Betrayal of Body & Spirit
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Chapter XXXVII: Betrayal of Body and Spirit

 

We arrived in Yazthaan in a procession, met with all the celebrations usually given to returning fighters. As the news spread that another group of survivors had been found, the crowd around us grew; apparently Sir Margaret and Rook had both been missed by the Blueroser soldiers, and even Sarnai had a few Durkahns waiting for her. 

I didn’t get the same treatment. Anna and Unity were still missing, and the ones who had made their way to Yazthaan either didn’t know me or didn’t care that I’d survived. I caught glimpses of Burnardor in the crowd, and she glared back at me as though my survival had been a disappointment. So I did what I normally did during moments of social awkwardness, and stuck to Lady Halflance’s side like I was her bodyguard. With Lady Halflance at my side, people mostly ignored me. It’s a bit like standing next to a lightning rod during a storm. 

Yazthaan was a smaller town than Zrimash, which probably explained why it hadn’t been chosen as the initial site of the negotiations, but they were similar in a lot of ways. The construction was generally a similar design, and the layout was similar, complete with the large pyramid-temple in the center. The main difference was that Yazthaan had turned into a full-blown military encampment. Once all we were done with the meet-and-greet, Halflance’s tone shifted immediately to military precision, walking quickly from place to place to check in on the various patrols. 

They’d set up makeshift defenses around the edges of the town, shallow trenches and earthen embankments and the like, the sort of things that wouldn’t take much effort. Bluerosers and Durkahns alike patrolled the area in squads of around twelve. Many of the Bluerosers had been forced to abandon their rifles for more Durkahn muskets, their older weapons broken or out of ammo. The whole place was a mix of the chaotic and the clockwork, military precision fighting valiantly against the natural entropy of a village visibly straining under the weight of several hundred new arrivals.

We had a nice meal that evening, and then Sarnai and I were led to a tent where we could sleep. It wasn’t much, even compared to the cabins on the treaty grounds, but it was utterly luxurious compared to what we had had before, and with how exhausted we’d all become without realizing it, we were asleep in no time at all. Sir Margaret got to sleep in Lady Halflance’s bed, the lucky bastard, while Rook went off on her own to who knows where.

Breakfast that next morning was nothing special unless you’d been living off of trail food for two weeks, in which case hot, fresh bread with bessel lard and a bit of sweet cheese was just about the most delicious thing in the entire world. Rook and Lady Halflance were seated across from me, both talking politely, while Sir Margaret and I were too busy eating to say much of anything. The soldiers and townsfolk around us on either side of the long table picked up the slack in terms of conversation.

Lady Halflance’s conversation was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a young woman, a Durkahn, wearing a fancy but not military uniform. “Lady Halflance, there’s been a message for you,” she said.

Halflance quirked her head, setting down a partially-eaten roll. “A message? At this time? Who in the world could have sent it?”

“I don’t know, Countess. It arrived with another group of stragglers, just before dawn. She said it was from someone who couldn’t escape, but it was for you.”

Halflance slowly raised an eyebrow. “Do you have it? Hand it over.”

The young servant, or whatever she was, produced a folded piece of paper and passed it to Halflance. Halflance opened it at once and quickly read through it. Then, once her eyes hit the bottom of the page, she went back up and read it again, then a third time after that.

“Anna and Unity wish for you to know, Emma, that they are healthy and in good spirits, albeit in captivity of Cassandran forces and those loyal to Dinara Murahnok,” she said unexpectedly. “They requested very specifically that you be informed of that, if possible.”

“The message is from Anna and Unity?” I said.

Halflance nodded sharply. “Written by Ms. Plurabelle, I assume, though Unity’s handwriting may be better than I give her credit for; but signed by both, and I believe the contents must have been a product of cooperation.” Halflance stood up, shoving her chair away from the long table. “Tell all the commanders to assemble,” she said to the Durkahn, “as soon as possible. There is much to discuss.”

