The Charlatan

38. Turning Tables

The wind bit cold and the sun hung low on the horizon. Just beyond the curve of earth sat the enormous crater named Hollow, which Honey and company had left behind not hours ago. The group of five travelled light and headed toward Velt's infamous fortress of a capital city. They walked alone and did not pass many. There was a stillness in the air that Honey recognized as fear, hiding. Honey thought this entire expedition gravely unwise, perhaps even suicidal, but Clara's expression throughout their journey thus far had remained resolute. The Veltie had changed since Safiya had gone. She had reeled in her emotions and spoke more often, also more simply. She gave orders with the confidence of a general. This was a side of Clara Honey had not expected, not after coming to know the Veltie as the anxious downtrodden Vulghebt she had been in their first meetings. Yet here she was, commanding in a way much of the group was responding very well to.

The only remaining Dehic of the group walked between Honey and Charlie. She kept a steady pace but Honey could not help glancing her way whenever her feet landed heavier on the frosted ground than expected. The farther the group travelled from safety, the more Honey began to think that Clara might be a madwoman, at least for bringing Priyanka along on this mission. Indeed, as the Dehic woman took her next step over a fallen evergreen, she had her first fall.

"We should take a break," Honey said as she helped Priyanka up.

"Yes. Please," Priyanka echoed in her accented Genesese. The group stopped, Honey noticed Air quite gladly. Priyanka found a boulder to sit on and clutched her skirt. She hesitated a tick before sighing and hiking her skirt up to where her prosthetic met her flesh. She asked Clara something in Dehic. Then, satisfied with whatever Clara's answer was, she tapped the back of her synthetic calf a few times.

To Honey's, and likely everyone's, surprise, Priyanka's prosthetic leg opened to reveal a small cavity, filled with papers, a couple of small tools, and a few other items that were wrapped too tightly for Honey to make out.

"Shit," Air whispered, sounding impressed. Honey guessed that Clara's disjointed mumbles were also similar expletives of surprise, although her tone was closer to confusion or concern. Honey snorted.

The next thing Priyanka said made Air burst into jolly chuckles. Charlie also tittered quietly before catching Honey's expression and translating. "She said that now her status as the Alliance's Treasurer is official." Honey laughed. It was genius.

"Can you hold this?" Priyanka motioned to Honey, holding out what looked like a screwdriver. Honey took the tool readily and continued to help Priyanka's maintenance until the Dehic woman was done.

After some rest and chattering about plans, the group continued their journey across the Hollow-Passerinian border. They were headed for either an inn or camp of survivors, whichever they came upon first. This was the second step of the Alliance's campaign to pose Clara as the Charlatan, against the 'monstrous murderer' that was Velt and King Arc Jin. Hollow had already printed Alliance recruitment flyers to disseminate across the continent, to spread the word and ease political negotiations. Honey and the rest of her companions each carried some to paste to local notice boards they happened upon on their way. Now the group had been tasked with setting up a meeting with King Arc Jin, and smuggling Hollow's group of assassins into the Citadel to fell him and his army.

Bloodshed was not in Honey's blood, despite her falling back on it in past times of need. Honey was not a killer. Neither did she suspect Clara was, or was anyone in the group, including Air. However, whoever the real Charlatan was, the person who had coerced Air into instigating international war, they were most certainly a killer. Honey had long ago learned that sometimes fighting back fairly meant fighting with the same weapons. She also felt a great unease about the whole situation, about how quickly it had escalated and ravaged entire populations. There was something unnatural about the energy of Honey's group, and of the situation they were all caught in. Honey dismissed the feeling as concern for her companions' lives, but her instincts still gnawed at her calm.