Twentieth Oath -- Friends and Friction

Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen: 'A lord's decision...'

Hector was going to be sad to see the King leave. After multiple extensions to the man's stay here at Warrenhold, it seemed that he was finally going to return to Sescoria today.

He would miss Lynn, too, of course, though that parting would also be accompanied by a sense of relief. As much as he enjoyed being around her, it was a bit exhausting to have his attention constantly split on her. These last few days, he couldn't help devoting an entire parallel thought process to just her.

He hadn't intended to think about her so much, of course, but when she was within such close proximity all the time, he could sense her presence with the Scarf of Amordiin even when he wasn't looking directly at her.

That had to be a new level of creepy. Staring at someone without actually staring at them. He hated himself for being so preoccupied when there were so many other things going on, but it was all but impossible to stop.

He supposed he should just be grateful that he could concentrate on multiple things at once. Though, he did wonder if the ease of his multitasking was actually making it worse. It gave him an excuse. He wasn't really letting himself be distracted, right? He had attention to spare, right?

Nevermind the fact that Zeff noticed a drop in his combat performance during their sparring sessions.

Thankfully, the Lord Elroy didn't seem to pick up on the cause. Instead, he attributed the drop in ability to the fact that Hector had missed a few training sessions due to the King's visit. Zeff didn't appreciate that much, but he also seemed to understand the importance of the King's time here.

That first meeting between Zeff and King William had been an interesting one. Zeff had been his usual stern self as he tried to express his gratitude for allowing his kin to stay in Atreya during this difficult time, while King Wiliam mainly just seemed interested in asking questions about Rainlord history. The King had a lot of questions about trees, for some reason.

Admittedly, Hector had been a bit distracted at that time, himself. Lynn had been talking to him directly--which somehow required more than just one parallel thought process from him.

"So when are we going to spar?" she'd asked, poking him in the shoulder.

The prospect of training with Lynn again had certainly crossed his mind, but there were multiple reasons why he wasn't eager to give that a go. And frankly, he was a bit surprised by her apparent enthusiasm. "Ah... you really want to fight?" he'd asked.

"Of course! It'll be fun to gauge each other's progress."

Hector had nodded at that point. It did seem fun. In theory. "But, uh... the problem with that is... well, most of my 'progress' has been in the usage of killing techniques."

Lynn had just kind of stared at him for a time, her expression as unreadable as always. "So... you're saying that you think you can pierce this purple shield of mine, is that it?" And she summoned the violet shadow, making it bubble up from her gauntlet and hover in front of his face.

He hadn't seen her make that kind of shape with it before. It was like bubbles connected together by a blanket, constantly rolling over one another. Boiling, perhaps. It was a little gross-looking, honestly, but kinda cool, too, in its own way.

He hadn't been sure how to respond to her question, though. Would it have been too cocky to say that he was confident that he could pierce it? He hadn't thought so, but he hadn't wanted to upset her, either.

She'd ended up a little upset with him, anyway, though. "Well? You were implying that you were worried about killing me, weren't you? That means that you think you can pierce this thing, doesn't it?"

"Ah... well, er..." Agh, why had she looked at him like that? Was she actually mad? Or just messing with him? What should he have said?

They were interrupted when Ms. Rogers arrived to inform him of some rather mundane but necessary banking paperwork that the Madame Carthrace was in need of.

And now, on the last day of the King's visit, Hector had nearly forgotten that conversation, but Lynn apparently had not.

Above ground and in the middle of a rocky clearing, Hector and Lynn stood by themselves, a good distance away from the recently constructed buildings. They had a handful of spectators, including Garovel, the King, Matteo and his reaper, as well as Roman and Gina.

Hector scratched the back of his head. "...Is this really necessary?" he whispered.

"Yes!" Lynn exclaimed.

He should've known that it was already too late to back out, he supposed.

Lynn drew her sword and pointed it at him. "How's your swordsmanship? Have you honed it at all?"

"As a matter of fact... no, I haven't." Hector just gave her a flat look.

Lynn seemed briefly disappointed. "Well, that's okay. I can give you a few more pointers later. First, show me your most powerful stuff."

"...I don't think that's a good idea. "

"Oho. Big words, Lord Goffe."

"That's not what I--"

"C'mon. I can take it." She began closing the distance between them. "Show me before I get mad."

He sighed. "Alright, fine, but before this goes any further, let's do a test. I don't want to risk--"

The violet shadow lashed out at him, and he narrowly sidestepped it, ending up with a scratch across his chest instead of a hole through it.

"Good dodge," said Lynn. "Little slow, though."

Hector's expression hardened. "Aren't you being a bit too aggressive for just a sparring match?"

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm working out some frustration." She twirled her sword in her hand. "Besides, you can heal, so what difference does it make?"

He could tell for certain, now. She was definitely annoyed.

But increasingly, so was he.

"Let's do a test, first," Hector said again. "We can see how well your shadow--"

"Mm, don't feel like it." She bolted toward him and swung her sword wide.

It was an obvious strike, far more obvious and flashy than Hector remembered her attacks being. She probably intended for him to block it, as a kind of warning attack.

So he did. A suit of iron armor clapped around his whole body instantaneously, and he caught the blow with Haqq's shield.

"See?" she said. "I'm holding back. I didn't coat my blade in my shadow."

She wasn't aware of the properties of Haqq's shield and probably thought it would be as easy for her shadow to cut through as his iron was.

