“Such as?” demanded Damianos.

  “The idea that Kalare is destined to rule the entire planet, is ludicrous,” she said. She saw him begin to bridle, but continued on. “What does Kalare have that other nations don’t? That they work harder? Oreias can contradict that. That they are more capable soldiers? Achlys can counter that. Is Kalare more moral? I doubt it, for it seems subject to the sin of pride as much as anyone else.”

  “You are quick to accuse Kalare of being immoral, but Achlys isn’t full of saints either,” he stated. “Your countrymen are careless and lazy, though that isn’t the worst of their crimes.”

  “And what would that crime be specifically?” demanded Thespia. “Mind you, I will accept none of your vague assertions, about divine revelations received by people of questionable character.”

  Damianos looked furious at this dig at the first Kalarian Emperor and his priest, but Thespia didn’t repent it. From what she had seen of the history of Kalare at that time, those two seemed overly ambitious, dangerously so in fact. While she hadn’t put the research into discrediting them that Celena had, Thespia had paid enough attention to any information that fell in her way, to see that this destiny was probably nothing more than two ruthless men convincing the masses to follow their ideas.

  “Hundreds of years ago, long before any of us was born, Achlys attacked the Kalarian homeland,” said Damianos. “It wasn’t just conquered territory. It was land owned by Kalare from the beginning. While there, the Achlysian forces captured several villages, took away the inhabitants, and imprisoned them. It was not just men either. It was women and children. They were kept in poorly maintained jails, given only enough to subsist. It wasn’t because Achlys was lacking in resources at the time either. They had plenty. It was because they wished to prevent the Kalarians from working against them again. They went after the civilian population from which the armed forces drew strength.”

  “You lie!” exclaimed Thespia.

  “Do I?” demanded Damianos. “Then why is it that Oreias distanced itself from Achlys at that time, even going so far as to make overtures of peace to Kalare?”

  This news was shocking to Thespia, but she was so angry that it didn’t hit her as hard as it might have otherwise. This had to be a lie. It had to be! There was no way it was possible for the Achlysians of long ago to have done something so cruel.

  “You must know I will not believe such blatant falsehoods!” she exclaimed.

  “Then you must also know I won’t resign my belief in the righteousness of my nation!” he countered.

  “Please don’t fight!” exclaimed Celena. “If you get any louder, the warden will come to see what is going on.”

  Thespia and Damianos were silenced, but were still furious with each other.

  “I believe you two should separate for the time being, until you have had time to cool down,” said Celena. “Nothing will be resolved one way or the other, if you continue as you are. In fact, you are more likely to make things worse and say something you will regret later.”

  Thespia found the idea of regretting anything she could say to Damianos ludicrous. She was so angry that she felt certain she had overcome any affection she had for him. They stood for a moment more before she swiftly turned her back on him.

  “Warden! We are finished here!” she called out.

  The warden quickly appeared. He gave them all a cursory glance, no doubt alarmed by Thespia’s tone, and hoping that there wasn’t anything amiss. But apparently satisfied that all was well, he led the way to the prison entrance.

  Thespia stormed out. She was hardly aware of her surroundings, until she was outside the prison. It was then that she realized Celena wasn’t with her. She panicked and was about to turn around to search for her, when Celena appeared. Thespia was relieved to see her companion, for she didn’t want to know what would happen if she had left Celena in the heat of her fury, only to find out later Celena had been harmed. Queen Roxanna would be furious, as would King Vasilis. But Celena had a peculiar look on her face. It wasn’t alarm exactly, but it was something that Thespia felt the need to enquire into, once they were left alone outside the jail.

  “No, I’m fine,” said Celena in reply. “But you are not. Your anger got the better of you back there. I rather feel as if you went to the cell with the intent of provoking Damianos.”

  Thespia was surprised Celena was able to read her intentions so accurately. But Celena had proven capable of such things before, so it didn’t astonish Thespia as much as it would have otherwise.

  “And if I did, what of it?” asked Thespia.

  “But why?” asked Celena. “We were making progress in softening his views toward us. If there is ever to be peace, we have to stop looking at each other as the most horrible beings in the universe.”

  “Perhaps he deserved to be provoked, to reveal his true nature,” said Thespia. “I have never stopped believing he is acting by design, and his lies today certainly prove that.”

  “Are you certain they are lies?” asked Celena.

  “Why would anyone ever entertain the idea that they are not?” asked Thespia.

  “If you don’t know for certain, you can’t rightfully refute his accusations,” said Celena. “Perhaps the reason you don’t trust him is because you don’t want to know the truth.”

  This was a shocking revelation to Thespia. She had never thought of it that way. Celena was becoming more and more keen concerning her nature.

  “I think you should look into what he said,” said Celena. “If he is wrong, you will at least have the satisfaction of being able to refute it. But if he is right,” Thespia turned away at the very idea, “we must be willing to acknowledge the truth if we want this war to ever end.”

  Celena then left Thespia in silence. Thespia wasn’t sure what to do now.

