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Corwin Hall, Chapter 11

Arvetis prodded Geraden's back with the pistol, and the Rabbit stepped into the dark cell. This was not the slave quarters; it was much deeper in the fortress's vaults. No other cells were visible from the interior. The slave stood behind Arvetis, trembling.

"I just had the most entertaining idea," the Wolf growled. He reached behind him, and shoved the slave into the cell with Geraden. He took out a pen knife, two inches long, threw it on the ground between the two Rabbits, and slammed the door closed. "I'm sure you two have some issues to work out."

"Master!" the slave squealed.

"Shut up. You're living on borrowed time anyway. I was going to shoot you after my shower." The slave slumped against the bars, and Arvetis strode off, whistling.

The two Rabbits stared at each other for a long moment. "There's no need-" Geraden started, but the slave lunged for the knife. He grasped it, fumbled, then ran a couple steps towards Geraden.

"Hey, stop!" Geraden fell backwards against the cell wall, but the slave fell to his knees in front of him, holding the knife out handle-first to him.

"Please, quickly," he said.

"What?"

"Kill me quickly." The slave exposed his neck. Geraden carefully took the blade from him, and tucked it into his waistband.

"I'm not going to kill you."

"I've killed you." The slave's shoulders hitched, and he hung his head. Geraden sat up and put a paw on his shoulder.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"I was just so scared, and I screamed..."

"Listen to me. Neither of us is dead yet, and now we have a weapon. What is your name?" Geraden lifted the slave's chin and looked into his face.

"R- Rooliti. The others call me Roo."

"Roo. You're going to be fine. We both will. We just need to stay calm and wait for our chance, all right?"

"Our chance?" Roo raised a paw to his mouth and sucked on it.

"He won't keep us here forever. He's too proud. And when he comes back, he'll expect one of us to be dead."

Roo nodded hesitantly, still sucking on a paw. Geraden took Roo's other paw in his and squeezed it. "Be strong."

***

Arvetis was quite sure he was going insane. He no longer knew what the right path was. One half of him wanted to tough this out, to show his subordinates how large a mistake they'd made in crossing him. The other half wanted to run into the surrounding swamp, screaming, and throw himself at the knees of the first Prey he found. The terrifying thing was, the second half felt like the saner one to him.

He stepped into his quarters, still whistling, and removed the bathrobe he'd put on. Whatever he did, it would have to wait until morning. He was trembling from lack of sleep. He put the gun on the nightstand, extinguished the lamps, and climbed into bed. The ceiling, to his sleep-deprived mind, looked like it was shifting in the dimness. It was ten minutes before he remembered to close his eyes.

***

Geraden paced fitfully in the cell as Roo drifted off to sleep in the corner. The only light came from a lone torch sputtering far down the corridor leading to the cell. Geraden knew he had to conserve his strength, but he couldn't stop moving. He felt like something inside him was struggling to get out. He tapped the knife nervously on one of the bars.

This was going to be difficult, thought Geraden. He would have to rely on Arvetis's pride. He would never find Roo threatening, and they had to play off that. Roo would have to-

In the middle of that thought, Geraden's mind went cloudy. He stumbled back from the bars, reaching behind himself to put a steadying paw on the wall. A thin yellow sheen covered his vision, and the old memories, which had never really gone away, intensified.

"Roo!"

Roo lifted his head, and gave a little scream when he saw Geraden. Geraden's eyes were golden orbs once again, and his fur was gradually turning pure white. He tried to lift himself off the wall, but fell back on it again. He yelled something incomprehensible, deep and throaty, and orange mist seem to flow from his eyes. Roo curled up tightly, cowering as the mist formed a Tiger around Geraden and gave a deafening roar. Then, the Tiger was gone. It seemed to leap off Geraden, jumping forward and then disappearing. Geraden sank to his knees. His fur was quickly returning to its previous color, but his eyes were still golden.

"Roo, I think I'm going..." He flopped over to one side, unconscious. After a minute, Roo cautiously approached him, trembling. He sat down next to Geraden, then pulled the large Rabbit's head into his lap, stroking the fur softly.