Hector didn't feel like correcting her.

Lynn pulled her sword back and relaxed a little. "Nice armor, though. You couldn't make that so quickly before, could you?"

"Er. Yeah. Listen, just--hold out your shadow for a bit. Away from your body."

"Like this?" Lynn launched a long string of purple out from her hand and let it hover there.

Hector "loaded" up an iron bullet in a parallel thought process. "Yeah, that'll--"

Her shadow twitched and leapt toward him at a right angle.

He stepped out of the way, having expected her to try something again. The shadow bent in midair and tried to skewer him another time, but it splashed against his shield.

Lynn had gotten behind him. "Don't you think this scarf of yours is a liability? I could just grab it, you know."

Thanks to said Scarf, however, Hector had sensed her there beforehand. He'd been able to tell from her movements and posture that she wasn't trying to attack him, so he hadn't done anything to repel her, instead wanting to know what her intentions were. It seemed like she'd just wanted to spook him, though.

He didn't turn around to face her. "Do you really want to spar?" he said through the metallic tinge of his helmet. "Or do you just wanna keep trying to sucker punch me?"

"Heh, I'm just testing your reactions. You don't think our enemies will take it so easy on you, do you? It's important to keep your guard up, Hector."

Ugh, she was reminding him of Zeff all of a sudden.

"What's with the silent treatment?" said Lynn. "This is supposed to be a friendly bout, you know."

What the hell was she saying now? She really didn't understand what an awkward situation she was putting him in, did she? And had she forgotten that the King was watching this, as well? That just compounded things.

In a parallel thought process, he was focusing only on what the Scarf was telling him. Since they were outside, the wind played a bit of havoc with the Scarf--in both a good and bad way. It "blurred" things a little in his mind, but it also extended the range of what he could sense by quite a bit. The treeline in the distance was fairly clear to him, at least in terms of general shape, whereas Lynn's figure was faintly "smeared."

He could still sense her movements with immense precision, however. He noticed her posture shift suddenly, her arm raise, and the aberration shadow extend from her hand. She was about to attack him again.

So he materialized an iron platform beneath her feet, taller than himself and with enough force to pop her high up into the air like a bouncy ball.

It took her a second to get her bearings, but she caught herself on a swirling bed of violet shadow, landing in front of him. Hector had been prepared to catch her with an iron slide, but he could tell with the Scarf and with his own eyes that it wouldn't be necessary.

"Ho ho!" said Lynnette with a smile as the purple dissipated around her. "That was fast! Good job."

Hector frowned, though she wouldn't be able to see it through his helmet. "Lynn, this is a bad idea..."

"Why?"

"I tried to tell you--"

"Well, there's your problem," said Lynn. "Don't tell me. Show me." And she lunged toward him again, her white cloak wreathed in smoldering purple.

Y'know what? Fine, he decided. Maybe there was a safe way that he could show her.

Just as he'd done before, Hector launched Lynn up on an iron platform--but he didn't stop there, this time. He materialized more blocks of iron in midair and added velocity states to them. He knocked her to and fro, ping ponging her back and forth with increasing speed. Over and over and over again, not letting up.

The shadow would protect her from injury, he knew, but it wouldn't prevent knockback--or at least, not by much. He could neutralize her completely so long as he kept her pinned down and disoriented.

Unsurprisingly, however, she seemed to grow quickly irritated with this strategy, and the purple shadow exploded out of her in all directions, catching the iron blocks before they could hit her and reorienting herself into an upright position.

Hector exhaled heavily and dematerialized the last of his blocks. He supposed he should've known that it wouldn't be that easy. And judging by the look on her face, he'd only served to piss her off.

With the shadow surging around her, she seemed almost as if she were stuck in a massive purple tree. But of course, she was in control of it, and she wasn't allowing the shadow to dissipate this time, either. She kept it out, bubbling and swirling around her, as she dove headlong toward him again.

Weirdly enough, though, this was now reminiscent of that fight with a worm. Lynn's shadow wasn't quite so large, of course, and she wasn't trying to kill him--at least, in theory--but this sight of a hulking, amorphous body lunging toward him was certainly familiar.

A flurry of purple tentacles shot out in advance, trying to flank Hector from both sides.

That would be a lot of shit to dodge. He could try, and with the Scarf, he might even be able to do it. But he had an idea he liked better.

He'd do the exact same thing again. But bigger.

He raised another iron platform beneath Lynn, just as fast as before but the size of a small house by itself. She and her shadow went flying, and Hector followed up again, too. Giant blocks in midair, ping ponging her back and forth. The shadow struggled and flailed, trying to grab on to each block, but they were too large to catch.

He heard Lynn scream in frustration, which was almost enough to make Hector stop, until he saw her shadow flex and focus into a dozen different blades.

Still toppling through the air, Lynn started slicing the through the blocks of iron instead of trying to catch them. The irons slabs parted around her, allowing her to right herself again amid a storm of swirling purple blades.

Lynn was taking angry breaths. "That. Was. Extremely annoying, Hector."

"Good job breaking through," he offered her.

She scowled. "Don't condescend to me."

Hector tilted his head. "I wasn't."

She steadied her breath, then reeled her shadow in as she walked closer. "Hector... I don't understand. I've been training like mad since you've been gone. I've sparred with Harper Norez dozens of times now. I'm sure he was taking it easy on me, but I'm far stronger than I was before we went to Sair. But you... you're able to just toy with me like that..."

