Chp.47: The choice

The next day, when the sun came up, everyone started getting ready to leave. During the night some of the gladiators who had initially abstained had changed their mind and had decided to follow Zamor, while others instead had remained of their opinion and as soon as it was morning they took some food and their belongings and had the center indicated lived nearer and they left. Very soon they would start their lives from zero, with a new identity and no connection to the previous one. The advantage of having been sent so far from the capital was that hardly anyone would have recognized them, giving them plenty of time to change their names and appearances, build a fictitious past and eventually flee the country. Either way, they'd find a way to get away with it.

Most of the gladiators, however, stayed with Zamor. As soon as the sunlight returned to illuminate the world, they put out all the fires and took all the leftover food, as well as of course their weapons; those would be their only baggage. Sure, the food wasn't much (it would still have been enough for three or four days at most, even on rations), but as soon as they got far enough they would start a hunting trip or rob a caravan of merchants; that would be enough to sustain them for a month or even two. After all, the newcomers were lucky enough not to require enormous amounts of food, unlike the dragons; for them, even a prey as small as a wild boar could feed entire families for days. So food, at least for the time being, wasn't an unsolvable problem.

In the end, the slaves seemed somewhat undecided about what to do. Clearly none of them wished to go back: having spent years locked away in the arena, they had very few memories of their experience as ordinary citizens. They had no idea how to build a new identity, or what to do once they reached the cities. Had they not been careful they might have been recognized and recaptured, or more likely due to their inexperience they would have ended up in debt again to the wrong subjects and returned to slavery. Furthermore, none of them felt safe among other people, having accumulated many bad experiences during their life as slaves. On the contrary, staying with the dragons, or even just there on the river bank, ironically seemed safer to them. It was almost amusing that they found the risk of being eaten or starved more attractive than returning to civilization. So, on Misune's proposal, they had decided that they would ask the dragons if they could stay with them, and if they refused they would at least ask them to teach them to fish and to recognize edible plants and fruits, and they would create a small village like Darbi had suggested to them, in that place far from everyone. Clearly they would have preferred the first hypothesis to come true, since the constant presence of dragons would have guaranteed them protection, but the second wasn't bad either.

The dragons, for their part, sat off to one side a short distance away, watching all of them as if they were very curious to see what would happen next. A few of them like Darbi had approached and attempted to strike up a conversation, but most of them had remained aloof. It almost seemed like they were waiting for something.

Zamor was ready to leave at any moment, but waited until he saw a familiar figure approaching. Haku appeared on the river bank and quickly caught up with the lizardman. "I think it's time to honor our agreement" he said. "What are your plans for the future?"

Zamor nodded. Apparently he had been right: the dragon's intention was to give him advice to repay his debt. Otherwise he wouldn't have asked them about his intentions. "First, I'll look for a safe place to take my new companions, and we'll get plenty of supplies and tools. After that, I'll go and free my wife, so that no one can use her as a hostage. Finally, I'll resume my old plan. At the moment , no one knows where I am, which leaves me a lot of leeway. Organizing a protest and getting the news to the ears of the king will be..."

"Don't do it"

Zamor was surprised by the dragon's interruption. "What do you mean?"

"Don't go ahead with that plan of yours. It's terribly flawed. The intention is right, and I'm sure Marcus… I mean, the king would approve of it, but sadly it can't work if there really is such corruption in the upper class of this kingdom" Haku replied. "For starters, now that you've escaped, the nobles and corrupt merchants will have stepped up their security measures. They'll immediately realize that you may return, since you have nothing to lose now. No matter how good you are at hiding, you will never be able to able to organize a large-scale protest without being discovered. They will find you and this time they will kill you. After all, you are an escaped prisoner, no one knows where you are, and consequently no one will notice your death. Surely right now they are already unleashing their network of spies to find you, and as soon as they notice disturbances in the capital they will act immediately. In fact, they are most likely right now keeping an eye on every single entrance to the capital, even the sewers and underground, to be able to make sure they intercept you. It would not surprise me to know that they have already sent a group of soldiers to the temple where your wife is locked up waiting for you to pick her up"

Zamor listened very carefully. Indeed, the dragon's words seemed plausible. After all, by talking to the king, he would have stepped on the interests of many people... too many to let him do it. Last time he had gotten away with incarceration, but this time surely they would come for his life.

