Chp.15: Provisional leader

When the half hour was up, Isaac had fulfilled his task and had compiled a list of all the possible remedies to reduce the symptoms of the disease. He had thought of just about anything, even the most improbable, such as forcibly injecting large quantities of mana into the affected part and combining it with potions of healing and regeneration. Each remedy marked on the list was accompanied by an accurate description of the effects and probability of success, as well as the cost and speed of production. This done, Isaac had made nineteen copies, and when the Council members reconvened he distributed one to each.

The Council members had spent the next ten minutes poring over the list and asking him for any clarifications. When everyone had understood everything written therein and had no more doubts about it, the vote was taken. In the end the verdict was what Haku had imagined, meaning the two safest and least expensive methods were approved: Isaac was commissioned to produce several potions capable of making the blood less viscous and therefore preventing it from clogging in the throat, and he was also authorized in case of particularly serious patients to use surgical instruments to decrease the pressure inside the lungs and heart. Isaac was also invested with the appointment of temporary chief healer and was given a pass that gave him free access to all the resources they possessed, so that he never ran out of ingredients for his potions. Having received this assignment and having the pass, Isaac had then gone to all the blacksmiths in the village to have the surgical instruments he needed made, had collected as many ingredients for potions as possible from the warehouses and had also placed a public announcement inviting anyone had medical knowledge to offer himself as part of the staff… although it was unlikely that anyone would read it given the very low literacy rate.

While Isaac was doing all this, however, the Council had not finished meeting. In fact, Zamor had asked for a little more time to talk, and everyone wanted to hear what he had to say, and they suspected (indeed, they were sure of it) that the chat with Haku that had taken place just before had something to do with it. "So what should you tell us? Hurry up, so we can go out there and reassure people" Leuce said; even if they had found a remedy for the disease, the population still didn't know it, and the longer they waited to inform them, the higher the chances that someone would do something stupid. When people were afraid they tended to become dangerous; it wasn't impossible that to avoid a possible epidemic someone decided to kill all the people who showed symptoms.

Zamor knew what the lionman was saying was true. He considered postponing the conversation until later, but quickly dismissed that idea; stalling would do no good. "I asked you to stay here because the situation we are in is very serious. In the previous half hour Haku told me about many problems that we will be forced to face in the next few days. Listen..." and he explained everything he said in great detail they should have done in order to effectively cope with the disease. "... as you can see, there are many problems on the horizon. Therefore, we have to make an important decision"

The other members of the Council looked at each other thoughtfully. Indeed, now that the difficulties of managing the epidemic had been laid bare, they were no longer as optimistic as before. "If you knew all this, why didn't you tell us about it sooner?" Tzegorn asked Haku.

The dragon was silent for a moment, as if thinking, then he answered: "It is useless to keep it hidden, so you might as well confess: because I was hoping that if he knew the truth Zamor would decide to take command, which, as you all know well, I hope from the beginning. And this time we absolutely need a leader, because, as Zamor has illustrated to you, we won't have much time available to discuss among ourselves"

"And why then didn't you talk about it in front of everyone?" Tzegorn asked again suspiciously. "If your goal was to get us to elect a leader, why didn't you tell us right away about the problems I faced? Why discuss them privately with Zamor?"

"Because you would never have listened to me, he would. I hoped he would have been willing to propose an election in my place, so you wouldn't have immediately started on the defensive". Very false: in reality he had tried to convince him to carry out a coup. "However, while we were talking Zamor came up with a better idea. An idea that I personally totally support". Another falsehood: in reality both had had that idea, and Haku a few seconds before Zamor.

Tzegorn didn't seem convinced, but he pretended to have believed it: after all, he had no proof that what Haku was saying was false and if he continued to interrogate him he would only be passed for a cowardly fool. So he rather turned to Zamor: "What is this idea of ​​yours?"

The lizardman sighed deeply, as if preparing for a leap into the void. "Very simple. What Haku says is true: we are in an emergency situation and we cannot afford delays due to arguments and enmities between us, so we need a leader, someone whose word is law. However, I doubt that anyone here would he really be willing to give up his position and the safety of his people". A smile appeared on his face. "Therefore, we use a compromise. We do exactly what we did to cross the desert"

The other Council members widened their eyes. Even his wife, Thora, was surprised. "You mean..."

"We elect a leader among us, but we set limits that he will have to respect" Zamor said. "To begin with, his office will last only until the emergency ends. Furthermore, he will only be able to intervene in matters directly connected with the epidemic, not with others. Furthermore, he will not be able to modify the laws that govern his own office to remain the head longer long. And we could add further limits if you wish. In this way we will be able to deal with emergency situations like these, but as soon as the emergency ends this leader will have to give up his position and the Council will return to the previous one. What do you say?"

