93: Very Well
Isabella and Arthur advanced through the icy forest in relative silence. They needed to stay quiet to listen to the chiming noises that guided their path. It gave her time to think.
When Isabella heard that Arthur had eight years to live, she thought that a great burden had been lifted off her heart. She wouldn’t be responsible for the death of one of her only allies in her hellish last life. All of that sunk away again when she learned that Arthur intended to sacrifice himself to put an end to Edgar.
The worst part was… Isabella could see the logic behind his words. If she were in Arthur’s shoes, she couldn’t promise she wouldn’t make the same decision. It was hard to muster genuine criticism when she could understand his thought process perfectly. And following the logic of what Allison said…
Feasibly, I could do the same thing that Arthur is proposing, Isabella thought. He said that all three of our souls are intertwined because of the mark, meaning that I might be able to shatter Edgar’s soul along with my own.
Isabella didn’t want to die, of course. But given the choice between our own life and the lives of all those around here, the choice seemed obvious. To give up one for the many. It was a noble pursuit in her mind, and a path that she’d take with a heavy but glad heart. To prefer that someone sacrificed the many for one… that was the way of her father, Edgar.
Isabella stopped suddenly, steeling herself for what came ahead.
“Is something wrong?” Arthur asked.
“Yes,” Isabella said. “But we shouldn’t discuss it here. Others may be listening.”
Isabella and Arthur advanced until they came to the same gates of the castle that she once looked upon as a wolf cub. As before, its two gargantuan double doors at the front stood open, almost as if welcoming them inside. But instead of being empty and inviting, three figures blocked the path. One of them was familiar to Isabella. It was the form of the woman that Balat had imitated. The others were two very old black men in white robes.
Isabella could tell that the three of them positively exuded magic. It was on a level far more intense than that of even Arthur or the Archwizard—two of the most formidable spellcasters she knew. All three of these people had a mastery of magic that Isabella never had the fortune to see before.
“Took you long enough,” the icy woman said. She looked at one of the two standing beside her. “I’ve done my part. Get out of my house.”
The two men advanced, while the woman in white walked inside her icy palace and shut the doors behind her. They were left in the icy forest with the pair of senior mages. Isabella stared from the form of her familiar. She could feel her heart beating, all the way back in the Balat Palace. She had been expecting to be chasing faint leads for a long while, and yet…
Perhaps I’m not the only one who seeks a conversation.
“You must know who we are,” one of them said. They had a thick accent of a region Isabella couldn’t place.
“The sages,” Isabella guessed.
“Hah. That’s merely one of many titles,” the sage said with a shake of his head. “We are both called Khan. You may think of us as one person.” After they said that, Isabella studied them both individually for a moment. They didn’t seem like identical twins, much less brothers. She wondered if calling them the same person was merely an expression or a reflection of reality. “You need not provide your names. Arthur and Isabella of Dovhain. We know you well.”
Isabella hopped forward with her familiar. “Then do you also know why we’re here?”
“That depends on what others have told you,” Khan said. “If you’ve been given a shred of truth, you’ll know that we’re interested in the ability that you and your father possess.”
Isabella moved even closer, trying not to show fear. Arthur followed. “I’ve been told that you intend to erase the memories of this continent to birth a new society. Have I been misinformed?”
Both Khans looked between each other. “Have you been speaking with the devil lurking in that palace, Balat?”
Arthur spoke before Isabella could respond, saying, “Where we come from, it’s impolite to answer a question with a question.”
The sages hesitated for a few moments. “The devil did tell the truth. I suspect he gave you a warped version of it. Considering your knowledge of this place, I can imagine how he might have tried to fool you. That you saw through that speaks well of you.”
“What must we do to get you to stop your meddling?” Isabella asked, deciding to cut to the point. “I wish to move against my father. I would rather not do so having to worry about you.”
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One of the sages gave a bitter smile while the other laughed. The smiling Khan said, “It would be unwise to treat us as your average man, motivated solely by costs and benefits. We are fighting for an ideal. This isn’t something that we can compromise on.”
“Do you lack free will?” Arthur followed up. When they said nothing in response, he continued, “Then you can do whatever you wish. You’re choosing to take this road.”
“Not to mention that what you’re proposing strips others of their free will,” Isabella added. “It’s clear that you two are exceptionally powerful, resourceful, and patient. Nevertheless, you aren’t omnipotent, elsewise King Edgar and myself already would’ve fallen into your hands. Surely we can come to an arrangement that eliminates the risk for both sides.”