  Chapter 14

  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

  ~ Psalm 25:5

  While Thespia was storming out of the prison, Celena remained at the cell for a moment. She didn’t say anything, but she took Damianos’s hand and squeezed it before departing. Damianos took this as a sign that Celena wouldn’t hold a grudge against him, though whether it meant anything further he didn’t consider. He was too busy fuming about Thespia’s words. How dare she just brush aside his accusations concerning the fowl treatment his people suffered, at the hands of hers no less! It wasn’t that she didn’t believe it. She purposely chose not to. She wasn’t even willing to give it a chance. This was the reason why Kalare was superior to all others. It acknowledged the flaws of its people, and acted to correct them.

  He was stewing over this fact when he was surprised by the sound of another visitor. He wasn’t sure who would be coming at this hour, for it was drawing toward evening. The sun was setting on the horizon. But there was someone coming, and he could only assume it had something to do with him. He thought it might be Vasilis, or even Thespia’s brother Georgios, come to tell him off after the confrontation with Thespia. Damianos was therefore surprised, when it was Celena and Celena alone who appeared.

  They were silent for a moment. Damianos wasn’t sure what her reasons were for being there, but the keen, piercing look she was giving him was difficult to meet.

  “I wanted to apologize for Thespia’s behavior,” she began at last. “She shouldn’t have come here with the intention of provoking you.”

  “Well, that is an unexpected apology, but I accept it on your own account,” said Damianos. “As for your friend, it is up to her whether she is truly repentant or not.”

  “Of course, but she is not anymore guilty than you are,” said Celena.

  Damianos starred at Celena is surprise.

  “You were trying to provoke her as well. I know you were,” said Celena.

  Damianos was stunned. He wasn’t sure how she had figured out that was his intent, but he didn’t contradict her either.

  They were silent again, with a sort of tension between them. Celena seemed stern, which surprised him. She appeared almost offended that he had stirred up trouble. But at last, she lost some of her stiffness.

  “I do not mean to cause trouble, but I feel that neither you, nor Thespia, nor the people of any of our nations, will come to any sort of peace unless we are willing to truly look into what the other is saying. Thespia needs to discover the truth of whether Achlysians truly mistreated Kalarians or not, and you need to look into whether your nation has been deceived by its leadership or not.”

  “How?” asked Damianos, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. Celena’s suggestion angered him, yet it was nothing but good sense, and he knew she wasn’t trying to provoke him. He wasn’t sure why he felt so defensive, but he did.

  Celena pulled some books out of her basket. “I brought these. They are from several different sources. Some are by Achlysian authors, some by Oreiasan, some by Kalarian, and some by those who have observed the conflict between our three nations from the outside. They provided me with the answers I needed concerning your claims, that and the Bible, which you have, do you not?”

  “I do,” he said.

  “Then I ask you to begin your research with the intention of learning the truth, regardless of what that is,” said Celena. “If you are right, then you need to work toward achieving God’s will. If you are wrong, you need to work toward undeceiving your people.”

  Damianos didn’t say anything. He was surprised by Celena’s words, but took the books. He felt that she had a point, even if he felt certain he was in the right.

  “Good evening, and God bless you,” she said. She then left.

  Damianos waited until there was silence again, before looking at the books. Once he did, he debated a moment whether he should follow through with Celena’s request. At first, he was inclined not to. But the satisfaction of being able to point to irrefutable examples of his nation’s superiority, proved too difficult to resist. Celena implied she had come to a decision, though she didn’t say what that was, nor could he guess. If she had come to the wrong conclusion, he would need to refute what she had found. She had taken the surprising step of looking into his claims to learn their truth, and the only way to prove her wrong was to have facts of his own that invalidated her findings. So, he took up one of the books and began reading. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do.

  Chapter 15

  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

  ~ Psalm 51:6

  Thespia didn’t feel much of a need to do the research that Celena asked her to do. Thespia knew she was right, and there was no need to waste time confirming it. But between the temptation of being able to triumph over Damianos with facts, and Celena’s frequent piercing looks at her over the course of the evening, Thespia decided that she would look into it.

  She began that evening after dinner. She went to the royal library and picked up a history book. Damianos illuded to a time early in the conflict between Kalare and Achlys, so she began her search around the time of the first war between them. At first, she found nothing. But she continued searching until she came to the third official war between the two. Technically speaking, the conflict between Achlys and Kalare had never really ended, just ebbed and flowed between official declarations of war. It was during this third war however, that she found mention of events that seemed related to what Damianos had said. There was talk of raids across the border into Kalare proper, and mention of Oreias making a separate peace treaty with Kalare, to Achlys’s disgust.

  This caused Thespia to pause. She didn’t know that Achlys and Oreias had ever been at a point where relations were strained enough, that Oreias was willing to go its own way, and make a separate peace with Kalare. Sure, the alliance had been difficult to maintain when Achlys fell to the Kalarian Empire, but that wasn’t because either had done anything to anger the other. It could be said there was tension whenever Roxanna acted against Vasilis’s wishes, during the days of the Lystra Gang. But that was more of a case of conflict between individuals who happened to be royalty, rather than international troubles.

