Chapter 10 - Part V

He offered his hand but Onion rejected it, using her own power to rise.  The two descended down the half-circle of stairs.  While Cedric clacked with each step, Onion was silent in her movements.

"Why did you call me here?" she asked, impatient for some answers.

"I didn't.  My master did.  You will be meeting my master soon.  No more questions until we get to the conference room."

He pulled open the thick metal door and Onion found herself in a hallway of 5 mahogany doors spaced widely.  He led her to the second, on the right and held it open for her.  A small round table made of several cross sections of mountain oak, a skinnier, more twisted version of its coastal cousin.  Five chairs, also made of mountain oak, lay waiting for occupants.  On the walls of the small room were shelves of uncountable books and ledgers. 

"Go on, take a seat.  He is with the Empress at the moment, and she will hold him as long as it is her pleasure." he explained.  Before sitting down himself he offered, "You might recall me, but my memories of you are few and fleeting, so let's do this again.  I am Cedric Lumet..."

Vren didn't give him a chance to continue before she lunged to him and punched him in the gut.  Cedric wheezed, trying to catch his breath, but failing for several moments.  "Why did you attack me?  Who are you?  Is this part of some Archne plan?  You didn't get enough killing my brothers, you had to go some round about way of finishing the job?"

"Archne?" he wheezed, "No, no.  I am a servant of the Empress, council to her wisdom and the University on High."

"That makes no sense.  If you are not on the side of my enemy, then why try to kill me?" she shoved him to the wall.


"Sorry.  I didn't know who you were.  The Cedric you first met wasn't me.  Well, he was, but only a part of me, a twisted form of my personality.  I was jolted back too quickly, I was very confused.  Please stop hitting me." he coughed and straightened himself out.

Onion relented and eased herself into an open seat.  "Another personality? How is that possible?  Why?"

"You were a mercenary.  What would have happened if while planning strategy, you somehow ended up in the hands of the enemy?  What do you think could happen to that knowledge?"

"I would end my life.  We all understood that possibility, and my life was never worth all the lives of my brothers."

"Well yes, there is that option, but that's not very useful for an infiltrator."

"A what?" asked Onion, still not familiar some of the more complex vocabulary of the Yibouhese language"

"A spy.  For a spy, the whole point is to come back with information, right?"

"I understand."

"What if there were a way to find out the secret plans of others, without exposing your own people to the risk of being found out?  What if any secrets that person had could be locked away safely?

"That is what we did here." continued Cedric, "We had a man on the inside who could make observations, even when he didn't realize he was, while I was kept safe.  Even if somehow they did suspect Cedric of Archne was not who he said he was, he'd never be able to give them the information they were looking for.  And Cedric of Archne could be the best actor because he truly believed he was who he said he was."

"How does this happen?  Are you warped?  Are you bei?  Are you like that soulless woodswalker?"

"No.  Well, yes, sort of.," he looked troubled.  "Me, the man you see before you, I am actually bei'thal.  You've met Gregor, so I'm told.  He and I have serve the same mission.  I've been through the training, I've brought bei out to complete missions.

"But I have been compromised too.  Or at least Cedric of Archne has.  The other part of me, perhaps he is bei?  I don't really know.  I am the first to try this, and the experiment continues.  I may very well be the last."

The two stopped their conversation and Cedric dipped his head in reverence as the mahogany
opened.  The Silent Scholar, wearing its noisy ket clacked into the room.  It appraised its pupil and his find and smiled in its eerie way as it sat across from Onion.

Cedric, I see you've met my new present.  Be my voice for dear Vren, and translate directly.  It commanded. 

"Ah.  Vren.  This is the Silent Scholar, the first of the Order of Compromised of the Spirit.  I will be speaking for the pnum'bei'thal.  Take all my words as coming directly from my master.