Chp.38: Like two allied generals

Zamor and Haku looked at each other for a moment that seemed endless, mirroring each other's eyes. The silence around them seemed to have acquired a tactibility from how heavy it had become. Neither of them moved a muscle, they didn't even blink, almost as if it were a contest of looks. Then Zamor finally asked the fateful question: "Haku, you didn't know that Carrion was still alive, did you?"

Zamor hated Carrion with every fiber of his being. If it hadn't been for the fact that he knew well that it was impossible, and that he was a person who didn't let himself be dominated by feelings but by rationality, he would have asked Haku if he could be the one who could have inflicted the final blow on that man. Carrion had not only destroyed his thing and enslaved his people, but he had also deprived them of a son who hadn't even hatched. Zamor would have hated Carrion until his death and perhaps, if indeed there was an afterlife, even after. Therefore, now that he had found out that Carrion had survived the first fight with Haku, he was clearly suspicious of the dragon. Zamor knew Haku well and thought it difficult that he could really let himself be deceived like that. Sure, it was a possibility; after all, everyone made mistakes in life. But the fact that Haku was always so perfect in executing his plans made Zamor doubt, and this doubt was further amplified by his grudge against Carrion.

Haku did not wish to antagonize Zamor. Even if theirs was a very tense relationship, based more on mutual benefits than on a real collaboration, it was still essential that he and the lizardman remain on good terms. Had he lost the support of the most influential person among the beastmen, Haku might have encountered many obstacles in his future plans. He doubted that Zamor would ever take sides against him, after all he wasn't stupid, but his hatred towards him would have been perceptible by others and consequently this would have fueled fear and suspicion, feelings which would have inevitably led to a breakup of relations. relationships between dragons and beastmen. Therefore, she couldn't reveal to him how things had really gone, so she opted for a rhetorical question: "Do you think this is something I would have done? Is that what we're at, Zamor? Do you think I intentionally let him go for... what? An act of charity, perhaps? Do you expect me to show charity to my opponents? I killed my own parents without batting an eye when they tried to turn against me, and you think I might have been compassionate to a perfect stranger, moreover a dangerous one like Carrion? Don't you hear for yourself how much it sounds ridiculous?"

Zamor narrowed his eyes slightly. In fact, those arguments seemed valid, indeed to any outside observer they would have seemed irrefutable proof. However, he still wasn't convinced. "Can you swear it to me?" he asked. An oath from a dragon could only be true, everyone knew that. Therefore, if Haku swore to him that he thought Carrion was indeed dead, then it must be the truth.

Haku rolled his eyes as if he was annoyed. "I solemnly swear I always wanted Carrion dead as much as you did. After our battle, he looked dead, you all saw that. I made a mistake, but I made up for it today, so I don't see why you have to put me through these accusations which, if you allow, are quite offensive"

Having been born with that trait, all dragons knew how to get around the fact that they always had to keep an oath: the trick was to say one thing and mean another. Haku had said that he had always wanted Carrion dead, which was true: he had made the agreement with the king only out of necessity, but from the beginning he would have preferred to completely eliminate the danger represented by that man so unstable and fanatic. And after the battle he really looked dead… from the point of view of the newcomers. Haku didn't specify which point of view was valid. Since no normal newcomer could survive after that battle, then it was normal for Carrion to 'appear' dead. And finally, Haku had actually made a mistake, but a mistake based on safety, because he hadn't become aware of Carrion's presence until a few days ago; but said that way, it seemed he was referring to the fact that Carrion wasn't dead, and that therefore he at the time had really been convinced of that. Thanks to that clever choice of words, it seemed as though Haku had just sworn that he really believed Carrion was dead, when in reality he meant anything else. And Zamor fell into his trap; even though that still seemed strange to him, he knew that Haku couldn't lie under oath, so he accepted the fact that his was really just a mistake. "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thought badly of you. You're right, you're not the person who would let their enemies live, especially those who might try to chase and kill you"

"Tsk! Don't ever remind me of the last ten minutes. For the sake of peace I'll pretend I didn't hear anything" Haku replied pretending to be somewhat angry, when in reality he was laughing loudly at being managed to cheat the lizardman in that way and thus ensured that he wouldn't create problems for him in the future. He certainly didn't feel guilty about that: telling the truth would only cause turmoil and he wasn't going to take that risk, and in his view also people outside his family and a select few were nothing more than tools. Dragons had always been extraordinarily sneaky, and Haku could be even sneakier than the average of his own kind. "You said you had questions, not one question. What are the others?"

