face was pale and he was obviously frightened, but he wasn’t backing down.
As Donte walked across the side of the room, heading for the platform, he heard his name called several times. He lifted a hand in acknowledgement to several smiling faces, but continued to the platform. He walked across the platform and stood beside Chait.
Chait looked at him, his expression anxious.
Donte gave him an encouraging smile. “They’re a little worked up. What’s going on?”
Chait frowned. “They’re ready to kick me out of office without a vote.”
Donte nodded. “May I talk to them?”
Chait stepped back. “I wish someone would.”
Donte stepped forward and turned to the crowd. “Could I speak to you for a few minutes?”
Slowly the muttering stopped and they all waited for Donte to speak. Donte let his attention drift over the room, making eye contact here and there. Finally, he spoke.”
“I thought Lochfowk was a democracy.”
“It used to be,” someone yelled. “Now we have a self-appointed king.”
Donte looked at the man, but spoke to all of them. “You cannot return it to a democracy by mob law. You have his attention. Now is the time to settle down and do this in an orderly and appropriate fashion.”
One of the men lifted a fist. “We’ll handle this our way, without interference from Bergen and its royal Mascot.”
Several people yelled an objection to the insult, but the man continued to glare at Donte. “Why don’t you come down here and we’ll settle this right now?”
Donte lifted his brows. “You mean you and me?”
The man was a good head shorter than Donte and slight of build, but he was angry. He stepped away from the crowd, confronting Donte. “If you think you’re man enough to whip me, come down here and try.”
Donte didn’t want to fight. He wanted to talk. That’s what the man was counting on. Everyone was watching, waiting to see how he would react. Normally, Donte would have ignored the man or assigned someone to remove him from the premises, but this wasn’t his colony and he had no one he could count on to back him. The man had personally confronted him and the others were waiting to see what he would do. The man was no threat to Donte and he had an idea if he accepted the invitation, the other man would back down. Still, it wasn’t his reputation in the balance right now. If he gave any sign of weakness, Chait might be the one to suffer.
Donte casually walked across the platform until he reached a place where he had enough bare floor to maneuver without putting anyone else in danger. At that point, he leaped from the platform and hit the floor, barely pausing before he started toward the man. His sudden and unexpected reaction caused the man to turn and run from him. Donte didn’t chase him. There was no need. Having backed down in front of everyone, the man wasn’t likely to bother them any more. Donte returned to the platform as if nothing had happened.
Chait stared at him as if he were part animal. It always shocked people when he leaped like that. He had been counting on that fact in this situation. It had intimidated the heckler and caught the full attention of the crowd. He turned to the crowd.
“If I could get you all to humor me a few minutes, I think we could get this gathering organized so that we can accomplish something.”
He turned to Mai and asked if she could get six tablets and something to write with. She nodded and left the room.
Chait watched him, clearly not certain what to say. Wisely, he said nothing. Donte turned back to the crowd.
“Could I get you to separate with roughly half of you on one side of the room and half on the other side?” They looked at each other and did as he asked.
Donte smiled. “Now, if each of those halves would separate into thirds….” They did, their expressions indicating good natured curiosity.
“As soon as Mai gets back with the tablets and pencils, I’m going to give one to each of the groups. I want you to write down six things that you would like to see changed. You can talk among yourselves right now and give it some consideration while we wait for the tablets.”
The groups talked among themselves and when Mai returned with six tablets, Donte thanked her and climbed down to the floor. He handed each group a tablet and pencil. There was no point in telling them how to organize their group. The idea was to help them feel like they had some control. He returned to the platform, giving them privacy to work.
Chait frowned at him. “What’s that all about? I make the decisions not them – or you.”
Donte looked Chait in the eye. “You asked for my help. Surely you didn’t think I was going to order them to obey you.”
Chait looked surprised. “I didn’t expect you to side with them, either.”
Donte shook his head. “Chait, are you ever going to learn that it isn’t you against them? It can only work when it is we. They elected you to represent them. This isn’t a monarchy. Either you represent them or they have every right to toss you out. You can’t represent people if you won’t let them speak.”
Chait scowled at him. “I know that.” He stared at the groups, obviously giving it some thought.
When the groups were done with their lists, Donte asked them to prioritize each item on the list. They looked at each other and shrugged.
As the groups handed Donte their tablets, he laid them on a table, side-by-side, examining and comparing each of them. Chait watched him; his expression still anxious.
When all six tablets had been turned in, Donte motioned to Chait. “Look at this.”
Chait reluctantly walked over to the table and looked at the tablets.
Donte pointed at the lists. “Every list begins with the desire for colonists on the council, but when the lists were prioritized, only two groups named that as their number one request.”
