Born a Monster

The bureaucrat moved us through hidden ways, through storerooms filled with forgotten clothes, through an armory (whose weapon racks were secured with iron bars and heavy padlocks, and were secured to the floor with iron chains run through metal loops that were worked into the masonry), all to end at a tower, by whose door was –

“Lady Mei! Such an unusual surprise.” I said. “I would not have expected you to be curator of the admiral’s trophy room.”

“Curator?” she asked, her eyes falling on our bureaucrat, “Xu Xun, what lies have you been telling these foreigners?”

He said something in a rapid voice, something that rhymed and sounded like it might have been a song. At that time, he also turned and waved us all three farewell.

She snorted. “Well, we are wasting time. I have heard, ambassador, that you are leaving tomorrow?”

“Such seems to be the case.” I admitted. “At the very least, I am out of gifts. It has been educational, and I do hope to visit again, though my merchant assures me it will be a while before we can.”

“Oh, surely you should not strain yourself so.” She said.

“My husband is very dedicated to his job.” Madonna said. “You wouldn’t believe some of the sacrifices he is prepared to make.”

.....

She turned an iron key in the golden lock, which gave a heavy creak, and a sound not unlike hammer striking hot iron on the anvil.

The trophy room was perhaps twenty yards across at most, the walls hidden behind maps and nautical charts, half the room taken up by glass-topped tables, with even more things piled atop of them.

“Oh, how glorious!” Madonna said, with such sincerity that I almost believed her.

The other half of the room was enclosed in three glass panels, fused together to each other and the wall to form a cage, enclosing a raised podium with... well, with a shrine of women’s memorabilia. It was all precisely displayed...

“Oh, however do they get inside to dust anything?” Madonna asked.

“It is not needed.” Mei assured us. “The glass box is quite secure, letting not even air past. The artisan who installed it has warned us that in twenty or thirty years, the base will be thicker and the upper part will grow thinner. It may be that the current admiral, Kwan Lun, will still be here to oversee that transition.”

“And if he is not?” Madonna asked. “I see so many things his wife must have treasured. It would be a shame for them to go to waste.”

“Oh, I imagine there would be quite an auction for many of these items. That simple looking bone comb is enchanted, for example, to strengthen hairs and clear tangles. And those greenish pearls on that bracer there, those are quite rare, only coming from one remote region outside Dauria, whose nation has sadly collapsed into savagery.”

“Oh, I would want that fur coat.” Madonna said. “That is ermine fur, is it not?”

“Ah, the young missus has quite the eye. It is indeed ermine, and so artfully stitched together that even masters need to look closely to see where the seams are. I have heard that it is extremely soft, and that Lady Kwan often went about, inappropriately touching people just to share the joy of touching such a fine fur.”

“It looks exquisite.” Madonna said. “I think I would risk such an impropriety, just to touch it.”

“I hear that many did, once.” Mei said. “It was among the reasons that the admiral chose to construct such a container to put his wife’s display in. It was contained like this long before I came to the citadel.”

Madonna pressed a hand against the glass. I didn’t need telepathy to feel her desire to pass through.

“Please, do not touch the glass. It is so difficult to clean. Or at least, so the servants have told me.”

“I am sorry on my wife’s behalf.” I said, moving forward to take her by the arms. Outside the windows, a distant fire came into being. I must be all manner of turned around; I thought the sea was that way, not the land. Whatever, I could also hear distant thunder, the rain would see an end to it if human means did not.

She looked into my eyes, broadcasting her desperation, her NEED. It was agonizing for her, being so close to a critical piece of her panoply, and yet unable to reach it.

Oh. She WAS able to reach it. A quick wave of her power should melt and shatter the glass, and only the fact there was no escape kept her from doing so. We couldn’t get out of the citadel, not without being cut down by citadel guard. Then the castle guard would cut us down before we got to the docks. Even if we could battle our way to the docks, our vessel could never hold off the Daurian naval force responsible for the island.

