The Chronicles of Heaven's War: Burning Phoenix (35 page)

Legion finally stepped forward, frowning,
lifting a hand to speak. His voice was clear, its tone
condescending. “Shame you have delivered here this day, on us and
on our sacred customs. Why has it come to this? Now you must
surrender up to the new order of things, bow down to them. Give us
the honor and respect our nation deserves.”

Legion’s cryptic message hidden in his words
was, ‘
Shame you have delivered on sacred customs. Why? Now
surrender to the New Order. Bow down. Give us the honor
deserved.’

Surprised Legion was when he noticed no
reaction from Mihai. Silently she stood there, staring at the man,
barely comprehending his words, her mind so filled with anger and
frustration over having this
contemptible creature
refusing
to leave her side. He puzzled, wondering why this second attack had
no effect. He stole a glance toward Asotos, his eyes asking what to
do now.

Asotos was also surprised at not seeing
Mihai collapse to the ground in uncontrolled, sick despair. Had his
agent failed to plant sufficiently the subliminal triggers in the
woman’s mind to set her off when Legion delivered his messages? He
eyed that person with increasing anger. Payment for such failure
would be made. He would not forget. His eyes replied to Legion’s
question, signaling that he go on with proceedings.

Legion smiled wryly, proffering offense,
“Very well. Seeing that you offer no reply at the moment, we will
move on to the point of our business this day. But first!” He shook
his finger at Mihai. “Let me make this perfectly clear: we have
expended a great deal of energy and experienced personal loss, and
extended undeserved mercy upon these interloping miscreants whom
you call your fellows. Had it not been for our willingness to deal
with the Stasis - something
your people
refuse to do - I
doubt any of this
rabble
would still live.”

He glared at Mihai, waiting for reply to his
goading words.

Mihai was furious. She knew all too well the
treachery committed against her imprisoned brothers and sisters,
personally witnessed the contrived deviltry involved in
accomplishing those dastardly acts, and she knew that they knew…
had her blood samples to prove her spying on them. Yet what was
there for it? If she charged them with such acts of villainy, would
it gain rescue of her people? No! More likely it would get them
killed, or worse, sent back to the Stasis Pirates. The woman’s hand
was forced. She had spilt her cards before sitting at the table and
now must play by her opponent’s rules - rules made while the game
was being played and upon the fleeting whim of a ruthless
protagonist.

Mihai signaled her recognition of the League
of Brother’s sacrifice by slowly bowing her head, and then adding,
“Whatever you have done to obtain the release of our brothers is
understood with our heartfelt appreciation.” She nearly heaved
again at the thought of those words, but quickly recovering, went
on. “We have gathered here today to make reasonable exchange for
the ones we value, both yours and mine.”

Legion angrily snarled his rebuke when Mihai
referred to the prisoners she was delivering,. “We
do not
barter for the flesh and spirit of those kidnapped by your
thievery! They will be handed over to us with your apologies and
the begging of our forgiveness, or…” he lifted a hand, extending a
finger, “or there shall be no further apposition this day. Choose
for yourself the fate of your fellows.”

Mihai might well have been impetuous and at
times careless in deed and action, but the woman was not dimwitted.
Long she had played the riddling games of her people. Were these
negotiations little more than those same mind games, built on those
very foundations? To solve a riddle, one must find the hidden
meaning, the unspoken word, and the silent implication. To win this
argument, one must create the uncertainty and invent the
implication, not for the person being contended against, but for
those observing the game, for implication may well reveal secrets
of the heart that have far-reaching effects for others
concerned.

Mihai cocked her head to the left, raising
an eyebrow, squinting. Something was amiss. Legion’s face clouded
with uncertainty. He had overreached his hand but did not yet know
in what way. His threat should have the woman quailing and begging
his reconsideration, quickly followed by the deepest of apologies
and an offer for a quick release of prisoners. The man quietly held
his breath in anticipation of what possible blow the woman might
deliver.

