Chapter 68 – One Lie
When the diplomatic mission prepared to sail out of Dunan Harbor the following morning, Flik felt no better about the plan than he had the previous night. It had been hard to keep a civil face when Culgan had greeted him at breakfast. It had been hard to smile when Riou and Nanami spoke cheerfully about the prospect of seeing Jowy again. But the most difficult duty of all was to stand there impassively while Shu suggested that Pilika join them on this trip.
"I don't know," Nanami said, looking thoughtful. "These are going to be serious negotiations, right? I think Pilika would be bored."
"Nonsense," Shu replied, putting on a smile that made Flik turn away and cringe. "If there is going to be peace, who better to benefit from that than one who has lost so much during this conflict? Pilika will surely want to see Jowy as soon as possible." Flik's guts twisted; he wanted to bend over and retch into the water. Better yet, he wanted to walk over and punch Shu.
Viktor's hand patted his shoulder. "Easy there, Flik," he murmured. "I don't like this any better than you. I don't think Shu likes it either, whatever his face says. Remember last night."
Flik didn't say anything. He did manage to look Shu in the eye when the strategist walked over to the two of them. "Generals Viktor and Flik, I entrust the duty of commanding Lord Riou's honor guard into your capable hands. You two have worked for peace in this land longer than any of us, and I know that you will fulfill your duty with honor."
"Thank you!" Viktor replied.
"Thank you," Flik mumbled, feeling another twitch in his stomach. He tried not to grimace.
After only a few more false wishes for hope out of Shu, the two galleys sailed. The lead ship was for the diplomatic party, including Viktor and Flik. The trailing ship contained the honor guard, selected from Flik's mounted archers. He had not yet told them the true purpose of their selection. Better to let them retain hope for a few more hours, Flik decided.
As they sailed out, a flock of Winghordes took to the air, maintaining a parallel course to the two ships. They took dives at the water, sending up sprays of foam at anyone who got too close to the railing. Some of them also came up with fish in their talons. One of those Wingers was Chaco. He took part in the roughhousing for a time and then settled down into the crow's nest of the lead galley, apparently content to do nothing but sun himself. Culgan, seeing all of this, laughed good-naturedly.
Flik was sure this was a part of Shu's plan too, though he wasn't brave enough to seek Chaco out and ask. The Winger probably wouldn't tell him anyway, not if he'd been sworn to secrecy as Flik was. Instead, Flik kept up his false front of happiness and tried to spend the day in mindless, trivial tasks.
At one point, while mending his blue cape, he overheard Culgan speaking. "I've seen a little of Kyaro." Flik glanced up from his work to see Culgan, Riou, Nanami, and Pilika seated near the prow of the ship, looking off to the north. "It is a beautiful city, and I'm sure you'll be able to return home once this is all settled."
"Where are you from, Mister Culgan?" Nanami asked.
He laughed. "You certainly don't have to call me 'Mister Culgan.' It makes me feel older than I want to." His tone turned conversational, and he pointed off to the distance. "Redcliff is northeast of Kyaro, on the other side of the mountains, right on the coast. My grandfather owned the iron mines there and used the profits to buy his way into the nobility. Honestly, it's as bleak as hell. I'll let my brothers squabble over the inheritance."
"So, you like being a soldier?" Riou asked.
"I've seen more of the world than I would've if I'd stayed at home. I've had a greater impact on that world, too. And…if everything pans out right, I'll end up higher in society."
"But, do you like being a soldier?" Riou asked, more intently.
Culgan looked away from Riou. "I won't say that I hate it. Sometimes, you do what you must. That's all." He stood up abruptly. "If you will excuse me, Lord Riou, but the motion of the ship upsets my stomach. I think I shall retire to my quarters." He turned and started walking towards the stairs to the hold, which had been converted into a number of rooms. At that moment Flik got a good look at the Highlander's eyes, and growled at what he saw. He took a step, intending to confront Culgan, but was suddenly yanked back, out of Culgan's line of sight.
"What the hell are you trying to do?" Viktor whispered fiercely. "Now's not the time to do something stupid and destroy the plan."
"He knows, damn him!" Flik whispered back. "He won't be so smug once I've got a sword in his guts." He tried to break out of Viktor's hold and, as usual, failed miserably.
Only after Culgan had descended the stairs did Viktor relent. "Yeah, he probably does know," Viktor said. "Jowy trusts him, the same way Shu trusts us. If you want to wipe the smile off his face that badly, wait until we've sprung Shu's plan. I hate it, but it's the only way I can see everything working out for us."