Both Khans stepped forward in tandem. “We’ve been laying the groundwork in this kingdom since before you were born. Do you expect to simply barge in here with demands and have them met? Do you think that losing Bernadetta means anything more than cutting one branch off a huge tree?”
“Bernadetta was much more than that,” Isabella said decisively. “But that’s neither here nor there. There’s no room for negotiation at all?”
“We have time. More than you,” one of the Khans said. “The events we’ve witnessed under your father… ample proof that we pursue the right course. Society as we know it cannot be permitted to persist indefinitely. Your governmental style in particular is a stark example of those injustices. It must be eroded absolutely, and then rebuilt from the ground up. We pursue this as ethically as we can. The purity before thought is not a thing to be reviled. It’s a necessary step to purge the rot that pollutes all levels of your society. Unlike some of our colleagues, we don’t seek death and repopulation. We seek only to remove the burdens of the past.”
The other pointed at Isabella. “Everything that’s happened was your father’s will. But the autocratic monarch… this is a myth. No monarch is truly autocratic. Edgar, despite all his powers, is one man. Others heed his word, obey his call. And this is why the many faults of Dovhain cannot be blamed on Edgar alone. There must be indelible cultural principles drilled into it at the root, which permeate all levels of society”
Arthur interjected, “Remaking it as you wish—is that not the same some of tyranny as what Edgar exercises?”
“It’s not our thoughts alone that guide us. These principles were built over many decades, by many greater thinkers other than ourselves,” one continued. “The world, despite its unimaginable complexity, can be solved. We’ve developed a theory for that solution. And that solution will be tested here.”
“And if it fails?” Isabella pressed.
“Does rainfall ‘fail?’ Does sunshine ‘fail?’ These are poor methods of analysis,” Khan insisted. “Our revolution will not fail. It will simply be. And even if it does not live up to our expectations, the world will be forever changed for the better nonetheless.”
Isabella didn’t reply. She didn’t think this meeting with the sages would come so immediately, but now that it had, she’d fulfilled most of her purpose. When she knew what someone wanted, that could help her better predict them.
“You wouldn’t have come here without having some proposal,” Isabella said decisively. “It doesn’t make sense to meet us otherwise.”
The two looked at each other, then back at Isabella.
“We’re not blind to what Edgar is doing,” Khan admitted. “His barbarity astounds even us. If you were willing to take his place as the seed to bring about the purity before memory… we wouldn’t stand in your way if you sought to deal with him. Indeed, we would even help you achieve your goal.”
“But this would need to be secured by a pact with your soul at stake,” the other Khan emphasized. “Elsewise, we must intervene. Our plans cannot be disrupted.”
Yet another devil with designs on my soul, Isabella thought. Their misdeeds are born of idealism. I’ve seen such people before, among the Veymontists. There’s no diverting them from a task they believe is righteous. Incredibly dangerous people, they are.
Edgar, the Khans, Bernadetta, Pius, Albert, her brothers and sisters, all of them… why must they resist so stubbornly at every turn? Their answers, doubtless, would be varied. Pride. Distrust. Vainglory. Ambition. Greed. Righteousness. Isabella grew so tired of dealing with these people. It never seemed to end, this game of power. Perhaps she the same in their eyes. Another obstacle, another complication.
But Isabella no longer intended to play this game.
“Very well,” Isabella said.
“What?!” Arthur shouted in shock.
Isabella didn’t look back at him. “I’ll say it once more. Very well.”
***
Isabella walked before the shield in the basement of the archduke’s palace. The eyes shifted into place, and the teeth manifested.
“Just as I said… so she comes to me,” Balat said, eternally joyful. “Have you something to say to me, Isabella?”
“A deal,” Isabella said. “I’ve given it some thought.”
“And?” Balat pressed gleefully.
“Very well.”
***
“The situation has grown much worse,” Isabella said. “Rather than force him into his turtle shell, my provocation of Edgar has succeeded. The king is preparing an army to march north. Given his abilities, I suspect he’ll somehow manage to raise it. And when he does, I’m positive that nothing will stop him.”
Bernadetta drank her tea, the very picture of poise.
“Your strategies and insight have been useful,” Isabella continued. “But I cannot keep returning to you every single moment I need to consult with you about something. And so, after considerable thought…”
Bernadetta set her cup down.
Isabella nodded. “Very well.”