Chapter Two Hundred Thirteen: 'The Lords of Gray Rock...'

Hanton lowered his gaze. "I apologize for the omission."

Hector could sense the shape of the invisible bird making a similar gesture.

There was a decision to make now, Hector knew. If he didn't need Hanton to release them anymore, then the power dynamic of their conversation had suddenly shifted. No doubt, that was why Hanton had been holding back that little piece of information this whole time.

Hector didn't want to get too confident, though. Hanton could still be--and probably was--hiding other things from him, things that could potentially shift things back in the Sparrow's favor. Hector wanted to be careful, but at the very least, he now felt that he was in a position to ask the question that he'd been wanting answered since the beginning.

"...Did you run the Vanguard out of Atreya?" said Hector.

Hanton's human illusion looked up at Hector and then remained perfectly still. His true body, however, was shifting beneath its shroud of invisibility.

The Lord Gaolanet was taking a while to answer, but Hector just waited.

"Yes," Hanton finally said.

"Why?" said Hector.

"That is a rather long story."

Hector materialized an iron chair for himself and sat down. "I don't mind."

"I... do not currently have time for this, Lord Goffe. I have other matters to attend to. Perhaps you can return at a later date, and we can finish this conversation then."

"And what if I return, only to find that you're no longer here?" said Hector.

"I would not flee over something so trivial," said Hanton.

"I wonder about that."

For the first time, anger flashed across Hanton's illusory face. "Why are you so interested in the Vanguard, Lord Goffe? Please do not tell me that you have been taken in by their lies."

That was not the response Hector had been expecting, and he exhaled half a laugh. "If that's what you're worried about, then don't be. I'm... fairly skeptical of the Vanguard."

Hanton blinked a few times, and his posture shifted, as did that of the invisible bird. Then, after a moment, Hanton's human form disappeared again, and the Sparrow's true body became visible once more. 'You... you are?'

"Yeah," said Hector.

'I must say... I am quite relieved to hear that, Lord Goffe.'

Hector cocked an eyebrow beneath his helm, not sure what to make of Hanton's sudden change in tone. "I take it that Sparrows aren't on very good terms with the Vanguard, then."

'Oh, on the contrary, many of my kind work with them.'

It was Hector's turn to blink. "Really?"

'Indeed. It is quite the symbiotic relationship. We are very capable assistants in a variety of fields, especially regarding propaganda and intelligence work.'

Hector could certainly believe that. "And what do you get out of it?"

'Ah. I do not get anything. To be clear, I do not work for the Vanguard and never have. My brethren, however, get the Vanguard's brand of "protection" for their efforts.'

"And what brand is that, exactly?"

'Our abilities are deemed too volatile to go unmonitored. My kin, therefore, rarely enjoy the same level of privacy and freedom that my family does. Unlike us, they are "caged birds," one might say. Little better than pets.'

Hmm. Hector sympathized, but he could also understand where the Vanguard was coming from on this one. The ability to manipulate people's minds was no fucking joke. The potential for abuse there was just ridiculous. "I can see why you wouldn't want the Vanguard sniffing around Atreya, then."

'Yes. However, if "sniffing" was all that they had been doing, we could have dealt with that easily enough--as we had been, for generations.'

"You're saying they escalated their work here?"

'Indeed,' said Hanton. 'If left unchecked, they would have sunken their claws into Atreya as they have done countless times before in other nations.'

With the evidence of what happened in Sair still quite fresh in his mind, Hector found it hard to argue with what Hanton was saying here. But he mistrusted the Sparrow's words, nonetheless. He decided to play devil's advocate a little. "If the Vanguard had been here, then I doubt Abolish would've been able to take over the country the way it did."

'Ah, yes, Abolish. The catch-all excuse that the Vanguard likes to bandy about at every conceivable opportunity. Perhaps what you say is true, but first and foremost, we should consider what actually happened, no? Abolish was driven out of Atreya, and peace was restored.'

Hector kept his expression still, but he didn't much care for how Hanton was portraying those past events. "Are you aware of the contributions made by a man named Harper Norez?"

'I am, of course. I understand that his role was pivotal, but let us not fool ourselves. That man is an outlier. He is hardly even a member of the Vanguard at all. As I have heard it, he aided us in spite of the Vanguard, not because of it.'

"...What were you doing during the Abolish occupation, by the way?"

Hanton fell quiet again.

"Abilities like yours would have been a big help," said Hector.

'I am no warrior,' said Hanton. 'I was working to drive Abolish out of Atreya in less direct ways. Ultimately, however, my efforts proved fruitless when you accomplished the task long before I could.'

"What 'less direct ways' are you referring to?" said Hector.

