The Book of Lies

by Melissa McShane

  “Ishikawa Hiroshi of the Miyamoto Node near Kyoto, Japan.” Ishikawa wore a glass translator like Iakkhos’s, and his lips were disturbingly out of sync with his words.

  “And I, Ayodele Chukwu, will serve as moderator.” Chukwu leaned forward a little so he could see all the way to the far end of the table. “Let us begin with each panelist making a short statement about why he or she is here. Ms. Tennyson?”

  “My node experimented with allowing the factions access only on certain days of the week,” Tennyson said. She was a plump middle-aged woman who looked as if she’d be more at home baking cookies than addressing a conference, but her voice was clear and direct, though I had trouble understanding her accent. “We discovered this increased rather than decreased tensions.”

  “My node experienced the opposite effect,” Chowdhury said. “Separating the factions has been a positive experience.”

  My turn. “The heads of the factions decided to restrict their followers to using Abernathy’s at set times, not me. It minimized conflict, but only because they weren’t in contact with each other, not because tensions decreased.”

  “I’d like to convince the local faction leaders to implement a division,” said Ruiz, “but they’re resistant to the change.”

  “We’ve had great success with separating the factions,” Stockwell said. “Most magi remember the crisis that happened in Chicago some twenty years ago and don’t want to repeat it.”

  “Like Abernathy’s, use of the Miyamoto Node has been dictated by the faction heads,” Ishikawa said. “I would like to see an actual resolution to the conflict rather than an artificial and temporary one.”

  “Let’s examine the question more closely,” Chukwu said. “Mr. Chowdhury, what brought you to implement this plan?”

  “I heard about Ms. Davies’ experiment and how successful it was—”

  “I wouldn’t call it successful,” I said.

  “You’ll have your turn, Ms. Davies,” Chukwu said. “Mr. Chowdhury?”

  “As I said, its success led me to try it myself. We’d had magi come to blows before this, and separating the factions reduced the bloodshed to zero. The magi are more efficient in their hunting, and our resources aren’t wasted on needless fighting.”

  “Mr. Stockwell, your comments?”

  “The incident that occurred in Chicago twenty years ago, in which the Ambrosite leader incited his followers against the Nicolliens, left a mark on Midwestern magery,” Stockwell said. He was a burly man with black hair on the backs of his meaty hands and a gruff voice filled with impatience. “There’s never been trust between the factions, and separating them has frankly been a relief to everyone on both sides and the neutrals. I say it’s proved its usefulness.”

  “Ms. Davies,” Chukwu said, “you’ve seen the results of the policy at Abernathy’s, but you disagree that it should become a permanent policy. Why is that?”

  I swallowed. When had the room become so large? “Because before Mr. Rasmussen and Mr. Parish decided on this approach, Ambrosites and Nicolliens coexisted peacefully in Abernathy’s. Some of them even made friends across faction lines. That’s the outcome we should be hoping for, not a…an artificial peace that only exists because they all pretend the others don’t exist.”

  “The animosity between factions is too great for that,” Chowdhury said. “We’ve never seen that kind of relations between them in Kolkata.”

  “I don’t want to make rules for other Neutralities. I just want to have the opportunity to make rules for myself.”

  “Ms. Tennyson?”

  “No division we came up with made a difference,” Tennyson said. “We finally addressed the problem by imposing sanctions on anyone causing trouble. Now we have peace, though it’s tenuous. Requiring us to divide the Neutrality would cause the problem you’re trying to solve, at least for us.”

  “But we need the Board’s approval to convince the faction leaders,” Ruiz said. “I haven’t been able to enforce the policy. If the Board made this part of the Accords, I’d be able to make them change.”

  “If it’s part of the Accords, we can’t make those decisions individually,” I said.

  “You don’t understand what it’s like,” Ruiz said. “The Nicolliens and the Ambrosites in my country are at war with each other. When an Ambrosite meets a Nicollien in the Hernandes Node, there is always a fight. Always. And Sanchez and Garcia—the faction leaders—hate each other so much they encourage their men and women to challenge each other. I need something to protect my node. This is the only solution.”

