{"id":101,"date":"2017-10-24T14:05:49","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T14:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/?p=101"},"modified":"2017-10-24T14:05:49","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T14:05:49","slug":"twenty-four-the-judge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/24\/twenty-four-the-judge\/","title":{"rendered":"Twenty-Four: The Judge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raizel sat down. \u00a0She wasn\u2019t sure she had another option. \u00a0The Diamond Raven stood behind her, his hands on her chair. \u00a0She wondered at that, but she could ask him later. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have to get to the capital,\u201d she told the Judge. \u00a0\u201cThat has to be what I have to do first. \u00a0If I miss the census-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, yes, they have impressed on everyone how awful it would be to miss the census, I understand. \u00a0And yes, you must pay taxes. \u00a0Where would we be without taxes? \u00a0I\u2019d be out of a job, for one.\u201d \u00a0He flapped his hand in her direction. \u00a0\u201cNo, no. \u00a0This, I want you to do while you go. \u00a0People are starting to hear about you, you see. \u00a0People listen to you. \u00a0I\u2019m not sure why, but it\u2019s not mine to reason why. \u00a0It\u2019s just mine to assign the tasks as they come to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026All right?\u201d \u00a0She raised her eyebrows at him and hoped he\u2019d be making sense soon. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI need you to create someone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry? \u00a0I\u2019m not a wizard nor a god-touched.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, merely touched by everything that comes along-\u201d he held up his hands quickly. \u201cI mean, gods and pixies and specters-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDoes everyone know everything about me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been some rumors, and I pay people very well to bring me all those rumors. \u00a0I have heard many things about you, but what I want you to do is not to create a real person. \u00a0More, I want you and your travelling companion here to mention someone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d \u00a0She leaned forward. \u00a0This was getting stranger and stranger. \u00a0\u201cAnd why?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I want you to create is a mysterious figure. \u00a0Say\u2026 the Jade Knave. You don\u2019t know his family-name, but that wouldn\u2019t surprise you, you\u2019re travelling with a man who calls himself the Diamond Raven. \u00a0You don\u2019t know much about him, but people you\u2019ve passed have mentioned him. \u00a0He seems to be moving the same direction you are. \u00a0And maybe you\u2019ve heard that he has ill-will against the rich and possibly the famous. \u00a0Not against the poor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s Ll<\/span>ewddur<\/span> Llam!\u201d \u00a0The Raven laughed. \u00a0\u201cYou want us to make up a modern Llewddur Llam! \u00a0Why not just tell stories of the original?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, certainly, if you want, work in the connection.\u201d \u00a0The judge huffed. \u00a0\u201cBut he is an original creation – or she – this Jade Knave. \u00a0Nobody has seen them. \u00a0But they are known to sometimes hit the more expensive coach lines.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, exactly, are you going for?\u201d Raizel frowned at the judge, even though she thought that was probably a bad idea. \u201cYou want me to wander around the country telling lies-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStories. \u00a0I want you to tell stories. \u00a0Stories about a Jade Knave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWho steals from the rich, but not the poor. \u00a0Who – what? \u00a0What does he do for you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe makes the rich nervous. \u00a0He makes the poor happy.\u201d \u00a0The Raven frowned. \u201cHe gives you an excuse to increase the money spent on the guard, or to raise taxes, or to-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed,\u201d the Judge cut in. \u00a0\u201cHe makes the poor happy, which is harder than it sounds and far harder than feeding them. \u00a0Feeding the poor is just a matter of spending some money. \u00a0Making them content with their lot, now. \u00a0That\u2019s where you come in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026You want me to placate \u2018the poor.\u2019\u201d \u00a0She frowned at him. \u00a0\u201cWho is – who are \u2018the poor?\u2019 \u00a0Aren\u2019t I \u2018the poor?\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd would your family be happier if someone was out there, bringing the rich and the famous down a peg or two?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy family would be happier with a new roof on the second building and a lower Census tax.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd can your mayor or your judge make those happen?