Flik let himself calm down, puffing out anger in short bursts. "Okay. I hear you. I just…despise all this insincerity. That's all."
"You were never the one for trickery, that's for sure." Viktor laughed and whacked him on the back. "That's why I got all the missions that required sneaking around and breaking into places."
Flik shook his head. "I don't see how that works. Look at how big you are, Viktor. How can you sneak into anywhere?"
"Sneaking is a state of mind," Viktor replied, theatrically throwing his hands up into the air. "It is a grand and noble art that requires the perfect balance of tension and relaxation that can only be honed through years and years of sneaking around."
"I'm sorry I asked."
In the late afternoon, the north shore of Dunan Lake came into view. Flik had not seen the town of Coronet since the night of his hasty retreat, now a little more than four months ago. The most striking change was that there were no ships on the water except for a pair of patrolling galleys. Culgan remained in his room, so Flik couldn't ask him about this, but it was obvious that Highland meant to make it impossible for people to flee from Muse to South Window.
Culgan finally came up to the deck as the two galleys from Dunan Castle coasted into position along adjacent wharves. "It has been some time since you were in Coronet," he said to Riou. "Tonight, you and your company shall dine with me in the mayor's mansion. Your soldiers will be quartered in the general barracks. I trust this is sufficient?"
"It is," Riou answered. Flik turned aside and coughed, covering his frown. Knowing what the Highlanders were intending, he didn't want Riou any further from his soldiers than he had to be, but raising a complaint now would only draw suspicion. Viktor saw his action and nodded. Now was the time for restraint.
A crowd awaited them as they stood at the top of the gangplank, again reminding Flik of the hasty departure, except that this time it was Highland soldiers pushing back a mob of excited civilians. And that this time it wasn't the boats they were trying to reach, but Riou. The line of soldiers bent as people surged forward, sticking hands between gaps to try and touch him.
"Lord Riou, send those Highlanders packing!"
"Drive them all the way back to the border!"
Riou acknowledged them by waving and smiling. Nanami seemed overwhelmed by the attention. Culgan kept his expression diplomatic, especially when the crowd switched to yelling abuse at him.
"Go home, you Highland dog! I hope you and your family come down with a pox!"
Chaco, who'd spent most of the day resting in the crow's nest, came awake and glided down to the foot of the plank, his talons clicking on the flagstones. "Allow me to go first," he said, giving a mocking half-bow.
"What're you doing here?" Nanami asked. "The rest of your friends left hours ago. Shouldn't you be with them?"
Chaco bowed again and put on a courtly tone. "My Lady, permit me, the bravest fighter in all the Winghorde, to be your escort in this diplomatic mission." He switched back to bantering normally. "I'll even look after Pilika for you. You wouldn't want her running around in the middle of negotiations."
Nanami sniffed. "I can look after myself, and Pilika too. I don't need your help."
"Well, I'll hang around anyway, as long as Riou lets me. Maybe these negotiations will be more interesting than they look."
In the end, Riou did let Chaco remain. After descending the gangplank, most of the diplomatic group went ahead with Culgan, but Viktor and Flik remained behind to help get Flik's men organized. Off-loading the horses from the transport proved to be a slow and tedious process. The crowd of civilians remained, but their energy slowly dissipated as the object of their desire had moved out of sight. Eventually the Highland soldiers pushed them back and broke them up.
Led by guides, Viktor and Flik marched the men to a row of barracks along the eastern wall of the town. By the time they arrived at the mayor's mansion, the sun was already down. However, Culgan had delayed the start of dinner so that the two men could partake. He placed Riou at the head of the table, with himself to one side and Lady Teresa to the other. Shin, along as Lady Teresa's bodyguard, took the seat to her left. Flik found that his seat was next to Nanami and two down from Culgan. Chaco seemed not to be participating, which was very like the young Winger. Flik still wondered what Chaco's purpose was, but the tantalizing smell of roasting pheasant drove such thoughts from his mind.
Before the meal was served, Culgan stood up to address his guests. "I am not a particularly religious man, but I do feel that such an auspicious occasion as this calls for a grace before we eat." He waited until all of the conversation had died down and continued:
"Oh Rune of Water, we
thank you for your grace,
Rain for our fields,
waves for our ships.
Spare us the flood,
storm, and drought,
Let peaceful moderation
be our only thought."
"That was quite moving," Lady Teresa said, as the first platters of food were brought in. "Tell me, did you think about joining the priesthood before you decided on your military career?"