Ah.

Suddenly, Hector felt a little bad. He hadn't really considered things from her perspective. And he should've. Agh.

Too self-absorbed, as usual. Shit. What an idiot, he was. And he still didn't even know what to say to her.

"How did you improve this much?" asked Lynn. "No offense, but I'm confident that I could've whooped your ass before."

In spite of the previous tension, Hector couldn't help chortling at her bluntness. "Yeah, you probably could've..."

"Right? So what the hell changed so much?"

He wondered how to explain. "Well, uh... lots of things, I guess."

Lynn's expression flattened. "Be more specific. This is serious. I want to know if there's anything else I can do to grow stronger, too. I don't know if you've noticed, but the world just got a whole lot more dangerous, and the kingdom could come under attack again at any time."

"Okay, well... do you know what emergence is?" said Hector.

She thought for a second. "Roman mentioned that, once. In Korgum. It's how servants can increase their ability by leaps and bounds, right?"

"Yeah."

"You're saying you achieved emergence in Sair?"

"Well, in the Undercrust, actually. On the way back from Sair." On second thought, had he achieved emergence in Sair, too? With all the fighting he'd gotten involved in, it was a bit difficult to remember, but he didn't think so.

"And that's it?" said Lynn. "Emergence has created this much a gap between us? Roman's power grew in Korgum, but still... this seems like too much of a jump compared to that. Because you were holding back on me, weren't you?"

"Ah... well, I also achieved emergence when I fought Harper. And you and I haven't sparred since before that, so..."

"Hmm," was all she said.

"And there's my training with Lord Elroy, too," said Hector. "That's been... unbelievable helpful, honestly. He's taught me tons of things about how to use materialization more intelligently."

"I see..."

"And then, there's also, um..." He stopped himself. This was Lynn he was talking to, but would it really be okay to just tell her? He glanced toward Garovel, who was still observing with the King and the others. 'Can I tell Lynn about the Scarf?' he asked.

The reaper took a moment to respond. 'No,' he said privately. 'It's better if no one knows.'

'But we can trust her, can't we?'

'It's not about trust, Hector. Telling her would just be an unnecessary risk. How would it help anything, if she knew?'

'Because... then she'd... I don't know...'

'Exactly.'

'She wants to get stronger, Garovel. And items like this could help her.'

'You are NOT about to give the Scarf to her.'

'What? No, I mean... if she's just... if she becomes aware that items like this exist in the world, then maybe she'll...'

'Maybe she'll what? Go hunt them down? She's rather busy protecting the Queen and her husband.'

'Sure, but still...'

The reaper gave a silent sigh. 'If you want to tell her about magical artifacts, then fine. Just don't go into detail about the Scarf specifically.'

He could be satisfied with that. 'Okay.'

Lynn was staring at him expectantly, perhaps already guessing that he was conversing with Garovel.

He dematerialized his armor and rubbed his bare neck. "I can't really... go into detail, but let's just say... there are certain objects in the world which are similar in nature to that aberration gauntlet of yours."

She blinked. "Similar in what way?"

"As in, they harbor supernatural powers," said Hector. "You were there when I told the Queen about the Undercrust--and Himmekel, too. There was a lot of crazy treasure there, and I suspect there's even more, elsewhere in the world."

"H-hold on," said Lynn with furrowed eyebrows and a raised gauntlet. "On top of everything else, you're telling me that you've also gained an item of power comparable to this thing?"

Hector gave her a shrug. "Pretty much."

She looked incredulous.

His mind went to the Shard and also the Tuning Orb of Karugetti. "More than one, actually." Then his mind went to the Moon's Wrath, and he frowned. "I lost one to a giant worm, though. That... sucked."

"Hector, I need more details."

He shook his head. "Can't."

"Why not?"

Impulsively, he wanted to panic, but then he realized there was a perfectly acceptable scapegoat floating right over there, and he pointed. "Garovel won't let me. Blame him."

'Argh, great!' said Garovel privately. 'Thanks for that, O brave Lord Darksteel!'

'No problem.'

Lynn put her goggles on to look at Garovel directly. "Does he not trust me with sensitive information?"

"He said it's not about trust, but just minimizing risk," said Hector.

"Hmph." She returned her gaze to Hector.

He noticed her lone eye fall upon the Scarf of Amordiin.

She squinted at him. "Is this item--?"

Hector's own eyes bulged as he realized what she was about to say, and he clapped an iron muzzle around her mouth. "No, no," he said, shaking his head urgently. "No guessing. Never know who might overhear."

She touched the muzzle with her hand, perhaps in disbelief that Hector would've actually done such a thing to her, but before she could get too mad, Hector annihilated it again.

Then she just stared at him. She was free to talk now, but for whatever reason, she was choosing not to.

Hector tried to hold eye contact, though it was difficult. He remembered Garovel telling him that a lord shouldn't apologize carelessly, so he was hesitating to do so now, but the more seconds transpired and the more time he had to reflect on what he'd just done... the more he came to realize that, yeah, that was kind of a fucked up thing to do someone.

"Ah... sorry about that," he eventually said.

Lynn's stern expression didn't change, but she averted her eye from him, at least, looking around again.

What he wouldn't give to know what was going through her head, right now.

Thankfully, the two of them were far enough away from their observers that they most likely couldn't be overheard, especially with this much wind, but he still had to wonder what they were all making of this situation.

