Chapter 44 Arbiter #2
“Have a safe trip.” Mrs. Westland smiled at Tamsin, her eyes crinkling, before giving her dog a corrective rebuke. “Hush, now, Toto. We don’t bark at cats. It isn’t polite.”
Tamsin forced a smile and kept walking. It was comforting to know that some things never changed.
The government building dominated the square where Capitol Street and Railroad Avenue intersected.
Tamsin recalled when it was being built twenty years ago, when she was a teen.
She had been fascinated with the process and thought she might want to study architecture.
But when a disagreement between the contractor and the workers broke out, she’d been the only one who could bring them together to talk out their grievances and reach a solution.
It was a blinding-light turning point for her, and she knew her purpose on this earth lay in conflict resolution.
Her mother encouraged her, and her father paid for her higher education.
Twelve years after earning her degree at New Sacramento University, she was known throughout the Confederation for walking into rooms where people already hated each other and getting them to talk.
Tamsin climbed the concrete steps to the State Capitol, a sturdy, modern structure built for function rather than ceremony, with clean lines and minimal ornamentation.
The Shattered Edge flag—three mountain peaks on a tri-colored field of golden tan, fog gray, and pine green—waved above the three-story edifice’s flat roof.
With her dad’s election, it had become the national capital for the duration of his tenure.
The polite doorman held the door for her. “You’re in early, Ms. Redfern,” he commented. “I think your father’s been here all night.”
That news didn’t bode well. “Thanks, Enos. I hope you got some sleep.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered with a smile. “Just came on duty. Have a pleasant day.”
She followed the tile hallways, past pictures of the famous Golden Spike ceremony from centuries ago and other historic reminders of the locale’s significance.
The railroad was substantial, but the real reason Bear River Junction replaced demolished Salt Lake City as the capital was because of the rich, arable soil, the fresh water supply, and the hydroelectric plant built nearby on the river—the first in Utah since the Great Blackout.
It was also near the north end of the Great Salt Lake.
Stepping into the Chairman’s outer office, Noah Redfern’s secretary greeted her. “Good morning,” said the middle-aged woman with powder-white skin. “The Chairman is expecting you. Oh, is that Sam?” Her face lit. “Do you need someone to keep him while you’re away? Oh, please let me.”
Tamsin recalled the old saying: When God closes a door, He opens a window. Giving the secretary a relieved smile, she set the carrier beside her desk.
“Thank you, Sarah. Dad thinks I’ll be gone about a week, but it’s hard to predict in these situations.”
“My Precious will be so happy to have company,” Sarah replied. “Don’t worry. She’s been fixed.”
“Thanks,” Tamsin repeated and headed back to her dad’s office.
“Here you are!” He rose from his desk to greet her with a hug. Noah Redfern was a fit man for sixty-two, with only a sprinkling of gray in his fuzzy hair. “What took you so long? I’ve got your travel booked, and you’ll have to hurry to make the first train heading east.”
“Took long?” She gave him an incredulous look. “The messenger only arrived a half hour ago, and I was still in bed. Now, I hope you have more information for me than the official contract document.”
“Yes, yes.” He turned to his desk, shuffled some papers around, and handed her a folder.
“I’ve been working on this most of the night, as the pigeon arrived late yesterday.
This is the background we have on the national leaders attending the meeting.
Blood has already been spilled. President Luther Irons is anxious that talks get underway immediately because the Red River Republic has been invaded by the Anáhuac Federation. ”
“The Anáhuac Federation?” Tamsin opened the folder and glanced through the pages.
“He presumes,” her dad said. “And Queen Frost declared she wouldn’t meet with him unless a neutral arbitrator was present.
Thank you for accepting this assignment.
I don’t have to tell you that having peaceful neighbors is vital to Pacifica’s security and stability.
I’m sending a small security detail with you, just in case.
Can’t have anything happen to my best girl. ”
Tamsin met his gaze with a smirk. “I’m your only daughter. Do you boss Andrew and Kenji around as often as you do me?”
“They don’t work for the government, so no. Be careful, Cherry Blossom.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “I love you.”
“Yeah, yeah, I love you too. Hey, give my love to Mom since I don’t have time to stop by the house to say goodbye. Sarah is looking after Sam.”
His cheery expression drooped, his brows knitting together. “What about Saylor?”
Tamsin just shook her head. “I’ll tell you later. Train to catch.” She kissed his cheek and hurried out, ready to study the contents of the assignment folder on the train ride. Her relationship problems didn’t matter. Establishing peace between and with the other Ashland nations was paramount.