The purpose of those last sentences of his was to divert attention: by playing the part of the offended one and offering to change the subject, Haku would have prevented Zamor from focusing on his oath and, on second thought, from noticing his deception. And that was exactly what happened: the lizardman no longer brought up the initial topic, but rather began to discuss something different, since he too wanted to make up for the fool made just before. "What are you going to do with that spirit?"

It was logical that he should ask: a lesser spirit was still a supernatural being in the service of a deity. Furthermore, he was potentially a source of danger to all beastmen folk. And of course, more importantly, his presence granted Haku even more power than he already possessed. It was just natural that Zamor wanted to know as many details as possible about Haku's plans in this regard. "First, I intend to interrogate him" the dragon replied. "I will obtain as much information as possible about his species and the rules it follows. As soon as I have extracted any possible knowledge from him, I will consider how to exploit him. Serengal and Corgorin have already confirmed to me that that spirit can manipulate sand and perhaps also any other type of land, so we could use it to dig canals more quickly, lay the foundations for houses or accelerate the production process of certain materials. There are many possibilities and I intend to know them all and above all exploit them all. This is my philosophy of life, after all"

Zamor looked a little tense. He wasn't as openly hostile as when he'd asked him about Carrion, but he was clearly concerned. "And how exactly would you like to interrogate him?"

Haku let out a small laugh. "Are you worried that I intend to resort to torture, by any chance?" he asked rhetorically. He didn't need an answer: the lizardman's expression was enough to let him know he had guessed right. Zamor knew well what methods Haku used to 'convince' his prisoners to give him information... or rather, he had an idea, since he had never personally witnessed it but had only heard reports from his siblings, the few who had witnessed it and of Haku himself who had sometimes casually told him about it, probably to arouse terror and greater obedience towards him. While Zamor wasn't against torture when it came to enemies, he was still convinced that performing it on a spirit wasn't a good idea. There was still talk of very powerful entities and directly in contact with the gods; if anything went wrong, it could bring ruin upon them. Haku had already thought about this and reassured the lizardman: "You don't have to worry, I'm not going to use physical violence this time. A spirit has the task of completely obeying its summoner, therefore now that my sister has that role he won't have no choice but to answer all my questions truthfully as soon as I ask him, willy-nilly. I will not need physical or psychological torture or any other means to extract information from him"

Zamor seemed to draw a sigh of relief inwardly. "I hope you will share your findings with us when you have them" he said. Now that he knew Haku had no intention of using torture, he too was interested in what the spirit had to offer them.

Haku replied with a smirk. "I can assure you that I intend to place his services at the service of all. As for the sharing of information, I will be happy to carry it out... for the information I deem fit for all to know"

Zamor knew that for Haku, knowledge was the most powerful weapon of all, and that the dragon didn't like sharing it. After months of living together he had barely shared with the beastmen how some runes worked. Many of the things he knew were still unknown to everyone else. Again it probably wouldn't have been different and Zamor would have had to settle for crumbs, but it was better than nothing. "I understand. I have one last question for you"

"Tell me"

"The weapons you used against Carrion… are they everything you have?"

Zamor was practically asking Haku if all the devastating power he had shown in battle was his fullest potential or if he had other tricks that he still hadn't used because there was no need, or maybe because he didn't want to reveal all his cards knowing that the beastmen leaders were watching him. Haku burst out laughing. "You really don't expect me to answer your question, do you?"

Zamor's request was no different than a general in the middle of a war asking the allied general about his nation's super-secret war research. Even if they were allies, what madman would agree to reveal this? Just a mad man or a desperate one. Each nation, although united to the others by close alliances, kept its potential secret, especially in the field of war. Haku was not a nation, but in any case he was only an ally of Zamor, not a friend and even less one of his subordinates: he had no intention of revealing to him even if he really had other tricks hidden somewhere or if what he had shown was his maximum current potential. Today's ally might be tomorrow's enemy, after all; Haku would never take such a foolish risk.

Zamor shrugged. "I didn't expect a different answer from you, but I still wanted to try" he said. "I have no more questions. However, I urge you to avoid showing your strength in such a blatant way again. I'm sure you already know this, but now it will be even more difficult to convince the other beastmen leaders to tolerate your presence here"

The dragon nodded without concern. "You don't need to warn me, I had it counted. But I think eliminating Carrion took priority" he replied, then turned away. "If you don't need me anymore, I have to go now. I have other people to meet tonight"

Zamor knew Haku was asking him if he still needed him just for formality; in reality, he was telling him that the conversation was over and that he wanted to leave to attend to other unfinished business. So he simply said: "Okay, go ahead. Good job... and thanks again for killing that asshole". And having said that they both separated, each with their own tasks to do, without telling each other anything else. Exactly like two allied generals.