Live Not By Lies

Zebulun, Davion, Quinn, Sarah, and Amalek sat around the fire in Sarah’s camp. The waning moon sat above the horizon. Owls hooted in the darkness.

Amalek’s avatar appeared. "I think it’s time we spoke about what comes next."

Zebulun looked at Amalek. "Agreed."

Amalek turned to Sarah. "I think it’s safe to say that the dragons will have more respect for you and yours, from this point on. I don’t think they’ll try you again soon."

Sarah nodded. "But they will try again."

"Yes," said Amalek, "eventually."

"Unless," he said, turning back to Zebulun, "we conquer a kingdom."

"You have some ideas?" asked Zebulun.

"In fact, I do," said Amalek. "I’m going to see an old friend. She is the lady of a vast estate along the Rose river, right on the northern border."

"Was she your girlfriend?" asked Quinn.

Amalek chuckled. "Not as such. We did have relations, but nothing serious. She was two hundred years my senior, but managed to seduce me with her power."

"She sorcery-ed you?" asked Quinn.

"No," said Amalek. "I admired her strength. She’s one of the few females of my species who managed to master magery. She enforces her own claims. Believe me, males treat her with respect."

"She sounds cool," said Quinn.

"Cool she is," said Amalek. "She will enlighten me as to the current state of politics in the kingdom. She can tell me what support I might expect if I try to claim the throne."

"But you’re gonna claim it for Zeb, right?" asked Quinn.

"Of course," said Amalek, "but the throne will be far easier to take if they think I’m taking it for myself. Some of those who swore oaths to me four hundred years ago still live. I see no reason they need to know otherwise."

"Live not by lies," said Zebulun.

"Hm?" Amalek asked. "Is that some soldier’s proverb?"

"You could call it that," said Zebulun. "It’s something an old veteran said to me once. We had just come back from battle. I’d lost friends. We were drinking hard when I cursed the enemy for their barbarity."

"He said to me, live not by lies. He told me the enemy soldiers were no different than us. He said our leaders made them out to be demons to make it easier for us to kill them."

Zebulun looked up into Amalek’s real face. "I don’t want to forge the Kingdom of Ur based on deception."

Amalek’s avatar laughed. "Oh, my dear Zebulun," he said. "I need not lie at all. I’ll tell every dragon that I intend to place you on the throne. What they will hear is that you are my new favorite pet, and I intend to use you as my front. They’ll wonder why I brought it up at all."

Quinn and Davion chuckled.

Zebulun nodded, mirth in his eyes. "I guess that’s okay, then."

"Of course," said Amalek, "all this assumes the old lady is still alive."