I wasn’t sure what to make of how our meeting with the princess went. She hadn’t given Torch any of the answers he wanted, but from the way she’d said it, I had a feeling there was more going on than that. Just because the ugly realities of international politics kept her from getting openly involved didn’t mean she was going to sit on the sidelines. There’s a huge difference between “I can’t help you,” and “I can’t be seen helping you.”
What I didn’t see coming was how she decided to get herself involved, though in hindsight I probably should’ve known it would make more trouble for me and mine. Mercs are perfect for when you need a deniable and expendable catspaw, and the world never misses a chance to make my life just a tiny bit less pleasant.
The first warning sign should’ve been when Talon led me to one of the less-used wings of the palace. Torch was busy schmoozing with some more nobles to get over his bad mood from how things had gone with Celestia. Or maybe he was just doing everything he could to win as much low-level support as he could, now that he knew there wouldn’t be aid coming from the top. That friendly smile of his rarely cracked, which made it really hard to say for sure if he was over it or quietly seething. I probably ought to check on him later, assuming he didn’t take some fancy noblemare to his rooms to work out all those pent-up frustrations in ways he’d like a lot more than talking to me.
The second thing that ought to have put me on edge was when Gaspard was there waiting for us too. Not many things someone would want to meet with two merc captains about that didn’t involve mercenary work of some variety. Guess I didn’t think about it because I was just happy to see a friendly face. I suppose I’d hoped the three of us were just going to sit around swapping war stories and catching up while everyone else worried and fussed over politics. Would’ve been nice if the world could work that way.
The three of us stepped into a windowless room lit with several candles. The food and drink waiting for us at the table were a welcome sight, only a bit complicated by the fact that Archmagus Shimmer was there as well, sitting across the table from us. “Take a seat.” She waved a hoof in a way that was supposed to be inviting, but felt just a touch menacing considering the circumstances. “We have important matters to discuss.”
Considering Talon had been the one to lead me here and she’d been thick as thieves with Evergreen for a while now, I had the distinct feeling I’d just been suckered. The only question now was what they were setting me up for.
I warily took a seat at the table. Gaspard looked just as wary as I did about it, which was at least some comfort. Talon looked perfectly comfortable though, which took all that away. She’d always been my strong right hoof, and she’d been moving around doing things I didn’t know about and playing me. Knowing Talon it was probably for a good reason, but we were still going to have a discussion about this that I was pretty sure neither of us were going to enjoy.
Archmagus Shimmer closed the door behind us, and a second later the wood warped itself until it was tight in the door frame. No way out, then. Or maybe she was just making sure this chat would be as private as possible. I couldn’t say for sure, but I had a feeling an archmage who specialized in controlling wood could make sure nobody opened a wooden door or listened in through it.
She cleared her throat. “I want to make one thing extremely clear before we begin.” Her horn lit up, and she made a point of slowly and deliberately removing the richly embroidered cloak that marked her out as an archmagus. “This is a conversation between private individuals. Neither Princess Celestia, the Magus Corps, any branch of the Equestrian military, or any other body of the Equestrian government knows of or endorses my actions in this matter.”
I couldn’t help the derisive snort I let out. “Only reason anyone ever bothers to say something like that is if they’re lying. If you were actually going rogue, you’d be trying to convince us all of the ponies and groups you just mentioned are totally fine with what you’re doing. Say something about how they can’t officially do it and have to condemn you, but you know they’d all be fine with it deep down.”
Evergreen’s eyes narrowed. Guess she didn’t like me poking holes in lies she needed to tell for the sake of politics. “If any word of this conversation were to leak out, it would likely cost me my Archmagus cloak. Equestria’s official diplomatic stance is that while the Necrocrat regime of Freeport are dangerous criminals, we will not disrupt the international balance of power by taking unilateral action against them. However, myself and other private individuals within Equestria are prepared to act on our own.”
“And I presume that action involves us in some way,” Gaspard filled in. “What better proxies for a group of rogue Equestrian officials to use than mercenaries who are Freeport natives? The world would doubtless assume we were hired by the Council, or perhaps even by Necrocrats seeking to undermine their own internal rivals.”
Evergreen inclined her head, silently acknowledging his point. “An impression we want you to do everything possible to help reinforce. We would ask Belladon’s company to undertake operations against Lord Deathspair and other members of his faction, while the Free Companions will strike at their rivals. With any luck, the Necrocrats will assume you were hired by their enemies. If not, they are far more likely to suspect the Council than us. Even if they did suspect you were being paid in Equestrian coin, proving it would be another matter.”