“So…” Mihai drew out the word. She raised
her voice for all those nearby to hear. “If the noble and righteous
of your nation are so valueless in your eyes so as to surrender
them back to the stink holes to which they rightfully belong, for
them to await a fate of our choosing, then what is the value in
your eyes of the common soldier who guards your back with his very
life? Say the word and we shall depart this wretched planet to you
and your ilk, taking home with us those who should have been cast
in the fires long ago. Better their riddance! Give our kind back to
the Stasis. The Wildcatters shall gladly trade with them for the
release of our fellows with the goods intended for
barter
this day. For
barter
goods
are the only value you
place on your kind.”

The Pseudes soldiers within hearing distance
stood alert, uncertainty growing in their breasts while wondering
what Legion would say in defense of this questioning
accusation.

Legion’s face reddened in angry frustration.
He was backed into a corner, and could think of nothing to counter
with, other than… He blurted out, “We
do not
barter for the
lives of our people! Free of chattel they must be delivered into
our hands!”

“Nor will we barter for the souls of ours.”
Mihai quietly replied.

“So then give us our people, and let us be
done with it!” Legion argued, holding his temper in check.

Mihai looked into Legion’s face, smiling,
her eyes betraying her inner, boiling hatred. “In due time... In
due time...” She softly responded. “But first tell me, please. Do
you intend to remain and parley until proceedings are finished, or
will you abandon your people to the likes of
my kind
to be
dealt with as we see fit? Should you threaten your departing one
more time, we shall oblige you to your fate, and they…” she
motioned with her head toward the wagons, “to theirs.”

Legion was caught up against the wall with
no reply to offer. The tables were now turned, Mihai’s questions
putting Legion on the defensive by implying that he regarded his
imprisoned brothers to be of lesser value than even chattel, his
personal pride of greater worth,
which was true
. Now he must
defend himself against such a charge while attempting to maintain
the moral high ground. His words carried the same weight of archon.
They were as if spoken by Asotos, himself. He did not want to raise
that man’s ire by fouling up his plans.

Asotos was displeased with the way things
were developing, and was very disappointed with Legion. “
Stupid
ass! Is there no wisdom in my land?”
It was true, Mihai was
supposed to be down by now or, at best, befuddled and confused.
That was not the case, yet Legion should have prepared for such a
possibility. Truth be told, even Asotos was not prepared for it.
Mihai was still up for the fight, quick of wit and feisty, turning
Legion’s own declaration against him by raising doubt among the
soldiers regarding his fealty toward them. Legion had blundered his
way into this dilemma, and now Asotos must
bail
the fool
out.

A prearranged signal alerted Legion to
Asotos’ desire for a private moot. The moot was accepted protocol,
but rarely done under these circumstances, or this early in the
proceedings because of the message it sent to others. Asotos took a
great risk seeking a conversation with his herald at this moment.
It might imply some weakness in his argument, but he felt the risk
worth taking. He would have Legion feign excuse regarding some
technical misstep or perceived offense on their opponent’s part,
and then turn the tables by accusing Mihai of some inappropriate
action.

Legion motioned that he wished to speak with
his archon, finally replying to Mihai, “I smell deceit in your
words, and shall gather in conference with the lord of this
people.” (
Legion was loath to publicly speak of Asotos as his
lord, and only when pressed would do so. Yes, he accepted him as
his captain, but he refused to worship anyone other than
himself.)
At that, Legion turned to Asotos, the two men
stepping back in private conversation.

The gist of Asotos’ council was simple: give
no room for their opponent to gain the upper hand; keep her
constantly on the defensive; and, most importantly, stall for time,
drag proceedings out. The day was long, its heat growing in
intensity. Though Mihai’s mind might remain clear, her physical
constitution was already in question. Press her to the breaking
point of the flesh, and heart and mind would soon follow.

