Free The Demi-Monde: Summer by Rod Rees

Wysochi.
    A glare from the NoN. ‘That is a pejorative term that is not used in the Coven. If you wish this interview to continue, Preferred Male Wysochi, you will desist from using such foul and offensive language.’
    Trixie moved quickly to change the subject. The last thing she wanted was for the meeting to be brought to a premature end by a fit of NoNish pique. ‘I asked Imperial Secretary Mao to arrange this meeting so that I could pick your mind, Major Wysochi. Heydrich has issued an ultimatum to the Coven stating that unless trading relations are “normalised” by noon today, a state of war will exist between the ForthRight and theCoven. I am advised by Imperial Secretary Mao that the Coven will refuse these demands and therefore we must expect the ForthRight to commence its military operations in a little under eight hours. I anticipate that the invasion will be preceded by an artillery bombardment and once the Coven’s shore defences have been pummelled to powder the UnFunnies will attempt to force the Volga. So … before the Summer is very much older, there will be fighting in the streets of Rangoon. This being the case, I would like your advice regarding how best to make a disposition of my army.’
    Wysochi frowned: having been kept in isolation for over three months, he was obviously having a little difficulty getting up to speed with current events. ‘Why do the UnFunnies want to invade the Coven? Last time I heard they had their hands full in the Quartier Chaud.’
    ‘They ran into trouble. Our friend Ella Thomas pulled another of her miracle stunts and gave the ForthRight Army the turnaround. There’s something of a stand-off going on down there.’
    ‘The Lady IMmanual’s up to her old tricks, eh? But that still doesn’t explain why the ForthRight has got it in for the Coven.’
    ‘There is a one-word answer to that question, Major: coal. The Coven is refusing to supply coal to the ForthRight until their army has withdrawn from the Quartier Chaud and, as the Coven is the only supplier of coal in the whole of the Demi-Monde, the ForthRight has got a little exercised about it.’
    ‘A provocative thing to have done.’
    ‘Not provocative, Preferred Male Wysochi,’ corrected Mao, ‘rather it was an act ordained by ABBA Herself. When the iChing was consulted during the Rite of 4Telling, it was ABBA who commanded that the Coven deny the ForthRight coal.’
    Wysochi looked at Mao as though the NoN was unbalanced. ‘Then it’s a shame that ABBA isn’t here to do the fighting, because the ForthRight will be coming at you hot and heavy.Way I understand it, the ForthRight has only got seven, maybe eight weeks of coal reserves, so they’ll want to take the Coven coal mines sooner rather than later, otherwise their steamers will go cold boilers. You’re in for a hot Summer, GeneralFemme. How many fighters do you have?’
    ‘Trained and combat-ready, about fifty thousand.’
    ‘Fifty thousand! That all? What happened to the Covenite Army?’
    Mao answered the question. ‘At the order of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Wu, the army was purged of all antiFemme elements when the Coven was proclaimed a HerEtical Sector on the “Glorious Day of Liberation from the evil that is MALEvolence”.’
    ‘That was a long time ago.’
    ‘Nine years. And since then most of the nonFemme fighters chose to emigrate to NoirVille rather than volunteer to have their naturally perverse MALEvolent tendencies muted by the process of castration.’
    Wysochi didn’t say a word but the expression on his face was very eloquent, obviously being of the opinion that given a choice between debollocking and relocating, most men would have been looking to secure the next berth on a barge heading to Cairo.
    ‘We did, however, attract many Femmes from outside the Coven who wished to be part of the Sublime Revolution that is HerEticalism.’
    ‘And now you’ve got an all-Femme army of just fifty thousand