"...Who, exactly, were you worried might overhear my 'guess?'" said Lynn.

That was a good fucking question, considering what he'd just been thinking about. He did have a good answer to it, though. "A giant, invisible bird," said Hector.

Lynn blinked at him. After a moment, she seemed to understand and nodded. However, the frustration in her face did not completely diminish. "Hmph. Out of context, that would be one of the dumbest answers I've ever heard."

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It was Hector's turn to blink. Was she...? Was she pouting?

Hector was at a loss. He couldn't tell if she was genuinely upset or just playing around. Or maybe a little of both? He'd never seen her act this way before.

"It's very discomforting," said Lynn as she looked around another time, "thinking that one of them might be watching us, right now without our knowledge."

"Yeah... but I think the underground portions of Warrenhold are pretty safe from them. The entrance alone would be a tight fit for their huge bodies. Plus, they'd have to make it through the entirety of the Entry Tower."

"Hmm. But they could still be above ground with us, right now, couldn't they?"

Hector nodded. "I'm actually expecting Hanton to show up any time now. He said he would visit Warrenhold."

"Oh yeah..." Lynn scratched her cheek. "But you can sense them somehow, can't you? How close do they have to be for you to pick up on their presence?"

Hector frowned at her, knowing that he couldn't tell her that.

Lynn smacked her lips. "Right. Details."

In the end, they decided to keep sparring for a while longer, though it was a bit more relaxed this time. They resorted to basic swordplay, with Lynn providing instruction more than competition. She was even gracious enough not to cut any of his limbs off--which honestly surprised him a little.

The observers pulled up some chairs and fetched lunch for everyone, and it wasn't long before they were paying more attention to their own conversation than they were to Hector and Lynn.

At length, however, an interruption arrived.

The wind picked up briefly, and the spare thought process that Hector was using to monitor the Scarf's intel suddenly noticed a distant fluctuation in the air.

A large, blurry shape was gliding toward them on the northerly wind. When Hector looked toward it, he saw nothing with his eyes, so even though he hadn't been able to sense it with perfect clarity, he knew at once that it was a Sparrow.

Hector took precautions. He instantly made soul-empowered iron suits for everyone, and pulled Garovel close to him in an iron orb, informing the reaper of the situation privately.

Everyone else was surprised as well, especially as some of them were still eating, and a sudden iron helmet didn't make that task easier. But thankfully, Hector didn't have to explain what was going on, because the cause revealed himself.

'There is no need for that,' arrived Hanton's voice. His avian visage melted out of thin air--or appeared to, at least--as his enormous talons touched down on a large gray boulder mere meters away from Hector and Lynn. 'I assure you, I come in peace.'

"Happy to hear it," said Hector. "But peace isn't maintained through goodwill alone."

That left a momentary silence in its wake.

Hanton's beady eyes moved to the group of onlookers farther away. 'King William. I assume that the Lord Goffe already informed you of my true nature the other day. I hope my appearance does not come as too much of a shock to you.'

The King was already stepping closer, apparently unafraid. "I would be lying if I said it set my heart at ease, but nonetheless, I am glad to see you here now."

'Alas, I fear we have much more to discuss now than me and my family.'

"You're right." The King pulled back the faceguard of his helmet. "Come. Join us while we finish eating."

'I will. Thank you.'

From there, the meeting became a bit less tense than the first one with Hanton, but Hector remained on edge. Clearly, the King wanted to be diplomatic here, and that was great, but Hector still didn't know the full limit of what Hanton might be capable of. If Sparrows could pause people in their tracks and wipe their memories, there was no telling what other ways they could manipulate minds.

He earnestly hoped that Hanton could be trusted, but he intended to remain vigilant as he listened to their conversation.

"This is not the first time you have played advisor to the King of Atreya," said William, a whiff of a smile on his face.

'Yes,' said Hanton. 'I was once quite close with your father-in-law.'

"I remember it vividly," said the King. "When I was a teenager, just beginning to dip my toe into matters of the royal court, you were a star. And one that burned quite hotly, as I recall."

Hanton ruffled his russet feathers but said nothing.

"Many in the court were jealous of your relationship to Martinus," said the King. "I remember it even being said that, at one point, your influence was comparable to the King himself--for that was how much he seemed to trust you."

Still, Hanton remained quiet.

"It makes one think," the King went on. "With abilities like yours, it must have been a trivial matter to obtain that relationship with him."

'That was not the way of it,' said Hanton. 'Martinus and I had been friends since we were both children.'

"Ah, and am I to believe that was a coincidence? The Gaolanets have been a noble Atreyan House for many years. Gathering intelligence and advising the Crown has been your family's role throughout this nation's history."

'Yes. That is also true.' And Hanton made no further comment.

The King eyed the last bit of his tuna melt for a moment, as if trying to decide whether or not he wanted to eat it. "The thing I find most intriguing, however, is the timeline of events." He leveled his gaze back up at the giant bird. "In one form or another, House Gaolanet advised the Crown for the better part of three centuries. That was, until about ten years ago. And now, here we are. Within just the last year, Atreya has experienced not one but two crises--the likes of which this country has never seen before."

'Are you looking to blame us for Atreya's ill fortune in these matters as well?' said Hanton.

