I, Dacien

A Story by Onyx Tao

© 2012 Onyx Tao

I, Dacien by Onyx Tao is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://onyx-tao.sofurry.com.

Chapter Nineteen: Consequence

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"Unreservedly good news about Zebra," Patriarch Teodor said with a sigh to his dinner companion, Lord Xavien. "I cannot tell you just how pleasant that qualifier makes your announcement." Teodor lifted his wineglass, and took a sip of the pale amber wine. "Nor can I pretend I'm anything less than eager to hear the news. Might we have the news with dessert?"

Xavien nodded. "I suppose we might. It will make for an interesting story, and ... well. I don't want to get ahead of myself. What is for dessert?"

"A pear cheesecake," Teodor said, setting his wineglass back down. "Paired ..." and Teodor faltered a moment over the unintentional pun, "with aged pear brandy. My father sent a small keg with his congratulations."

"From Teomas' personal stock," and Xavien sounded as if were simply confirming, rather than questioning, the liquor's provenance.

"So he represented to me," Teodor said. "And it is more than fine enough to my palate. Although I don't think I'm quite the connoisseur that you and he are.

"I am a great fan of brandy in all its various forms, but I have never sampled pear widely. My own tastes run to the more ordinary grape varietals. I am sure it will be excellent, nevertheless. I may not have had his brandy, but I have had his pears." Xavien considered for a moment. "I wonder at matching it with a pear cheesecake, though. I'd think something ... more intense might show it off better. A dark cocoa mousse, perhaps."

"Well, as to that," said Teodor, "it happens that I have some say in the menu." The gray minotaur gave a brief chuckle. "And I made the dessert selection."

"Oh, I am looking forward to it," Xavien reassured his host. "I don't think I've had pear cheesecake in a long time. I had forgotten ..." and then it was Xavien's turn to pause. "I had forgotten your fondness for pear until recently."

"Well, it's not as if ..." and then Teodor paused, sensing Xavien's sudden discomfort. "That troubles you?"

"I ... it was Mage Dacien who reminded me," Xavien said slowly. "It was when you arrived at House Green. Before the attack, of course. He requested pears - out of season, and I tasked him for it, and he told me that he didn't know what the seasons were here, only that you were fond of them, and it might make you feel ... more comfortable. That was after ..." and Xavien made a gesture at his own wineglass.

"I remember," said Teodor. He looked down at his own wineglass. "Should I offer a toast to Dacien, then?"

"I hope not," said Xavien.

"But you believe I ought."

Xavien nodded, a small jerky motion.

"You may be right," said Teodor. "My head says you are right - but it also says there's no need to rush to that judgment, no matter how dismal it seems. I will wait at least for Sasha to come back, and hear his reports, before I am ready to offer any toast other than," and Teodor picked up the wineglass, "to his swift and safe return."

"To his swift and safe return," Xavien said, raising his glass in turn. "With all my heart, Lord Teodor."

"You have changed your mind about him?"

"No," said Xavien. "But I wish no such grief to him, nor to you."

"Thank you, My Lord," said Teodor, as a quiet human slipped a plate in front of him: a creamy white slice of cheesecake topped jewel-toned wine-poached pears of deep red and purple even as a matching plate appeared in front of Xavien. Snifters of brandy appeared as well, and the humans withdrew.

"That does look tasty," Xavien said, lifting the snifter and wafting it under his nose. "Oh, my, yes."

"I'll let my father know you approve," Teodor said, with a smile.

"Perhaps he'd consider a trade," Xavien said. "I don't believe I have anything like this cellared at all."

"He rarely even bottles it, I'm afraid," Teodor said.

"That's what private stock means," sighed Xavien. "Still." He took an appreciative sip. "And the taste is better than even the nose. Remarkable stuff, Teodor."

"I can claim no special merit," Teodor said. "I'm simply fortunate in that Teomas sent me some."

"Indeed," agreed Xavien.

"And that I have someone worthy to share it with."

"Thank you, Lord Teodor. I appreciate it."

"But you were going to tell me about Zebra, unreservedly good news, you said."

"Yes. I must admit it was a pretty ..."

"I would prefer to keep the conversation private," Teodor said.

"Of course," Xavien said. "And so we are. I presume ..."

"Yes, I too."

"So, are we really discussing Zebra this time?"

"I hope so," said Teodor. "Unless you have some other business?"

Xavien shook his head. "No. And ... I am ..." he paused. "This is excellent," he said, putting the fork back down.

"The chefs here are amazing," Teodor agreed. "At least, they amaze me. But ... Zebra."

"Yes," said Xavien. "I studied him for nearly three days without making any progress whatsoever. I understand why Trand was baffled. I was baffled."

"And yet you clearly found something."

