Walking to my seat with an infamous cat-woman gangster on one hand and a famous European princess on the other, along with a basket holding two mouse-girls each the length of my hand was…memorable. To say the least.
Though the looks of envy from many of the other well-to-do men, and the poorly hidden looks of jealousy from their women, was both hilarious, and personally oh so satisfying. I knew I had a smug grin on my face, and at that moment, I really didn’t care. Though I felt it morph to open mouthed wonder when we finally walked into the actual hall of Carnegie Hall to take our seats. I finally got a chance to see what all the fuss was about.
It was actually really damn impressive!
The room was all white, vast, practically cavernous, with wide but not low hanging chandeliers at the top of the high ceiling. Rather then a box with square corners and straight walls, the room actually curved more, as though a rectangle had had all of its hard edges sanded off. There were two tiers of balcony seats above the ground floor seats, all of them in red cushion fabric, and at a glance I knew it could house thousands of people.
If for no other reason than because the seats on the ground floor, and top floor were all filled, as were the aisles. The place wasn’t at full capacity, it was literally filled to the brim! Only the seats of all the so-called elites, and their famous guests, were empty. Though not for much longer.
The stage itself was slightly elevated above the first floor, and was inside it’s own curved cavern. And that was were more of the design and beauty of grand elegant aesthetic came into the architecture around them. It drew the eye, and made the musicians who were setting up in their seats stand out more.
Considering all of the opulence I’d seen on display in this city thus far, the actual musical hall was a study in quiet elegance. Everything was well made and beautiful, and looked very pleasing to the eye, but was all very simple and straightforward, with hardly any expression of extravagance. The walls of the curving tiers of seats had carvings and lights on them, but even they were more subdued than I would’ve otherwise expected.
Which meant the true beauty was to be found with the music, and how well the sound was heard in this vast room.
Hope those musicians are up to the task. I thought as we found our seats near the edge of the middle tier of seats, close to the stage itself along the right wall.
“Impressive.” Ella whispered, looking around the vast hall in quiet wonder. “And so different from the concert halls I’ve been too back home.”
“Well, let’s wait to see how it all sounds, shall we?” I joked as we finally sat down in our seats.
“See how it sounds?” Maggie giggled next to me. “You’re quite the hidden poet, Master Ranger.”
“Don’t you start with that!” I groaned quietly as everyone began taking their seats. “That blasted horse woman is gonna get me hung with that nickname!”
“Oh, this sounds fun.” Ella giggled, seeming to relax more and more around us.
“Oh it is!” Maggie giggled back, with me stuck in the middle of these two. “But later, after the first show.”
She pointed to the stage, and we saw a tall, thin, old, slightly crazy looking man walk out onto the stage and begin gesturing for everyone to take their place and be ready.
There was some light applause, and a lot of shuffling as everyone set about finding their seats, or just sitting on the floor, and then the crazy conductor raised his little stick, and all became quiet.
The first show began, and it was beautiful, with the sound seeming to caress the audience across the room. The number started quietly, humbly, before becoming a complicated marathon of sounds and emotions all layered together.
It was beautiful.
And then as quickly as it had begun, it was over.
There was thunderous applause.
Then he raised his stick again, and there was silence before the next one.
Again, complicated and beautiful, before concluding to thunderous applause.
And then finally, intermission as everyone got up to find a bathroom, or a drink, or just take a minute to absorb everything. Thus giving the orchestra a chance to catch their own breath. I didn’t need anything, but I found myself dragged along by the women regardless.
So of course I went.
Fortunately, all the girls seemed to want to clump up in their own little pack, leaving me and the other so-called legends to stand around in our own group.
I didn’t know whether to feel snubbed, or just laugh.
I settled on laughing, and I wasn’t the only one.
“I’m glad to see Julia having some fun.” Grant remarked, watching his wife chat away with the various women as though she’d known them for decades.
I’d always found that strange and intimidating with women; how they could make groups that had met only for the first time seem as though they’d known one another for years. All in under five minutes. Or, so I’d seen many of them, including my sisters, do more than once.