  “Can’t you forbid them use of the node?” I said.

  “Impossible. They are better armed than we, and they have magic.”

  “That sounds like a more serious problem than just Nicollien and Ambrosite clashing.” I closed my hand around my water bottle. “Mr. Chukwu, isn’t there something the Board can do about this?”

  “That is not the problem at hand, Ms. Davies,” Chukwu said, but gently. “Mr. Ishikawa, your thoughts?”

  “Obviously I agree with Ms. Davies,” Ishikawa said. “My larger concern is that the faction heads in both our Neutralities have been able to impose their rules on us. No Neutrality should be subject to that kind of demand by anyone but the Board, and then only as stated by the Accords. If the factions come to believe that they can manipulate a Neutrality without going through the standard procedure for changing policy, what else might they try to implement?”

  Another murmur went up throughout the room. “An excellent point, Mr. Ishikawa,” Chukwu said. “Let’s pursue this. What are the, shall we say, political ramifications of making this division part of the Accords?”

  I jumped on that with both hands. “It will make the Board look weak. Like it’s giving in to the factions.”

  “Or it will look like it listens to the magi and makes wise decisions,” Chowdhury said. “The Board has an opportunity here to make itself seem open-minded by acknowledging the factions’ ability to police themselves.”

  “But—” I couldn’t think of a response to that that didn’t involve smacking Chowdhury. I reminded myself that he was probably a nice guy and said, “It opens the way for the factions to make other demands of the Board.”

  “Which they are under no obligation to fulfill.”

  “True, but how long will they put up with a constant stream of ‘no’ when they’ve already received one resounding ‘yes’? That will increase tension, something we’re here to try to prevent.”

  “Excellent points,” said Chukwu. “Ms. Tennyson?”

  “It seems to me that we really don’t need to alter the Accords for this. Why not let each Neutrality police itself?”

  “Because some of us don’t have that power,” Ruiz exclaimed.

  “And I’d like to force the faction leaders in the Pacific Northwest to abandon their policy,” I said.

  “That’s not what you said earlier,” said Stockwell.

  “I don’t want this implemented in the Accords,” I said, “and I would like each Neutrality to be able to make its own decisions. But I don’t like that the faction leaders seem to think they’re allowed to control my Neutrality. I was hoping the Board might have something to say about that.”

  “I agree with Ms. Davies,” Ishikawa said. “I think it’s dangerous to let the factions believe they have power over us. It’s at the heart of what makes a Neutrality.”

  “I’m going to open up the discussion to questions from the floor,” Chukwu said. “Yes? You in the second row.”

  “My question is for Vijay Chowdhury,” said the woman. “Why does this have to be a matter of altering the Accords? Can’t you just carry out the policy yourselves?”

  “It’s a matter of power,” Chowdhury said. “So long as the policy is just my idea, there’s a possibility the faction leaders may choose to disobey. The Accords, however, are binding on all of us, and they would make the policy a matter beyond faction and Neutrality. It’s more secure that way.”

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bsp; Another woman rose in response to Chukwu’s calling on her. “I’d like to address Ms. Ruiz’s statement that she can’t control the magi using her Neutrality. What makes you think you’ll have any greater control if the Board intervenes? It seems your node is suffering from a lack of firm leadership.”

  “I do my best,” Ruiz said. She sounded so defeated my heart went out to her. “The magi of Mexico have lost sight of the true goal of magery, which is to fight the invaders and defend those who cannot defend themselves. That is not a thing I can change. If the Board chooses not to make this part of the Accords, I will be forced to implement more drastic measures.”

  “Such as?”

