Chapter 82: General

Finn had a fair amount of trepidation trying to figure out how to make the General believe everything she had to tell him. She tried to organize the topics in her mind into three broad categories: the Provider's history and deception, including him being a potential traitor, the method of disappearance she believed the Rhone were using along with other abilities they might have, and lastly, non-humans generally and the presence of halflings posing as oprhans within Klain who might or might not be slaves of the Rhone.

It seemed an insurmountable task to convince someone of any one of these bizarre tales.

However, the General had trusted her before on the information she'd provided him. Perhaps that had earned her enough credibility for him to at least hear her out.

"Ready to go?" Dr. Sherman asked, interrupting her contemplation. Finn startled and nodded, taking a deep breath before standing up to follow the man.

She'd had a very late night trying to think about everything, and had gotten up early to continue it all, but it seemed somewhat futile to plan out a conversation when she couldn't predict how the outrageous things she said would be taken.

The doctor and young woman walked together in silence to the General's residence. The day was clear after the previous rain, and getting hot. Finn had her notes from the library in her bag in case they would help her explain something.

Mayra had wanted to come along to corroborate Finn's story, but Dr. Sherman thought it might be better for Finn to go without her.

Finn took a deep breath before entering the General's study once again. It seemed destiny that she find herself here far too often, like a clanging bell that wouldn't cease until the storm was past, here she was again.

The General opened the door himself and she suppressed a gasp. Although the man was technically clean and well kept, he looked haggard around his eyes, and his cheeks were sunken underneath his beard. He looked like the life was being slowly drained out of him.

Dr. Sherman bowed in greeting, and Finn added a curtsy.

"Thank you for seeing us," She offered, "How are you?"

"Never been better," He joked, though he did not smile. At least, she thought it was a joke.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked tentatively. It seemed a good thing to ask before she burdened him further.

"You can find me the enemy, defeat them soundly, re-establish our borders with strength, and soothe the agitated populace." He blinked at her.

She tried to smile but it was half-grimace.

Dr. Sherman intervened, "Don't berate the poor girl, Sir, She... well, she's been rather busy gathering information for you."

"Oh?" The General walked to his desk and sank into his chair, gesturing to two others for them. "Pray proceed with your report, honorary soldier Serafina."

She'd forgotten he assigned her an honorary role when he issued her the carrier pigeon before, and the title startled her slightly.

"Where to begin?" She said. "First, I suppose I should tell you the most believable things, starting with what I have learned about the herbs the Rhone are using to do magic."

"Is there strategic importance in knowing the recipes?" The General asked, "If not, then please just give me their capabilities so I may prepare for them."

"The way they disappear, I believe, if by stepping into a kind of alternate world which is connected to ours. Moving through that world and then coming back across puts you in a different place over here, so they can appear and disappear without being seen by anyone in our world." She hoped she explained that well. She wasn't entirely sure she fully understood it herself.

"I already knew that." The General said, causing Finn to blink in surprise.

"You did?"

"Yes, I've been doing some research of my own. Although the official military records regarding your friend's father Ashmayne were ripped, it seems my predecessor saw fit to preserve the records in a personal journal, along with notes from a foreigner named Betty, who moved to Klain with an infant nephew around twenty years ago. I learned all about the methods of moving between worlds there."

"Oh, then I can skip all of that, probably," Finn mumbled. "Although, when you have time, I would love to hear more about Riley and Mayra's father. I'm sure they would like to know more."

The General lifted some papers off his desk and handed her a journal. "This is confidential. Bring it back tomorrow once you've read it."

"Oh!" She was surprised again to be so completely trusted by this great military leader, "Um, the next thing I needed to talk to you about is non-humans."

"The wolves, you mean?" The General rubbed his hand across his face in exhaustion. Usually this girl was somewhat helpful, but none of the information so far was new.

"No, not animals. Non-humans, like faeries and halflings and such." She cringed, waiting to be yelled at in reaction to the outlandish topic.

"What about them?" The sigh came back instead.

"There are at least two dozen halflings in the city masquerading as orphans. The mysterious orphans that suffered from an unknown tragedy? I believe they are all adult halflings, and possibly slaves of the Rhone sent here for evil purposes!" She braced herself again, mentally tabulating the evidence to present supporting the allegation.

"They are what now?" The General sat up straighter in his chair.

"I have, well had, a plant that is completely without scent to normal people, but provokes an extreme reaction from halflings when it is present. At the time, I had it in my garden, not knowing what it was, and two of the orphans walked by and nearly choked to death on the smell! On top of that, they are completely without joy like normal children, which is the primary attribute of that race."

"And they are slaves of the Rhone?" The older man stroked his beard.

"The entire race is." Finn asserted.

"I see. I shall consider this. My cook adopted one of these orphans and I will make closer observation of the, eh, child." His brow furrowed as if concentrating on memories of any interactions he'd had with them. "Hmmm."

"There's one more thing, which is probably the worst and may get me kicked out," Finn said.

"Tell me, Serafina." The General leaned forward.

"I have reason to believe The Provider is a traitor to Klain." She opened her mouth to continue but the General's open palm slammed on the desk, startling her.

Dr. Sherman, too, was stunned by the sudden sound and had reached over to grab her arm in support.

"I knew it! Deep down I knew it. Tell me what evidence you have. He's been meddling in the military matters for years, and it drives me crazy. Wanted his daughter to quit, so he put subtle pressure on poor Captain Grayson to drive her just as hard as the men and make her want to go home. Nothing outright or threatening, just terribly manipulative. Despicable." The General eagerly gestured her to continue.

"Well, I had a long conversation with his wife. She says that years ago a man in the forest offered him power in exchange for some unspecified favor in the future. She says after that he got promotions, and then was elected Provider, and after a while started getting letters from the mysterious stranger.

"She said that since then, he's devolved into a cruel, manipulative man. Every time she tried to tell someone, he would convince them she'd gone crazy. He's promised his daughter Ashley to marry this stranger, who Ashley says she doesn't even know his name or anything about him except that he's some foreigner. And there are too many coincidences around him losing all the supplies... Dierdre even said she'd seen him using pigeons! I think he must be responsible for the missing military ones!" Finn nodded emphatically and tried to think of anything she was leaving out.

"I see," Said the General. "I was hoping for something more concrete, but this does give me several leads. I cannot move to ask the Council to remove him without solid evidence. As soon as war begins, I will lose my vote on the Council. Additionally, to remove another member requires all others be unanimous. I cannot convince the others without something undeniable and concrete. I'm afraid Dierdre's word is too tarnished by the rumors of her mental decline to be enough."

Finn nodded sadly. "I don't know what kind of evidence to look for. I can't even talk to Ashley or Dierdre again because the Provider had a peacekeeping officer threaten to arrest me and confiscate Mayra's business if I try to contact any of his family again."

The General's eyebrows rose. "Did he now? Seems he has his fingers in all the sections of Klain's government. How very irritating."

His tone betrayed that he found the information far more than simply irritating, but it would make sense he would need to have influence in the Peacekeeper's forces to thwart the investigation of the missing carrier pigeons and the disappearance of the emergency stores.

"Finn, if you need to communicate with the Provider's daughter, I can arrange it. Perhaps, Dr. Sherman, the troops should have another medical inspection? In preparation for the coming war, it is an important thing to make sure the troops are in top condition."