"But let's try to imagine that you miraculously manage to enter and organize your protest. How do you think it would end?" Haku continued. "Surely, the corrupted nobles and merchants will have spies everywhere. As soon as your protest starts, an assassin will blatantly kill you and the corrupted ones will cause an uproar, causing a confrontation between your followers and the army. You already have the reputation of being a criminal, so it will not be difficult to pass your peaceful protest as a terrorist group. But let's try to imagine instead that you survive, and that the protest goes through, which could happen only by the pure will of some god. What do you think What will happen when you meet the king? Even if he believed you, he couldn't do anything without proof. After all, it would be your word against that of a major figure in the kingdom like Carrion. The king could organize an investigation party, but by then the nobles and corrupt merchants would have already warned Carrion, who could easily wipe out the tracks and force the lizardmen to say they were treated well.Don't underestimate the power of fear: Carrion could just take all the non-adult lizardmen and threaten their parents to kill them if they won't do as he says. And then he'll get away with it and you'll be removed from the palace, assuming they haven't already killed you in your sleep or poisoned your food. And this scenario would happen under any circumstances. Even if you had the support of a good noble, or of non-extremist priests, or even of the queen, without proof it would all be useless, and anyone would have time to warn Carrion"

Zamor was starting to sweat. Actually everything the dragon was saying made sense. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered how he hadn't figured it out on his own. Maybe he was too dumb… or maybe he just wasn't too unmerciful to imagine it.

"Finally, let's try to imagine the best scenario, where the king gets the trials and frees your people, which I don't think even a god would be able to bring about. What happens next?" Haku finally asked. "To begin with, where are you going to live since, from what you've told me, the place where you previously lived has been completely reclaimed? You will be forced to move and occupy the territory of another race. You will have limited resources and this will inevitably lead to to a confrontation. And by the way, will your people still want to live in this kingdom? After what has happened, would they feel safe? Once they regain their freedom, many of them would flee from here, which would lead them to be captured abroad by the slave traders or otherwise to live very hard, and surely the weakest, old or young will die. And finally, do you think if the king helps you that will stop Carrion and his allies? Deluded. Carrion is a legendary level, it is too precious to be severely punished, at most he will be given a period of confinement.Consequently, the king will hardly obtain from him the names of his priests, nobles and merchants allies, who would continue to pursue their path. These people want the beastmen uprising, don't forget that. He will continue to sneak around and stalk you, and you and your wife will likely be first on their kill list as you would be responsible for their first failure. So, abandon this silly plan, unless you don't like living"

Zamor clenched his fists. "So... what do you suggest?"

"Easy. Play their game... and at the same time don't" Haku answered with a knowing smile. "These people want a revolt. Well, you give it to them. Free your people with weapons, because this is the only way to keep all the witnesses safe. But while you prepare your revolt, make sure that the king comes to know what Carrion is up to. Ideally, you would have someone from the upper class back you up, and inform the king in absolute secrecy. That way, by the time the king makes public his decision to investigate, you'll already have brought everyone to safety. the witnesses and their families, preventing them from being manipulated by Carrion for his own purposes. In this way, it will be impossible to hide the truth, and at least for the moment Carrion will be stopped and you will not be further persecuted. And to avoid the problems that I described to you earlier, in case of success of the plan... the best choice is that you lead your people away from the kingdom, in an area that isn't part of another nation and is far from bandits, slave traders or other similar things"

Zamor reflected on those words. They actually made sense. If he had managed to organize a revolt, but at the same time the king had learned of the reasons for this revolt, then the sovereign would not have sent the army, but on the contrary would have attempted a reconciliation. And going elsewhere could also be an excellent solution, provided that the chosen place was easily defensible. "Where do you advise me to go?"

