\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Winston took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to gather his suddenly storming thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of pressure, for one thing,\u201d Winston said softly.\u00a0 \u201cKnowing that she trusts me that much, more than she trusts anyone else.\u00a0 She sent me out here alone to find the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frederick leaned back slightly, tilting his face toward the sky for a moment, cane tapping lightly against his instep.\u00a0 \u201cThe truth,\u201d he echoed softly.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a thing that\u2019s often lost in the galaxy today.\u00a0 Few enough care what\u2019s true, even though the truth holds more power than lies ever could, though lies are powerful and insidious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winston stared at him for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cAre those your words, or\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThe philosopher Edan McLeod, I\u2019m afraid.\u00a0 I read a great deal of his work when I was a much younger man.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure how much of it I actually believed.\u00a0 Some, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was she like?\u201d\u00a0 Winston asked abruptly.\u00a0 \u201cThe Inspector General, before she was Inspector General.\u201d\u00a0 Before she started thinking you died.<\/i><\/p>\n
A wistful smile touched Frederick\u2019s lips.\u00a0 \u201cYou want to know about Sephora?\u00a0 Of all the things you could have asked me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Winston shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cSeems like no one really knows her.\u00a0 Everything happening here, I\u2019ll eventually figure it out without asking you a thousand questions.\u00a0 But about the Inspector General\u2026no one can really tell me much more about her than the man who taught her most of what she knows.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019ll give me more insight into what\u2019s going on in her head\u2014why she\u2019s sent me of all people out here, why she\u2019s so determined to get to the truth.<\/i><\/p>\n
A silent shiver worked its way up his spine.\u00a0 When did I stop caring as much about the truth as she apparently does, I wonder?<\/i>\u00a0 His lips thinned slightly and he stared at the shore.\u00a0 \u201cI thought all I cared about was solving the mysteries,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cMaking things right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said that, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winston snorted softly.\u00a0 \u201cHow wrong I was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you?\u201d Frederick regarded him with a long, curious look.\u00a0 \u201cAre you certain?\u00a0 The question about Sephora drives at a thirst for knowledge, a need for truth.\u00a0 The fact that you\u2019re here signifies that you\u2019re more than a little curious, more than a little driven to uncover the truth, mysteries.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think that you\u2019ve given up on solving the mysteries or finding the truth, Mr. Winston.\u00a0 You\u2019re just starting to realize that the scope of all of it is far, far greater than you ever dared imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winston shuddered but nodded.\u00a0 Something whined in the distance, a noise he tried to ignore. \u201cTell me about the Inspector General.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frederick smiled.\u00a0 \u201cBright, driven woman, Sephora Damerian.\u00a0 She and my wife got along well enough, and I thought her husband was fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winston blinked.\u00a0 \u201cThe Inspector General\u2019s married?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d Frederick\u2019s brows knit.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t\u2014Mr. Winston, she\u2019s married to Benjamin Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe director?\u201d<\/p>\n
Frederick nodded, smiling faintly.\u00a0 The smile faded.\u00a0 Frederick cocked his head to one side, listening.\u00a0 The whine that had been making Winston\u2019s ears twitch was growing louder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is<\/i> that noise?\u201d\u00a0 Winston asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAir raid sirens,\u201d Frederick said, almost absently.\u00a0 Then he was on his feet, tugging on Winston\u2019s sleeve.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on,\u201d he said, voice quiet.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to get to a shelter and quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we under attack?\u201d\u00a0 Winston asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Frederick said.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m afraid that we\u2019re about to find out.\u00a0 The nearest shelter is at Gabriel Forester\u2019s caf\u00e9.\u00a0 Follow me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho would be\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Frederick skewered him with a hawk-eyed gaze.\u00a0 \u201cWho would be attacking us is part of why you\u2019re here, Inspector.\u00a0 Now move<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winston shut up and tucked himself under the older man\u2019s arm. \u00a0\u201cYou direct,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll make sure we get there in one piece.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhy?\u201d Winston took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to gather his suddenly storming thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of pressure, for one thing,\u201d Winston said softly.\u00a0 \u201cKnowing that she trusts me that much, more than she trusts anyone … Continue reading