There was a moment of silence that seemed longer than a century. Then… "It's a good plan" Tzegorn murmured.

Haku looked at him surprised. "Seriously? You, of all people, agree?"

"Just because I don't like you doesn't mean I can't make rational decisions" the tigerman said. "We have already used this technique to get us across the desert and it has worked brilliantly. And it is true, at the moment we cannot afford to waste time in long discussions. Therefore, I support this idea. I propose to vote immediately and, if this proposal is approved, to immediately draw up a document investing the designated leader with his power and establishing the limits to which he must submit, and then proceed immediately to a vote to elect the said leader"

The members of the Council agreed and the vote was immediately carried out. The result was clear: seventeen positive votes against only two negatives. Everyone thought exactly like Tzegorn; after all their main concern in electing a leader was to lose their authority and position, but if these two things were guaranteed, then they had no reason to be reticent. Once the result of the vote had been verified, they had immediately proceeded with the drafting of what they had called the 'act of proclamation of the provisional leader'. This drafting had taken an hour and a half, but in the end they had reached a result that suited everyone. According to this act, the 'provisional leader' would have had unlimited powers, but would have had to submit to certain rules: first of all, his office would have lasted only six months, renewable if the Council deemed that the emergency hadn't ceased; in no way could he have permanently removed the members of the Council from their position and could not have modified the fundamental laws they had established, such as for example the equality of all races; he could not have interfered with matters that went outside the sphere of influence of the emergency, which the Council would instead have dealt with (for example, in the case of the epidemic, the provisional head could not have used his position to initiate building projects unless they were places to contain the sick); he couldn't in any way modify the rules dictated by the act which gave him power or remove one of the limits; and finally he would have had to nominate respectively a 'right hand', meaning a person he trusted very much who would act as his adviser, and a 'left hand', meaning a person of directly opposite mentality to the other, who would perform the same task and would therefore balance the interim leader's decisions by not being too partisan. Since all the members of the Council agreed, they all signed the act and proclaimed it official. After that they immediately held elections: the candidates were Zamor, Yuko and Leuce, but the former clearly had much more influence and won without particular opposition. After being officially named provisional chief and the deed empowering him delivered, Zamor had proclaimed Haku his 'right hand' and Tzegorn, since his hostility towards the dragon was known, his 'left hand' . Haku and Tzegorn had glowered at each other as soon as their appointment had been announced, but both had nodded their heads, a sign of mutual understanding which meant that both would still act for the good of the population and not to harm the other. Yuko had tried to raise doubts about Haku's professionalism, since he wasn't sure that the dragon would have obeyed an order he didn't like, but on the contrary Haku had assured that he too would have respected the will of the provisional leader just like everyone else since, as Yuko herself had once pointed out to him, he was still a member of the Council and as such he respected its decisions.

"I thank you for the position you have given me and for the trust you have shown in me" Zamor said when everything was completed. "I will repay your generosity by getting to work right away. I would like you all to inform the people that I intend to speak to all of them this very evening in front of the Council Hall; I will inform them of the decisions we have made and I will reassure them of all our developments. In the meantime , Gord and Brenno, I would like you two to form a militia made up of definitely healthy people, to equip them with protections suitable for not getting their skin and eyes dirty, and to organize patrol shifts around the village so that no one tries to go out at night to new something stupid. As I will explain to people in my speech, all those who show symptoms will have a duty to go to Isaac to be healed; Thora, my dear, I would like you to find a suitable building for our new healer and that if possible find more staff All those who will be healed will have to stay in their homes with no contact with anyone else for a minimum period of two weeks; Leuce, it will be your job to form a patrol of trusted men to ensure that no one violates this ban. I will also institute a curfew to limit the contagion as much as possible and that ordinary people hinder the work of the patrols at night. Finally, I would like each of you to keep your copy of Isaac's list of remedies, and if any of you have an idea to make one of them more easily obtainable or less dangerous, please let me know immediately. Anyone want to add something?"

Zamor had already fully immersed himself in the part: he was behaving like a serious and charismatic leader who knew his stuff. None of the other members of the Council had anything to say, but after a few seconds Haku took the floor: "I would like to propose one last thing. Like any disease, this too is likely to be more dangerous for the weakest people. Therefore, it would be necessary to isolate the categories most at risk of the population"

"And what are they?" Zamor asked.

"Well..." Haku shrugged. "... the old and the young"

Zamor reflected. That proposal wasn't stupid at all... like all Haku's proposals after all. "The elderly are self-sufficient, it will be enough to lock them in their homes and provide them with food every day. But children cannot remain without jurisdiction..." he murmured. "Haku, you have a cave at your disposal, don't you?"