Culgan, to Flik's surprise, blushed and replied, "I assure you, I never had any interest in the cloth before I went for the mail. Rather, my father built a shrine for the family and invited a priest to reside there. He'd heard that it was all the rage in the capital. Unfortunately, he never figured out that most of the nobility did that only for show, not because of any great faith. All of us, my brothers and sisters, suffered for his fervor." He laughed and took a sip of his wine.
"Is that so?" Teresa matched him by taking a sip from her glass. "Yet the True Runes are very much present in our world. Wouldn't it be wiser to take heed of them than to ignore them?"
Culgan smiled affably. "A rune is simply an instrument through which man exercises his will on the world. A tool, if you will. The True Runes are a stronger, more complex version of that, nothing more. It is true that only a man of uncompromising will may wield that power, but then all runes require a strong will to command." He pulled down the white glove on his right hand just enough to reveal that he bore a flowing rune, a powerful rune of water. Putting the glove back into place, he turned to face Flik and added, "Wouldn't you agree?"
Flik was chewing on a piece of pheasant, and was caught off guard by the question. He grabbed at his wineglass and poured it down to clear his mouth. "I-I would suppose so," he said when he could finally speak.
"In times like these, it is strong will that governs the future," Culgan continued. "One need only look south to Toran for confirmation. The Emperor Barbarossa, though he had the Sovereign Rune at his command, lacked the resolve to use it properly. He was a tool of his ministers, specifically his court magician. It is no wonder that his empire was overthrown by a peasant rabble."
Flik leaped to his feet, the motion causing his chair to tip over backwards onto the red carpeting. In a haze of rage, he began to reach for his sword, only stopping when he realized he was still in the dining hall. Everyone was looking at him. Nanami and Teresa looked particularly aghast. Shin stood up, scanning the room for the threat that would make Flik react in such a way. Culgan artfully hid his expression by wiping at his mouth with his napkin before asking, "Is something that matter, sir Flik?"
Flik took a breath to calm himself. "I…uh…I need to see to my men." He turned his back on Culgan and started walking briskly for the exit.
Viktor rose from his seat and too-casually added, "I'll join you. I could use a little of the night air."
"Is something wrong?" Teresa asked, her voice full of concern. "I'm sure the men are well taken care of, so you don't have to leave the dinner just for that."
"It's all right," Culgan replied. "Viktor and Flik are soldiers, and like good officers, seeing to the comfort of their men takes precedence over everything else." He chuckled dryly. "I should know, for I am a soldier too."
Flik didn't say anything. He continued storming towards the nearest hallway. Viktor stopped long enough to answer, "Thanks for understanding."
Once out of the room, Flik's anger started to mount. He blundered down the corridors, finding an exit by sheer luck. He stepped out into the darkness, paused a moment to adjust to the air, and slammed the door behind him as hard as he could. Before the door smashed back into place, Viktor caught it and joined Flik outside, closing the door gently.
"He's really got you upset," Viktor commented.
Flik opened his mouth to begin a tirade of epic proportions, but was preempted by a deep, ominous rumble from Viktor's back. "Of all the ungrateful, boorish, insufferable, clodhopping, odious, execrable…jerks! How dare he compare me to a tool! As if I were a hammer, or a lever, or…something." Stunned by the vehemence of the Star Dragon Sword, Flik felt his own anger melt away.
"Okay, so he's got the two of you upset," Viktor amended. He glanced around at their surroundings, an orchard attached to the mayor's mansion. "However, I suggest that we continue this conversation somewhere else. We're all supposed to be good friends here."
The Star Dragon Sword wasn't listening. "A tool! Pah! I was divining the secrets of the cosmos while his ancestors were smashing rocks against their foreheads trying to figure out how to create fire!"
"Let's go before someone hears him," Viktor suggested. He began picking his way through the darkness, walking down one of the rows of trees. Flik followed after.
"…had already counted the stars in the heavens before your forebears had even crawled up out of the ocean!"
"Yeah, that's great," Viktor said. "You're awfully talkative tonight; why didn't you speak up in front of Culgan?" He reached up and plucked a pair of pears from one of the trees. He passed one to Flik.
"Thank you." Flik bit down into the fruit eagerly, savoring the juices. He'd had very little of the meal before his exit.
"Am I some sort of carnival amusement, that I must speak in front of idiots?"
"Actually, I think of you as a sword, when I think of you at all. Most of the time, I try not to."
The Star Dragon Sword clattered around in Viktor's scabbard. "You would do well to remember that I've been watching this world for ages. I even waited for years behind the temple of Qlon just for you to find me, so the least you could do is give me a little consideration. For instance, you could try bathing more than once a month."
Viktor twitched as if he'd been struck. "You say something, you lump of scrap metal?"