“So you’re not going to be doing something obvious like send us all back to Freeport with bags full of bits stamped with Celestia’s sun on them.” I chuckled humorlessly. “Nice to know we’re avoiding the obvious pitfalls.”
“This isn’t my first covert operation,” Evergreen answered. “Your pay will be coming from several bank accounts we seized for associating with Freeport slavers, as well as the proceeds from the capture and sale of slaving and pirate vessels. Her Highness allocated those funds to my task force, and in my opinion this is the most effective use of them. I can only hope she never finds out I’ve misappropriated the funds to perform illegal actions she could never approve of.”
Evergreen had been keeping up a pretty good poker face. I had to admire her ability to spout out what we all knew was a load of horseapples with a straight face. Then again, she was an Archmagus. Nobody gets a post that high without being pretty good at politics, and one of the first skills any good politician learns is how to tell a bald-faced lie with utter sincerity.
Gustav ran a talon over his beak, frowning thoughtfully. “There’s a lot of risk involved in this operation. I hope there are some provisions for what happens to us if the whole thing ends badly. I would hate to be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. It’s much easier to send a couple companies of mercenaries to their deaths than your own loyal troops. Especially when those mercs know a bit too much about your covert operations.”
Evergreen shook her head. “Equestria doesn’t treat its agents and allies as expendable assets, even when they’re just mercenaries. While we don’t anticipate matters ending that badly, if it comes to that, we’ll certainly be willing to offer you sanctuary within Equestria. The Free Companions have found good work here for years, and that relationship can continue for the time being. I would also be willing to offer you formal military rank as part of my task force.” She grinned. “I would have plenty of useful tasks for experienced military operators who know Freeport and the major players in it. The EIS is good, but locals know things that don’t appear on intelligence briefings.”
“So you’ll take us in if it all goes wrong? Even if the Necrocrats are screaming for our heads? Because from the sounds of things, you're going to want us to make all of them very mad at us.” I’d heard about jobs like this, and I knew how they ended. “It’s easy to make big promises about having our backs, but we all know the point of mercs is that you can toss them away like yesterday’s garbage once they’re inconvenient. A covert operation that’s officially happening without Celestia’s knowledge or consent could get very inconvenient.”
Evergreen shook her head. “Maybe that’s how it is in Freeport, but Equestria doesn’t do things that way. And if you’re worried we’d sell you out just to appease the Necrocrats, don’t forget that we just hosted Torch Charger at the Grand Galloping Gala. I think it’s safe to say that Equestria doesn’t care about the Necrocrats making a fuss.”
Well, she wasn’t wrong about that. Mercs who’d taken a job against them wouldn’t be nearly as offensive as an actual agent of The Council. “Still the little problem of what'll happen next if we do manage to knock the Necrocrats over.”
Talon felt the need to jump in on that. “How exactly is that a problem? When we win we get paid very well for our work, and we get to know we’ve saved countless innocents from a life in bondage. That sounds like the exact opposite of a problem to me.”
I snorted and shook my head. “That so? Never took you for a blind optimist, Talon. It’s all well and good to say we’d have less problems once the Necrocrats go down, but who’ll be in charge once they’re all dead? Someone has to maintain order and actually keep a government running. Will the slaves stop with just freeing themselves, or will they go on a rampage of revenge and burn Freeport to the ground?” I scowled. “It’s all well and good to say we’ll toss out the current corrupt regime, but you know how much trouble chaos breeds. Remember how the Zebrican Empire invaded the islands when the Golden Path got destabilized by the Morning Wars? We all know the Zebras will have a go at Port Nowhere if the Necrocrats look weak, and who’s to say they’ll stop there? Even if they aren’t a problem, what’re all the merc companies and anyone else with a strong hoof going to do while all of this is going on?”
Evergreen turned to me with the sort of carefully neutral look I was used to seeing from a poker player. “If need be, Equestria will help maintain the balance of power and ensure a smooth transition of power to the Council leading Freeport. It's our hope that among your activities, we can bring some of the freed slaves back to Equestria to provide testimonials that will help build support for direct intervention.”
