by Rick Field
When the door closed, the Pillar immediately whipped up out of the chair, the motion flowing into a powerful gesturing at the door. “Barrier Seal!” she finished.
The door wavered, merging into the walls. In a continuation of her final incantation motion, Vera sat down once more, staring at the Consul. “Consul Mariam of the Volcanoes, I come before you today because of allegations made against your character, allegations that are incompatible with the office you are currently holding, and are, as such, grounds to see you removed and returned to Kiria for further interrogation. What have you to say?”
The Consul blinked twice, trying to hide her dismay behind a mask of Decorum. She would have succeeded when confronted by most Nobles, but Vera was a Pillar. One did not become Pillar without being able to spot Decorum-hidden truths.
“Unfortunately, I am not aware of any allegations made against my character, and therefore I cannot answer them,” Mariam replied in a level tone.
“Excellent response, My Lady,” Vera said. “Perfectly in line with Decorum and with the highest level of achievements within our society.” The Pillar leaned back in her chair. “Please present your right hand so that I may verify your oaths of office.”
The Consul merely extended her hand, and Vera cast the spells required. The oath-circle at the back of Mariam's hand lit up, and the Pillar leaned forward to study it for a few moments. Her oaths were intact.
Releasing the Consul's hand, Vera sat back in her chair. “Are you aware that, as a Pillar, I am in possession of Truth Serum, and am allowed to employ said serum? Obviously, a Pillar is not an Adjudicator. I am unable to compel you to take the Serum, nor am I able to determine punishment based on the testimony I hear. However, I am able to use said evidence to further any case I am investigating.”
The Consul wasn't nearly so successful in hiding her dismay this time.
“Before you answer, Consul, there is something else that I would like to impart, something that I would very much like you to keep secret during my stay here, but something that I believe will change the course of this interview,” Vera continued. “Should I have your agreement of secrecy, we shall proceed in a different fashion. Should you prefer not to give it, I will request you take Truth Serum and we will proceed in the fashion that we have been so far.”
The Consul remained quiet, thinking about the proposition. It took her maybe half a minute before she asked, “As clarification, should I agree to the secrecy for the duration of your stay, I would not be required to take Truth Serum?”
“That I can guarantee,” Vera replied, calmly, waiting for the other woman to make her decision.
“Very well, I will agree to the secrecy that you have requested. For the duration of your stay here, I shall not divulge the secret you are about to impart on me. Although I would like to note that I fail to see how any secret could hold sway over the course of this interview,” the Consul stated.
The Pillar nodded, her hands reaching up to the hood of her cloak. With a simple motion, she jerked the garment back, for the first time revealing her face. The Consul blinked twice.
“Lady Liane, the MagicWarper?” Mariam whispered.
“That is correct, Lady Mariam of the Volcanoes. I requested this assignment specifically because it involves you, and I believed I was in the best position to determine the truth,” Liane answered calmly.
“I am afraid I do not understand. Why the deception? Why the strange name?” Mariam asked, looking far better than she had been earlier.
“A Pillar, like an Adjudicator, can only do their work when under enforced neutrality. Everybody knows who is an Adjudicator; the list of employed Adjudicators is a matter of public record. Yet, when brought up for Adjudication, one cannot and will not know who is adjudicating them. This is both to protect Adjudicators against potential retaliation from disgruntled family and friends and to make sure the Adjudicator cannot be pressured or bought into a certain ruling.
“A Pillar is much the same; Pillars are the hands and the voice of the Emperor. We investigate certain behavior, deal with threats against the Empire, maintain the Great Barrier, help during disasters, and so on. Again, the list of Pillars is a matter of public record. However, when a Pillar is dispatched on a certain duty, they are assigned a cover name, an identity that will last only for the duration of that mission. Today, I am Vera of the Black Wind. When I return to Kiria and hand in my report, that name shall be struck from the records. When I receive a new assignment, I shall receive a new cover name.
“This is to ensure that the people I investigate do not know who is investigating them, and to ensure impartiality.”
“And yet,” Mariam noted, “you are here and not at all impartial.”
Liane gave a tiny smile to the first person to ever teach her magic, the person who got her interested in runes, and probably one of the biggest influences in how she viewed and related to magic. “You seem to be under the impression that I will not be fair and impartial, My Lady,” Liane replied. “I have taken vows, oaths that cannot be broken. I will be fair and honest for I must be so. That does not mean I cannot reveal my identity to you, and use our prior good relations to ensure that you are not, in fact, a threat to the Empire.”
Mariam was silent, nodding quietly in the plush desk chair. “In other words, Lady Pillar, you would abuse our friendship?”
If Liane was offended at the directness of the question, she gave absolutely no sign of it. “I believe that, in the end, we will both have benefitted.”
“May I ask how, My Lady? If it is all the same, I rather would not have been apprehended by one I used to consider a friend.”