***

Arvetis turned fitfully, kicking the sheets off his body in his sleep. He was dreaming that a tornado, sublime and wrathful, was descending on Phuto Fortress, and he could not move to run from it. Gasping, he opened his eyes, and panted at the ceiling for a minute. Only a nightmare. He laid on his back, spread out and naked, waiting to catch his breath.

He gave a little shiver. Had he forgotten to close the window? The air was chill and biting. He thought he would find his bathrobe, and maybe a diaper, to keep himself warm, and tried to sit up. It didn't work.

Confused, Arvetis writhed in his bed. There was some kind of pressure keeping his neck against the pillow. He blinked his eyes, trying to rid them of the fuzzy sleep that clouded his vision. Shortly, the pressure on his neck condensed itself into a band of compression - a large paw wrapped around his throat, choking him. An orange glow began to fill the room, and the form of an ethereal Tiger appeared, hovering over his bed.

Arvetis looked like a fish gasping in the night air. Shock prevented him from trying to say anything, and he concentrated on choking wheezing breath through his constricted throat. He reached up with his paws and tried to pry the Tiger off himself, but they just passed through the apparition.

"Arvetis Agathos," the phantom Tiger said. Her voice was clear, and rang like a tuning fork. Arvetis's eyes rolled back in his head. His body twisted under the Tiger, arms flailing out but finding only air. The Tiger released her grip a fraction of an inch, and Arvetis gasped, feeling his consciousness returning. The Tiger grabbed his hair and pulled his face down, staring into his watery eyes.

"Arvetis, judgment is upon you." The large fist tightened again around his throat, and he kicked helplessly. He looked up at the Tiger phantom with pleading eyes, shaking his head, his muzzle open wide for air.

"Mercy," he mouthed, unable to produce a sound.

"Why?" the Tiger asked calmly, although she let go of his throat as soon as he said it. Her paws moved to his shoulders, holding him down with an inexorable weight. Arvetis inhaled deeply, rasping and coughing. "Why should you be allowed to live through tonight?" the Tiger continued. "You are weak. You have no value. You've betrayed your own Predatory soul, and you live a padded, comfortable life at the extreme expense of those more noble than you. You are a man-child."

"No... not." Arvetis managed between grinding breaths.

"You deny it? Shall I show you real strength, if you think you are strong?" The Tiger seemed to become more solid, less transparent and more vivid.

Arvetis quickly shook his muzzle. "Weak... yes. Weak. Not worthless." It sounded like a contradiction on his lips, but he believed it anyway. He was past the point of deception; he was so terrified that he tell the Tiger only truth.

The Tiger peered down at him for a moment. "'Weak, but not worthless.' If that were true, though - if it could possibly be true - then your entire Predatory Code would be a disgrace. A sham. It would mean your life's work went to nothing but the debasement of all Predators."

Arvetis gave a feeble nod. "I know."

The Tiger peered once again into Arvetis's face, turning it from side to side, seeming to measure it. "Yes. You do know, don't you? You know because you are High Chancellor, but you are nothing like your brother was. You know because you'd kill your little playmate for selfish convenience, but the thought of eating him makes you squirm. But most of all, you know because you are an omega."

Arvetis twisted his head, trying to hide his face, but the weight of the Tiger-phantom kept him firmly in place. "Yes," she said. "You can't deny that. Not to me. You never did buy into their theories of might, their chains of being, with the strong absolved of all responsibility. Not when you really thought about it, because it's against your nature."

Arvetis shook his muzzle, eyes closed tightly, tears streaming down the sides of his face.

"It only makes your sin worse. Some of the others actually believed it all, and their error was factual. Yours is moral, and grave. You followed a path you knew was wrong for your own gain, and millions died under you."

Arvetis shook his head. "I didn't know what to believe. It wasn't as clear as that."

The Tiger only regarded him skeptically. "Prove you are not useless."