“If nothing else, it will bring in more volunteers and donations,” Gustav pointed out. “Though I’d be careful. Getting Equestria too fired up for intervention could come with problems of its own. Celestia’s being cautious about international mood for a reason.”
The Archmagus nodded. “I certainly don’t plan on starting a great power war. We won’t just be building support domestically, but internationally. The more the world learns about what’s going on in Freeport, the easier it will be to build consensus. For too long, Freeport’s crimes have been out of sight and out of mind. The more we force them into the light, the more voices will cry out that it’s time for the world to act.”
I scoffed and shook my head. “You seem to think the Necrocrats are just gonna sit back and let you do whatever you want. That’s not how the world works. They’re gonna be playing in the game too, and working to counter your plans.”
“And we’ll have counters to their counters,” Evergreen answered tersely. “First off, we're hoping your companies can make them focus more on infighting than on the Council. They’re already prone to stabbing each other in the back, so we won’t need to do much to encourage that. If they don’t slip into killing each other, we’ll just have to play it by ear. I’m sure you know how to adapt plans to changing circumstances. There are risks, but we’re willing to take them.”
I scowled. “You mean they’re risks you’re willing to ask us to make on your behalf. You can say you’ll offer us sanctuary in Equestria if things go bad, but that means getting to Equestria first. I don’t think an Equestrian naval squadron is going to come bail us out if we have our back to the wall and a bunch of pissed off Necrocrats after us.”
“That’s a fair point,” Gustav agreed, turning back to Evergreen. “You can say you have a plan, but you’re still asking our companies to place themselves at considerable risk. The Necrocrats are not known for showing mercy to their enemies, especially when they can get so much use out of the corpses.”
Evergreen shook her head. “You’re right. I’m not going to lie to you or pretend this isn’t a dangerous job. However, your pay will reflect the risks we’re asking you to take.”
Talon nodded along, far too agreeingly for my taste. “Mercenary life is all about taking chances to earn our pay. If we wanted safety, we’d be farmers. Going up against the Necrocrats comes with a lot of risks, but this is a chance to earn good money for doing good work.”
“Which should be quite the sum,” Gaspard chimed in. “I do always like when I get paid to be a hero. It’s like there’s some kind of proper order to the universe, and for once I’m being rewarded for doing the right thing.”
That sounded all nice and pretty, but there was an obvious problem with gambling on a big payday from a high-risk job. If we wound up dead we wouldn’t be spending any of it. Equestria would certainly be happier if they didn’t have to pay us, and I’d bet Evergreen and her lot would even try to make martyrs of us. Probably not a good idea to say any of that though. Instead I went for one of those nice simple questions everyone expects a merc to ask sooner or later. “So how much would the pay be?”
“Enough to justify the risks,” Evergreen answered.
Gaspard didn’t like the vagueness any more than I did. “With all due respect, Archmagus, I think I will be the one to make that decision once you give us a number.”
“Of course,” Evergreen conceded. Then she gave us a figure. I immediately wished I’d never brought up money, and Gaspard had kept his beak shut.
The other mercenary captain let out a low, impressed whistle. “Well well well. To be quite honest you already had my interest, and that should do a good job of securing it.” He grinned. “We’ll need to hammer out the particulars, but I think at this point all that’s left is the details of the contract. Not that we haven’t enjoyed doing odd jobs in Equestria, but my soldiers could use a big payday. Not to mention the chance to flex their muscles a bit more than we get from hunting bandits and monsters.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Evergreen turned to me with a hopeful smile. “What about your company?”
Well that put me right on the spot. I wasn’t eager to give her a straight no. Not when I was stuck in a small hidden away room with no windows, no door except the one she controlled with her magic, and no witnesses. Maybe it was paranoid to think that she’d try to kill me off just for saying no, but a little paranoia is a survival trait for mercenaries.
Since I didn’t want to tell her no, I went with the nicest answer that got me out of the room. “It’s an interesting job, but I need to talk with my company before taking it on. We could end up exiled from Freeport for the rest of our lives, or going up against our own kin again. I want to make sure they’re okay with that before I commit to it.”
A bit of a frown tugged at Talon’s lips, but she didn’t argue the point. “Yes, I’ll want to have words with the troops as well. If we agree to take the job, we need to commit to it. This isn’t the sort of job where we can drop it a month later when a better offer comes along.”
Evergreen looked back and forth between me and Talon for a bit, then nodded. “That’s fair. How soon can I expect an answer?”