Liane blinked. That got a reaction from her. “I am sorry to hear you feel that way, My Lady. I merely wish to come here, have a good conversation with you regarding the rumors that have spread, determine them to be vicious lies at best, or a singular and momentary lapse of judgment at worst, and leave with a report stating that you were either innocent, or fully cognizant and repentant toward your lapse of judgment with an assurance it will not be repeated.”
Now it was Mariam's turn to look reflective. “So, in effect, you have made up your mind already, and are merely here to fulfill the task set out to you?” she finally asked. “So you are, in reality, in breach of your impartiality clause?”
Liane's lips formed into a small smile. “My superiors are aware of my presence here. They had to approve my request for this assignment, after all. They know my reasons, they know the background you and I share, and they believed that it would be easier for me, being a good friend of yours, to come to the truth. It is my firm belief that I will find the truth to be somewhere in between the best and worst cases I have laid out for you – but, make no mistake, My Lady. I have already started to adjust my viewpoint. I did not like what I saw when I arrived, nor did I like the fact that you seemed disinclined to verify your honesty under Truth Serum.”
“So you are using our friendship against me, after all, My Lady,” Mariam stated.
“Only insofar that I would prefer to see you cleared and innocent. Other Pillars do not know you as I do, and any Noble investigated by the Pillar service has the appearance of guilt against them. Should you have been investigated by any other Pillar, you would have been given Truth Serum. Refusal to take it would have seen you temporarily suspended and brought to Kiria for forced interrogation,” Liane replied, coldly yet calmly.
The Consul lapsed into silence. Long minutes passed where Liane waited for her friend to collect herself. “I see,” she finally spoke. “In that case, I am pleased that you made the effort on my part, and wish to apologize profoundly for questioning our friendship.”
Liane dipped her head in acceptance of the apology. “Very well, My Lady. Shall we proceed?”
“Let us, Lady Pillar. What do you wish to know?” Mariam asked.
“Allegations have been made against your character and your loyalty toward the Empire,” Liane stated. “You have been accused of spreading subv
ersion toward the Lord Emperor, and have been advocating for elections.”
Mariam was silent for a few moments. “That is correct, Lady Pillar.”
Liane grimaced as if surprised by sudden pain. “You are advocating subversion?” the younger woman asked, shocked. “You admit to it?” The shock had caused her Decorum to slip, and she worked to reign in her surprise.
The Consul stood up from her chair, and walked to a window set into the office. Despite being deep underground, the window showed the same panoramic view as the meditation room. “Please tell me, My Lady. What do you see when you look out the window?”
It almost seemed as if the Pillar would not answer. Finally, she stepped up and stood next to her friend, looking out the window. “I see a large city,” she said. “Filled with people that have neither class nor magic. Their vehicles pollute, their country is based on the outward look of equality yet fails to achieve it. I see a society that is badly in need of structure, order, and discipline.”
“As spoken by a true Noble,” Mariam replied. “You see everything through the eyes of a Kirian Noble, My Lady, perhaps adhering to it so rigidly because of your background.” She held up her hand to forestall Liane from answering immediately, and went on, “I did not mean that as an insult. You were raised with nothing. It is only logical that you would grasp desperately at the doctrine of those that rescued you.” The Pillar relaxed slightly at the mollifying words, and the Consul went on.
“These people see themselves as the pinnacle of civilization. Everyone is free to do as they please, gain any job they please, and are free to rise and fall on their own merits. Their leaders are the ones they themselves chose, supposedly performing the will of the people that have put them in place.”
“Supposedly, My Lady?” Liane asked, trying to hide the sarcasm. She failed slightly and the response came out somewhat snidely.
“No system is perfect, My Lady,” Mariam said, as if they were back in the Academy. “The voting process in the United States is dominated by two huge parties that are politically and ideologically opposed to each other. It makes leadership a problem if both are almost of equal size.”
“And yet you oppose the system in Kiria, one that has been in place for seven hundred years and has led us to peace, prosperity, and stability? Magic itself determines the right of the Emperor to rule. An Emperor rules for life. Emperors are of impeccable character, and should therefore be impossible to bribe or coerce,” Liane stated in answer. “It is a clean and well-working system. Kirian society is ordered and generally safe. As a Consul, you hold a position of trust. More than most Nobles, you should be supportive of our government.”
“And should one ask a Commoner, how would they reply to the same question?” the Consul asked, sounding every bit like a teacher asking the one question that will bring down their student's carefully ordered response.
“A Commoner has no business being asked,” Liane dismissed. “A Commoner is protected and guided by the Nobility. It is the circle of existence that Nobility will rule, protect, defend, and safeguard the country, while the Commoners execute the plans required to do so.”
Mariam sighed, and looked disappointed. “I would have thought that you, who have been at the bottom of Kirian society, would be able to relate, My Lady. Commoners have a harsh life, a life in which they have no say. It is a fundamentally unfair system.”
