Righteous Anger (Okal Rel Saga #2)

1.4: Nesak Propaganda

Di Mon, liege of Monitum, sat behind the massive, oakwood desk, in his library, a piece of furniture so old that the trees it was made of had matured on the Earth itself, before war had consumed mankind's homeworld.

He read aloud from a beautifully illustrated storybook in his hands.

"K'isk of all the People," said Nersal Nesak, "you tell me the Vrellish are animals and have no souls. I tell you I have felt their souls in soul touch. It is a simple matter. Let me prove it to you. Take the test of souls with my Vrellish brerelo and you will know that what I say to you is true."

But his father turned his back and said, "No."

Di Mon looked up. "The rest is torn out."

Behind him, Tessitatt scuffed the toe of her boot on the parquet floor. "Branst was upset about the idea of going to SanHome," she told her uncle.

"That is no excuse for damaging a book," said Di Mon, closing the maimed artifact.

"What does it mean, anyway?" asked Tessitatt.

Di Mon folded his arms. "I expect it is the Nesaks' version of Prince Nersal's defection in minus 610 by the Americ calendar, which would be the year 170 by their own. They count forward from the Revelation. That's what the Nesaks called it when they decided they were something quite different from any of the founding houses of the empire. It was the era of the Purity Wars, when drawing lines around which souls were in or out of which genetic pool was in vogue. Rather than view themselves as Demish/Vrellish hybrids, the Black Vrellish — as Nesaks were known then — decided they were pure Nesak and invented a mythology to back them up. I do not know all of the details. Monitum, itself, went through a civil war not long before and there was some disruption in the logs." He glanced towards the green, leather-bound books that lined his library walls.

Tessitatt made a gesture as if to bat away all the talk of history, which vexed Di Mon. He had planned to be a Sanctuary scholar, dedicated to the study of the Monatese logs. But that was before the Nesak War. And before the disgrace of his predecessor, Darren, who had died in it; Darren, whose children were slaughtered by their Vrellish mother when he was caught having sex with boys. Every time he thought about Darren, Di Mon flinched inside, because he knew that he still shared Darren's affliction, despite a lifetime of denial, and he didn't know if Monitum could survive a second scandal of that magnitude. Sternly, he reminded himself that nothing could go wrong as long as he never expressed his sla desires. No one living knew except Di Mon and his bonded gorarelpul, and Sarilous was even more dedicated to Monitum's survival than he was.

"So," summed up Tessitatt, "House Nersal split from the Nesaks and inherited the mantle of Black Vrellish, because of a dispute about whether or not Red Vrellish have souls?"

"It would seem so," Di Mon said, mildly.

"What do they believe now?" asked Tessitatt.

"Ask Branst," said Di Mon. "I imagine his mother has taught him a thing or two."

The Green Hearth herald knocked crisply at the library door. Di Mon knew it was her by the knock and had expected to hear from her. He called, "Enter!"

His herald came in and paid her respects with a slight nod. She was a commoner, but well educated, and a valuable member of the household. "Liege Nersal?" Di Mon asked at once.

"In the Azure Lounge," she told him. "Waiting for you."

Di Mon scooped the Nesak book off the desk and headed for the small, private reception room. Tessitatt began to follow but he shook his head and raised his palm, warding her off.