"How? What can I do?"

"End it. All of this. Tear stone from stone, make the tyrants weep. Destroy this place and everyone inside it."

"I can't!" Arvetis puffed.

"Then you will die."

With that, a gust of wind came in through the open window, and the Tiger blew away with it, leaving Arvetis hitching and gasping on the bed, alone.

***

Geraden woke, blinking his eyes. The yellow sheen was gone. He realized his head and shoulders were laying in Roo's lap. Lifting his head a little, he looked up to the smaller Rabbit.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You... sir, you probably won't believe me. But I know what I saw. You were Gel-Herathin."

Geraden laughed a little, rubbing his forehead. "I believe you, Roo. I know I am."

"You've come back for us." Roo's voice was awed and quiet.

"Yes."

"And already the Enemy has you, and is going to kill you." Roo stared into his lap.

"Already I am in the same building as the Enemy," Geraden replied. "And he should tremble."

They heard a door open at the far end of the hall, and naked pawsteps against the stone. Geraden gave Roo a gesture that said "Go, hurry!" and slumped against the wall in the corner of the cell. Roo stood up, pretending to favor one leg, and Geraden took a deep breath as the pawsteps approached. By the time Arvetis came to the cell, Geraden was completely still.

Arvetis briefly surveyed the scene in the cell. His face was haggard, his eyes surrounded by deep, black circles. He had made no attempt to fix his face after he got up, and the fur around his eyes was thickly matted with dried tears. He was wearing his bathrobe, and he crinkled from under it as he moved.

"You... killed him?" Arvetis sounded surprised and disappointed.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Roo's voice trembled.

"Drop the knife outside the bars," Arvetis said. Roo pointed at Geraden's still form in the corner. The knife handle protruded from his shirt.

"I'm not touching him," Roo said.

Arvetis pulled his pistol out of the robe pocket and pointed it at Roo. "Back up." Roo complied. Arvetis unlocked the cell and stepped in.

"I was going to shoot you." Arvetis sounded like he half-disbelieved what he was saying.

"Master..."

"I won't. I won't shoot you." Arvetis caught a flick of the small Rabbit's eyes - he looked at something over Arvetis's shoulder for a fraction of a second. Arvetis tried to spin, but Geraden instantly caught the Wolf's neck in the crook of his arm, squeezing tight, compressing the arteries. Roo ducked out of the arc of the pistol. Arvetis felt the cold line of the pen-knife edge along his neck fur, and sank to his knees, gagging. Really, he was getting a little tired of being choked.

"Do you have any idea how many people like you I've killed?" Geraden said in a cold voice, breathing directly into the Wolf's ear.

"Let go," Arvetis wheezed. Stars danced in his vision, and the pistol clattered to the ground.

"Every few hundred years or so, someone like you crops up. It doesn't take a lot of brainpower, really. The Prey have fewer natural defenses, but they have more endurance, and higher tolerance for pain. They make a perfect free labor-pool. You, though. Arvy boy, you took it to new lows."

Arvetis had no idea what the Rabbit was talking about, but he continued speaking through the dark haze over his eyes. "If you want the UPN to rule another hundred years, then cut my throat. I swear, if I live through the night, it will fall."

Geraden ignored the dying Wolf's lies. "You know, it's funny. I'm always the one who comes back. But every time, it's a different Enemy I fight. Guess that's because I always win."

"Please..." Arvetis choked, and slumped forward, the knife pressing into his fur.

"Spare him, prince," a voice whispered. Arvetis recognized her as the Tiger from his quarters. "...For now."

Geraden held the embrace a moment later, then let him go. Arvetis fell forward onto his face, twitching a little as the blood returned to his brain. Geraden remembered the pistol. "Get the gun," he called to Roo, but the slave hesitated, and Arvetis's paw slammed down on it first. The Wolf stood slowly, stumbling a little, but did not raise the gun.

"Will you please," Arvetis said, slurring, "listen to me? I'm not going to hurt you. I want to get you out of here. Leave the cell." The Rabbits did not move.

