I rested in the Pod.

I should have slept. But, it seemed, there wasn't time.

The misty energies of the pod encapsulated my form, healing the wound to the suit that had been visited on it by the knight's lance beyond the walls of Buffalo.

Balthazar paced the glass wall that looked onto the night of the city. Beneath the tower spanned the streets of the inner sector, veins of streetlamp light tracing their paths between homes and businesses that glowed with the illumination of electricity. Beyond lay the next sector, not dark, but intermittently lit with the murky pools of oil lamps. Beyond that, the outer sector. Oil lamps could light those streets as well, but there was no budget to brighten the lanes of the poorest in our city.

Balthazar said, "I like the idea. You will have more than time enough to make the journey. The delegation itself may take several days. If it succeeds there will still be public showings and a trial to be held. No, you need not worry about the length of the journey. You will have more than enough time to lead a train West."

My mind was murky with fatigue. Despite the need for sleep, I was eager for the pod to complete its work. I had other tasks to complete that night before leading a train the next morning. I said, "And if the delegation fails?"

Balthazar said, "That won't happen. It can't happen."

I said, "I think I know you better than that. You at least have the contingency planned out. You plan for the things that can't and won't happen just so you can have plans that you can't and won't lose."

The older man turned from the glass and met my eyes. The stony face was shadowed by an expression that might have been appreciation for my insight. He said, "You think I have war plans for a war that won't happen?"

I said, "I wouldn't be surprised if you had war plans in place for conflicts with every one of our neighbors. I wouldn't really be that surprised if you had war plans in place for Miami or the Empire even."

His lip twitched with the ghost of a smile. He said, "We couldn't win a war with either. Not yet. We couldn't survive a week. I've gamed it. Believe me."

He turned back to the window and I watched his back as he spoke. "But those are superpowers. We would surprise the local powers with what we're capable of. I've been at work, Tiberius, making us stronger, giving us the teeth we need to defend ourselves."

I said, "Is that your way of saying you do have a plan in place for war with Buffalo, or your way of saying it would be a short war?"

He made a sound. It might have been a sigh. From anyone else it would have been unnoticeable from any other breath. But for this boulder of a soul, it was emotion fleeing the body.

He said, "It could have been so. Without the Green Men we would easily have had the might to force Buffalo to terms. Now… their city might be in chaos, the leadership subverted, their economy crumbling, but their ranks have been swelled with barbarians gathered from coast to coast."

I said, "So we cannot win a war with them."

Balthazar didn't hesitate, he was sure, he had thought it all through. "We could. It's certainly possible. Maybe a war is needed in any case. How long will the Green Men be happy to have infected just one city. They're a bed of lice, Tiberius, their main function is to spread. There are latent infections in every Towered city in the region, save ours."

I said, "Why not ours."

He turned and pointed at me. "Because of you. Our Sword rose through the Choosing, the people's champion, common blood. Even though the poor majority that populate this city sleep behind windows that look onto darkened streets, our people believe that change and elevation is possible. You have been the inoculant against the Green Men."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I frowned, "You're evading. Can we win a war with Buffalo if it comes to it?"

He said, "We can. It's far from certain, far from likely even, but there's a non-zero chance."

I said, "That's not inspiring."

Balthazar said, "If the delegation fails we will be left with two choices. Let Lauren's killer evade justice. Or go to war. A war that could be ruinous or foundational…"

I said, "Foundational?"

Without missing a beat, he said, "Buffalo could be subjugated. It needs to be subjugated by someone, if not us then New York or Indianapolis. The city is a weeping sore right now, making others sick. Its leadership is rotten and must be excised. The excision creates a vacuum and raises the question of how that vacuum would be filled."

I said, "You're suggesting… that Boston fills it? That we take a vassal?"

Balthazar shrugged, "I've gamed it. Any other path leads to more chaos and destruction as the city falls to new charlatans. The people of Buffalo have proven that they can't be trusted to choose their own leaders."