"I don't know," the King said. "Blame seems unproductive at this juncture, but the coincidence does strike me as strange, nonetheless. Because, well, the way I see it, there are only three possibilities. First, it truly is all a coincidence. Second, House Gaolanet is somehow responsible for these horrible events. Or third, the opposite. Perhaps it is precisely your absence as royal advisors that has been the damnable catalyst."

Hanton's avian head reared back a little.

Everyone else seemed a bit perplexed as well.

Hanton made a noise that Hector didn't recognize--a kind of rumbling chirp from deep within the giant bird's chest. A laugh? 'My daughter would be ecstatic to hear you even mention that last possibility.'

"Ah, Pauline. How is she doing, by the way?"

'As spirited as ever. Or perhaps even more so, if you can believe it.'

"I can. My memories of her are few, but I can. In fact, I'm surprised she didn't accompany you here."

'Oh, she wanted to. Thankfully, she still listens to me, from time to time.'

"I should like to meet her again," said the King.

'Truly, Your Highness?'

"Yes."

'Then... I suppose that can be arranged. Another day, of course. I fear we are beginning to get sidetracked.'

"Of course."

As Hector kept listening, a part of him was in quiet awe of this conversation--of the King, in particular. That was the first time that Hanton Gaolanet had referred to him as "Your Highness" so far. Maybe Hector was reading too much into it, but that struck him as significant.

"Before we move on to more current matters, however," said the King, "I would like to know more about your falling out with Martinus."

'Ah...'

"Why did he strip you of your position?"

'What have you heard?' said Hanton.

"You wish to comment on rumors and speculation?" said the King.

'It may help me to contextualize my response.'

"Very well..." The King took a moment to think. "I have heard that you and Martinus butted heads rather strongly on the matter of militarization. And to be quite blunt with you, I have heard that you were quite the warmongerer, which was what ultimately made him decide to relieve you off your advisory role."

'Ah.'

Hector found that a little surprising. Thus far, Hanton Gaolanet hadn't struck him as the warring type at all. From their previous conversation, that seemed like the last thing that Hanton would want.

Unless he'd been lying, of course.

'The truth, then, may confuse you,' said Hanton. 'Militarization is not a simple process--or even easy to define, necessarily. There are many methods of waging war, and not all of them involve building tanks and munitions factories. On the whole, I was actually AGAINST militarization. Martinus was much more interested in pursuing it than I was.'

"Excuse me?" said the King. "Are you trying to claim that it was Martinus who was the warmongerer, not you?"

The Sparrow paused for a long sigh. 'Well... yes. While I would not say that I opposed every aspect of militarization, the basic sentiment is the same.'

The King's expression spoke of doubt, and he shook his head. "Pardon me, but that flies in the face of virtually everything that I have heard about both him and you."

'Oh? I am relieved to hear that, then. Because that, too, is as I intended it.'

The King was certainly no longer alone in his apparent confusion now. "What in the world do you mean by that?"

'After Martinus fired me, I... took fairly dramatic action. It would have been a problem if the rest of the world perceived the King of Atreya as an aggressor.'

"What did you do, exactly?" asked the King.

'In short? I redirected perceptions of his policies and ideals onto myself. Since I was already ousted from his inner circle, I could be safely regarded as an outlier whose opinion no longer held any power.'

"Yes, but how did you do that?"

'Oh, it was not easy. The endeavor consumed my life for several years. Following members of the royal court, tweaking their memories, their perceptions. It was a constant project, and it pushed me to the brink of exhaustion. I was sure that I had missed some, but if you really had no inkling as to Martinus' true views, then perhaps I did a better job than I thought.'

"You freely admit to tampering with the minds of your fellow lords?" said William.

'Do I "freely admit" it? You say that as if to accuse me of some crime. As far as I am aware, there are no laws in this nation regarding the erasure of memories or the use of telepathy.'

The King just returned a frown.

'Perhaps there should be,' said Hanton. 'I will leave that matter to Your Highness' wisdom.'

King William shook his head and sighed. "If the other lords knew of this..."

'It would be enormously problematic, yes.' Hanton's marbled eyes went briefly to Hector. 'But we are past the point of dancing around difficult truths, I feel. You must decide for yourselves whether my actions were unjust.'

Hector had some questions of his own, now. "Why didn't you just manipulate King Martinus' mind directly? Why go through so much trouble working on the people around him? And was it really necessary to take the flack for his views upon yourself? Why not just erase them entirely and avoid blaming anyone?"

'Mental manipulation is an imprecise art,' said Hanton. 'If it were as simple as you were making it out to be, then yes, I would have had a much easier time and been able to avoid many sleepless nights.'

That was... actually kind of a relief to hear, Hector felt. The Lord Gaolanet's powers were terrifying enough already. It was nice to know that he had his limitations.

"Could you elaborate on this 'art' of mental manipulation?" said King William. "What difficulties did you run into, specifically?"

Hanton took a moment to think. 'If I am being perfectly honest with you, Your Highness, I would rather not share that information with anyone. I believe I am already taking quite a large risk in telling you as much as I am.'

"I understand that concern," said the King with a nod and a brief glance at Hector, "but I feel that I must press you on this, nonetheless, Lord Gaolanet. Amicable though this meeting may be, we are still in the nascent stages of building trust between us. Sharing sensitive information such as that would go a long way toward improving our relationship, I think."

Hanton was briefly quiet again, and his eyes returned to Hector. 'And do you feel that way as well, Lord Goffe?'