"Leave the cell!" Arvetis snarled, pointing the gun at Geraden. Hesitantly, the two Rabbits stepped out of the cell, raising their paws.

"Great," Arvetis muttered, following after them. "I tell you I'm trying to free you, and you stand around like idiots. Point a gun at you, and you get moving. Prey," he said, rolling his eyes.

He led them up the steep stairs out of the fortress dungeon, and further up to his quarters. The window was still open, and Arvetis gestured to it with the gun. "Now get out, however you got in." Roo was closest to the window, and he peered out.

"Gel-Herathin, I can't do this," he said, voice trembling. "I don't like heights."

"You'll be fine," Geraden said, staring at Arvetis. "I have rope and rappelling equipment, and it's a large sill. Wait for me, I'll show you where to step. He turned and climbed out the wide window, and offered his paw to Roo. He helped the small Rabbit out onto the ledge, then leaned down and peered through the window. He growled lowly at Arvetis, "I'm going to make sure Roo is safe, and then I'm going to come back for you."

"Fine. Whatever, crazy person." Arvetis slammed the window shut and latched it. "Roo," he said to himself as he turned from the window and started to get dressed. "So that was his name. Huh." Arvetis pulled on his uniform and walked into his bathroom. He washed his face and combed his fur, admiring himself in the mirror. He slapped his rear, producing a dull thud from his diaper. "Time to get to work."

***

A sharp rapping rang through the darkened quarters. They were just as luxurious as Arvetis's, if more tasteful in their décor. On the thick bed, an old Wolf sat up, growling. He slid off the bed, donned a nightrobe, and approached the door, which was still banging. He grasped the knob and flung the door open.

"What?" Chrysos shouted at the hunched form of Arvetis outside the door.

"Forgive me, Chrysos," Arvetis whispered as he stepped into the room uninvited. "I need help. Things are going terribly wrong."

"What do you mean?" Chrysos's tone was still irritated, but careful. He knew that his own position, for the moment, depended on Arvetis's power.

"I told Phylax." Arvetis swallowed audibly. "I told him to take the western offensive. He... Chrysos, he turned on me."

"What did he do?"

"He said that, if he was going to control the army, why shouldn't he be Chancellor? And I told him that was treason, and he said we'd see what treason was once the army got here. Chrysos, he's bringing troops here. He's going to storm Phuto Fortress! I told you this would make me look weak. I told you!"

Chrysos narrowed his eyes, looking askance at Arvetis. "You know, Arvetis," he said, the oily tone of his voice rising. "I'm not entirely sure I believe you."

"Fine. Don't believe me? You have operatives stationed with every unit. I know you do. You wouldn't let Phylax move a muscle without you knowing. Contact them; see what the units closest to the fortress are doing. I'll bet you anything they'll move within hours."

Chrysos listened to this, and seemed to find it reasonable. "All right, Arvetis. I'll do that. If you're telling the truth, get out of here. Go to the bunker, and lock yourself in. I'll join you shortly, either to stay with you if you're telling the truth, or to kill you if you're not." He ducked back to the rear of his quarters, and lifted one of his personal encrypted radios to his head.

***

"What is it now, Sir Agathos?" The heavy frame of General Phylax slumped in the door frame. He could count the hours of sleep he'd gotten in the past two days on one paw.

"I'm sorry to wake you, General. But I needed to talk to someone I could trust. You've always been loyal to me, haven't you, General?"

Phylax's eyes opened a little wider. Whatever this was, it was serious. He straightened. "Of course, sir."

"Even though I must have frustrated you sometimes. I know my leadership on the battlefield has not always been the greatest." Arvetis stepped into the spartan quarters. A thin bed was pressed against one side of the room, and the sink and toilet were built along one wall.

"Well, sir..."

"It doesn't matter, though. I've always tried my best with what knowledge I had, and I've acted nobly, haven't I?"

"Yes, sir, you have." Phylax realized he believed this. It made him feel good about himself. "What is this about, sir?"

