favoritism of the Gnobi tribe. But
Jack of Diamonds had exercised his powers of persuasion to
the
utmost. At last able to convince the twenty-one leaders to talk, he was now in one of Myrval’s conference tents, with Myrval seated on his left, a fire pit glowing in front of him, and the faces of the other leaders on screens around the pit. “What I have already said to each of you singly,” Jack began, “I repeat to you now that we’re together. You are made subordinate to King Arch by the antagonisms he invents to keep you at war with one another. He does this to prevent you from joining together to fight his forces, knowing that he doesn’t have the military power to defeat you if you formed a coalition against him.” “That’s insane,” said the Sirk leader. “Just yesterday, I got word from a reliable spy that the Fel Creel are gathering beyond the pale hills in preparation for an attack against us.” “That’s your justification for the attack my reliable spy says you are planning!” shouted the Fel Creel leader.
“We planned no attack until we learned that you were.” “Ditto!”
“This proves what I’ve been saying,” Jack interrupted. “It’s obvious that neither of you would be attacking the other if not for the ‘intelligence’ you received. The Sirk tribespeople would go about their peaceful business and the Fel Creel would go about theirs.” “Right!” said the Sirk and Fel Creel leaders. “But the intelligence you both received was false,” Jack explained. “It came directly from King Arch in order to put you at deadly odds. Just as the ‘intelligence’ the Catabrac received of an impending ambush by the Shifog was false, as was the report the Shifog received of the Catabrac stockpiling weapons to annihilate them.”
The Catabrac and Shifog leaders mumbled in surprise; neither had mentioned these intelligence reports outside of their own tight-lipped clans. Jack turned to the Gnobi leader. “And Myrval, I assure you, Gerte of the Onu tribe never said your daughter looks as if she’s been put together out of spirit-dane droppings and that her personality is just as foul as her person. I was there when King Arch thought up that particular bit of ugliness.” Myrval said nothing. Each tribal leader was glancing at every other, unsure what to believe. “He might be speaking the truth,” said the Maldoid leader. “How else could he know the exact wording of the insult?” Myrval answered. “I have never repeated it, not even to Gerte, who I assumed recalled his own foul words.” “I’m glad to see that I’m gaining credibility,” Jack said. “Now, as Redd Heart’s emissary, I’ve come to propose that you all unite under Redd to battle Arch. King Arch will be defeated and, in exchange for helping you take control of Boarderland to govern equally among you, Redd asks only that you fight under her command for another teensy little war with the forces of Alyss Heart, so that she can regain control of Wonderland.”
“Excuse me,” said Myrval, “but now that you have informed us of Arch’s methods, why should we fight under Redd’s command when we can battle Arch without her help?”
utmost. At last able to convince the twenty-one leaders to talk, he was now in one of Myrval’s conference tents, with Myrval seated on his left, a fire pit glowing in front of him, and the faces of the other leaders on screens around the pit. “What I have already said to each of you singly,” Jack began, “I repeat to you now that we’re together. You are made subordinate to King Arch by the antagonisms he invents to keep you at war with one another. He does this to prevent you from joining together to fight his forces, knowing that he doesn’t have the military power to defeat you if you formed a coalition against him.” “That’s insane,” said the Sirk leader. “Just yesterday, I got word from a reliable spy that the Fel Creel are gathering beyond the pale hills in preparation for an attack against us.” “That’s your justification for the attack my reliable spy says you are planning!” shouted the Fel Creel leader.
“We planned no attack until we learned that you were.” “Ditto!”
“This proves what I’ve been saying,” Jack interrupted. “It’s obvious that neither of you would be attacking the other if not for the ‘intelligence’ you received. The Sirk tribespeople would go about their peaceful business and the Fel Creel would go about theirs.” “Right!” said the Sirk and Fel Creel leaders. “But the intelligence you both received was false,” Jack explained. “It came directly from King Arch in order to put you at deadly odds. Just as the ‘intelligence’ the Catabrac received of an impending ambush by the Shifog was false, as was the report the Shifog received of the Catabrac stockpiling weapons to annihilate them.”
The Catabrac and Shifog leaders mumbled in surprise; neither had mentioned these intelligence reports outside of their own tight-lipped clans. Jack turned to the Gnobi leader. “And Myrval, I assure you, Gerte of the Onu tribe never said your daughter looks as if she’s been put together out of spirit-dane droppings and that her personality is just as foul as her person. I was there when King Arch thought up that particular bit of ugliness.” Myrval said nothing. Each tribal leader was glancing at every other, unsure what to believe. “He might be speaking the truth,” said the Maldoid leader. “How else could he know the exact wording of the insult?” Myrval answered. “I have never repeated it, not even to Gerte, who I assumed recalled his own foul words.” “I’m glad to see that I’m gaining credibility,” Jack said. “Now, as Redd Heart’s emissary, I’ve come to propose that you all unite under Redd to battle Arch. King Arch will be defeated and, in exchange for helping you take control of Boarderland to govern equally among you, Redd asks only that you fight under her command for another teensy little war with the forces of Alyss Heart, so that she can regain control of Wonderland.”
“Excuse me,” said Myrval, “but now that you have informed us of Arch’s methods, why should we fight under Redd’s command when we can battle Arch without her help?”