  “The running of an individual Neutrality is also beyond the scope of this panel,” Chukwu said. The woman sat down, but she had a very satisfied smile on her face, as if she’d scored points in a game no one admitted to playing. I glanced at Ruiz; she was fiddling with her plastic water bottle. Had she meant that comment on drastic measures as a threat, or a simple statement of fact? I didn’t like to judge, but I couldn’t help comparing her to Lucia, who would never have let Rasmussen or Parish walk all over her. But she was also well-armed and had plenty of Wardens, magi or not, who were more than a match for any faction member. I felt sorry for Ruiz, and then wondered if that feeling meant she really wasn’t suited to running a Neutrality. There must be some way to replace custodians who couldn’t handle the job. That made me wonder further why Foster and Yamane, the Nicollien and Ambrosite Archmagi, hadn’t stepped in already.

  I’d missed the next question, but my name being called brought my attention back to the present. “Yes?”

  “If the Board fails to ratify this change to the Accords, how will you force your faction leaders to stop the policy?”

  “Well, reason sure hasn’t worked,” I said, and a ripple of laughter went over the crowd. “And I can’t refuse to give them auguries, since that would be against the Accords. I’ve been thinking I’ll have to talk to the individual magi, urge them to see sense. They all used to have friends among the other faction, and I can’t help thinking they must miss the old days.”

  “Wishful thinking,” Chowdhury said.

  “The goal is to remind them of who the true enemy is,” I said. “They were more effective when they weren’t fighting each other all the time. Iakkhos Kalivas says he can remember a time before factions, when magery was unified, and he hopes that day may come again. I join him in that hope.”

  “The rest of us have to live in the real world. I think adding this policy to the Accords simply recognizes the way things are, the way they’re going to be.”

  “This is for the entire panel,” said a man standing at the back of the room. “How does this policy affect your own impartiality?”

  “Speaking only for myself,” Ishikawa said, “I believe it is more difficult to maintain impartiality when one is forced to deal only with one faction at a time. The differences between them become clearer, and one begins to empathize more greatly with one side.”

  “I don’t think that has to be true,” said Ruiz. “But, again, I can speak only for myself, and in my case I empathize with neither no matter how long my association with them.”

  “I agree,” I said. “I think the whole thing is idiotic.”

  A loud murmur went up. Chowdhury turned to face me, his eyes wide and astonished. “You think the Accords are…idiotic?”

  “No, I think the division between factions is,” I said. “Look. You all know I came to this position as an outsider, someone who didn’t grow up knowing about Nicolliens and Ambrosites and the Long War and all that. So my perspective is going to be different from yours. And what I see are a bunch of magi who all care about defending our world against invaders, who’ve let a difference of opinion turn into an iron wall separating them. Maybe I don’t get it. Maybe the question of using familiars really is so huge people can’t get past it. But I can’t believe grown, intelligent men and women are so incapable of talking to each other that we’re planning to make it law that they don’t have to!”

  Applause broke out here and there in the audience. A couple of people started shouting. “That’s enough,” Chukwu said. “Ms. Davies, your passion is laudable, but let us stick to the subject, shall we?”

  My face reddened, and I nodded. “No, I think she’s right,” Tennyson said. “If the familiars are all destroyed, there’s no real difference between Ambrosite and Nicollien anymore, is there? And the point of this panel will be moot.”

  “I wonder…” I said. “Would that really remove the animosity?”

  “Probably not,” said Stockwell. “The Ambrosites are acting smug about the whole thing, like they somehow came up with a way to make the bindings fail, and the Nicolliens haven’t given up on finding a less permanent solution.”

  “Could they do that? Make the bindings fail?”

  “Unlikely. That would be a prodigious feat of magic, to make it happen all across the world at once.”

  “Let’s take another question,” Chukwu said. “Ms. Chamberlain?”

  I missed Ms. Chamberlain’s question, because my mind had caught hold of the possibility that someone had made the binding magic fail. I didn’t understand magic hardly at all, so maybe I was wrong, but I’d already witnessed a splinter group within the Nicolliens attempt to sow discord by killing Ambrosites, and this seemed like just another way to do the same thing. Not to mention how it was weakening the Nicolliens. What if a group of Ambrosites wanted revenge for the serial killings of last August?

  “Ms. Davies?”