"I finally wondered if perhaps the tattoos might have something to do with it," Xavien said.

"Did they?"

"Some of them," Xavien said. "It may appear that Zebra is tattooed with Ungoliant Black. But he is not."

"Not?"

"Only the oldest tattoos are Ungoliant Black, about a third of them. After that, the next oldest tattoos are a section on his shoulder, and there are one hundred and fifty-seven different inks." Xavien took another bite of cheesecake. "One hundred and fifty-six of those inks occur in very small blocks, no larger than an eighth of an inch."

"As if someone were testing them?"

"Exactly as if someone were testing them," Xavien said. "Chelm, I presume."

"He attempted to develop a replacement for Ungoliant Black?"

"Attempted ... succeeded. The final block, test one-hundred fifty-seven, is indistinguishable by visual examination from Ungoliant Black."

"Impressive. Then perhaps his formulation was not as safe as the real thing?"

Xavien nodded. "I wondered the same thing. I am pleased to report, however, that Chelm's formulation is considerably safer than Ungoliant Black."

"Then it was the Ungoliant Black itself ..." Teodor said softly.

"It was."

"But ..."

Xavien nodded. "Exactly. It may be that they poisoned it, or what they sell externally is different than what they really use. I wouldn't spend much time on those possibilities, though."

"No," said Teodor. "Which leaves?"

"A combination of things," Xavien said. "First, Ungoliant Black is incredibly expensive. I'm not sure where Chelm got his hands on as much of the real stuff as he did, but I suspect that after he used it, he discovered he couldn't afford to continue. Or perhaps it was simply unavailable. Thus, the experiments."

"That seems ... distinctly possible," said Teodor.

"Second, Zebra is unusually sensitive. I don't think most humans would have the reaction he does. The actual problem isn't in the blood - that's merely the first obvious symptom. There's a three-step chain that occurs prior to the blood damage, started by a reaction between the true Ungoliant Black and the intratissue fluids. It's not damaging directly, but it causes another reaction in the lymph nodes, and that, in turn, causes the blood symptoms."

"Diffuse."

"Extraordinarily so," Xavien said. "I found it only because I focused on the tattoos. I don't think I ever would have found the damage happening in the lymph." The ebon minotaur shook his head. "I nearly missed it there, too. I didn't realize there were so many different ink formulations on him, and I started by looking at the most recent tattoos - which are the new formulation, call it Mock Black."

"If Chelm developed it, we should call it Chelm Black," said Teodor.

"I rather think Chelm should have the opportunity to name it. Until then, Mock Black."

Teodor nodded. "Mock Black, then. So Mock Black doesn't have that effect?"

"No. It's pretty, looks so similar to Ungoliant Black that I can't tell the difference by eye, and is completely nonreactive."

"So ... is there some long-term fix or repair or replacement of this poisonous tattooing?"

Xavien nodded. "I wanted to discuss that with you. All of the toxic ink is in discrete stripes. The simplest approach would be simply to remove it. The other option would be to try to stabilize it, somehow."

"I see," said Teodor. "Where are the stripes? On him?"

"Legs and back."

"Fundamental to the design, then."

"Very much so."

"Well," said Teodor, after a moment of thought. "I see advantages and disadvantages both ways, but ... I think Chelm would ask for the ink to be removed."

"I ... thought Zebra now belonged to Dacien."

Teodor nodded. "He does, technically, I suppose, but according to my Master of Slave, Zebra belongs to Chelm. He is well-behaved, perhaps a bit over-behaved ..."

"I fail to see how a human can be over-behaved," Xavien said stiffly.

"Well, you and I have long differed on many topics, of which humans form the core of most," Teodor said. "I've no wish to drag up those old arguments. So ... Zebra is completely broken to Chelm, will that do?"

"Yes," said Xavien.

"As you know, I have a ... personal preference, shall we say, for humans with more initiative." Teodor paused. "Although too much initiative is clearly its own problem ... thankfully rare. Regardless. At some point Chelm will be able to reclaim him, presumably when he begins his own apprenticeship."

"I see. But he's Chelm's work of art. Wouldn't Chelm be upset at the defacement?"

"Maybe," said Teodor. "But I think he would rather have the poison out, and then redone."

"That may be," said Xavien. "But ... do I take it you've heard from Sasha or Morgan?"

Teodor grimaced. "No. I thought a courier would be too risky. I couldn't see an advantage in finding out what's happened sooner; what's happened has happened, and there's nothing I can do to change it from here. Although ... I am so uneasy over Chelm and Dacien that I could wish I had made the other right decision."

"The other right decision?"

"I might have made a different one," Teodor said, "Sending, or not sending, a courier has merit. I don't know that one set of advantages outweighs the others. that sometimes there are different right decisions. My subordinates make right decisions all the time - even if they are not the right decisions I would have made. It is a thing I am getting used to."