'Gathering intelligence,' said Hanton. 'Especially with regard to their funding and planning.'

"And once you had finished gathering all of this intelligence, what would you have done with it?"

'Sabotage their operational support behind the scene. A direct confrontation was impossible, but weakening them until they had no choice but to leave was still a viable pursuit. Until you came along and crushed them all, of course.'

"Did you learn anything useful about Abolish while you were gathering intel?" said Hector.

'Nothing that you do not already know, I imagine. They intended to lead the nation into war with Rendon and were actively suppressing the media.'

"I can't help thinking that you could have simply made yourself invisible and frozen all their minds without them ever realizing you were there."

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A long breath escaped from the nostrils on the Sparrow's beak. 'You sound like my daughter.'

"She wanted to intervene?"

'Indeed. I fear she soon would have, had you not resolved the matter when you did.'

"...So why'd you stop her?"

'It was simply too risky. I will admit that, yes, that plan might very well have worked. But if, for whatever reason, it did not, then it would instantly spell the end of my House. If the Abolishers noticed us--or goddess forbid, took one of us captive--then the revelation that independent Sparrows are nesting here on Atreyan soil would bring far more attention and trouble to this country than a handful of psychotic murderers in the palace could ever create.'

Hector was doubtful. "More trouble than a war?"

'Yes! You may not believe me, but yes. A war would not be the end of the world, Lord Goffe. Wars can be very short--and even bloodless. If Abolish left after starting one, I am confident that I could have ensured a swift peace thereafter.' Hanton paused. 'Unless, I suppose, the Vanguard decided to stick their noses in our business again. That would have complicated matters.'

"So let me get this straight. You think... that if word got out about your presence here, then... a bunch of people would show up to capture you?"

'Or kill us, yes. While relatively few know of my kind, those who do are generally very powerful.' Hanton's huge body shifted a little, and he leveled a beady-eyed stare at Hector. 'And I tell you now: if they do ever come for us, we will not go quietly.'

Hector could feel a sudden heaviness in the air. It wasn't quite the same as that of oppressive soul pressure from an extremely powerful servant, but there was a similarity there, nonetheless. This felt somehow more concentrated on his mind, like the weight didn't extended to the rest of his body.

It also felt different from earlier, when Hanton had been attempting to freeze his thoughts like everyone else. This seemed less deliberate. More emotionally charged, perhaps.

Whatever this was, it made Hector curious. "I thought you said that you weren't warriors."

The weight in the air promptly vanished, and the Sparrow's posture appeared more relaxed again. 'We are not,' said Hanton. 'But so long as I still draw breath, my children will never be enslaved by the Vanguard or anyone else. All who would seek to harm my family will come to know firsthand why my ancestors were so feared in their time. And though I would prefer to avoid it, you are no exception, Lord Goffe. I do not care how powerful you are.'

Unlike some of the other things Hanton had said, Hector could actually believe that. And he could respect it, too. "I understand," he said steadily.

Hanton said nothing.

And in the ensuing silence, Hector felt as if there was one question that he could hold back no longer. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should keep his mouth shut. But he just had to ask it now. "...Have you been poisoning people in Gray Rock in order to keep your secret from getting out?"

The giant bird shifted his feathers again. 'No. Why would you ask such a thing?'

"Because a case of serial poisonings is what led me to you," said Hector.

'Hmm.' Hanton paused, perhaps simply to think. 'That is very strange. But you have witnessed my abilities. What need would I have to poison anyone?'

Hector had to admit, that was a fair point.

'What made you think that this trail of poisonings led to my family?' said Hanton.

Hector considered whether to answer that or not. He couldn't see much harm in it, but he was still reluctant, perhaps because he'd already been fairly forthcoming and didn't wish to overplay his hand. "Why does that matter?" he asked.

'I want to know if you might simply be mistaken or if someone is attempting to frame us.'

Hmm. Were those the only two possible options? Off the top of his head, Hector could think of at least one more in which Hanton was guilty and lying about it. But he didn't want to say that. All he had was a name in a ledger. That was evidence of a connection but not proof of wrongdoing.

'...Does this have something to do with the Vanguard?' said Hanton. 'Is that why you asked about our relationship with them?'

Actually. Wait just a second here.

Hanton could actually be telling the truth here, couldn't he? Hector suddenly felt like a bit of a dumbass, because those two questions just now had caused him to think of a good reason why the Gaolanets were very unlikely to be responsible for the poisonings.

The Vanguard had been run out of Atreya almost a decade ago, right? So, essentially, the basic theory was that the Gaolanets had been poisoning the Vanguard's informants in order to cripple their information network.

