Copper Ravens(31)
“Oh, yes,” she gushed. “Before the wars, we were all subservient to those evildoers. Dr. Armstrong’s research is what helped us win the war and put those freaks back where they belong.” My initial reaction was to wonder at the usage of both subservient and evildoer in an impromptu conversation with a stranger, but then I spied the magazine tucked under her arm. She’d just quoted the cover blurb, nearly word for word.
“I don’t really remember the time before the wars,” I admitted. “I was young.”
The woman patted my arm. “Be glad that you don’t. And be sure you vote for Dr. Armstrong in the upcoming election. Mark my words, we need him as President.”
I nodded, then I sidled toward the other end of the newsstand, searching for a magazine that hadn’t devoted itself to politics. My choices were mostly limited to fashion and home and garden, although there was one about raising meat iguanas (chicken of the tree, you know), and another for gun hobbyists. Though, the gun magazine did feature a few action shots of Mike during some target practice with the Peacekeepers. We do want our president to be well-rounded.
And is iguana really all that tasty?
“So,” I said, once again at Max’s side. “All this.” I indicated the magazines with my eyes.
“Yeah. Lucky for us, Dr. Armstrong came along.” Max practically shouted that last bit and was the recipient of a few agreements and even a clap on the back from the newsstand’s owner. He had quickly and effectively worked his audience, just like Dad used to do.
“Tell me about it,” I mumbled. Max shot me a glare, but my sarcasm flew right over their heads. “So, what party is he running with?” I asked as I flipped through the pages.
“Dr. Armstrong doesn’t have a party,” Max said, affecting the patient tone one would use when explaining things to one’s somewhat slow sibling. “He’s running on his own.”
Okay, now that shocked me. Since Pacifica had become, well, Pacifica, there had been two Mundane political parties—Mirlanders and Pacifists. The Mirlanders weren’t so bad, though they did suck at winning elections. The Pacifists, in no small bit of irony, had become the military force we now call Peacekeepers.
How these two outwardly similar, yet ideologically different, groups came to inhabit the same country is one of the first history lessons I remember learning. Our country, Pacifica, is so vast that it stretches all the way from one ocean to another; eventually, two separate sets of colonists landed, one group on each shore. The set that arrived first made landfall close to what’s now called Capitol City and had named it Portland in honor of the natural harbor. They named the surrounding land Mirland, which meant Peaceful Land in their native language; there’s a rocky outcrop, called Sunpoint, where these newcomers had watched the sun rise over the ocean. According to the history books, that had been the site of their first meeting hall, a precursor to the government buildings that were raised much later. The Mirlanders were the first Elementals to set foot on Pacifica.
About a hundred or so years later, the people we now know as Peacekeepers landed on the opposite shore. They called themselves Pacifists because they were all about humans living together and avoiding bloodshed. Yeah, right.
Anyway, in no time, the Pacifists had made their way over to the Mirlanders, who had been quietly eking out a peaceful existence on their peaceful land. Not surprisingly, the two sets didn’t get along.
It turned out that the Pacifists had basically fled their homeland under the guise of religious persecution. They hated all things magic and thought that by crossing such a large body of water they would be rid of it forever. Yeah, well, the whole running-water ploy only works on evil magic, and only on a specific kind of evil magic. Someone hadn’t bothered to do their homework.
Also, Pacifists were banking on the land being devoid of magic and hadn’t planned on bumping into a full-fledged colony of Elementals in the midst of their paradise. The Mirlanders didn’t mind sharing space with the Peacekeepers, being that they weren’t fleeing their homeland in the first place, and the land was more than big enough for everyone. However, the Pacifists didn’t trust Elementals, not even then, and this led to lengthy negotiations and the eventual signing of the Compacts.
As for the people that lived here before the Mirlanders arrived, no one much cared what they thought. But that’s a different story altogether.
The native population notwithstanding, the Pacifists and Mirlanders—Mundanes and Elementals—worked together to write the Compacts, which were intended to ensure justice and equality for all. Basically, the Mundanes worried that the Elementals would run the whole show, both magically and politically. In the first of many mistakes, the Elementals let the Mundanes get away with more than they should have, because they viewed the Mundanes as weak and deserving of protection. Little did they realize that even a weakened snake retains its venom, and it really only needs one opportunity to strike.