"...Yeah, I do," said Hector. "Your abilities are quite... frightening to the imagination. A better understanding of how they work might dispel some of the unease about them." Or it could make them worse, Hector thought, though, he kept that to himself.

Hanton sighed. 'Very well, then... Where to begin?' He took another pause for deliberation. 'Generally speaking, the older a memory is, the more difficult it is to erase. When a memory--or any idea, really--has time to become entrenched in the mind, it invariably acquires emotional connections. This is what is commonly referred to as "sentimental attachment." Typically, that term is used to express an emotional connection to physical objects, but the concept is essentially the same. This persistence of ideas can make the task of mental manipulation prohibitively difficult, if not impossible.'

"So this was why King Martinus was resistant to your manipulation?" said King William. "You wanted to change something in him that was too old?"

'I... suspect that was the reason, yes, but I do not know for certain.' Hanton ruffled his feathers. 'That was the first time I had ever attempted to influence him telepathically. All throughout our childhood, I never once tried it. He was my friend. Even if he would never find out about it, I still felt that doing that to him would have been a betrayal.'

William held his one hand up to his chin, thinking. "Then are you saying that there could have been a different reason why he resisted you?"

'Well, yes. Some people are simply resistant by nature. Or even... immune.' He eyed Hector again. 'I know not why.'

He didn't know? Hmm. Hector considered that morsel of information a bit further. During that first encounter with Hanton, Hector had gotten the impression that it was his ability to think in parallel thought processes that allowed him to ignore the Sparrow's attempts to freeze his mind, but considering what Hanton had just said, Hector couldn't imagine that the blessing of Focus was particularly common. He'd be surprised if someone had even heard of it, much less possessed it.

Hector had to ask. "How many people have you met who were immune to your telepathy?"

'Including you? Only four.'

Hector tried not to seem so surprised, but it was difficult. "Over the course of your entire life?"

'Yes. People who are merely resistant are less rare. Regardless, cautionary tales regarding such individuals have been passed down through my family's generations. It is a foolish Sparrow indeed who disregards that possibility and instead tries to solve every problem with such an invasive method. One might even argue that it was precisely such carelessness that caused the downfall of my ancestors.'

Hector supposed he could understand Hanton's wary nature a little better now. At any time, Sparrows could stumble upon someone who could expose them, someone who could threaten their entire way of life.

Someone like Hector.

He didn't know whether to be more worried or less by this information. If nothing else, it certainly provided Hanton with motivation to want Hector out of the picture.

'But in any event,' Hanton went on, 'I feel we have spent long enough drudging up the past. Let us speak on more pressing events now.'

"Very well," said the King. "I can only assume you are referring to this new continental war going on."

'Yes. Thankfully, it does not currently involve Atreya, but I fear that could change if adequate measures are not taken.'

William's posture stiffened. "What measures would that be?"

'Well, first things first. If, for whatever reason, Atreya did somehow end up joining the war, I think it should be clear which side we would wish to be on.'

"The defending side, of course," said the King.

'Yes. Whatever other politics might be at play, we simply cannot work with any of the nations that instigated this conflict. The military invasion of another sovereign land is too great of an obstacle on moral grounds alone. The public would never support it--and rightly so. In the long-term, such an alliance would risk destabilizing Atreya from within, which is to speak nothing of whatever the immediate consequences of winning or losing the war might be.'

"You are getting a bit ahead of yourself, no?"

'I am, but that is also the point. To have forethought regarding our more immediate decisions. A lack of adequate forethought has historically been the great folly of statesmen. They make judgments that seem sound in the short-term, perhaps on the promise of riches, only to later find that things have spun wildly out of their control. I believe this could be one such instance, if we are not careful.'

"The 'promise of riches?'" said the King. "Why do I get the feeling that was not a random example you were giving?"

'Naturally, if the aggressing nations come to Atreya seeking aid or allyship, then make no mistake: they will make their offer as sweet as can be. They may promise us the moon--and possibly even deliver it. That is how important these negotiations can be. When the tide of a war is beginning to shift, foreign help can become the difference between victory and defeat.'

"As we well know," said Lynn, drawing everyone's glance.

It was rare for her to speak up like that during a formal meeting between lords, Hector knew. She must've felt quite strongly about that point.

'...Yes, I suppose you do,' said Hanton. 'And much the better. That experience and the wisdom that came with it will be invaluable in the days to come.'

Lynn said nothing further and merely held the Sparrow's gaze with her one eye.

The King was visibly pensive again. "Returning to the point you were trying to make previously: what 'measures' are you recommending be taken?"

'In the interest of ensuring that we do not get unintentionally tangled up in this mess, it would be wise to reevaluate every Atreyan ambassador currently deployed to each of the warring nations.'

"Ah..."

'Sometimes, the individuals appointed to these positions are... shall we say... not given as much consideration as perhaps they should be. Double-checking those choices now would certainly not hurt.'

"That can be arranged," said the King. "Anything else?"

'Yes. Informants. They are now more valuable than ever. This is perhaps the biggest reason why competent and trustworthy ambassadors are important.'

The King blinked. "Are you saying we should employ spies in the middle of this war?"

'I understand that it would be a rather large commitment of resources for a nation as small as ours,' said Hanton, 'but I do believe it would be worth it.'

"Would that not run the risk of worsening the situation?" said the King. "I highly doubt that these nations will appreciate us sticking our noses in their business. Not to mention, these are war zones you're talking about. Sending anyone to them, trained or not, would be playing with fire."