It had made asking a certain girl out on a date back in the day, far harder than it should have been. Well, in my opinion anyway.
“Sadie too.” Wyatt agreed, snapping a match before lighting up a cigar.
“And what about your girls Mr. Ranger?” Twain asked, glancing at me in amusement. “Since it would seem all the other girls there are already a part of your stable. Possibly with the princess included as well. I’d love to write about you meeting her grandmother with that setting. In her throne room!”
Everyone else chuckled at that, but I just stared at him, confused.
“Stable?” I asked, at this point knowing I was missing something important. “I’ve been hearing that for the last couple of days from random people in this city. But I don’t get why. What do horses, or horse stables have to do with women? ‘Cause that’s how it’s sounded whenever people have mentioned them since I got here. As though the women with me are horses that I’m collecting and putting into a personal stable. Is it just some strange city thing that I’m missing out on, or what?”
Everyone else around me stopped and stared in shock!
“Are you kidding?” Wyatt asked, eyeing me warily, as if I was playing a prank on him. “How could you not know?”
“It’s been around for a few years now.” Twain muttered, before he blinked and sighed. “But because of how wild the frontier and the west still are, thanks to the Shattering, news travels slow. Though not usually that slow.”
“The news didn’t make a big headline show of it.” Grant muttered, eyeing me with a mixture of amusement, and embarrassment. “I think they were all a little nervous on reporting about it at all. Or of having to explain it to their wives and daughters at home. If things haven’t changed in the last few years since I was in my office prison, then the far west may not have heard, or even needed it if they did.”
“I heard about it, but I never saw it in practice till I headed east for this big shindig.” Wyatt muttered, now looking suddenly so amused. “You really haven’t heard about it? Truly?”
I just glared back at him, not willing to say a thing at this point.
“I suppose out west, and traveling through the interior in the more wild areas, you might well have missed it.” Twain chuckled. “This is gonna be fun.”
“What is?” I ground out, when none of them made a move speak. Finally, Grant of all people took pity on me.
“The Wife Stables Law.” He sighed. “The last bill I had to sign into law, largely over my own personal protests, but one I signed all the same.”
I stared, utterly confused by the name of this law I’d never heard of.
“The what?” I asked after a moment.
Grant sighed and looked away in embarrassment.
“You’ve seen the wild blood and death from the war, the Frontier, and what people call the Ripples of the Shattering, right?” Twain asked, picking up the conversation and walking over to stand next to Grant, the way a friend who was offering support would. “The numbers of dead from various plagues, the famines from the Rocky Mountain Locust swarms, the Civil War, and all the things that come from the Shattering. Such things as tribes, clans and larger groups of non-humans appearing in various areas randomly, or whole city-states rising out of the depths of oceans, and honest to God monsters walking around both day and night?”
“Or witches and warlocks practicing their vile craft on a near, industrial scale?” Wyatt muttered darkly, catching everyone’s attention. “Or giants, furwraiths, and worse coming out of deep mountain caves, or dark forests? And the whispers of deeper terrors in the shadows?”
“Yes.” Grant sighed. “All that and more. Including the usual violences, crimes, and battles of nations, and that’s just here in the Union. When we started looking into the numbers, we were shocked at what we found. And when we started adding up the numbers as they were, the trends were, terrifying on a, existential level.”
“What numbers?” I asked, enthralled at what they were talking about, and I noticed that Wyatt was too.
“The numbers of dead.” Grant stated flatly, his face growing hard and his blue eyes becoming the famous cold eyes of a man who was absolutely in charge of everything around him. “Specifically, the numbers of dead men and boys, which were staggeringly higher then dead women and girls, at least here in the East. The trends get more evened out in the blood soaked west, but in the east, we found that the general ratio of women to men, was about five or six to one.”