Legion returned to face Mihai, loudly
declaring, “You have misapplied the meaning of my words as we find
to be your custom…” He waited for response. Mihai gave him none, so
Legion continued. “We have no intention of abandoning our brothers
to the Children of Evil this day or any day.
We
do not leave
our dead and wounded behind, though we have witnessed that it is a
common practice of our adversary. ‘No man left behind, living or
dead’. That is our motto, our soul, our devotion.”

Mihai was angry, aware that Legion referred
to the many dead and wounded abandoned on the field in front of
Memphis.
He
was the man responsible for the torture of the
wounded, and it was
he
who forbid them gathering up their
dead without another fight, though Mihai often wondered if she
could have done more to gain their retrieval. But she would not
allow the heartache of that day nor the seething contempt for this
murdering liar to threaten the future release of her brothers.
Legion was goading her. She must goad
him
.

Looking down the line of Asotos’ neatly
attired soldiers, she addressed Legion. “Empty words to fill
hopeful minds... Countless are the bodies of marine and sailor you
have abandoned to the emptiness of space, having failed to take the
time to gather the brave and valiant who died for your cause in the
day of great battle (
Day of Tears
), you caring not enough to
have even one of your emissaries approach our councils to request a
sojourn into our territories to retrieve their remains.”

Legion fumed, raising a hand to make
retort.

Mihai stopped him, brushing aside any future
discussion of this matter. “We have not come across this great
distance in time and space to debate the rituals practiced for the
dead. You have not yet made reply to my question. Do you intend to
remain and parley until proceedings are finished, and your and my
people are returned to their brothers?”

Clenching a fist and shaking it, Legion
spat, “We will not leave until our business is finished!”

Mihai smiled motherly. “You still have not
answered my question. Is your mind too simple to grasp it? If so,
ask your
scholarly
councilors for an explanation.”

The look on Legion’s face revealed his
hatred for this insolent creature. In his world,
no one
dared raise a voice to him in question or rebuttal. Here, this
woman
dared to openly castigate him with insinuation and
insult! Oh, how he wanted to scream out for his guards to cut her
down along with all her rabble...something he might well have
attempted if Asotos had not earlier warned him against doing such a
thing.

Forcing his outrage into submission, Legion
quietly answered, “As I have already stated, we will remain here
until the hostage issue has been fully resolved to the satisfaction
of everyone involved.”

“Does that also include my people?” Mihai
calmly asked. “You are referring to a two way exchange,
correct?”

Frustration filled Legion’s reply, he
realizing the woman refused to proceed until he was clear on the
matter. “Yes! Yes, of course… until the exchange is complete both
ways,
both ways!
”

Smelling a rat, Mihai wished to press Legion
on this matter, but thought better of it. The day was getting
along, and she wanted to rescue her brothers and sisters as quickly
as possible in order to prevent any added suffering they must be
enduring. “Very well…”

Legion interrupted, changing the subject in
an attempt to regain the upper hand. “What have you delivered here
that you believe is of such worth to be able to compensate my
people for all the risk and expense at obtaining the release of
your fellows? My people deserve that reward, seeing it was not an
affair of theirs, but done out of pity and concern for those
considering them their enemy.”

Mihai frowned, asking, “Why do we not
release the prisoners first before discussing such trivial matters?
We have not shipped these valuable goods across countless star
systems to find excuse to have them reloaded on our transports.
We’ll offer them all to you in good time, but first we desire to
conclude the business of exchanging our brothers.”

Legion burst forth with vile, foul curses
and oaths against Mihai and her kind. “
Lies!
Deceit and
treachery!
That is all one can expect from this
she-beast
… from
any
she-beast! ‘Come, my dear Azazel,
and we shall walk beneath the morning sun to view the radiant blue
of the heavens against the lush greenery of the fields and orchards
below.’” Legion swept his hand high as his eyes scanned the faces
of his loyal guards and dignitaries.