'Your concern is understandable, but with the right agents, that should be a non-issue. Those with proper espionage training will know the importance of avoiding exactly what you are talking about. It is a harsh reality, but spies know what they are signing up for. If they are caught, the likelihood of rescue is virtually nonexistent, because their homeland cannot risk acknowledging their mission.'

The King just frowned.

'Even in this modern age, there are many political prisoners all over the world for this very reason. Many of them will die in captivity unless their governments manage to strike deals for them--which is unlikely when those governments cannot confirm their association to them without inviting war.'

"You are not making your recommendation sound any more appealing," said the King.

'I am simply telling you the truth. Sugarcoating it would do us no favors. Skilled spies are an invaluable resource, Your Highness, and if ever there was a time to make use of them, it would be now.'

The King exhaled a long breath. "Do you have anyone in mind for these tasks?"

'Well... it pains me to admit it, but yes. My own children would be well-suited to such missions.'

Everyone was surprised to hear him say that.

'Believe me--I do not make that recommendation lightly. Knowing the danger as well as I do, I have been instructing my children for years in the finer points of discretionary operations. They are all highly qualified.'

There arrived a period of persistent silence.

When no one else said anything, Hanton decided to continue. 'Additionally, we Wrobels have our own network of contacts to call upon. Our brethren who are also in hiding could prove enormously beneficial in the gathering of intelligence. To that end, only my family will suffice.'

"I see," said the King. "That does sound quite helpful. I will speak to my wife about this matter for you. I will make no promises, however. This is quite an important position you are seeking to occupy."

'I understand. And thank you. Allow me to say one final thing in the vein of self-promotion. In matters of espionage and intelligence-gathering, trust can be a difficult and very sensitive issue, but in the end, the results will always speak for themselves. Given the chance, we will not disappoint. I assure you.'

The King smiled that familiar smile of his. "I admire your confidence."

'Thank you.'

The King's postured shifted somewhat. "That being said, this all seems like a rather large endeavor for just a handful of individuals. As I recall, you do not have that many children. Even if the Queen grants your request, I imagine that we will still have need of other agents. Might you have any recommendations to that end?"

'I do,' said Hanton. 'A number of individuals come to mind. I will draft a list for you.'

"That would be appreciated."

The giant bird paused, beady eyes shifting briefly between listeners. 'There is... one man I wish to recommend above all others. His list of accomplishments was unlike any I had ever seen during my time as Director of the Agency of Foreign Affairs. However, there is one major problem.'

"Well, don't leave me in suspense," said the King.

Hanton still seemed reluctant. 'He is one of those unfortunate individuals I mentioned earlier. A political prisoner.'

"What is this man's name?" the King asked.

'His true name is Donald Elias, but the alias he used while undercover was John Wright.' Hanton allowed a beat to pass, perhaps in thought. 'To be clear, his capture was not his fault. He was meeting with Intarian agents who were also undercover, but their operations were already compromised. When the authorities arrived and apprehended them, Donald was caught up in their mess and imprisoned along with them.'

'Hmm,' mused Garovel privately to Hector. 'Elias, huh?'

The conversation kept going, however, and Hector didn't have the opportunity to inquire further. Perhaps he could've talked to Garovel in a parallel thought process, but he didn't want to split the reaper's attention. It would be better to just ask later, if he could remember.

'It has been over fifteen years since then,' said Hanton, 'but Donald was of such incredible caliber as an agent that there is a very good chance that even to this day, his captors still do not know that he is an agent of Atreya, not Intar.'

"And who are these captors of his?" said the King.

'The VMP. The Vantalay Military Police.'

At that, Hector's poker face faltered a little, though thankfully no one was looking at him. Vantalay, of all places? Really?

The King was nodding. "That is indeed a major problem, then, as you said. Are you truly suggesting that we should attempt to parley with their government in order to secure his release? And after all this time, no less?"

'I admit, the situation is difficult. And after fifteen years in a foreign prison, he is unlikely to be the same man he once was. But all the same, I wanted to at least bring it to your attention. The man was the finest spy I have ever known.'

The King made no response.

'I will of course defer to the Queen's judgment,' said Hanton. 'I may be allowing sentimentality to interfere with my reasoning. Donald was a good friend, which was rare in our line of work, and his imprisonment was one of my greatest regrets.'

"Is he a Wrobel, too?" said the King.

'No, he is a normal human.'

"Does he know of your secret?"

'No. Or at least, I do not believe so."

"What action are you hoping for my wife to take on this matter?"

'To be quite frank with you, I am not entirely sure. If I had a clear plan of action that I thought would work, I would have formally spoken about it years ago in the royal court. I suppose I am merely hoping that the Queen or one of her ambassadors is able to take advantage of the chaos that is currently embroiling Vantalay and... "shake something loose," let's say.'

"I see. What else do you know of Vantalay? Anything that might help?"

'Ah. Vantalay has been a rather volatile nation for over half a century now. You already know of the Vanguard and Abolish, yes? It frequently changes hands between them. Today, it is difficult to tell who truly holds power there. And even disregarding those two forces, Vantalay is still fraught with many dangers, not the least of which is terrorism. Only a handful of the major cities can be regarded as safe, and that is largely due to the private security forces employed by certain companies that operate there. They have a vested interest in maintaining tourist appeal.'

Hector was paying even closer attention now than to anything else that had thus far been said.