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve thought this through too well,\u201d Raizel complained. \u00a0\u201cI can\u2019t go against that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat is part of my job, after all. \u00a0Once it was all of my job, but positions change, desires change, and it is rare that I get to have a good argument anymore. \u00a0That being said, if you make up this Jade Knave for me, I believe I can do something about making the specific poor happy as well as the more abstract poor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d \u00a0She didn\u2019t like the way he said <\/span>the poor<\/span><\/i>, but she wasn\u2019t going to argue that her family was short on money and long on mouths to feed. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou said your family wanted a new roof. \u00a0I can\u2019t lower the Census tax, but I can send roofers. \u00a0And I will. \u00a0Just agree to this deal, to talk about the Jade Knave.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t want to turn to look at the Raven. It wasn\u2019t <\/span>his<\/span><\/i> decision. \u00a0On the other hand, he was older than her and seemed to understand people pretty well. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll tell my family why?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell your family that you were passing by and agreed to do a favor, and so I am doing you a favor in return.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That made sense. \u00a0\u201cAnd you\u2019ll do it just for me agreeing? \u00a0By the time I get home, the bad rains will have passed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have a feeling, Miss Raizel, that you keep your word. \u00a0So yes. \u00a0Do as I asked. \u00a0And in the meantime, I will have your family\u2019s roof repaired.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Raizel sat down. \u00a0She wasn\u2019t sure she had another option. \u00a0The Diamond Raven stood behind her, his hands on her chair. \u00a0She wondered at that, but she could ask him later. \u201cI have to get to the capital,\u201d she told the Judge. \u00a0\u201cThat has to be what I have to do first. \u00a0If I miss… Continue reading Twenty-Four: The Judge<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Side Quest Chapter Twenty-Four: The Judge\r\n~\r\nOoh, now they think Raizel is gods-touched.... \r\n~\r\n#fiction #freefiction","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Tn4Q-1D","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":58,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/25\/eleven-the-diamond-raven\/","url_meta":{"origin":101,"position":0},"title":"Eleven: The Diamond Raven","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Esteronzerai was the biggest town Raizel had been in yet, and it was where the carriage\u2019s route diverged from Raizel\u2019s, whether or not she had been stopping to lasso a wizard. \u00a0She bowed to the driver and, her grandfather\u2019s words in her mind, tipped him, although she had not been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/21\/nine-yederya-wizard\/","url_meta":{"origin":101,"position":1},"title":"Nine: Yederya Wizard","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The woman studied Raizel. \u201cYou have skills I don\u2019t?\u201d \u201cWell, I can\u2019t design a building,\u201d Raizel admitted, \u201cor build one. \u00a0But in the last two days I\u2019ve been dusted by a pixie, blessed by a spectre, and kissed by what might have been a goddess.\u201d \u00a0Also by two whores, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/08\/three-the-black-missive\/","url_meta":{"origin":101,"position":2},"title":"Three: The Black Missive","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The walk to the strange man\u2019s cave was only an hour because of the rolling limp that affected his walk, and, it seemed, his speech patterns. \u00a0He would go up and down, up and down with his tales as they walked, telling Raizel all about the Empire\u2019s plans to read\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/27\/twelve-watch-what-you-say\/","url_meta":{"origin":101,"position":3},"title":"Twelve: Watch What You Say","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The man who might or might not b the Diamond Raven struggled, but he couldn\u2019t seem to do anything about the cord around his neck and, rather than have Raizel tug it tighter, he followed her. \u00a0\u201cI have things I should get-\u201d he protested, but she didn\u2019t listen, and then\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 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comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/04\/twenty-psst\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":98,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/16\/twenty-three-cleaner\/","url_meta":{"origin":101,"position":5},"title":"Twenty-Three: Cleaner","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"October 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"They made it to the bathhouse without further incident. \u00a0Raizel had never been inside a place like this, but she\u2019d heard the stories and descriptions from people in the town that went down into the flatter lands: There were rainfall devices where you soaped off, and then big drinking-trough tubs\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 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