And at that she walked off, leaving her breakfast half-finished. Her wife stole the remainder, leaving me to sit there not a little bit dumbstruck, wondering what could possibly have been in that letter that would cause Halflance to call a meeting so immediately. I assumed I was going to find out… as soon as I had a third serving of cheese.

The meeting was held in what I assumed was Yazthaan’s mayor’s house, or the home of someone equally rich and important. The main living room had had all of the furniture removed and replaced with a single large table ringed with chairs, perfect for sitting around and discussing tactics or something. I sat down near Lady Halflance, but left enough room for Rook and Sir Margaret to flank her when they arrived.

“What are you doing here?” said a voice from over my shoulder. I sighed; I’d almost forgotten about that whole drama, what with everything else going on.

“That’s a really bold question, coming from a medical doctor sitting at a war council,” I said. “I’m here in my official capacity as Lady Halflance’s ward.”

Lady Halflance, sitting about six feet away from me, raised an eyebrow. “I was not aware that you had such an official capacity.”

“Well, you let me in the room, so I assume I have some kind of rank,” I said. “I mean, do you want the immortal girl to be in on your battle-plans or not?”

Lady Halflance gestured with her hand in such a way as to indicate that the point was taken. Charcharias rolled her eyes and grimaced, an expression made even less friendly by the rows of triangular, serrated teeth. “I don’t know what you expect she’ll be able to accomplish, Halflance. Given her track record, she’ll probably peel off on her own inane mission as soon as things get difficult.”

Lady Halflance glared sharply at Charcharias. “I won’t tolerate any verbal sniping at the war table,” she said softly. “If you cannot put aside this absurd discordance, I’ll have you both thrown out.”

Charcharias glared at me, but stayed quiet. I folded my arms against my chest and leaned back in my chair, breathing slowly in an attempt to calm down. It was infuriating, the way Charcharias was acting. Sniping at me, insulting me, just because I’d refused to submit to as much testing as she wanted as soon as possible. I hadn’t even denied her, merely said that now wasn’t the time.

There had to be something else going on there. I resolved to try talking to her, really talking to her, after the meeting was over; it was something I hadn’t been able to do back at Zrimash on accounton a account of being focused on figuring out who the infiltrator was, but it was something that I needed to do now. Just after coming to that conclusion, the wounded Sir Margaret slipped into the room. The doors were shut behind her, and a general quiet fell over the room as the meeting began.

“No time for preamble,” Halflance said. “What has just been delivered to us is of utmost importance.” Halflance took the letter that had been handed to her at breakfast from a pocket and unfolded it. “This letter is from two servants of my household, Anna and Unity, who were kept alive and forced to work for the Cassandrans in Zrimash. I do not know how they were able to sneak it out, but the letter relates several incidents of which only Anna was aware, thus proving its veracity. In it, these two brave women have put to paper an impressively detailed description of the defenses and enemy positions around Zrimash. With this information, we could easily catch the enemy off guard, attack her weakest points, and win a battle, even with our disadvantage in numbers and equipment. 

“But if we are to win, we must act quickly, before this information becomes out of date. My troops can be ready in three days, and I believe the same is true of other contingents. That’s why I’ve called you all here, so that we can begin formulating a plan of action using this material. Any questions?”

There were several questions, for the record, but given that I didn’t know much about combat beyond the level of sticking the sharp end of the sword into the nearest opponent, I stopped paying attention. A faint sense of pride toward Anna and Unity warmed my insides. That they’d not only survived, but used their position to send the Bluerosers this killing blow, was incredibly ingenious of them, and though I’d had little to do with it, it still made me proud that they’d technically been assigned to me. I’d have to thank them for it later, if we met up alive.

