Dagger Key and Other Stories

“Oh, all right. I’m sick of this blather, anyway.” Jenay stood, adjusted the fit of her jacket, and strode from the room.

“You have a point, Lucan. We can’t change course abruptly,” Elaine said. “At the same time, we shouldn’t be overcautious. We’ve been acting within narrow parameters. Too narrow, if you ask me. We’ve been trying to maintain the status quo. It’s like trying to stop a two-ton boulder from rolling downhill by jamming a doorstop beneath it. Given we’re stuck with the situation, what I’m suggesting is, let’s change what we can safely change and see what happens. This, the dinners, is one area in which we can experiment.”

“That’s not all you’re suggesting.” Lucan pretended to be concerned with shooting his cuffs. “What you’re suggesting has larger implications.”

“I realize that,” Elaine said. “Changing our attitude toward them during these dinners may have a ripple effect. Perhaps it’ll engender cultural change and one day we may find ourselves in partnership with them. As things stand, we only weaken ourselves with this kind of interaction.”

“Partnership,” Lucan said. “You mean, reveal ourselves to them?”

“Not right away,” she said. “Eventually, perhaps. We’re not so different from them, after all. Our superiority is based on a plant, for heaven’s sake. An accident of biology.”

“And we’re not certain that the thistle can’t be of benefit to them,” I said. “We’ve only done the most primitive of experiments in that regard. It’s quite possible…”

“You’re talking about our enemy.” Lucan enunciated his words precisely, as if speaking to a child. “Surely you comprehend that much. Our natural enemy. They very nearly destroyed us. We’re at war with them. How can you forget?”

“When’s the last time we took a casualty in that war?” I asked. “They’re more our victims than enemies. Our governance of them sets the model for terrorism. We’ve become invisible, yet if we lift a finger, the earth shakes. As for our nature, I’d like to think we’ve risen above it.”

Jenay re-entered the room. “They’re fine,” she said as she sat down. She glanced along the table. “Did I miss anything?”

Lucan gave a limp wave, as if commenting on the hopelessness of our impasse. “Taylor was saying he thinks we’ve risen above our natures in respect to the animals. I won’t bother detailing how incredibly stupid I find that presumption.” Then, addressing me: “If we reveal ourselves, you know what will happen.”

“It would be nasty,” I said. “No doubt. But if we prepare the way, who knows? And if worst comes to worst and there’s a war, we’ll win it.”

Lucan studied me, as if weighing what I had said, but then he brought his hand down on the table, giving everyone a start…except for Giacinta and Liliana, who remained intent upon one another. “This is absurd! It’s like listening to children prattling on about their favorite puppy.”

“If you’ll just listen—” I began.

“No.” Lucan came to his feet. “I won’t waste any more time with this shit. If Elaine and Jenay want to discuss…”

“Leave me out of it,” said Jenay.

“If they want to discuss it, do it another day. As eldest, I determine the agenda for this meeting. It’s time we got down to business.”

Vid and Daniele wandered back into the room and stopped by the door. Daniele’s mouth was agape and there was spittle on his chin; Vid’s lips moved silently.

“Damn it!” Elaine spun about to confront Jenay. “You didn’t have to ruin them!”

Jenay took in the scene by the door. She gave an amused sniff. “Sorry.”

Elaine clenched her fists. “If you think I’m going to clean up after you…”

“Be quiet!” Lucan shouted it. “Jenay. Get them seated. And you…” He glared at me. “Sit. We’ve got work to do.”

Jenay herded Vid and Daniele toward the table and, after returning Lucan’s glare, I sat. Lucan refreshed his wine glass and said, “State the concerns of the clans you represent.”

“China,” said Jenay. “China, China, and China.”

“Agreed, the question of China troubles us,” said Elaine. “Iran remains an issue. And Africa.”

“Africa?” Lucan laughed derisively. “That’s not a problem. Taylor?”

“We’d like to accelerate the imposition of an overtly Fascist government in the United States,” I said. “We need stricter immigration controls, surveillance policies. And we need those things now. The timetable that’s been established is, in our view, dangerously slow. They’ve got so many black agencies within their government, no one knows what the other is doing, and I’m not certain we know. We have to get a handle on that immediately,”

“Skyler Means will take care of it,” he said. “I have complete confidence in him.”

“Means and his people are stretched too thin,” I said. “We’re all stretched too thin. Cracks are starting to show, especially in the States.”

“All right,” he said. “We’ll discuss it. Is that all?”

“For the moment.”

“Isn’t that odd? I’m not hearing anything about a redefinition of our relationship with the animals.” Lucan built a church-and-steeple with his fingers. “We’ll begin with China. I believe it’s time to consider another thinning of the herd.”