Haku pointed to the desert. "Continuing straight in this direction, you will reach the Thul Oasis. It is large enough to support a lot of newcomers. Bring along some fish, livestock and seeds, and you can build yourself a lasting food source. The desert will protect you from all dangers. That's where my family and I plan to head, and you'll be welcome"

Zamor nodded. That prospect seemed very tempting. He had been right to wait to receive that dragon's advice. "Is that all you have to tell me?"

"For now, yes"

"And I guess you consider your promise fulfilled now"

"Exactly. If it weren't for me, you would have followed a plan that would have led to your death and total failure. I spared you that fate. I would say that my help was more than enough to consider our deal completed"

"Mh. I figured. So this is goodbye..."

"No"

Zamor was somewhat surprised by that word, but even more so when he looked closely at Haku's face. He had an expression he'd never seen before, a strange mix of determination and self-confidence. "What do you want to say?"

"That I'll go with you" Haku replied, and his eyes seemed to sparkle. "I will fight by your side to free your people"

Even though they weren't talking loudly, Haku knew that everyone was listening. Those whose hearing wasn't sharp enough asked Darbi or someone else to bring back their words. Therefore, he wasn't surprised when he saw expressions of dismay on everyone's faces. His siblings raised their heads in surprise, but at the same time they also looked a little pleased; and Darbi was smiling in a rather idiotic way, but which ironically inspired pride.

Zamor was the most amazed of all. He certainly didn't expect Haku to voluntarily decide to help him. That was an action he would have expected from anyone, but not from the dragon. Ordinarily he would have been glad to have such a strategist at his side, but he couldn't help but be suspicious. "Why?"

"Because our interests coincide. I'm tired of running away, and my brothers and sisters are even more tired than I am. If I want this to change, then I must build something new. I will take you and your people with me to Thul Oasis, and anyone else who wants it, and there together we will build something new. Something that, I hope, will one day change the whole world. If we want things to change, then for the sake of the people we love we must be better. I must be better" Haku replied, then his face turned menacing. "But don't have dangerous illusions. As I said before, I consider my promise already fulfilled. Therefore I will help you by my will, not by our bargain, and so there will be nothing to bind me to you. If I'll think that your actions or the future situation threatens my safety or that of my family, I won't hesitate an istant to abandon you or betray you. Have I made myself clear?"

Zamor swallowed slightly under that gaze. There, now he recognized Haku. He was acting that way because he had personal interests. But strangely, he found he preferred it this way: he felt more familiar when the dragon spoke sincerely, and at least he would be clear what his intentions were and not have to constantly look over his shoulder. "I understand. Even with these terms, I'll be happy to have you by my side, Haku"

The dragon smiled slightly, satisfied with that answer. After thinking about it all night, he had concluded that this was the best thing to do. If he wanted to create a new world, he had to start planting seeds, just like a gardener; he couldn't wait for the plant to grow by itself and miraculously be exactly what he wanted. Therefore, he had to start acting now that he was young, since, as Rhaegal had pointed out, no one would ever listen to an adult dragon. But if he could create a peaceful situation with a large number of newcomers now that he was still young, then as an adult they would still listen to him, and would act as intermediaries for other newcomers, allowing him to spread his message. However, he certainly couldn't go around asking to make friends... so the best choice was to stay close to the newcomers he and his siblings had bonded with over the past year. If he could bring Zamor and all his great people to the Thul Oasis, he would successfully plant the seeds for… what? He hadn't understood what he really wanted to accomplish either, but he would have had all the time necessary to figure it out. That was the only way Haku had found to interact with the newcomers without taking risks now that they were still too young to defend themselves and without being feared when they were adults.

He heard footsteps and turned his head slightly. His brothers and sisters had come closer and were watching him with indecipherable expressions. "I have neither the authority nor the right to ask you this" he said. "But... would you help me this time too?"

In response, his siblings smiled warmly and nodded their heads. Darbi burst out laughing: "Let's recap... an extremely difficult challenge, made up of intrigues, fights, deceptions and conspiracies, and with you running the whole thing. I'd say it promises an entertaining show. What are we waiting for?"

Haku chuckled slightly at Darbi's joke, then turned and looked at the rising sun. "It's time to change direction!" he declared with eyes burning with determination. And for an instant it seemed to him that his heart too was burning with an unquenchable fire.