I shrugged. “Within a couple of days. Is there that much of a rush? It takes weeks just to get to the coast from here.”
Evergreen tapped her hoof on the table. “Yes and no. Since it will take so long to get anything done regardless of your answer, I’d like to get the process started as soon as possible. If you are taking the job, the sooner we can get you back to Freeport the better. If you aren’t, I’d like to know so I can start pursuing other avenues without losing too much time.”
“That’s fair.” I’d probably want the same thing in her place. I’d at least try to give her a straight no as soon as I could be reasonably sure it wouldn’t end with deciding I should have a tree sprouting where the sun don’t shine. “I’ll tell you as soon as we’ve made a decision.”
Evergreen smiled. “I’ll look forward to your company’s acceptance then.”
Well she was confident. Also bound to be disappointed.
It took me a bit to actually get around to talking Evergreen’s offer over with Talon. Mostly because I needed a little liquid courage before diving into something I was pretty sure wasn’t going to be a pleasant chat. Talon would probably get mad at me for drinking before the meeting with her, but all things considered that was likely to be the least of her problems with me by the time the conversation was over.
I found her and Torch in the little suite the castle had set aside for the guest of honor. Thankfully just talking, though come to think of it, Talon talking to all the abolitionists was probably as dangerous as other fraternizing. She was showing him her crossbow, and I immediately noticed that the woodwork on it had gotten a bit fancier. “—really happy with the work Evergreen did for my crossbow. When I tested it out on the range...”
“Is that so,” I grumbled. “Here I thought you didn’t want anyone touching your crossbow, but you not only let her handle it, but actually modify it?”
Talon chuckled and grinned. “I may be picky about who touches my weapon, but I could hardly say no to a chance to have an archmagus upgrade it for free.”
“No such thing as free when a politician does you a favor,” I pointed out. “In my experience, the free things wind up being the most expensive ones.” Considering all the trouble Archmagus Shimmer was trying to drag us into, it wasn’t hard to guess why she’d be doing us a couple favors. What bothered me was Talon didn’t seem to see what the mare was up to. “You’ve gotten way too cozy with her.”
Talon’s eyes narrowed. “There’s nothing wrong with making a friend. You should try it sometime.”
I couldn’t believe she was that naive. “Politicians and magi don’t have friends. They have pawns. You really think she did any of that out of the goodness of her heart? That she’s not expecting to get anything back for her trouble?”
Talon scowled and slowly set her crossbow down to the side. “Not everyone’s a friendless grumpy cynic like you are, sir.”
Torch stepped between us and tried his best disarming smile on us. “Now now, Talon. I like to think of myself as his friend.”
“I bet you would,” I snorted. “But let’s be real, kid. You want to be my friend so I’ll sign up and join your cause, not because you find my company so irresistibly charming. If you didn’t think you could talk me into joining up with your cause and getting into way more trouble than I could handle, you’d never give me the time of day.”
Torch smiled and laughed my remark off. “Oh, I’ve hardly led you into any trouble yet.”
“Remember the time you lied to me and led my company into an ambush, then disabled all of us with your magic?” I let that set for a moment before carrying on. “If you don’t call that trouble, then I don’t know how you define the word. Not to mention the Necrocrats are probably going to want my head if they ever find out about that stunt we pulled at Deathspair’s plantation.”
Torch chuckled and his smile turned wry. “Well, perhaps I have led you to a bit of trouble,” he conceded. “But also quite a bit of fortune and glory, and with the promise of more to come. I think we can safely say that it’s a net positive.”
“Yeah, right up until it gets us all killed.” I scoffed and shook my head. “Doesn’t matter how much fortune and glory you promise us if we’re not alive to enjoy it. Besides, it’s a lot easier to promise both of those things than to follow through on them.”
Torch raised an eyebrow at that. “Are you saying you don’t trust my word?”
“How many times have you lied to me?” I countered. “And even if you are telling the truth, you’re also running an outlaw resistance movement. Lotta things can go wrong that’d put you in no position to deliver on what you’re promising us. You and the Council are the exact opposite of a safe investment, and the problem with gambling is that the house always wins in the end. That’s why we’re not taking Evergreen’s job to be a bunch of expendable and deniable assets, since I’m sure that’s been on your mind.”
Just like I’d expected, Talon didn’t like hearing that one bit. “My understanding was that we were going to be discussing that before we made any decisions.”