  Again I startled out of my reverie. “Yes?”

  “Would you like to make a final statement?”

  “Oh.” I cleared my throat. “I stand by what I’ve said today. Making the division of time between factions at a Neutrality permanent only fools us into thinking we’ve achieved peace. The only true peace is going to come when we allow free mingling of faction members in a neutral location. And I believe that’s possible.” Polite applause.

  I listened to the other panelists make their final statements, then clapped along with everyone else when Chukwu thanked us for our time and dismissed us. Chowdhury said, “You made some good points, Ms. Davies.”

  “Thanks. So did you.” Maybe a little too good.

  “I have to say I’m convinced they shouldn’t make this part of the Accords,” he went on. “I’ll be sure to tell them that.”

  “Really?”

  “I’m not saying I think it’s a good idea for my Neutrality, but I think you ought to have the opportunity to test your theory.”

  “Well…thanks.”

  “Are you going to Carlos’s bash tonight? I hope to see you there.” Chowdhury extended a friendly hand, which I shook.

  “I hope so too,” I said, my earlier ill feeling toward him evaporating. “I understand it’s the only party tonight.”

  “Nobody would dare throw a party opposite Carlos. The man knows how to entertain.” Chowdhury smiled and excused himself to speak to Chukwu.

  “Thank you for your concern,” Ruiz said in a soft voice. She had her metal water bottle in her hand and was dangling it by the plastic loop like it didn’t weigh anything. “Your solution will not work for me, but I appreciate that you want to give me the opportunity to do things my way.” She laughed bitterly. “Though I think my way is doomed to failure.”

  “There has to be something you can do,” I said. “Can’t you get more personnel or weapons from another Neutrality?”

  “Neutralities operate independently, and it is a mark of weakness to petition another in such a way.”

  “But the Board can’t want you to fail! What…what happens if the factions…”

  “Take over? The Board will only send in their own people if my rule collapses entirely. Then they will either install a new custodian, or destroy the node and leave the factions to fight until one dominates.”

  “That sounds like anarchy. Will you be shocked if I say it’s stupid?”
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  “Hardly,” said Tennyson, coming up behind us. “But it’s as the Accords state, and we are bound by the Accords. The alternative is much worse, I promise you.”

  “I’m sorry if I sound ignorant. I’m still learning about your world.”

  “Everyone understands,” said Tennyson. “Ana, you really should speak to the Board about reinforcements. They can’t want the Hernandes Node to fall apart. It’s too important to North America.”

  “I have spoken with them, at my review.” Ruiz sounded defeated again. “They will not intervene.”

  Silence fell. I didn’t know what I could say to her, as ignorant as I was of the situation. “I hope dividing the node helps,” I finally managed. It was banal, and we all knew it.

  “So do I,” Ruiz said. “But I have one more presentation to attend, and then I will go to the party and get very drunk and possibly sleep with a stranger. It cannot be more destructive than what I have engaged in so far.”

  Tennyson and I laughed, but it sounded weak, and I gratefully said goodbye and made my escape. Ruiz’s problem made mine seem trivial—she was looking at the loss of her node, and I couldn’t imagine the Board would be gentle with someone who lost them that valuable a resource in the Long War. Whereas all I had to worry about was losing my job and being convicted of sleeping with a faction member…all right, so our problems were about the same. That didn’t make either of them easily solved.

  Outside the Rainier room, I checked my schedule and discovered I didn’t particularly want to see any of the programming for the last hour. Time to go upstairs for a short rest before changing into my party clothes. Carlos had told me there would be plenty of food at the party, so I’d eaten lightly before my panel and now the idea of a quick lie-down had some appeal.

  My phone rang while I was in the elevator with a couple of burly men who eyed me as if they couldn’t believe they were sharing an elevator with Abernathy’s custodian. “Viv. How did it go?”

  “It was wonderful,” Viv sighed. “I’m so glad you interfered in our lives.”

  “I’m glad! Did you—” The door opened, and the two men got off. “What did you do?”