"It's Chrysos. He's gone mad, Phylax."

"Chrysos?" Phylax had never fully trusted the old Wolf. He didn't like a Predator who held onto power with backroom politics and intelligence games. "What's he done?"

"I told him I'd given you the western offensive. He was enraged. He said I'd given you too much power. He said I shouldn't trust you so much."

"He said that?"

"Phylax, I think he sees an opportunity here. I saw him talking on one of his radios with someone right after. I couldn't hear everything, but I think he sees you as a target now."

"What do you mean?" Phylax looked frightened at that. Phylax had never been a friend, but he had no desire to face him as an enemy.

"Now that I have less control of the army, he's going to try to take it from you." Arvetis's face was grim.

"He couldn't!"

"You know he could. You know he has operatives in every one of your units. You've tolerated it until now - unwisely, in my opinion, but that's water under the bridge - and now he's going to use your trust to stage a coup."

Phylax looked panicked. He began pacing in front of the bed. "What if you're wrong?"

"You can verify it. You know who most of those operatives are. Have your men monitor them. Watch their communications. See who they're reporting to. I'd bet you anything there's increased noise leading back to Chrysos himself. You can put an end to this before it starts, but you have to act now."

Phylax nodded and drew himself together. "I will do that. Thank you, Sir Agathos."

"General... there's something else. You know the Secret Police outnumber the military in this very fortress three to one. I fear for your personal safety."

"You're right." Phylax rubbed his forehead thoughtfully. "I'll recall the nearest units to the fortress. We can match their numbers within twelve hours."

"Good man."

Arvetis turned and strode away from the room as Phylax began donning his uniform. He had to get out of here. He didn't know where he was going to flee, but anyplace would be better than here in a day's time. He made his way to the main gates, and marched right through them.

"Sir? Sir!" Guards called after him, but he ignored them. They wouldn't dare question him. He couldn't take a vehicle - he'd have to go through the quartermaster's office for it, and they were all Chrysos's men. He headed for the stables. Inside, he found his white charger - the same one pictured in the portrait above his bed - and mounted him. He rode it out of the stable and down the main road to the swamp.

A heavy, drenching rain started to fall through the oppressive Florida air. It quickly soaked Arvetis to the skin, but he kept riding. Maybe he would go north to the airport and try to get on a flight to South America. He could live underground there, unrecognized. The Prey population there was heavy, though. Perhaps someone would recognize him and he'd be put on trial. Perhaps that wouldn't be so bad.

His thoughts were interrupted by a dull roar, as of a gale through trees. A force like heavy wind struck him from the side, and he fell off his horse. He hit the ground hard, twisting his ankle, and rolled. Pain shot through his leg, and he drew it up, wincing.

He got to his knees and looked to the heavens, half-expecting to see the tornado from his dream bearing down on him. There was nothing, though, but the rain on his face.

"Why do you persecute me?" a loud voice called from the side of the road. Arvetis looked over and saw, standing on a hill high above the side of the road, a blinding white figure. He looked behind himself, and saw only the deadly swamp, stretching out in all directions. He got to his feet and, limping, began to walk towards the figure.

"Who are you?" he called.

"I am the one you kill every day." The bright shape started down the hill. "I am the one you imprison and enslave. I am the one you slaughter among abundance to cook and eat. I am Gel-Herathin." Arvetis could see the figure now. He was a white Rabbit, shining in the gloom, his glow reflecting in thousands of raindrops. The translucent figure of the Tiger surrounded him, matching his every move. A long blade was in one paw, but the Tiger around him had only claws, extended and vicious. The Rabbit was at the base of the hill now, standing at the edge of the road. Arvetis limped towards him, and fell back on his knees at the figure's feet.

"Mercy, lord Rabbit."

"Shut up." Gel-Herathin kicked Arvetis in the chest, making him fall back on the road. He extended his blade, pressing the tip of it just below Arvetis's navel. "No more talking."

"Spare me!" The Wolf begged, But Gel-Herathin thrust his blade forward.