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He eyed me with that cold look, and I struggled to not shudder. “Five or six women alive, for every one man alive. And that ratio held true from old to young. Even among children when we did our census study about five years ago, that was the ratio, in the Union anyway, pretty much everywhere except in the western territories.”
He sighed, briefly looking very old and worn out, before he stood back up.
“It’s even worse in Europe, and from what we can tell, Asia as well. In both of those regions, the numbers we heard were about seven or eight to one, again: women to men.” He chuckled darkly. “Men and boys are getting clobbered in this wonderfully advanced modern age. To a degree that for the Union anyway, society itself was being threatened.”
I frowned, thinking about what I’d seen the last few weeks as I’d traveled east. “I haven’t noticed that. Either out west or even here in this city.”
“I have.” Wyatt muttered, taking a drink. “But my trip here was through a lot more towns and local cities. And Sadie and I’ve been here for a couple weeks. Time enough to notice. You’ve only been here for a couple days brother.”
“This city is more the exception to the rule anyway.” Grant shrugged, taking a drag on his own cigar. “So many immigrants flood here, even now, to escape the blood soaked mess of Europe. Or for the chance to live as free and equal citizens under the law, rather than as a serf, peasant, servant, or slave in all but name. Or just for the chance to have a better chance at feeding their families, and themselves. So, the numbers are a bit more even, here. Anywhere else in the Union, or just about anywhere else in the world where we have records, it’s actually getting worse.”
“Hence this law I’ve somehow missed hearing about?” I prompted, glancing between all three of them. Wyatt shrugged while Twain and Grant shared a look of camaraderie annoyance.
It was the look of men who’d had to make a miserable choice, because all the rest were just worse, and no one had been happy about it. I’d seen the look a few times with soldiers and officers during the war, and even after a time or two. No one liked remembering having to make bad decisions to keep worse things from happening.
Ask any leader with honor how much fun they had ordering men to their deaths, to even fight battles they know those men would lose, because it served the larger goal.
Still, the decision had needed to be made, and it had been.
“Very quietly, a bill was proposed to Congress, to avert this population crisis, by basically allowing a man to legally marry up to six women.” Twain explained, as if he was quietly spitting the words out. “Not sure who got the idea for it, though personally I blame someone jealous of the mormons, but once it was proposed, combined with the horrifying population issues, it quickly moved through Congress.”
“It wound up on my desk, and I was tempted to veto the damn thing.” Grant stated with disgust. “But my cabinet advised me that the bill had enough support in congress that they would just override my veto regardless. So, after getting them to add something to it, I signed it into law a few weeks before my second term was over.”
“What did you add?” I asked, blinking as the implications began to swirl in my mind. “And how did I seriously not read about this in the papers back then?”
“I got them to add a time limit.” Grant stated, a small, hard smile coming out on his bearded face. “Thirty years, and then the law is automatically removed on the first of January of year thirty-one. After that, it goes back to one man, and one woman. As God intended. If they want to keep it going, they’ll have to fight for it all over again.”
“Nice.” I muttered, chuckling. “That’ll be a mess, no matter what. But well done sir. Still, why didn’t it make the headlines, well, everywhere?”
“For all the political turmoil this bill, and the census information caused, it was talked about quietly, practically behind closed doors.” Twain chuckled. “No one wanted to walk out and say they were letting men imitate Solomon, who had a thousand women if you recall. However, the ratio of men to women was so horrible, and trending even worse in the next generation with the children, that they knew something had to be done, or true future horror would be upon us.”
“So, praying that this was the right thing to allow for a time, they quietly moved it through the House and the Senate.” Grant explained with a shrug. “It picked up the nickname the Wife Stables Law in the House, and after that, to hide it from the more politically interested press and public, that’s what it was always called. People thought it had to do with wives owning their own horses or something. By the time people found out, it was already passed as law.”
“At the same time, the census information had come out, and suddenly people were more terrified at all the death, so they didn’t really notice. Or care if they did.” Wyatt chuckled. “And the papers didn’t make a big deal about it. I think they just whispered about it, and let everyone pick up on it themselves. Besides, the marriages are still voluntary on both sides. The man has to agree, as does the woman, and any wives he already has have to agree as well. I can only imagine the arguments of a man and his wives, or of disagreements between the wives themselves.”
