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Stories from the Verse
Versers Versus Versers
Chapter 33: Beam 49
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Chapter 32: Brown 183
Beam thought somehow that his team wasn’t getting enough respect following their recent success. They had, after all, killed one of the mercenaries, one which was some kind of flying monster, and in the process determined that there were at least two more, and that they had the ability to travel long distances very quickly; and then they had escaped without casualties. He, at least, was impressed by it.
The problem seemed to be that Laban’s advisers didn’t believe him. Where was the corroboration? Did he bring the monster’s head, or at least one of its teeth or claws? Were there witnesses to this claimed heroic deed? All they had was his assertion that they had done this, and they really did not know him very well. Further, he could not explain how he knew that there were still at least two mercenaries, or how he knew they could travel quickly, and he found himself unable to explain these details.
It bothered him that they seemed to assume he was a liar. Of course, he was a liar, and he thought a rather good one, when the occasion called for it--such as when his wife asked where he had been and why he was late coming home. They had no way to know that, and no reason to assume he was a lying about this or anything. Of course, his stories might seem a bit incredible, but they were true accounts of what had happened, for the most part, only slightly embellished and modified for the audience. They should not--but then, they did, and that was that.
They didn’t exactly think he was a liar, he mused; they just weren’t persuaded he was telling the truth. Nothing he could do about that.
What he could do was prove he was the best player in this game by defeating the other side’s versers and taking the southern Amirate as his own territory. He was good at games, and he was going to win this one.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with ten other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #327: Verser Crises. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