I snorted. “In case you forgot, I’m the captain of this company and we’re a military formation, not a democracy. I’m saying we’re not taking this fool’s errand, and since my opinion is the only one that matters...”
Talon crossed her forelegs over her chest. “Sir, with all due respect, I object to this decision and urge you in the strongest possible terms to reconsider.”
“Your objection is noted.” I wished I’d thought to bring along a bottle of too-sweet Equestrian wine to make the conversation a bit easier. “Open your eyes, Talon. These Equestrians have been trying to play us for dupes, and you’re falling for it. Or it’s guys like Torch, who’re so crazy they think they can do the impossible just because they’ve got a righteous cause.” I crossed my forelegs over my chest.. “Like the graveyards aren’t full of fools with those. Don’t you remember what it was like when Magnus was trying to convince everyone to get themselves killed? I do, and he was talking the same way Torch and Evergreen are now. All talk about how we’ll beat the long odds and achieve something great, while ignoring everything that can, and will, go wrong.”
Talon sighed and shook her head. “It’s not the same at all, sir.”
Torch nodded. “We do have a righteous cause, but that’s not all we have. The Necrocrats are already weak and crumbling, where my uncle wanted to take on an Equestria that was at the height of its power and security. Instead of it being a doomed crusade based on hate and old grudges with nothing but the clans to back it, we have the Council, volunteers from all over the globe flocking to our banner, and Equestria providing as much aid as they can while maintaining plausible deniability. The circumstances are hardly comparable.”
“Yeah?” I took another drink from my bottle. “Magnus said he was doing something righteous too, that he was going to bring back Pegasopolis and the clans to Equestria. He said the Equestrians were soft and decadent, that they weren’t ready for a real fight against our battle-hardened clans. He said once the clans kicked in the door the whole rotten structure would come crashing down, and everyone would flock to his banner. We all saw how that ended; a whole bunch of fools killed for nothing.”
“You’re far less pleasant when you’ve been drinking.” Torch let out a frustrated sigh. “The two things you’re comparing have nothing in common.”
I was getting tired of ponies getting on my case. It’s not like Talon and Torch were my parents. I was a feathering adult and older than both of them. None of their business if I decided to have a bit of fun, or needed something to relax and steady my nerves before dealing with all their horseapples. “It's a doomed crusade to free the slaves. You think you’re being clever right now, but the damned Necrocrats are onto you, you damned fool. The Council hasn’t been caught because they want you to keep undermining and killing their rivals. Atramentous is hoping you’ll kill so many other Necrocrats that he’ll be able to make himself the next damned archon. You’re playing into that bastard’s hooves, you idiot.”
Talon heard everything I said and reached the exact opposite conclusion from what she should have. “So the Necrocrats are already plotting to backstab each other and start infighting? Then Evergreen’s plan to use us to stir them up to keep fighting each other is looking even better than we thought.”
“Are you listening to me?!” I snarled. “It doesn’t matter how many you kill if there’s at least one of them capable of taking over. They’ll just consolidate their power into fewer hooves, and I’d much rather have a dozen of them bickering than one running everything, especially when Atramentous is way smarter than the likes of Deathspair. You wanna imagine how much worse he’ll be with nobody holding him back?”
I stepped forward and jabbed Torch. “And don't go thinking the Equestrians are your best friends, buddy. Oh sure, they’re all smiles, offering coin and help, and some warm beds, but in my experience, those with the biggest smiles are usually trying to distract you from the knife they’re getting ready to stick in your back. There’s no place for charity in international politics. If they’re helping you, it’s because there’s something in it for them.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Stop thinking like an idealist, and look at it like a politician. I’m betting Equestria's looking to use the Council to get influence in the islands. You’ve heard them, this embargo of theirs is hurting their coinpurses as well. I bet they’d just love to be able to sign a new trade agreement with a friendly regime that they helped put in power. And don’t forget, that big pretty white pony standing over all of us has buried more nations than anyone, and she can play the long game. Longer than any of us can imagine. She carved Westmarch off from the rest of Gryphonia, and now it’s got more hippogryphs than gryphons.”
Torch sighed and brushed my hoof away. “For once in your life, stop being such a bitter old cynic. This isn’t about nation-building and imperialism, Belladon. It’s about doing the right thing to free countless slaves suffering in bondage. Yes, Equestria gets something out of it: a neighbor they can trade with. Secure coastlines without needing constant naval patrols to hold off slavers and pirates. The Council isn’t some secret Equestrian plot to conquer Freeport.”