But there had been a poisoning only about a month ago. In fact, that case was what had put Hector and Garovel onto this trail in the first place. So if the Gaolanets were responsible for that poisoning, too, then what the hell had their motive been? The Vanguard wasn't even here, anymore.

He supposed that line of reasoning still didn't exonerate Hanton and his family entirely, but it was a decent strike in their favor, he felt.

Agh, so then who else could be behind these goddamn poisonings? Could they really be unrelated?

Man, Hector felt like kind of an asshole all of a sudden, like he should've thought of all this before even coming here.

'I suppose your silence is answer enough,' said Hanton. 'I hope that you continue to maintain a healthy skepticism of the Vanguard going forward.'

"...You really don't like them, do you?" said Hector.

'They are an invasive species. They pretend they are not, but they are. Once they have you in their clutches, they will never let you go.'

Hector immediately thought of Garovel, who used to work for the Vanguard and managed to leave it just fine. But then he thought of Mehlsanz. And the Rainlords. He didn't think he could just dismiss Hanton's perspective as wholly wrong.

Hector mulled over his next question carefully. While he was more inclined to believe Hanton now, he still wasn't prepared to let the Goalanets off the hook yet entirely. "How did you finally convince the Vanguard to leave Atreya?"

'I am... reluctant to say, but I suppose there is no sense hiding it. Once we were able to locate where the Vanguard was operating out of, my daughter, being her usual self, decided to take rather drastic action. She walked right into their base and told them all to leave.'

Hmm. Well, that tracked with what he'd found in that abandoned house. It had been Pauline's name there, not Hanton's. "It was just that easy, huh?"

'We can be very persuasive.'

"Mm. Then why'd you wait so long to do it? The Vanguard had been monitoring Atreya for ages, hadn't they?"

'Up until that point, we believed the Vanguard were content with merely monitoring the country. When we discovered that they intended to increase their presence here... well. My daughter made a dramatic decision. I am merely grateful that it did not bring ruin down upon us.'

"Did she erase all their memories?"

'She replaced them with ones of utter frustration and futility in their work here. Which was not far from the truth, frankly. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she "exaggerated" their memories, instead.'

The more he learned about this bird lady, the more Hector was curious to meet her.

Hanton was not yet finished. 'However, in the interest of full disclosure, she also... may have been spurred to action by another factor.'

"Oh?" said Hector.

'I had recently been dismissed from my position as the Director of the Agency of Foreign Affairs,' said Hanton. 'She was incensed by this decision and was perhaps looking for some manner of retribution.'

Hector was confused. "How did that qualify as retribution?" A thought occurred to him, and he blinked. "Are you saying that the Vanguard was involved in the AFA?"

'No, but it was trying to acquire influence in our government. I had long been an obstacle to that endeavor. And not just me, in fact. That has been House Gaolanet's mission for centuries. The preservation of this kingdom's sovereignty in the face of overwhelming foreign power.'

It sure sounded noble when Hanton described it like that. Hector had to wonder if it was really so simple, though.

But it did make a degree of sense. After all he'd seen and done during his time outside the country, Hector had thought it was a bit strange that Atreya and the nations around it could be so insulated from what was going on in the world. The Vanguard had clearly played a part in that to some extent, but it seemed evident now that House Gaolanet had been a factor as well.

Hector was still full of questions. There was so much more he wanted to ask Hanton, especially about how the Sparrows conducted themselves--if they abided by any kind of rules or "code" regarding the usage of their abilities.

But it was at this time when a knock arrived on the double doors behind him, and without even waiting for a response from Hanton, they opened.

The butler who had showed everyone into the building earlier appeared. This time, he had very little of his prior composure, eyes wide with urgency. "Lord, I--!"

The man stopped moving entirely at the sight of so many suits of armor standing there--one being Hector with iron orbiting around him. For a moment, the man stood so still that Hector thought Hanton might have frozen him, too.

Hanton, however, did not seem fazed by the new arrival. 'I do not wish to be disturbed, Jessup. Can this wait?'

Jessup twitched back to attention, then cleared his throat and steadied himself. "I do not think so, Lord." He didn't seem particularly surprised that his master was a giant bird who could speak directly into his mind. "It is the news, sir. There has been... an unthinkable development abroad. I am honestly at a bit of a loss how to explain..."

'If it is so important, then speak, man. Quickly now.'

"Five different wars have just broken out within the last hour, Lord."

Hector wasn't sure what he'd just heard.

And neither was Hanton, apparently. 'What did you say?'

"Five nations," said Jessup, walking over to the corner of the room where a large television was sitting. "Without warning, they each began invading one of their neighbors."

What the hell?

Jessup wasn't done, though, even as he was presumably searching for the remote control. "They are calling it a coordinated assault, Lord. They are calling it the outbreak of a second Continental War."