  Perhaps the separate peace treaty meant nothing. Oreias had an independent streak, and was willing to act on its own. Though that didn’t usually appear unless the Oreiasans had reason to be angry.

  It could be there were extenuating circumstances, such as Oreias having trouble getting enough resources, or some other reason for a separate treaty. Still, it was odd for Oreias to act in such a way. Oreias didn’t usually do anything that could be considered forsaking its allies, unless it had good reason. But the reason should have been listed in the histories, even briefly, if that had been the case. It almost seemed as if the author was trying to hide Oreias’s motives, though whether that was because Oreias had done something dishonorable, or whether Achlys had, she couldn’t say.

  She continued on, and noticed that there seemed to be tension between Oreias and Achlys at this time. Marriages between the two were less frequent. A few of the minor nobles of Oreias even married Kalarians, much to Thespia’s shock. The Oreiasans were known for their loyalty. They wouldn’t have acted in such a way unless they felt they had good reason.

  Thespia continued to search, but found nothing more other than hints that something went wrong. She flipped the book back over to its front cover in frustration, when she noticed the name of the author. It was a well known Achlysian chronicler, someone whose histories had long been the pride of Achlys. But did his nationality prejudice him? Did he soften the truth because of what nation he was from?

  “History is usually written by the victors,” Roxanna said, when Thespia told her of her troubles. They both happened to be in the library when Thespia was doing her research. “It’s not wise to take an account as complete truth without looking into it further.”

  So Thespia took up another volume of history. This time, it was by a well known Oreiasan author. Here, the information was more troubling. Around the same period, the author mentioned that relations were strained between Oreias and Achlys, due to the Achlysians conducting raids against the Kalarians. The author didn’t specify what exactly about the raids the Oreiasans objected to, but the trouble was there. This was also the reason given as to why Oreias dropped out of the war, and began to establish friendlier relations with Kalare. Oreias wanted to show it didn’t approve of its ally’s behavior.

  This account caused Thespia to feel cold. While it wasn’t irrefutable proof that what Damianos said was true, there did seem to be some grounds for his accusations. Still, it wasn’t verification of the worst of what he said, that being the cruel treatment of innocent women and children. But the Oreiasan author might wish to soften events from that time, considering how closely united Achlys and Oreias were now.

  She found a history written by an author from a nation that was off planet, which had good relations with all three kingdoms, and had remained neutral through the long, drawn-out conflict. The information contained within it was condemning. It stated, almost word-for-word what Damianos had said. Achlys had conducted raids into Kalare proper, and brought captured men, women, and children, from border villages, into Achlys. They were then imprisoned in poor conditions. All this was done to prevent them from being able to help the Kalarian Army and Navy. Thespia could hardly believe her eyes, and had to get up and pace the room in order to calm herself. But the words were still there, plain as day.

  Perhaps this nation had a bias against Achlys that hadn’t been noticed up until now, or the author did. Thespia pulled out another history, from another author, from a similar nation. But the same account was written there too. What was worse, was the authors of both histories mentioned how their nations condemned the Achlysians’ behavior, and that they thought it was more of a case of ruthless revenge, than any true attempt to weaken Kalare’s war machine. It was this that made Thespia realize the truth. She knew the Achlysians had a vicious streak. It was part of the reason why Achlys was feared by others, including the Kalarians. She had seen all Achlysians with whom she was closely acquainted, exhibit this ruthless anger at least once: King Vasilis, Prince Theodoros, her own brother Georgios, and even herself. It had never been to such a cruel extent, but it had happened.

  She didn’t know what to do with herself now. She felt mortified and ashamed. How was she going to move on after this? She prayed, but she didn’t know.

  Chapter 16

  The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

  ~ Proverbs 12:19

  Damianos was deep in research too, and wasn’t happy with what he was finding. He began reading the account given by an author, from a nation that was friendly with Kalare. The account was glowing. Kalare was well looked upon, and admired for its progress as a nation and as a conqueror. But there was some dithering concerning the doctrine that led to these policies, which surprised Damianos. There was doubt expressed concerning whether the revelation of the King Andronicus and Father Isaurus was truth, or just delusion or disguised ambition on their part. The author didn’t argue with the results, but the doubt still stung. It was revealing that someone who had no reason to dislike the Kalarians, was doubtful concerning its divine right.

  The next author was from a more neutral nation. The account was even less flattering, and the author expressed concern that Kalare may be falling for delusions, if not outright deception. The author mentioned how Father Isaurus and King Andronicus had seemed overly ambitious before their supposed revelation, which cast doubt on the authenticity of their words.

  Damianos then moved on to the accounts from Achlys and Oreias. He didn’t expect these to be pleasant to read, but they were worse than he thought. The Achlysian authors were scathing in their contempt. They didn’t doubt that the supposed revelations were nothing but quackery. The Oreiasan historians were more measured in their criticism, but they too mentioned how the two who started Kalare down this path, were greedy for power to begin with.

 

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