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Duke of Two Cities Chapter 26
Perhaps this was a bad idea after all, Ali thought. The conference had already begun, and he had spent the majority of the day sitting in the Executive Lounge snacking on cheeses. He could have stayed in Zhabai City and ate all the cheese and crackers he wanted for free! Truth be told, the thought of him actually going down to the conference made his stomach do flips. It was one thing to talk about these shows and movies online, where he was safe and anonymous (relatively speaking.) But to be around these people in person was another matter. “It’ll be OK,” Ali said to himself. “You’ve been practicing.”Rehearsing average conversation in a mirror does not count as practicing, my friend. Ali pulled out a few of his hairs out of stress. It was true— there was no sense in lying to himself. He had practiced. Ali had spent a shameful amount of hours watching people talk about movies and video games online, after which he practiced saying the words as though he had come up with them himsel
Duke of Two Cities Chapter 27
Putting his first stop into the hands of fate, Ali’s finger stopped: FANTASY AUTHOR PANEL—4:30pm, Grand BallroomFine. That would be his first stop. Ali went to the mirror and checked his costume—in fact, it was not a costume, but one of his formal outfits for festivals and holidays. The jewels on his vest glittered brightly beneath the mirror lamp. He gave his vest a little tug and straightened his cap—small desert cat fitted with a falcon’s feather and emblazoned with gold filigree.I look like a PrinceHe checked his watch, also the watch of a prince, a platinum timepiece crusted with diamonds and a cluster of sapphires and topaz. The face of the timepiece was a collection of colored magnetic sand which emerged from the face like stones bubbling from a still pool. The sand grains slowly flipped to read 4:13.He could still make it if he hurried. But what about Zadik? He should tell him where he was going, at least…“No. It will be fine,” Ali s
Duke of Two Cities Chapter 28
Ali was not the only one heading to the author’s panel. Devon, after a shower and a short nap, also decided that the author panel would be his first stop. For the first time that day, he was feeling himself—cheerful even. All in all, it had been a pretty good day, now that he’d had some sleep to put everything into context. Sure, he almost got into multiple fights with strangers. And yes, he was going to be homeless at the end of the convention. But he’d also made some new friends—the mysterious Carla Bright from the bus, and Janie from long ago. Well, maybe not best friends, but it was more people in his life than he’d had in the morning. As far as Devon was concerned, it was a start. So with his heart lifted and his body refreshed, Devon had gotten himself an early seat at the Fantasy Author’s panel. What better way to start off with a nice, easy-going panel talk? No stress, not a lot of work, just a bunch of nerds siting around and talking about their favorite kinds of swor
Duke of Two Cities Chapter 29
“Culture. Is. Not. A Costume.” Tamyra clapped her hands to the beat of her words in front of the man’s face. He flinched at every clap. “Let me say it louder for those in the back: CULTURE. IS NOT. A FUCKING. COSTUME.” The crowd nodded, thoughtfully. It was a shame, but it couldn’t be helped. The young man should have known better, and this was the result. A few of them had their phones out, recording as the young man stammered at the bring of tears. Really? They were going to just let this kid get pilloried?Devon bit down on his lip. Sure, his costume was gaudy, but that didn’t mean that he should get surrounded and berated like this. To make matter worse, not a single person in the crowd, or even the event organizers, were willing to do anything. Out in the corner of his eye, Devon saw one of the organizers—the same rail-thin young man from earlier—clutching his tablet for dear life, his eyes cast to the ground in secondhand shame.“Now it’s your turn, appropriator. Say it wit
Duke of Two Cities Chapter 30
Devon, confounded, could not help but drop his jaw. Half grinning, at once confounded and holding back peals of laughter. No greater or more eloquent expression was for Devon’s face there than in those three most wonderful letters, the Three Brothers bound by oath: W, T, and F. Tamyra put up her hands. “I am not having this conversation right now. Excuse me.” She pushed her way through the parting crowd, which for other than a few dirty looks was too embarrassed to stop her. “No wait, wait! Hold up.” Devon called out. “You were giving this kid shit because he’s wearing a costume from his own damn country!?”But Tamyra did not answer, as she was too busy pushing her way out of the crowd that she had formed. From the center of the circle, Devon could hear snippets of “I did nothing wrong. Stop harassing me—I did nothing wrong and I do not consent to this conversation.”As she pushed her way from the crowd, it was a perfect time for the event organizer to come and break things up, sinc
Duke of Two Cities Chapter 31
A friend! For the first time in Ali’s life, someone had stood up for him who did not know him. He was not in his father’s employ, or someone from his family. This ‘Devon’ had protected him for no hope of monetary gain or position or status. Ali’s heart flooded with joy as he gave Devon’s hand another shake. Devon, smiling, removed his hand from Devon’s. “It’s all good, man,” Devon said, followed by something else that was just a little too fast for Ali to understand. “It’s all good, man…” Ali mouthed the words carefully. He would have to practice if he was going to better talk with his new friend. The panel began. A few people walked out on the stage to a smattering of applause. A thin, almost skeletal creature of a man took the microphone and began to speak into it. Even through the microphone, the sounds from his throat were wheedling and unpleasant to hear. It was as though the man was cutting off his own voice while speaking at the same time. Ali settled into an uncomfortabl
Duke of Two Cities Chapter 32
This. Panel. Sucked. Forty minutes had passed since the start of the panel and all the writers had managed was to congratulate themselves for being writers: “I think what we’re doing— and by what we’re doing, I mean what we in the writing business call ‘the craft’—is by far one of the most important things we can do as people.”“I agree! We are always looking to push the boundaries and look into ourselves to find deeper meaning of… you know… what it means to be a good person and to be a good human-being. But what is a ‘good human being? There’s a few definitions…”“Oh absolutely. I completely agree. And in these troubled times, that’s something I think we can all come together and support…”Worst of all was their tone—the writers spoke as if drugged, their words slow and droning like the hum of a faraway refrigerator. What could have been even a mildly interesting discussion was instead a slow, winding lecture of the worst sort—self-important, self-righteous, drab, dull, and boring.
Duke of Two Cities Chapter 33
Faster than Devon could react, the two sides drew themselves up in a wave of anger. Zeven’s supporters rushed to the teens with cybernetics. Julio’s around the girl who had dissolved into a furious torrent of Spanish. If he was caught in the coming melee, Devon would lose his free room… and possibly liable for the damages. The two sides swirled around each other, their cries of anger growing loud and vicious. Devon looked toward the exit. There was still a path to the exit, but it was closing quickly as more people stood up to either join or escape the coming brawl. A few closest to the audience made an early exit, not wanting to get involved, followed by a stream of ever-growing urgency. A streams of Julio’s supporters were about to cut off the gap, shouting and pointing their fingers, a phalanx of indignant nerds on the march to war. The organizer had rushed to the microphone, pleading for calm. His thin, quavering voice could barely make it above the growing chaos of a thous