Chait frowned. “So, what does that mean?”
Donte tried not to look surprised. At least Chait was curious. “It means that they feel they are not currently being represented. They don’t care as much about who is on the council as they do about what is being considered and addressed.” Donte pointed out one request that was recurrent. “Look how many times this is showing up. That’s an easy fix, isn’t it?”
Chait began studying the lists in earnest.” He nodded. “I see what you mean.” He studied the lists for a few minutes before walking to the edge of the platform to address the crowd. Chait was a good speaker when it was important to be so. He was now.
“It has come to my attention that I have not been representing you properly. I apologize for that. I think we can work this thing out.” He glanced around the room. “Since we already have you divided into six groups, I’d like for you to select one person out of your group to council with me.”
The groups muttered among themselves, obviously still unhappy with Chait. They eyed him with sullen expressions.
Donte stepped up beside Chait, addressing the crowd. “When you have your opponent on the run, don’t waste time chasing him. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted from your mission. In this case, your mission was to set things right, wasn’t it?”
They looked at each other. A few chuckled at Donte’s analogy about chasing an opponent. Finally, they turned their attention to selecting a representative.
Donte turned and walked away. Chait didn’t need him now and he had other things to do. He was half way to the door when Chait’s voice stopped him.
“Donte….”
Donte turned and looked at him.
Chait forced a smile. “Thank you for your assistance. I appreciate it.”
Donte smiled. “You’re welcome.” He turned and left the building. It was difficult to say what part of the experience actually assisted Chait, or if he would slip back into his domineering role. Whatever happened, Donte had given them all a chance. He could do no more.
As he walked to Donica and Chait’s cottage, he had an idea. He talked to Rianne privately and asked her if she would like to travel across country from Lochfowk to Vlaktes on equine.
She looked uncertain. “How long would it take?”
He shrugged. A couple of days to get to Kliffen.”
“What about Saskia?”
“I can send her a message and see if she is willing to watch the children for a couple more days.”
She gazed to the north. “Would it be safe?”
He frowned. “Do you mean because of the unrest in Lochfowk?”
Her gaze returned to him. “I mean because of the wild country.”
He shrugged again. “It’s alright if you don’t want to go. It was only an idea.”
She studied his face. “I want to go. It’s unexpected and I haven’t had time to think about it.” She smiled. “It would be fun, wouldn’t it – you and I alone? Like when we came back from Anialwch and…exchanged vows.”
He kissed her. “I’ll go send a message to Saskia. I’ll be back as soon as I get an answer.”
Donte walked to the station and sent a message. He leaned his shoulder against the wall and folded his arms, watching the people come in and out of the station while he waited for an answer. One of the visitors was the man who invited him to a fight earlier. When he saw Donte, he looked uncomfortable for a minute, as if he wanted to say something. Finally, he walked over to Donte.
“I’m not afraid of you.”
Donte continued to lean against the wall. “I know that. It was the way I jumped off the platform that unnerved you.”
The man looked startled. “You knew it would…unnerve…me?”
Donte smiled. “I figured it would. You put me in an uncomfortable situation.”
“How did you do that? I’ve never seen anyone do something like that. You didn’t even stagger or pause to get your balance.”
Donte shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve always had unusually good balance.”
The man glanced around the room. “You handled that crowd like you knew what you were doing.”
Donte wasn’t sure if the man thought that was a good thing or bad, so he said nothing.
The man looked at him. “Why? Why would you come to Lochfowk to defend Chait – because he’s your sister’s mate?”
Donte unfolded his arms and moved away from the wall. “I suppose that was part of it, but mostly because if the Lochfowk government crumbles, all the colonies suffer.”
He looked at Donte for a moment. “I didn’t know who you were, other than the fact that you were a Mascot and had inherited your position. They told me about the things you had done – how you saved Akira and killed Farasi – how you helped set the captives free. They told me about The Prophesy…” He paused, shuffling his feet. “I was out of line.”
Donte smiled. “I’ve always admired a person who has the courage to stand up for what he believes - and admit when he’s wrong.”
The man smiled and held out a hand. “My name is Barclay. I’m glad we had this discussion.”
Donte shook his hand. “So am I.” He glanced at the man holding a message for him. “Excuse me. It looks like I have the message I’ve been waiting for. It was nice meeting you.”
The message was from Saskia saying she would be delighted to watch the children for a few more days and to take all the time they wanted. He walked away from the station feeling better than he had in a long time. He had to arrange for a couple of equines and supplies. He had a campsite in mind for their first night out and he could hardly wait to get started. He had a lot to discuss with Rianne about the events of today.
Soft Science Fiction