“A Commoner is as free as a Noble is. Just as there are Nobles who would prefer to do handcrafts, there would be Commoners that prefer to be leaders. And yet, neither can choose the role of the other. A Commoner is free to pursue any role open to them. They are not slaves or serfs. They can quit any job and are free to find any other. They simply do not have the background or education required to be in a position of leadership within the Empire, nor do they have the magic required to uphold vows and oaths,” the Pillar said, coldly. “I do not see the point.”
“The point is that the system is unfair,” Mariam replied.
“So is the system down there,” Liane answered. “I have studied this so-called democracy. Those with money can buy their own justice, their own laws, their own existence. Those without money are left to fend for themselves. I prefer the Kirian system, where Nobles take care of the Commoners that take care of them.”
“Supposedly,” the Consul said. “Where the Nobles supposedly take care of the Commoners.”
“As always, there are rotten apples that spoil the entire basket,” Liane answered. “A leader that changes every few years, backed by a parliament that changes every few years, can never set out a long-term policy for a country because within a few years, a new government will take over and reverse everything. It is impossible to predict and therefore, fundamentally flawed. An unstable, short-term government thinking only of its own profits will result in nothing but a popularity contest – the best liar wins.”
“I didn't claim democracy is perfect. I merely claimed it to be a more honest and fair system,” Mariam defended.
“And yet, the country below is drowning in debt, involved in wars that are not its own, and its society is existing on borrowed time. It is fair and egalitarian, to a point, yet it is unstable. The next election may yet again change things while Kiria will remain stable and peaceful. The Emperor will still be there; his policies will remain in effect. Laws will not fundamentally shift because a better liar appears to spin a better yarn for the population.”
Mariam sighed dejectedly. “You refuse to listen to my points,” she whispered. “I am rather disappointed. I remember the bright-eyed Liane who would eagerly absorb any lesson in magic that I would care to teach her, a Liane willing to listen to every viewpoint and forge her own path. A Liane that became the MagicWarper, Pillar of Kiria, after rescuing her friend at the risk of not only her own life, but that of her Assistant as well.”
Liane's shoulder sagged just a fraction. “I remember Mariam FireMistress, the Prime Student of the Academy of magic, who taught me some basic runic magic, who took the time to teach me to read and write on top of her own classes and workload. A Mariam who taught me Decorum, right from wrong, and the basis of Kirian Nobility that I have always tried to follow.”
Now it was Mariam's turn to sag. Nothing was said between them for several long minutes, minutes that were neither uncomfortable nor heavy. They simply existed, two different women, recognizing the differences in their lives and views, differences that had crept up on them over the course of years.
“Perhaps you have been away from Kiria for too long, My Lady,” Liane whispered. “You seem to recall only the negatives of Kirian society, yet ignore its strengths. While I, who hardly ever leaves the island, will only see its benefits and strengths while only seeing the negatives of the poor people who did not have the fortune to grow up in Kiria as we did.”
“Perhaps it is so, My Lady,” Mariam said, softly.
They lapsed into silence again, staring out the window.
“I still value your friendship, My Lady,” Liane spoke. “Despite our differences of opinion. Can you tell me, where were you while you were supposed to be on duty?”
“I was having an extended lunch with one of the democratically elected officials of the United States, Lady Pillar. It was a working lunch that took longer than expected.”
Liane nodded. It was a valid reason for a Consul to be out, and now that she thought back, she had not asked the receptionist where Mariam was. She couldn't blame Mariam for it, and would not mention it in her report. What she had so far would be bad enough for her friend. “I do not believe you will tell me that your views were a momentary lapse in judgment and that you will not repeat them,” she said.
“I firmly believe as I do, My Lady,” Mariam answered. “I, too, still value our friendship, and would like nothing more than to debate this issue further. Unfortunately, I am also aware of your status, and know that you will need to report this to your superiors. I do not believe I will have much chance to debate this with you after your report reaches t
hem.”
“In strict accordance to my duties, I am required to arrest you immediately and bring you with me,” Liane said. “However, being a Pillar has its perquisites and I could be forgiven for not wanting to risk a fight of magic within the halls of the Consulate, where, theoretically, magic could be exposed to the open eyes of the wider world, to think nothing of the damage that could be done to the building above.”
Mariam seemed to relax slightly at that. “Thank you, My Lady.”
Liane simply nodded. “Perhaps it is time for us to adjourn for the day. I have traveled far and fast. A good meal and a relaxing night are just what I need. Shall we continue our discussion tomorrow?”
The Consul simply acknowledged the request, not feeling up to continuing a debate with her old friend.
After pulling her hood up, Liane grabbed her staff of office and motioned toward the sealed door with it. Without word or further gesture, the door unfused itself from the walls, and the Pillar, Vera once more, stepped out. With a bare minimum of words, she placed an order for an evening meal with the receptionist and retired to the quarters set aside for her.