But oh, she was willing to try.

Just as I placed my hands on her arms, the other door into the room, the one to the admiral’s office burst open.

Scratching frantically at his left shoulder, he crossed to the more distant window. “Mei, get to my bedroom. Lock yourself inside, and do not let anyone other than myself enter.”

Mei smiled. “Oh! Such boldness!”

“NOT NOW, WOMAN. GO! Go, and be safe.”

“Be safe?” she moved to his shoulder, which I noticed she was tall enough to look over. “Not likely, what could possibly... oh, by all the drunken fu dogs in heaven...”

“What is possibly going on?” I asked.

The admiral turned to face Mei fully. “You know what this means. Do as I say, woman.”

She raised a finger to point at his chest. “Don’t you DARE address me as just another woman. We are consorts. Until you marry a wife or husband, I am the most important person in your life.”

“That is why I need you safe.” He said, seeming to just then remember we were in the room.

“That is why you need me right here, at your side, helping you through this difficult time.” She countered.

“Does your woman disrespect you like this?” the admiral asked.

Madonna broke out in laughter. “More often than not.” She said.

I had to look away. The floor was mopped diligently. “I am a Truthspeaker. I literally CANNOT lie to you.”

“I hope you will enjoy spending more time on our quaint little island.” He said.

“Although I would not object, I’m afraid I absolutely cannot afford the gifts...”

Madonna punched my arm. “Look out the window, you dolt! Your future is going up in flames!”

Indeed, the Outrage was burning brightly, and she was not alone. Over three dozen vessels of various sizes were dancing, thundering cannonades at each other, fiery balls of pitch flying among them from catapults. It may have been clear to naval eyes, but mine couldn’t even distinguish which vessel was on which side of the conflict. It was like friend and foe had been intermingled when hostilities started, and in the chaos even the captains themselves were uncertain who was on which side.

Another half dozen were already out of the fight, in various stages of sinking, all but one also blazing brightly.

“Admiral, what are my eyes seeing?” I asked.

“Ultimate chaos.” Madonna purred.

“Ultimate shame.” He said. “Mutiny. Mutiny on a scale of which the Empire hasn’t seen since the rat-folk uprising.”

“Two generations, perhaps three.” Mei clarified.

Cries for the admiral, under three titles, came from the hallway.

“Any commander with pride would just fall on his sword, knowing he would never again possess honor.” He said.

“Like hell you will!” Mei said.

Madonna smiled. “Oh? Are you about to speak of Wrath? Might I listen?”

“Mei, let them in.”

“They shouldn’t see you with tears on your face.”

“Many things will happen this night that should never happen.” He said, his voice the model of decisiveness. “Let them in.”

There were three of them, none in full battle harness. The eldest was wearing only his bedclothes.

The admiral drew himself to his full height. “What is the cause of this disarray? Are you not soldiers? Hwu Gao, haven’t you been a soldier longer than I have been alive?”

“Uh, admiral...”

“Silence! There will be no more shameful behavior this night. Gather all loyal leaders to my war room, in full armor and bearing weapons within the hour. Tell all disloyal leaders to spare me the effort, and hurl themselves in despair from the windows. You! Sergeant, what is your name?”

“Sir, Sunada Saka, Admiral, sir!” she replied crisply.

Damn the Pearl Coast folk, that was about all of their language I spoke.

“Get word to the commander of the citadel guard. All gates are to be closed. Light the fires that signal attack, and send no less than eight soldiers to each gate of the inner wall, to ensure those are also closed. Then, outward. With luck, we will have all three walls. Without...” he looked out the window again, face covered in flickering orange light.

“Fuck the maidens of fate.” He said. “After THIS, they owe us some good luck. Secure all the gates, Sergeant Sunada.”

He turned to me. “So, how much do you want to remain here on our island?”

I spat out the window. “I will need a suit of armor.” I said.