I couldn’t believe the kid was so naive. “That damn idealism is going to get you and a whole lot of others killed. What’s the point of freeing anyone when it’s just going to result in a pile of bodies? Not saying being a slave isn’t awful, but most of them pick life in chains over death, and for all your talk you know this is gonna end with a lot of them dead.”
Torch couldn’t meet my eyes for a minute. “You’re not wrong. If there is a mass slave uprising, many of them will die. I wish it wasn’t that way, but all wars have casualties. Think about how many slaves get used up and tossed aside like garbage every day on Freeport sugar plantations and converted into undead in their flesh mills. I know the war won’t be pretty, wars never are, but once we win, we’ll be saving lives on a massive scale.”
“If you win,” I corrected him. “From where I’m sitting, that’s a pretty big if. I’m not going to throw away my company on it.”
Talon scowled at me. “When did you stop believing in doing the right thing?”
I grimaced and shook my head. “It’s not simple, Talon. You two can’t see past your oh so noble cause to take a good long look at how the world really works. It’s always way more complicated than some things being right, and others being wrong. Magnus was damn sure he was doing the right thing. Same for our ancestors who started the war against Celestia. I bet the Nightmare, Blackfyre, Sombra, and all the rest of history's monsters did, too.”
Torch took the bottle of wine away from me. I let him get away with that, but only because I’d already drained it dry. “You seem quite sure this is going to end badly, despite considerable evidence that we’ll win.”
“Because the thing you don’t seem to get is that nobody wins a war.” I looked around the room, hoping I could find a fresh bottle or something else to make this conversation a bit less painful. “The dead don’t care about causes or nobility. Not to mention you ‘winning’ is still a long shot anyway. Even with two merc companies you’re still badly outnumbered.”
Torch nodded. “Yes, we are. But I wasn’t planning on marching into Freeport at the head of an army. We’ll pick away at their strength and wear them down on our terms, eroding their support and building up our own. It’s all about building up momentum.”
“Yeah, but the problem with building it up is that you don’t have it now.” I glared around the room, pissed off that Talon must’ve hidden all the booze. “Right now all it takes is one bad day to put an end to you and your Council. That raid on Deathspair’s plantation was fun and profitable, but we both got awful close to death at the hooves of a bush-league necromancer. You’ve beat the odds so far, but someday your luck is gonna run out, and that’ll be the end of you and your movement.”
Torch answered me with that confident grin of his that seemed to make the mares get all googly eyed over him. “Then I suppose I’ll just need to never lose. And if you’re that worried, Belladon, the Equestrians did offer us sanctuary if worst comes to worst.”
“And you actually believed them?” I scoffed. “Evergreen made it pretty darn clear to us that she’d get sacrificed to the wolves if that’s what the Equestrians needed to do to deny being involved. If they’re willing to sacrifice an Archmagus, what makes you think they’d stick their necks out for a bunch of Freeport mercs?”
“Let’s say you’re right, just for the sake of argument.” Talon crossed her forelegs over her chest. “Someone I looked up to gave me some words of wisdom once. ‘Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t safe or easy, but it’s still worth doing.’ Do you remember who said that, sir?”
Probably some naive idiot who had no idea what he was getting into. “I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway.”
“You did,” Talon answered. “When you told me why the company was going rogue rather than take part in the attack on the Chargers.”
I should’ve seen that coming. Mares never forget when you say or do something they can use to win an argument, even if it was a decade ago. “For the love of—stop trying to act like then and now are the same damned thing! They’re completely different!”
“Not from where I’m standing,” Talon shot back. “Ten years ago we did the right thing even though we knew it’d make our lives a lot harder. We’ve scraped by for years because the alternative was abandoning our principles. Now we have a chance to do the right thing and actually make a difference, and you don’t want any part of it. Why?”
“Ten years ago I wouldn’t do something that was just plain wrong,” I answered. “Now you want me to sign up for a fool’s quest. Completely different.”
“Yet both involved standing opposed to evil,” Torch countered. “And much as I lament my clan’s downfall, the horror’s of Freeport’s slave economy are far worse than one group of necromancers purging another. My kin would have shown the same mercy to our rivals if fortune had favored us over them. We built our clan’s fortune off the backs of helots and bondsponies who were treated no better than the chattel exploited by the Necrocrats. The entire Freeport system is corrupt, and it needs to change.”