Hanton was far from done. 'It is a divided nation in many respects. Though its government has enacted many socialistic policies over the years, the aforementioned companies have maintained enough influence to resist the enforcement of such legislation. The country has been going through quite a long-standing "economic civil war," of sorts.'

"That sounds like quite the mess," said the King. He broke for a sly grin. "Which is saying something, coming from the likes of us."

That earned another laugh from Hanton in that low-yet-chirpy cadence of his. 'Indeed. There have been many occasions over the years when I would not have been surprised if Vantalay had simply fractured into multiple smaller nations.'

"If it is so bad there, then how has the government maintained sovereignty for so long?"

'Because it is an ideological war as much as it is an economic one,' said Hanton. 'Much of the public supports the government. But a similarly large number of them support the companies as well. They do employ many people, after all--and provide better protection in their territories than the government does. But the companies also control considerably less land, which makes that job much easier. It is a complicated situation.'

"I see."

Hector had to to interject and ask a question of his own. "How do you know so much about Vantalay?"

'While I may no longer work for the government as an intelligence operative, keeping abreast of world news has always been a hobby of mine. I didn't tell you anything that you couldn't have learned from publicly available resources.' He allowed a beat to pass. 'Assuming you had been keeping up with said resources for the last thirty years or so.'

The King chortled. "And this is merely your 'hobby,' is it? I fear you will only end up making the rest of us look like fools if you continue to undersell yourself, Lord Gaolanet."

Hanton returned another laugh of his own. 'Your ability to weave together a compliment is something I have always admired about you, Your Highness.'

"Heh. In any event, might you have any information for us that is not publicly available?"

Hanton took another moment before responding. 'That would require me to have informants in Vantalay, Your Highness.'

"I am aware," said William. "So? Do you?"

'Well,' said Hanton, 'I may have caught wind of a peculiar rumor regarding Vantalay's reason for invading Czacoa. But it is only a rumor, Your Highness. You should not consider it fact.'

"Let's hear it," said the King.

'Mm, very well. Supposedly, the Vantalayan government felt that the Czacoan government was poaching their most valuable citizens and so decided that simply conquering Czacoa through military action would fix that problem.'

"Ah..."

'Again, I cannot speak to truth of this claim. As far as I am aware, the Vantalayan government has yet to make an official statement regarding its reasons for declaring war.'

"I see. Thank you for the information."

'You are welcome. And if we may return to the subject of Donald Elias, there is more I would say.'

"I'm listening."

'I cannot be sure, but it may be better to try to parley with the companies for his release. Even if he is not currently in their possession, they may have a means of acquiring him for us. But of course, meeting with them openly might also serve to irritate the Vantalayan government.' Hanton gave a deep sigh. 'But then AGAIN, the government there is quite busy with the war, so perhaps it would be easy to negotiate with the companies unnoticed.'

"You are presenting me with many options," the King observed, sounding mildly exasperated.

'An advisor's role is not to decide for you, Your Highness.'

"Heh. Eloquently said."

Hector's attention was abruptly diverted when the Scarf informed him that his recently appointed Stewardess of Warrenhold, Mara Rogers, had ascended the steps of the Entry Tower and was now approaching their group at a noticeably brisk walk. He made some soul-empowered armor for her as she got close, which seemed to surprise her quite a bit, as she stopped in her tracks.

Hector excused himself from the meeting table and stood up to walk over to her.

"Lord!" she whispered urgently. "This is--! What did you--?!"

"Sorry," he said, ushering her farther away from the others. "It's for your own protection." He nodded sideways toward Hanton. "Against that guy."

Her wide eyes stuck on the Sparrow sitting there, and she said nothing.

Hector wasn't sure how good a Sparrow's hearing was, so he kept leading Mara all the way back to the double doors of the Entry Tower.

She was still staring when they got there, however.

"Ms. Rogers?" pushed Hector.

"Y-yes, Lord?"

"I assume you came up here to tell me something."

"Ah! Yes, Lord." She leaned in closer and lowered her voice even further. "Word has just come in from the team in Vantalay. And it is grave news, sir. They are reporting a humanitarian crisis. They've discovered a location where human trafficking is being conducted."

Well, shit.

One question came to mind first. "Is it the town of Miro?" he asked.

"Yes, Lord. It is."

Of course it was. Had he even needed to ask?

'Hector,' came Garovel's private words.

The reaper was still encased in iron and orbiting around Hector's body. Hector had left a small hole in it when he first made it--not for air, of course, but rather so that Garovel would be able to overhear their conversation with Hanton. Without doing so, the soul-infusion would have blocked all telepathic thoughts from reaching him.

Hector hadn't been too concerned about leaving an opening for Hanton's abilities, because the suits of iron armor that he'd made for everyone else obviously weren't air tight, either, and they'd still provided mental protection.

'What?' said Hector.

'As much as I would like to ignore this problem, we can't,' said Garovel. 'For multiple reasons, that is.'

'Yeah, I think you're right...'

Mara was not done talking. "The report mentioned one other thing. Apparently, the team was also able to identify someone there named 'the Killer of Krohin.' Do you know who that is, Lord?"

Hector shook his head.

"Neither do I," she said, "but the Rainlords do. The Blackburns are already talking about sending reinforcements to Vantalay."

"Who are they talking about sending?"

"The Lord Melchor Blackburn, I believe."

Hector's eyes widened.