by Sky Corbelli
Chapter 33
So Sharp You'll Cut Yourself
“Agent Hawkins conversed with the earth-crowned about their religion, something called the 'Will of the Elements', for most of the trip back. We left the man about five miles out from the wormhole, sir. Took a round-about path back, just to be sure he wasn't following. Thanks to the intelligence Agent Hawkins was able to procure about his abilities, I think we can safely say that the location is secure.” They stood at attention before Mr. Blair's desk as Mat finished his report with crisp efficiency.
Mr. Blair stared at the team in silence for a tortuously long time. Then he drummed his fingers and continued staring. Each moment under that gaze felt like hours, or maybe days. Ezra was pretty sure that he would suffer severe dehydration if he had to sweat it out for much longer. Just when he was sure that he would break under the pressure of that stare, Mr. Blair spoke.
“Miss Hughes, would you please explain the rationale behind taking the girl from the tavern after you had effectively escaped the water-seer?” His voice was completely level and perfectly calm. Too calm, if you asked Ezra.
“Sir,” Sarah somehow managed to stand up straighter as she answered, “the girl was a target of opportunity. Agent Hawkins made the choice to lure the seer away from the town by any means necessary. While I did not agree with the tactic at the time, in retrospect it was probably safer to draw her out and deal with her than to risk further confrontation around the civilians, sir.”
Blair's gaze shifted to Ezra, who suddenly found it difficult to breathe. “Was this your motivation when you grabbed the little girl, Mister Hawkins?” he asked mildly.
Ezra gulped. “Well, uh, sir... the girl was clearly in trouble, sir. I merely, um, tried to help her as best I could, sir.”
“And what did your fellow operatives think about this decision?”
Decision may have been too strong a word, Ezra thought, and we were all a little busy trying not to die. “Well, Sarah didn't seem too–”
“And did you consider the potential ramifications for the town you were sent to protect?” Mr. Blair's voice became harder as he spoke.
Aside from getting a little girl safely away from a monster? “I, well... no, but sir–”
“And when you told the earth-crowned about the Guild of Sundry, about Sanctuary, about the last bastion for those of us who would not bow down to the rule of those like him and the water-seer who was actively attempting to kill you all.” The words came out cold, biting. “When you let them know that we not only still survived, but were influencing their society and working against them, did you consider that maybe you should have found some other way to clean up after yourself without creating the potential for another war that could destroy us all?”
“No sir,” Ezra said quietly, eyes fixed on the far wall.
Mr. Blair sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. When he spoke, his voice sounded far more human. “I'm not blaming you for what happened. It was a bad situation, granted. You did what you had to do to help the people in front of you, I understand. But four days with no communication.” He gestured for them to be seated. Ezra collapsed into the padded chair with relief. “A complete snafu from the start. I'm honestly disappointed. Mat, Sarah, you know better than that. You should have called in for support immediately. And Ezra,” Blair shook his head and smiled wanly, “your heart is in the right place. I just wish your head was there too. Let me outline this for you.” He got up and moved to pour himself a cup of coffee from the nearby pot. It smelled divine.
“You acted in self-defense against the water-seer. That's good, correct, and you should all be congratulated for making it out alive. However, when you intervened in the seer's life transaction, you went too far. We cannot save people from themselves or their choices. Consider the following. Say that a year from now, an epidemic strikes the town of Southedge. Normally, they would send for help from one of the temples where the water-seers live and train. These are the only official medical facilities outside of Sanctuary. What do you think would happen next?”
Ezra winced. “Well, I imagine that the temple would send help of some kind, but they might be slow, or uncooperative, or–”
Mr. Blair raised his hand from the desk, gently shaking his head. “No. In the town of Southedge, a water-seer engaged three unknown assailants who not only injured her and stole her property, as it was agreed upon with the involved parties, but who were later invited into the town, given food and lodging, and generally treated like heroes. They will never receive aid from the Temples of Life again. You saved a little girl, and that is admirable. But you doomed countless others in the future. Do you understand?”
Ezra looked down at his hands. He... well, he hadn't considered anything like that. Why hadn't he considered anything like that? Ezra silently berated himself for not thinking things through properly. Sure, he had been a little distracted by the water-seer trying to kill him and all, but honestly, he expected better of himself. Cause and effect; a scientist should always consider the cause and effect. “I understand, sir,” he murmured, feeling rather small and foolish.
“Now, this earth-crowned, Gaav,” the unremarkable man continued, sounding weary, “he does not seem like the type who would cause us trouble. I would honestly like to shake his hand and buy him a drink. However, imagine that someone else buys him a drink, or two, or ten, and he gets to talking about the most incredible few days that he spent with actual people from the Forbidden City. About the wonders of which he was told and shown. About what it is we do. And this other man tells his friends, who tell their friends, until someone who remembers the last time we went out into the world hears about it, and they decide to come and finish what they started five hundred years ago. You say that you have some measure of his power. How long do you think we would last against twenty earth-crowned like Gaav? Against a hundred water-seers? Against an army of fire-kissed and wind-scarred?”
Ezra continued to stare diligently at his hands and said nothing. There was nothing to say. He had put all of them – not just his team, but every person in Sanctuary – in danger from the outside world, and his imagination treated him to exactly how much danger that was. Mr. Blair finished his drink and sighed again. “We'll have to begin actively searching out any rumors, trying to deflect them. It's going to mean paperwork, reports to the Chancellor, and diversions of manpower. And worst of all, I don't know that I can trust you to help in the field.”
“But sir!” Mat and Sarah both half rose from their seats. Blair silenced them with a stern look. Ezra stared ahead mutely. This was all his fault.
“Consider yourselves off active duty until I've had to time to fully review the incident and come to a more permanent decision. I'll expect a full mission report from each of you within twelve hours.” His eyes softened a bit. “Mat, Sarah, I'll be needing your help here, with maintenance, training, and, of course, paperwork.”
Mat and Sarah exchanged a brief look then replied in unison, “Yes sir.”
Mr. Blair nodded. “Ezra, I believe you have research materials available to you. I suggest you apply your new found appreciation of the world outside to the questions you've raised about our opponents. Understood?”
“Yes sir,” he responded, feeling numb.
Mr. Blair shook his head sadly one more time and pulled up a screen in front of him, which he immediately began working on. “Dismissed.”