“And you think you’re the one who can do it?” I stared at him incredulously. “Endless night, he really was your uncle, wasn’t he? This is Magnus’ Folly all over again.”
About a second after the words left my lips I realized I might’ve gone a step too far. Torch looked almost as pissed at me as he’d been at the slavedrivers at Deathspair’s plantation. “Because you’re drunk and I have quite a bit of respect for you, I’m going to give you a chance to take those words back.”
“Oh yes, anytime I say something you don’t like just say it’s the booze talking and ignore it.” I tossed my empty bottle against the wall. Watching it shatter was very satisfying. “I'm not taking back anything. You’re going to get yourself killed, and just like your uncle you’re going to drag everyone down with you. In case you’ve somehow forgotten how that went, you can ask Magnus Kicker to tell you the story.”
Talon stomped up to me, looking more pissed than I’d seen her in a long time. For a second I wondered if she was about to slap me. Not that she’d normally strike a superior officer, but everyone has their limit. “Bell. Stop this.”
The last thing I wanted right now was a lecture from my second-in-command. “I’m sick of talking about this! I made a decision, and it’s final! I’m not getting myself and my company killed for this damn fool cause. If the Necrocrats don’t kill everyone then someone else will. Either we'll get hanged by whoever takes over after the Necrocrats, or the stupid Zebricans and Equestrians will move in and take over. You think they’re your friends, Torch? No, you’re just a useful idiot who can soften up Freeport and distract the Necrocrats so it’ll be easier for them to invade and annex the islands. Once they pull that off, you’re nothing but a loose end that needs to be tied up.”
Torch snorted and shook his head. “Even if you’re right about that, and I don’t believe you are, I’d rather die fighting for something worthwhile than live a life of mediocrity hiding away from the world.” A bitter chuckle escaped from his lips. “Do you think I fear death? I’ve studied it for most of my adult life. I was helpless while my family and everyone I knew and loved died. Death is nothing to me, not compared to a life of insignificance—tolerating evil because I am afraid to be something more, and would rather scrap away at margins in the name of mere survival. The life you seem determined to lead, despite your past actions.”
The kid really was living in a fantasy world. “Good news then, the world is filled to the brim with opportunities to die righteously. I suppose I have to give you credit, you’ve found a very easily achievable life goal for yourself. Problem is you don’t just want to make a martyr of yourself, but me and mine. I’m not some sort of blind idealistic deathseeker, and neither are the troops of my company. We’re not gonna kill ourselves off just because you think vindicating your family name is more important than survival.”
Torch sighed. “The world needs heroes, Belladon.”
I could scarcely believe my ears. I stood up and waved down at my wine-stained chest. “Do I look like a hero to you?”
Torch didn’t budge. “You are what you choose to be. Once you did the right thing, and you’ve spent the last decade paying for it. Now you have to make another decision. Whether to go down the path you started on ten years ago, or throw it all away because you’re afraid. That’s what this really is, Belladon. Fear. You’re afraid of taking a chance to achieve your true potential. The real question is what scares you more: the possibility of failure, or success?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, kid,” I growled.
“It’s success, isn’t it?” Torch pressed, as if he understood me. “After all, think about what would happen if we did win. You wouldn’t just be another mercenary captain anymore. Everyone would expect so much more out of you, and the higher expectations climb the easier it would be for you to let everyone down. No wonder breaking away from the clan hurt you so much. I imagine your company expected great things out of you, taking down the corrupt elders and making yourself the new clan head. Instead of that, they just survived on the margins. You’ve spent the last ten years of your life feeling like you let them down.”
“Shut up!” I snarled. “You think you know so damned much, but look where you are! Running around begging for handouts from any foreign power that could use a proxy to take on the Necrocrats. You call yourself an idealist, when really you’re just trying to use the Council to get some good old payback on the ones who killed off your family! The Chargers were no better than any other Necrocrats, and I bet once you get all your family’s rivals off the board you’ll be clapping irons right back onto all those slaves you ‘liberated.’ Just call them helots or bond ponies instead of slaves and it’s all fine!”
Torch glared at me, clenching his teeth. “If you weren’t too drunk to know what you’re saying, I’d be tempted to challenge you to a duel for that.”