I said, "That's… drastic."

He said, "Drastic, but necessary, Tiberius. The reins are in their hands now. They can give us the criminal that we are lawfully entitled to. Or they can force our hand."

I said, "Force our hand into a war we probably won't win?"

He said, "You asked about timescales. A war with Buffalo would be a monumental task now that they are reinforced by the hordes of the Green Men. What I'm telling you is that war with Buffalo would not be swiftly prosecuted. We would need time to raise our forces, organize them, deploy them."

I said, "How long?"

He said, "Weeks. At least weeks. The proposition is daunting. It would be a mobilization of forces that hasn't been seen in the region for a generation."

I said, "So… what you're trying to tell me is that there's no danger of me missing a critical event if I take a train to the West Coast."

He said, "No. And I think it's the best thing you can do. Get away from here, busy yourself, do your duty, clear your head. Avoid needing the pod for a while."

His eyes drifted like turning planets to my lower torso, robed in the mists of the pod.

I shifted. He hadn't asked about my wound. I hadn't told him. I felt a shiver of uncertainty. He couldn't possibly know about the source of my wound. That surely remained between just Dirk and I…

Balthazar took the few steps needed to bring him within arm's reach of me. He extended a hand and rested it on my shoulder. I tried to suppress the knowledge of how much this pleased me. I'd let him put on the coat and shoes of a father figure so quickly and so easily. But I was a leader myself, and the city needed balance. I couldn't be a puppet to those childish needs.

He squeezed my shoulder. "Go West, Tiberius. Tara was assigned to that train, but she'll give it over to you. Go, hunt and camp and clear your mind. This was a dark day for the city, but it was darker still for those close to that poor girl. Get some distance, get better, and come back to us ready to deal vengeance or enforce the law."

He left then, with no more ceremony, and I was left alone. My thoughts were hard to organize. At some point the day had plunged into night, now it sank further. It had been a long and terrible day. Katya had been right when she said she needed to sleep to free her mind of the horror that Perdinger had visited on us. I wanted it too. The oblivion of sleep, a brief escape from the torture of waking consciousness.

I tranced for a few minutes. At first, I failed to even register that Enki was in my mind, speaking.

I am sorry, kiddo. You know, we never really made up after the shit you pulled with Rosegold.

Wearily I returned my attention to it. You mean after you sent Burghsmen Berserker Griidlords to end my shot at the Griid-Crown?

I told you there'd be a reckoning, kiddo. But I reckon we're all reckoned out. What do you say, want to call it evens and get the band back together?

I said, You helped me outside Buffalo.

Enki said, I still need you, kiddo. You're the Scottie Pippen to my Jordan. The Robin to my Batman. The Pineapple to my Pizza. We're gonna shake this boring little blue and green marble the fuck up. I couldn't stay mad at you.

I sighed. You worked against me.

Sharp and shrill, too loud for my tired brain, You went against me first! I said to leave Julia alone! Come on, kiddo, we need boundaries.

And what boundaries do I get to set?

The voice was silent for a moment. When I heard it again it was petulant. You keep going down into that fucking basement, don't you? To jerk off or whatever it is you do down there without me.

I couldn't suppress a snicker. You want to come with me to jerk off?

Gross. You know what the fuck I'm saying, kiddo. We've got our bidness, and then we've got our own bidness.

I said, So you'll stop complaining about me going places you can't follow?

Fuck no! That's rude as shit and heinous.

I didn't say anything else. Enki remained silent too. I had thought it had fled. But it interrupted my thoughts again.

Heck, kiddo, your grey matter is making about as much sense as a David Foster Wallace novel. You need to catch some Zs.

I sighed. I could feel the exhaustion. I could feel the draw of oblivion like a drunk feels pulled by a bottle. I said, I can't.

Enki said, How come? We got a big road trip tomorrow.

I said, I have to speak with Dirk.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.