The sword distinctly sighed. "I'll make it simple. You. Stink. Try using some soap next time you get near water. Your back is a bacterial breeding ground."
"A what?" Viktor asked. Then he snatched the scabbard off his back and gripped it with both hands out in front of him. "You say that to my face, you jumped-up crowbar!"
"I think I will. I've been in middens that smelled better than you do."
"This is exactly why I left you in the Cave of Wind in the first place! It'd take a saint to put up with your crap."
"Ahem." Flik coughed and pointed ahead. There, by a gate on the outer wall of the mansion, was one of the night watchmen, his astonished face clearly visible in the light of a lantern. Both Viktor and the sword stopped immediately. Then the Star Dragon Sword, under its own power, slipped free of its sheath and silently floated towards the guard.
"Boo."
Shrieking, the guard dropped his light and ran off into the darkness. Flik heard him crashing through the trees, his screams growing distant. The Star Dragon sword floated back towards Viktor and returned to the sheath. "That was cathartic. Take me from this place at once, before my ire returns."
Viktor walked towards the gate. "Finally, we're in total agreement."
Once they were out in the street, they walked on in silence, heading towards the barracks. There was still something bothering Flik, though, and he spoke up. "May I ask you a question, Star Dragon Sword?"
Viktor sighed. "I just got him to shut up. Why do you want to go and get him started again?"
The Star Dragon Sword seemed to be in a pleasant mood. At least it wasn't rattling around in Viktor's scabbard. "Unlike some fools I know, here is a man who shows that he can think before speaking. Of course I will answer your question; ask away."
Flik rubbed his lower lip, then said, "You're the only True Rune I've ever heard who speaks directly to us. Why is that?"
Viktor cringed. "Now you've gone and done it! Didn't you see how he blew up when I mentioned talking?"
Surprisingly, the Star Dragon Sword didn't "blow up." It went completely silent as the two men walked along. Flik worried that he'd terribly offended the Rune, that it might not speak ever again, but suddenly the sword did venture an answer. "I can speak only generally, for I do not know the full minds of my brothers. You must understand our point of view. Each one of us has almighty power, but narrow dominion. As such, it can be…difficult…for one of us to understand things outside our respective spheres of influence."
"I don't get that at all," Viktor said, scratching the top of his head.
"Then, humans are part of your 'sphere of influence'?" Flik asked.
The Star Dragon Sword laughed, a noise that stopped both Viktor and Flik in their tracks. "Humanity, my responsibility? I wouldn't wish that on any being! No, I only understand you better because of what I am. I am the Rune of Night. That isn't merely the physical period when one side of this planet is rotated away from your star. My dominion includes the metaphorical night as well. Thoughts and desires hidden away in the recesses of the soul, weaknesses, secrets - all fall under my purview. As such, I understand humans well."
"What, because we're all weak?" Viktor quipped.
"Not merely because you are weak, but because you are all eternally struggling to hide that weakness," the sword responded. "Humans would rather lie, cheat, and steal rather than admit this fact. Nations arm for war and spill blood out of fear that they will be made weak, or shown to be weak, if they do nothing."
"So, what if we want to appear strong?" Flik asked. "If I'm faced with an enemy, I'd rather appear strong than weak."
"Of course you'd rather hurt someone else than be hurt yourself," the sword retorted, catching Flik short. "Humans are like that. You think you can control fate, to make everything come up perfectly. Take this scheme of yours. You think to help the boy, but your lies will end up hurting him greatly, him and his sister. And that hurt will expand, encompassing more people than you'd ever imagine."
"It's not our fault," Viktor shouted. He grabbed the sword off his back again, yelling into its face. "The Highlanders are making us do this! They lied first!"
"One lie begets another, but the cycle never returns to truth. This war is not under my jurisdiction, so I will not intervene more fully, but know this – you must trust the heart of that boy if you are to truly win. Go and tell him the truth, or understand that the consequences are your own fault!"
The Star Dragon Sword suddenly went quiet in Viktor's hands. Both Viktor and Flik stared at it, waiting for it to say something more. Viktor gave the sword a gentle shake. "Hey, you lump of metal, speak up again! Hey, you awake, Star Dragon Sword?" He shook it again, more vigorously. "Come on, Zodiac Sword, tell us what to do!"
"He did tell us," Flik said somberly. "But, can we do it?"
The two men looked back to the sword, silently imploring it to say something more, to fortify their courage. The little face on the metal cross guard remained mute, eyes locked blankly on the night sky. The south wind began to roll mist off of Lake Dunan. Flik shivered slightly, but it wasn't because of the moisture.