Half Truths

Captain Amaruq studied the cut. It was long, several inches down his forearm, but while it had bled it was already mostly scabbed over.

“Seriously, Captain, I’m fine, I can just wash up and it’ll be good.”

Noah sat in the captain’s chair, his shirt off and his pant legs rolled up while she examined him. He looked embarrassed at the attention, but Amaruq doubled as the ship’s doctor due to her experience as a medic’s assistant in the war.

“It will just be a moment, Noah,” she said mildly as she went though the aid kit. She had woken up at Hannah’s call, and had pulled on her uniform and happily met the steward on deck. Ipellie had informed her he was hurt, and Amaruq had essentially dragged him into the captain’s quarters.

Noah winced as she dabbed a cleansing cream on the cut. “I was messing around in a building after dark, and I fell down some stairs. Lost my lantern.”

“Ahh,” she said as she used a cloth to wipe some dirt off an abrasion. Certainly, his legs agreed with his tale - he had scrapes on both knees and had clearly hurt his ankle, but nothing terribly serious. A cut on his calf also looked like a sharp stone, maybe crawling though some ruins.

The bruise on his face, and especially the cut under his eye, looked nothing like what you’d see from a fall. The cut was from a blade - a thin dagger, perhaps a rapier - or Amaruq would eat her boots. He might even get a dashing scar from it to make the ladies swoon.

“Well, you made it back, that’s what matters. Here, I’ll put a bandage on this cut but if you just keep the scrapes clean and dry they should heal fine. The cut on your face doesn’t require stitches, but I have a salve that will help. And your ankle looks painful, but just take it easy and it should be good in a few days.” The captain gave Noah a smile as he looked at her, wary. “I know you told the others you were done in the Empty City now, but did you find what you were looking for?”

He froze, then glanced away. “I found some answers, but they weren’t really what I was hoping to hear.”

Noah swallowed. The Ubyr had an alien stillness to him - after telling Noah he would let him live for a few minutes the other simply stopped moving and stood, patient as a tomb. It wasn’t just that he was motionless, but he seemed to radiate a disinterest in Noah’s very existence.

An existence he said he would be ending shortly.

Noah shifted, facing the Ubyr and trying to relax. He just had to pay attention and it would be fine… probably. The fact the Ubyr had been a dozen yards away without Noah having any idea shook the young man’s confidence in his ability to avoid danger.

“Thank you for the answer, and for the offer. I, naturally, accept. A few minutes of your time would be perfect.” Noah gave an actor’s bow, his voice steady. As he straightened, he could see the Ubyr was paying attention again.

“Did you come here to die, then?” the voice of the other was soft, perhaps from lack of use. Noah could see the long fangs of his lower canine teeth as he spoke, the fangs he could use to open a throat.

But the question had shown an idle curiosity. Good.

“Not at all, I came here - alone - looking for answers I could not find anywhere else. I spent quite a lot of time researching the nature of, well, time, and everything I learned eventually led me here. Ideally, I will be able to get what I need today, and then I will leave the City and return to my home. No need to worry I’ll be an annoying neighbor!”

The Ubyr cocked his head to the side like a puzzled owl. “You did understand I will kill you, did you not?”

“I understood you intend to, yes. But by now you’re wondering why I’m not as, well, alarmed by that as I should be.”

“Ah, you are mad. Pity.” The Ubyr did not move, but Noah felt he was about to end the conversation in an abrupt manner. Better keep him engaged.

Shaking his head, Noah gave a smile, trying to project confidence. And sanity. “I am quite sound of mind, but thank you for considering that. I am aware of the physical prowess of your kind, but I am not personally afraid of you.”

“I could kill a dozen men in a few heartbeats. And I could kill a hundred warriors without taking more than scratches.”

“That would be helpful if you faced a hundred warriors. You couldn’t hurt me.”

Silence fell and Noah worried he had insulted the creature. But instead, a ghost of a smile flitted over his features, and he took a few slow steps toward Noah, his sword hand loose. As he moved, Noah was able to see his tight-fitting grey clothing, and while he wore what looked to be normal boots, they made no sound at all when he stepped on the loose stones that littered the ground.

“Are you a terrifically skilled fighter then?” the Ubyr asked, politely intrigued by the notion.

“Not at all, I barely know how to hold a sword. And I don’t even own one, honestly.” Noah kept his hands at his side, focusing on maintaining his alertness while trying to seem as casual as possible. “I simply know a few tricks, well one trick really, but it’s extremely handy. I’m very good at running and hiding.”

Stopping again, the Ubyr stood perhaps 5 long strides away. Too close for comfort for Noah, honestly, even with his tricks he had heard the Ubyr were capable of moving very quickly. But the steward felt sure that poise and a bit of daring was his best chance of getting out of this with all his blood inside his skin where it belonged.

“I can sense you not lying about that,” the blue skinned man (would he object to being called a ‘man’, Noah wondered?) said, some degree of minor surprise plain in his voice. “Granted, I was never the best at telling when humans told the truth, so perhaps I am out of practice. And, come to think of it, everything you’ve said felt true, which would be strange. You may be one of those humans who can say anything and believe it in your heart, even if you know it is not true.”

“I… did not realize that the Ubyr could sense lies like that,” Noah admitted, “but it doesn’t change anything. I’m no danger to you.”

“That was true, the first thing you said, but the second thing felt like you were not sure. And the last was either a lie or an omission of the truth, your blood rushed after you said it, as if you meant to tell the truth and only realized after the words left your lips that they might not be,” the Ubyr seemed shocked.

Noah swallowed. This was going to be difficult indeed if he had to watch his words so carefully.

The Ubyr had narrowed his eyes, probably wondering how this unarmed human believed he could be a threat. Before he did anything rash, Noah decided to press on and hope for the best. If this was going to end in blood better it happen now, and not in the future when Noah was perhaps not paying close attention to this incredibly dangerous person.

“Well. I did not intend to mislead you. In fact, I came to the Empty City in search of something precious beyond words, but not anything left behind by the people who built this city. I came here to find the Horologist.”

Noah studied the man’s face for any reaction, but the red eyes did not so much as blink so he continued. “I brought what might be the most valuable thing in the world - knowledge almost beyond comprehension. I travelled for months to get here, and I am certain you are he. I came to ask you to craft something for me, since you are the only person in this world who possibly can do it.”

The Ubyr’s eyes blazed a brighter red, and his voice has lost its previous softness as he demanded, “Enough games, what did you come here for?”

“I need someone to make a map for me. A map of time. I did something horrible, and I need to fix it.”