Free Pathspace: The Space of Paths by Matthew Kennedy Page A

Deseret to the West?”
    “Californ. Ruled by the Queen of Angeles,
Earl of Francisco, and the Duke of the Northern Forests. Main
exports are fruits, wines, artworks and hemp.”
    “And to the far East of us, east of
Okla?”
    “The Dixie Emirates. Ruled by the Council of
Emirs. Chief exports are tobacco, corn, rugs, and coal.” Aria
paused, “Have you ever been there, Miss Gerloch?”
    The older woman turned away from the map to
face her. “I have,” she said. “And someday I might even tell you
about it.”
     
     

Chapter 13
     
Peter: “Of the backward devils”

    His Excellency, Defender
of the Faith, by the grace of God the Honcho, ruler of the Lone
Star Empire adjusted his sword belt and glanced at the water clock
in the corner of his office. Where is the Runt? I told
him the audience began at ten.
    He almost reached for the
bell pull at the side of the desk, but stopped himself. It was bad
enough that Jeffrey was late. Announcing the fact to his staff by
summoning an adjutant to fetch him would not improve things. I swear, if he's been drinking again this early, I swear
I'll...
    But the thought went
unfinished. You'll what? As his
only heir, the Runt could not be demoted, and the problem was,
Jeffrey knew it. Impatient for a succession that could be decades
away, the boy did his best to evade tutors and trainers to spend
more time in his cups or the casinos, where he usually lost, secure
in the knowledge that the Honcho would cover all debts as a matter
of honor. If he were anyone but the Runt Peter would have had him
whipped into shape by now.
    The door banged open and Jeffrey strolled
in, thumbs hooked in his belt, affecting a bored expression that
complained without words of the waste of his time.
    Peter rose to his feet. “It's about time.
Let's go. The Pontiff is already waiting for us.”
    Four guards snapped to attention as the two
of them exited the Honcho's residence. Another held open the door
of the coach.
    He noted that Jeffrey was interested in the
conveyance. The boy had never seen it before, of course. His
crafters had been working on it for nearly a year and only
completed the final touches on the vehicle last week. They had
begun with a conveyance of the Ancients called a “stretch
limousine” discovered in remarkably good condition in a private
garage in the outskirts of Austin. The body had been lightened by
removing the useless engine parts, and the top had been sawed off
and replaced with a thin leather arrangement that could be pulled
up to cover the occupants in the event of rain, in the manner of
the “convertibles” mentioned in the old stories. The windshield had
been removed to allow the reins of the four-horse team to reach the
driver in the front seat. The result of these labors was a
comfortable ride for at least four passengers who could sit in the
ancient benches facing each other and enjoy the luxury of the car's
suspension, a marvel of twenty-first century engineering. The
tires, of course, had decayed long ago,.and had been replaced with
laminated rims fashioned from many layers of birch bark and a
resinous glue compounded by the royal alchemist, who claimed the
composite material would survive the wear and tear for at least six
months. Materials for the expected replacements had been
ordered.
    “ Do you really think he'll
agree to it?” Jeffrey said, interrupting the Honchos's meditations
upon vehicular adaptation.
    “ Eventually. But he'll
probably have a lot to say about how we handle it. The Pontiff and
I are in complete agreement on rebuilding civilization's
infrastructure without any of the Tourist technology. But we
disagree on the timetable.”
    “ How so?”
    “ As you know, there are
only so many surviving governments on the continent. The more we
absorb – “
    “ You mean,
conquer.”
    “ Indeed. The more we
conquer, the fewer are left to threaten an alliance against our
expansion. To expedite the process, however, we need a mechanized
army to field