Verbal Entrapment

"Yeah," Bil responded with a nod. "Between the name and the potpourri, it wasn't too hard to remember. But your reaction this morning was too obvious. After that incident, I never doubted since the moment I heard your name."

"....."

"So? What is it that you really want to talk about?"

Amma sipped her tea to give herself more time. ".. I was surprised to see you all alive."

"Ohh. I'm surprised you had any thoughts to spare for us," remarked Bil. "I made it pretty clear that we would take care of ourselves when I turned you down."

"But still.. We were the only survivors, supposedly. So it was still shocking."

Leaning onto the table, Bil asked, "So how did you survive?"

"At the town gathering, the councilman in charge of the market told everyone about his family's secret trade route. More than three dozen of us cut through a passage in the northwest mountains," answered Amma.

Bil nodded, still leaning forward. "After we reached the towns surrounding Frantoch, we heard that a councilman survived. And that the councilman took the city lord to face the god. That was you, wasn't it?"

"I-it was.." Amma was caught off guard by the comment but she quickly tried to regain control of the conversation. "But by the time we arrived, the angels had fled and there were no other survivors. All we found were the ashes of Emor. How did you–"

"There was also a rumor that Briston helped the search. Is that true too?"

"Th-that.." Amma stopped herself for a moment. She took a calming breath and gave Bil a professional stare. "I'm not entirely certain. I only visited Emor and the surrounding area with a military escort."

Bobbing his head up and down, Bil slowly twiddled his fingers atop the table. "So it wasn't true?"

"I can't answer that, sadly." Amma shrugged off the question, asking her own, "But how were you able to survive? We were certain no one else got away."

"Just got lucky I guess," answered Bil, shrugging in turn.

But Amma added, "I heard the guards mention you fleeing southwest. Did you not take the forest road?"

Shrugging again, Bil replied, "Well, we did travel through the forest for a bit. But we didn't take the road. That's the first place the angels would've checked, after all."

"So you crossed the southwest mountains?"

"I'm not entirely sure.. I don't remember seeing any mountains on our path."

Trying to stare at Bil through the headwrap, Amma squinted in annoyance. "But you did go southwest, didn't you?"

"Hmm, that's hard to say. I can't answer that.." shrugged Bil, moving the conversation along. "Well, I'm glad there wasn't any further trouble with the angels, at least."

"True.. It was nice to know that the invaders had all been taken care of."

Bil stopped tapping the table and took a sip of his tea, which Amma did as well. But mid-sip Bil asked, "Then who killed the god?"

"..." Caught with defenses down, Amma sighed. "I.. I'm…"

"You're not certain? Or you can't answer?"

Amma's mind ground to a halt as searched for a proper reply. "That's difficult to answer.."

"But there is an answer?" questioned Bil, casually sipping his tea between sentences. "There wasn't any news of the god continuing his campaign, so someone must've stopped him, right?"

".. I believe so."

"But.. Was it not Lord Frantoch?"

"..... I'm sorry, Bil. But I've been given orders not to discuss such details," stated Amma.

However, Bil was calm as ever. He sipped his tea again and nodded. "I see. That makes sense.

"That explains why you can't answer my question regarding Briston's aid. And it also explains how you had the funding to rebuild Emor within two years, despite having to wait so long to start the project… Then I won't ask about what you discussed with Lord Frantoch.

"But I will ask, what do you know about me?"

"Huh??"

Bil finished his tea and repeated himself, "What do you know about me?"

Amma stammered while regaining her composure, "I-I don't know much.. I know you traveled with those kids. I know that you were an army captain–"

"That's all? There's nothing else that you've learned about me?"

"..."

"Why were you insistent about me going southwest?" questioned Bil. He noticed the immediate loss of color in Amma's cheeks, getting him to groan. "You can't answer that? .. Meaning, that's where you and Lord Frantoch either talked about or you went there yourself??"

Amma dropped her head in despair, caught in the verbal trap.

"Well, you haven't broken orders, I'll commend you for that," Bil commented, letting Amma feel ever so slightly more at ease. "But your silence is more than an answer… So, you know we went southwest, up the mountain path?"

With a nod, Amma hesitated to speak.

"And Lord Frantoch, of course, found the veita trail that god left behind?"

Again, Amma gave a silent nod.

"And Emperor Falix was insistent that I was there?"

Again, Amma nodded. But mid-nod, Amma stopped herself and stared back at Bil with a strange glare. "You.. How did you–"

"Amma. I'm an old war vet. I understand how borders and ally nations work together," answered Bil, putting his empty cup aside. "And I know they would've noticed a strange lack of veita at that campsite, though you are the first to confirm this for me…

"And since you know this much about me, I have no choice.."

Her entire body stiffened as those words reached her ears. Terrified, Amma began to shake, closing her eyes to not witness what came next.

Plop, rattle… "Why are you closing your eyes?"

With confusion and terror taken over her body, Amma carefully opened one eye. Then, she immediately opened her other eye as a new sense of shock rattled the core of her being.

"I assume Emperor Falix paid you for the information, trying to leave a good impression so you'd go to him if you ever got more info. And it's well known that Lord Frantoch supported rebuilding Emor as he took years to amass the needed funds," Bil explained while pushing four fat, tightly bound coin purses across the table with his walking stick. "So, I'll have to outdo them both to guarantee your silence."

"Wh-what do you–"

"I'd prefer you don't shout. Even though I've sealed the room since the door was closed…" Bil took an oval trinket off his lap and onto the table, one emitting faint, transparent energy. "As a military man, I understand when a conversation should be confidential. Especially when I have to do this."

"Wh-wh-what's going on?! Aren't you going to kill me???" grumbled Amma, trying to make sense of the situation.

But Bil shook his head with a laugh. "Before you are four purses, each holding twenty-five platinum nugs. Should–"

"ONE HUNDRED PLATINUM NUGS!?!?!"

"There's no need to shout," insisted Bil. "However, should you open those purses, I'll take that as your answer. That you'll never mention me, and you'll deny knowing anything more about me, those kids, and all of our interactions beyond what happened thirteen years ago.."

Seeing Amma's shock, Bil added, "Such funds could turn a village into a city in a matter of years, when used correctly. And given your sense for business and politics, Emor could finally earn a lordship with such funds, guaranteeing that the tragedy thirteen years ago will never repeat itself.

"So. What do you choose, Amma?"