Talon glowered at me, shaking her head in disgust. “I don’t know what happened to you, sir, but you’re not the stallion I followed ten years ago.”
Those words hit a lot harder than I’d expect them to. Talon had always been there, my strong right hoof. I’d seen her get annoyed with me plenty, but this was way beyond her being peeved. It almost reminded me of when my mother used to get on my case, and break the old line about how she wasn’t mad, she was just disappointed. Wasn’t something I liked being reminded of, and where did Talon get off looking at me like I’d let her down anyway? “This is what I’ve always been like. You should know that better than anyone.”
Talon didn’t budge. “No, you used to be a lot better than this. Torch is right, you need to wake up and snap out of this dark mood you’ve sunken into. Not to mention stop drinking, since it brings out all your worst impulses.”
I could feel my teeth grinding against each other. “You know what? I don’t need to be taking this from my lieutenant. Shut your mouth. That’s an order.”
“I see.” Talon reached over to her shoulders and started undoing her rank pins. “Don't worry then sir, you won’t be.”
I stumbled back into my seat. “Talon? What’re you—?”
Talon set her rank pins down on the table next to me. “I’m fighting this battle, Belladon. I was hoping we’d do it together. Unfortunately, it seems you’re quite determined to go down a road I can’t in good conscience follow. Consider this my resignation.”
I felt something clench in my chest as I realized what she was doing. I’d known she was getting caught up in Torch’s cause, but I’d never expected her to go this far. “He’ll get you killed, Talon! Haven’t you been listening to me?!”
“I have,” Talon answered calmly. “You’re wrong.”
I shook my head and started looking for another bottle again. I might have already been a bit drunk, but I was still too sober to be having this conversation. “I can’t believe it, they’ve gotten into your head with all their nonsense.”
Talon sighed and shook her head. “It’s not nonsense, Bell. What’s nonsense is whatever’s gotten into your head over the last decade. I know things have been hard. We went through a lot of lean times and took some jobs we weren’t proud of just to pay the bills. But ... it’s like those times broke everything good in you, and now you’re running away from our first real chance to turn it around. To make our company into what we were supposed to be all along.”
“And what's that?” I snapped. “Some sort of paradise where nothing ever goes wrong? Did you expect me to lead a grand revolution and toss out Nightshade and all the other clan elders to usher us into a new golden age of honor? I thought you had a good enough head on your shoulders to know that was never going to happen. Anyone seeking to lead you to a utopia will walk you right off a cliff. Think about what the word utopia means in ancient Pegasopolan: a place that doesn’t exist.”
“Nobody thinks we’re going to get a utopia,” Talon shot back. “But if we can break up the slave trade and take down the necrocrats we'll at least make the world a little less miserable. We can’t fix every single problem in the world, but we can get rid of slavery. That’s worth doing.”
“Or you’ll just make something just as bad or worse. Usually how these things go.” I snorted and shook my head. “Learn your history, Talon. There’s always going to be some asshole at the top of the heap who got there by stepping on all the little people. Revolutions just change who it is.”
Torch crossed his forelegs over his chest. “Even if it doesn’t end up working out, at least we’re trying to make the world a better place. What are you trying to accomplish with your life?”
“Making sure I actually have a life instead of signing up with your crazy death cult of idealists,” I snarled. “You want to know what my legacy is going to be? My company’s survival, even if it means they all think I’m a damned no-good drunken coward! Let ‘em hate me, as long as they’re still alive to do it.”
Torch scowled at me. “How much of your company do you think will stand by you? Talon’s not the only one who feels this way.”
Talon frowned at Torch. “I’m not interested in splitting the company or trying to steal it away from Belladon.”
“You don’t have to want that for it to happen,” Torch countered. “All of them have seen the horrors of slavery, and many of them will agree that it is an evil any right-thinking pony must oppose. By being the first to take a stand, you will serve as an inspiration. Just like Belladon never wanted to be an icon for all those who opposed the corruption of his clan, I suspect those who don’t care for his leadership will follow your example. When a strong leader makes a bold move, others will naturally flock to their banner.”
“No they won’t.” I growled, turning on my hooves and storming out of the room. “Because I’m not going to let that happen! Nobody’s gonna steal my company from me! Not the clan, not the Necrocrats, and not you damned head in the clouds idealists who want us all dying for your stupid oh-so-noble cause!”