Arvetis writhed as the tip sank an inch into his belly. He cried out in pain and clenched his eyes tight. Curling his legs up, he felt himself soil his diaper - not something he usually did.

"STOP," a voice rang through the air, echoing off the hillside. It was the Tiger. "What disgrace is this, Gel-Herathin? Will you kill your Enemy as he cries, 'mercy?'"

"I have never given quarter before," Gel-Herathin said proudly, but something was gone out of his voice.

"Your Enemy has never asked for it."

"Why should it matter?" Gel-Herathin shouted at the air, baring his teeth. "After what he's done, why should I care if he's sorry?"

"Because that's what's right. You know that, even if centuries of bloodshed have dimmed it in your mind. This Wolf is not the Butcher of Derry. He isn't one of the Southern Tyrants. He's a milksop, maneuvered into power by more cunning Wolves who thought they could control him. The worst atrocities happen in the absence of leadership. That absence was his fault, but it's not something he could control. He's made good on his promise. By tomorrow, that stronghold will be a pile of rubble."

Arvetis moaned. He was holding a paw to the hole in his gut, his ears filled with ringing. Gel-Herathin regarded him for a long moment, breathing hard. He knew the Tiger was right. He drew himself up, controlling his rage.

"All right. But there's something I have to do."

"Go, on, prince." The Tiger fell silent.

Geraden reached down towards Arvetis with both paws, and the Tiger paws followed. They grasped Arvetis by the shoulders and spread him out on the ground. Arvetis cracked his eyes open and looked up into the falling rain. Above him, he saw the face of the Tiger, now completely opaque. Its eyes were deep and liquid-green.

"Help me," he moaned.

"I am," the Tiger said, but its voice was the Rabbit's. She took one heavy paw off Arvetis's shoulder and placed it on the side of his face. Arvetis was terrified, and wet himself, but lay completely still. He felt one claw pierce his cheek, and cried out.

As the Tiger claw cut him, he felt understanding filling his mind. The same sensation of judgment and condemnation he'd felt on his bed descended on him, but mixed with it was blessed relief. The being in front of him was a winnowing fork, he realized, but it hadn't come to sort him into a pile marked either "redeemed" or "disposed of." It was going to split him right down the middle.

The Tiger dragged its claw across the length of his cheek, right under his eye, then did the same on the other side. Arvetis whimpered in pain, but sat still through it. When she was done, the Tiger slipped both paws under him and lifted him easily, cradling him in her arms.

"If you're going to be worthy of the breath you're drawing," the Tiger said, still speaking with Gel-Herathin's voice as she carried him towards Warkyn Warren, "you've got a lot of work to do."

***

"That was the eve of the Day of Fire," Geraden said, his voice growing a little hoarse. "On July 4, the 30th anniversary of the ascension of the United Predatory Nations central government, their stronghold fell to a battle between the military and the Secret Police. None of the officers present survived."

Geraden coughed into a paw, and swallowed. "There is more to this story, but it is late. We'll stop here. Those who want to sleep here will be provided bedding. Thank you for listening." His tale had glossed over the bawdier parts, but he'd told it as truly as he knew it. He stepped away from the fireplace and walked out through the double doors as others around the room stood and stretched their legs. Brutus began handing out blankets.

Todd stared into space for a while. That had been far more intense than he was expecting. He had no idea what time it was; he'd been completely lost in the story. He heard a little noise, and looked over to Lisa. She was trembling.

"Lisa? Hey, Lisa..." He put a paw on her back. As intense as the story was for him, he realized how much more powerful it must have been for a Prey species. He rubbed her fur softly.

"You said I was weak," she said, barely audible.

"What?" Todd tried to look at her face, but she was curled too tightly.

"When you left me. You said the diapers were spreading weakness in my life, and you couldn't have it in yours."

"Oh God, Lisa. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Lisa, I'm so sorry, baby. Come here, baby mouse," he said, pulling her trembling form into his lap. "I'm so sorry."