The meeting went on for the better part of an hour, with Sarnai and the Halflances and even Burnardor sitting around and discussing tactics with a few of the higher-ranked survivors in the militaries of both Bluerose and the Durkahni loyalists. I didn’t follow along for most of it, though I at least paid enough attention to remember what I’d be expected to do when the battle came. When it was over, everyone split off to discuss with their own followers. I waited for Charcharias to get up and leave the building, then did my best to follow after her. 

I caught up to her a little ways away, in a nondescript alleyway between two houses around the edge of Yazthaan. “Charcharias! I want to talk.”

She continued a few more steps, until she suddenly stopped and wheeled around. “What is there to talk about?”

I threw up my arms. “This. You. All of it. You’ve been acting like a different person lately, and I don’t understand why. At first I thought that I just didn’t understand you as much as I did, but I don’t think you’re the kind of asshole who would go off on me like this just because you felt like it.”

“Some kind of therapist, now, are we?”

“No, I just… I’ve had a lot of time to think, while I was making the journey from Zrimash to here. I had a couple of close calls,” I said, gesturing at the wound on my side. “And I’ve realized that it’s better to confront this kind of shit than to just hope it’ll stop being a problem. I don’t want to lose your friendship if there’s anything I can do about it.”

Charcharias scowled, pulling herself inward and away from me. “I’ve already said everything there is to say. You have no idea how much your abilities could advance the cause of medical science if we could just understand them; if you want to save lives, think about the hundreds of thousands who die every year from, from cancers and gangrene and consumption and plagues and all of those other things that you don’t even notice. And you’re giving me, what, a blood sample to work with? A single snapshot with the vitometer?”

“My comfort matters here, Charcharias, not to mention that I have more important—” I stopped myself, took a breath. “You’re very good at making me frustrated. But this isn’t about me, or about this petty argument. There are compromises we could come to, but you keep acting like this is some kind of personal betrayal.”

“Because you aren’t thinking about anything beyond yourself!” Charcharias said. “You’re valuing your own convenience over something that could change the world, for the better, forever.”

“When have I ever valued my comfort over other people?” I said, holding back my true anger for the sake of getting through to her. “I fought the stonewose hand to hand, and nearly froze solid in a mountain blizzard rather than let the people I was traveling with die. I have done nothing to suggest that I’m at all like how you keep acting as though I am.”

Charcharias bit her bottom lip, exposing jagged teeth. She backed away from me, shaking her head in a way that seemed more reflexive than anything else. “That’s not — it’s different. You’re saving one person, two, handfuls when you could be helping cities.”

“That’s ridiculous, Charcharias,” I said. “It’s ridiculous and it makes no sense, and nobody’s actions are judged that way. And that’s what I mean, is that…  I want to know what’s really going on here. I want to know what’s really going on with you, because I do give a damn about other people.”

Charcharias was quiet for a long time after that. I could see the obvious internal struggle written on her face as she ground her teeth together and rhythmically clenched her hands in frustration. Saying anything more would just push it too far, that I knew, so I let her process. At least a minute went by that way, and I started to feel at least a little hope that she might open up.

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” she said. “You just… I know what you could do for the world, I know what a shift you could create. And to see that squandered, it gets to me.”

I wasn’t sure if I believed it, even then. “I can come to a compromise, Amina, if it means that much to you. Maybe I can stop by during a slow day and spend and hour or two, if you promise to stop being so abrasive all the fucking time.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, bitterly. “My lab supplies are all back in Zrimash, and who knows what the Cassandrans have done with them by now. I lost my chance, and I should really just come to terms with that fact by now.”

“Hey, don’t be so negative,” I said, extending a hand. “We can figure something out. Even if it involves waiting until we get back to Amrinval.”

Charcharias walked away. “No. No, there’s not enough time, Emma. I’m sorry I ever even asked.”

I wanted to do more, to say more, but it was clear that Charcharias wasn’t hearing it. Swearing under my breath, I turned and walked away.

Here we go! The last seven chapters, all in a row. If you don't want to have to wait two weeks for the end, there's always my Patreon as an option. Next chapter goes up in two days.

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