“You’re still only married to Sadie.” I pointed out. “And this law has been around for a few years apparently.”
“Out west the ratios are more normal, though that actually means the deaths are just horrifyingly higher.” Grant explained. “So it’s not really pushed or socially accepted in the west, though it’s still legal. But as Mr. Earp pointed out, marriages are still a voluntary institution. And the law states that if a man wants to add wives, the ones he already has must also agree. Fun marital discussions ensue from that, I’m sure.”
I found myself chuckling at that, despite the quiet horror of what they were explaining. The world was far darker, and harsher, than I had even realized. And according to them, that was just over here in the Union.
The hell is killing us all over the place? I wondered looking around the room. Sighing, I decided that I needed to move around a little, and get some ice water. I preferred it over booze honestly.
Especially room temperature booze, which most was at this point.
“I’m gonna find some ice, and some water.” I told them, stepping out from the group. “I’ll be back before our intermission is over.”
“I’ll come with you.” Wyatt chuckled, nodding to the older two legends. “It’s been a pleasure and a rare honor gentlemen, but I’ve missed my friend for a while now, and I don’t know when I’ll get see him again.”
“Of course.” Grant chuckled, and Twain laughed as he nocked back a drink before each turned to chat with each other. They’re clearly old friends as well. I thought with a smile as I headed out to the quieter servants area, wanting to just get away from all the well dressed, or bizarrely dressed rich people for a minute.
“Going somewhere?” Maggie asked as I worked my through room. I looked behind me to see that along with the trouble loving cat woman, was Lillianne Lancaster, and shockingly enough, Princess Ella. Glancing behind them, I saw Julia Grant and Sadie happily chatting away, with Sadie holding the basket of Tanya and Chenya.
“To get some ice water, and find a quiet place to enjoy it before the crowds and music.” I shrugged. “I need a little fresh air for minute.”
“He just learned about the Wife Stables Law.” Wyatt laughed next to me as he looked at all three of them with amusement. “As in, just learned about it this minute. ‘Cause he didn’t know about it for the last three years!”
“I knew it!” Maggie laughed. “I knew you hadn’t heard about it!”
“I thought that too when he remarked about it after his little war in Five Points.” Lilly laughed. “I just couldn’t believe it.”
“The Albion Empire has already instituted a similar law.” Ella shrugged as she tagged along with us, which seemed to cause many people to move out of the way as we walked through the crowds. “Along with an old tradition of Wife Selling, it’s helped balance the groups of men with multiple women. It’s still a national crisis, but one that everyone’s being quiet about. For now.”
“Wife Selling?” Maggie asked, staring agog at Ella.
“A commoner practice in place of divorce.” Ella shrugged. “It’s like a combination of divorce, slave auction and cattle auction. It’s not looked upon favorably in the empire, but with the new Common Harem Law, it’s more widespread all throughout the empire and Europe in general now.”
We all briefly stared at her at that description, before I nearly collided with a harried looking waiter, and decided to focus back on what I wanted.
“I hear you’ve already started on your stable.” Lilly remarked, smiling sweetly at me as we walked along. “Any plans on an expansion?”
If I’d had a drink, I’d have choked on it!
“Seriously?” I stared at her, before glaring at Maggie. “You!”
“Of course me!” Maggie laughed in my face. “Who else? And didn’t I already tell you?”
“Tell me what?” I asked, confused at her pivot in the conversation.
“Orna and I share everything.” She looked me dead in the eye then, with a look that suddenly made me feel like a mouse staring at a large, hungry tomcat. “Everything.”
Wyatt, who did have a drink, did choke on it at that, and nearly fell over laughing!
I felt my face heating up, and whirled around to keep on walking, not in the mood to even touch that remark! Behind me, I heard all the girls giggling in a way that suddenly sounded terrifying. Damn women! I fumed as I stomped past them all, forcing them to speed up to keep up.