"That takes some doing," agreed Xavien.

"Although some decisions," said Teodor, "are so questionable that I must take some action."

Xavien paused. "Did ... did you have some decision in mind?"

"I am afraid I do."

"One of mine, I think."

"Yes. One of yours."

"I think I know which one."

"Do you?" asked Teodor. "Well, it might be that you are right, and it might be that you are wrong, too. The decision that has been troubling me is not the application of magic to steel in ... forbidden ways."

"No?"

"Given events, it may be that was a good and right decision. It may be. The point is moot, and I do not wish to engage it."

"I am in unusual agreement with you, Lord Teodor."

Teodor's grin flashed across his gray muzzle. "I reserve my wonder that you did not discuss this, in some terms and at length, with the person most affected - Cresphontes. For, if things had gone differently, it would be he who took this unlooked-for blow. And ... that option must have crossed your mind."

"It did," Xavien admitted.

"Then why did you not?"

"He would have said no." Xavien's words fell into silence, as Teodor simply continued looking at him. "I knew him very well, Teodor. Lord Teodor. He would have said no. And that would have been wrong. But this way, this way he could say - truthfully - he knew nothing about it. That I had gone rogue."

"You did go rogue," Teodor said.

"I ... cannot deny that. But ..."

"But me no buts," Teodor said. "You have seen what remains of poisoned Xarbydis and drowned Scylla, and you still risked Lycaili to that. You. And you had no right to that decision. It was his to make, rightly or wrongly, and your duty to accept his decision or resign."

"And leave Lycaili undefended?"

"Yes," said Teodor. "And leave us undefended."

"They would have killed ..."

"Yes," said Teodor. "A hundred or more of our clan. Our brothers. Great officers. And then, then we might be justified in taking the risk. Or perhaps Cresphontes would have surprised you, and found some way to permit it without risking destruction of everything. I found a way to do it, did I not?"

"Yes," said Xavien. "You did. Although ..." and the ebon minotaur stopped. "I was about to say that your decision is not yet implemented, but that would be a baseless quibble. I beg your forgiveness for it."

"For the quibble, you have it," said Teodor, and Xavien twitched, as if Teodor had struck him. "But for the rest of it, Xavien, I think it was not only the wrong decision, it was not well-made. You put the entirety of Lycaili at risk for the defense of a few."

"It was the best decision I could make," Xavien said. "Lycaili is the officers it has chosen. To risk them is to risk Lycaili."

"Then we are very far apart on how such a decision is to be made," Teodor said quietly.

"I ... that seems true."

"Then, Lord Xavien Lord Green Lycaili, I am relieving you of the war-spells. Where are they?"

"Three here, at the center of the maze. Four more are at my house in town. The remainder at House Green."

"Then the ones in-town must be in my hands within five hours," said Teodor. "And after that, you will return to House Green, and then bring the remainder. Let nothing but discretion stay you."

"Lord Teodor ..."

"No, Xavien, I will have them back, all of them. You have not copied any of them?"

"No, Lord Teodor."

"Then the sum total of war-spells in your possession is twelve?"

"Yes, Lord Teodor."

"And once you have returned twelve spells, no war-spells will remain to you?"

"That is correct, Lord Teodor."

Teodor paused for a moment, and then said, slowly, "Then this decision will prevent you from invoking any creator spells, saving that I again entrust one to you?"

"No, Lord Teodor," Xavien answered. "The transformation you discovered, rediscovered, rather, is a creator spell, and there may be other such. For that matter, I have always considered ritual magic a creator spell, or system of spells."

"I am not concerned with ritual magic, or the transformation spell. Those aside, you will be unable to invoke any creator-level magics?"

"I believe that is correct, Lord Teodor," Xavien said stiffly.

"I forbid any such invocation. I explicitly desire you to abide by the Truces of Xarbydis. I explicitly require you to consult me if you believe that invoking a creator-level magic, or violating the truces, may be in the interests of Lycaili. I furthermore require you to abide by these restrictions in the loosest and strictest senses. Is there anything at all unclear about that, My Lord Xavien?"

"No, Lord Teodor."

Teodor settled back in his chair, tapping the now-empty plate. "Good. I think we no longer need privacy."

"I have released the spell, Lord Teodor."

"And I mine," Teodor replied. "And, Lord Xavien?"

"Yes, Lord Teodor?"

"Excellent work with Zebra. Excellent. Can you stabilize the situation until ... we have clarity on Chelm's situation? I'd rather he made the decision."

"I ... yes, Lord Teodor."

"Then I look forward to an update tonight."

The ebon minotaur bowed. "Yes, Lord Teodor."