I was deep in servant territory now, with a little kitchen and side hallways made just for them to move around without running into people. Looking around, I suddenly found myself a little lost. Behind me, Wyatt and the girls were chatting it up, but I just wasn’t interested in hearing them laugh at me, again, by asking them for directions.
However, I also knew it was foolish to stumble around lost.
So, I started looking for an usher or servant to ask for directions. There had been dozens running around already, so finding one should be quick and easy.
It wasn’t.
We walked around for a little longer, and still no one was showing up. Behind me, the conversation had died down, and now the only sound was our footsteps. I wasn’t worried about them laughing at me anymore either, not now.
I’d felt this silence, this stillness before.
Something was wrong.
My hand slowly drifted to my pistol, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Wyatt and Lillianne doing the same. Maggie I noticed had her claws fully extended, and her ears and eyes were flicking back and forth in quick, sharp successions.
I quickly glanced behind me, and saw Princess Ella had moved in between all of us, and her hands kept opening and closing, as if grasping for a weapon that wasn’t there.
I was about to ask if she knew how to use one, when a loud bang went off!
We all whirled around in that direction, down the hallway we were already walking, one that broke up into several forks from the look of it.
It was a bang we all recognized.
The bang of a gun shot.
A large one.
And it was nearby.
We all shared a glance, before Wyatt, Lillianne and myself all pulled out our various weapons. Maggie’s lips pulled back to reveal her sharp fangs, and Ella surprised me by holding out her hand to me.
“Your sword please.” She asked in a cold, calm way. “You all have guns, but some things like to get close, or are immune to bullets, but not blades. I’ll not be a lamb waiting for slaughter.”
I blinked at her in surprise, before a smile actually pulled across my face. “As you wish, your highness.”
Chuckling, I pulled out my saber, and carefully handed it to her. She gripped it carefully, turned behind us, and carefully did a few practice swings. Competent swings.
She knew how to handle a saber it seemed. The hell do they teach princesses these days anyway? I wondered as I watched the very beautiful young woman twirl the blade around near expertly.
She then turned and gave us a sharp nod. “It will do nicely. Now, what do we do? Do we leave and get help, or investigate?”
“The rest of us are people who hunt troublemakers.” Wyatt pointed out, looking from her to me. “But not her. She’s an important dignitary. Hell, shouldn’t you have bodyguards?”
“I do, back at our ship, my hotel here in the city, and even here in this building.” She chuckled. “Ones you’ve likely never even seen before. But none are here in the servants quarters. There are many guards hired by Mr. Carnegie all about this place, and others from Rockefeller and Morgan. Yet, there’s no one here, at all.”
“Save for someone shooting something that sounded big.” I muttered darkly, looking back towards where the sound had come from.
“You’re call brother.” Wyatt shrugged. “Hunt or pull back?”
“Do you wish to pull back?” I asked Ella. “All the rest of us are good either way. It’s dangerous to go looking for well armed trouble, but we’re used to it. However, if you wish to leave, we shall, and simply inform all the others.”
“The responsible thing for me to say is to pull back.” Ella muttered, before she stared at me in a strange way. “But I don’t want to run. I want to face this, myself, alongside all of you. And I refuse to be an excuse!”
“Very well then.” I nodded once, before I turned back to the silent hallway, which we all now knew, held something dangerous in it. “I’ll take point. Wyatt, guard the right. Maggie, guard the left. Lillanne, be ready to back us up with that coppersmith pistol of yours. Something that shoots fast and hits hard, and possibly wide, just in case. Ella, guard our backs. Smart foes like to attack from behind in ambush. And they tend to do it at very close range.”
They all nodded, and we quickly arranged ourselves before we carefully stalked forward, eyes open and guns out.
We all could feel it now in the silent hallway.
There was something foul moving around in the shadows.
All that remained was to find out how bad, and how big a mess it was going to be.