Part 23 (1/2)
Lily gazed at Iolanthe closely.
The strong rule, and the weak get ruled over.She had heard those words before: uttered by a deranged Vatican priest named Francisco del Piero, the man who had raised her twin brother, Alexander, to be a despotic and cruel ruler.
Wizard had heard those same words, and he too gazed at Iolanthe with watchful eyes.
Astro said, ”If people love royalty so much, why is democracy so embraced then? Look at America.”
Iolanthe snuffed a laugh. ”Look at America? Why, Captain, for the last two hundred years, your country has been steadily and unequivocally marching toward monarchy.
”The problem is, your rulers have no talisman, no treasure, to hold on behalf of the people. So you get bold usurpers seeking to create a kingdom: Kennedy's father, Joseph, wanted to establish a line of Kennedy presidents: John then Robert then Edward. In recent years, the Bush family-aided by its friends in the House of Saud-has succeeded in creating a lineage, and indeed plans to install a third Bush on the throne. But it has no talisman, and thus no kingdom. Although perhaps when this adventure is over, it will, and thus it will take a seat at the table with the Great Houses of Europe.”
Jack said, ”So right now in this race we have: us, the good guys, aided by the New Money wannabes from Saudi Arabia and America you, the royal dynasties of Europe and China, aided by whoknowswho. So where do, say, the United Arab Emirates fit into this world view?”
”Newer Money, that's all,” Iolanthe said. ”A puny desert tribe that only recently found itself sitting on ma.s.sive oil reserves.” She shrugged apologetically at Pooh Bear and Scimitar. ”No offense.”
Pooh Bear growled, ”Ma'am, in the words of my young friend, Lily, get bent.”
Scimitar just bowed. ”We take no offense at all, madam.”
Jack said, ”So what about other countries? Like Australia, for instance.”
”Still a colony of Britain,” Iolanthe said dismissively.
”China?”
”A nation of corrupt officials and a billion ignorant rural peasants. Fat, slow, and bloated.
By the time it advances to the level of the West, we will have reached Mars.”
”Africa?”
”The slavelands of the world. Useless now, as it has already been thoroughly plundered.
Nowadays African nations are like wh.o.r.es, willing to sell themselves and their armies to anyone with hard currency.”
”j.a.pan?”
”An interesting case, for the j.a.panese standsui generis in our world, in a category of their own. Even the most humble commoner there has a deep sense of honor. But their pride is their weakness. j.a.pan is the most racist nation on Earth: the j.a.panese sincerely believe themselves to be superior to all other races. This got them into trouble in World War II.”
”But j.a.pan has a royal family,” Zoe said. ”The oldest continuous royal line in the world.”
”This is true,” Iolanthe said. ”It is old and n.o.ble and not nearly as weak as it pretends to be. j.a.pan's capitulation at the end of the Second World War almost saw the first modern destruction of a legitimate royal family. But the royal house survived. The Americans humiliated Hirohito but they did not disempower him. Because they were unable to find his talisman.”
Jack frowned at that. This was something new to him. He leaned forward.
”And that talisman was...?”
”...something that I am not inclined to tell you about just yet, my das.h.i.+ng Huntsman.”
Iolanthe gave Jack a michievous s.e.xy grin. ”You may have to employ other methods to prise that little secret from me-maybe you couldromance it out of me. Alternately, you could just ask your American colleague here.” A nod at Astro.
Jack raised an eyebrow at Astro. ”Well?”
”Search me,” Astro said.
Iolanthe said, ”In any case, while they might protest otherwise and say that they have moved on, the j.a.panese have not forgotten the profound slur of World War II. And such a prideful people hold a very long grudge. You turn your back on j.a.pan at your peril.”
For a moment, no one said anything.
”The world is a complex place,” Iolanthe said softly, almost to herself. ”Wars are won and lost. Empires rise and fall. But through all of recorded history, power hasalways been in a state of flux, ever transferred from one empire to the next: from Egypt to Greece and then to Rome or more recently, from France under Napoleon to the British Empire to the current American dominance. But now-with the igniting of the Machine-it will be different. The transfer of power will cease. For now is the one and only time in history where total and absolute power will come to rest, forever, in the hands of one nation.”
A COUPLEof hours later, the main cabin of the plane was dark and silent.
The only person still at work in it was Jack, poring over a map of Africa by the light of a desk lamp, with Horus perched on his chair back. All the others had gone aft to get some sleep before the big day ahead-except for Lily she lay fast asleep on the couch beside Jack.
Horus squawked.
Jack looked up to see Iolanthe standing in the doorway to the main cabin, dressed in a loose tracksuit, her hair tousled from sleep.
”Command is lonely,” she said.
”Sometimes.”
”I was told you inspire loyalty in those who follow you.” Iolanthe sat down.
”All I do is let my people think for themselves. Seems to work.”
Iolanthe watched him for a moment, eyeing him closely in the darkness, as if a.s.sessing this strange being named Jack West Jr.
”Few people can think for themselves,” she said.
”Allpeople can think for themselves,” Jack said quickly.
”No. Not true. Not all of them can,” she said softly, looking away.
Jack said, ”You mentioned before that you might know the whereabouts of theother Pillars...”
Iolanthe was roused from her reverie and she smiled at him, raising an eyebrow. ”I might.”
”It's just that we have this Saudi Pillar, marked with a single dash, and your one, marked with four dashes, indicating that they're the First and Fourth Pillars. We'll be needing the second one soon, within the week.”
”If we survive today.”
”Let's be optimistic and a.s.sume we will,” West said. ”Where is it?”
Iolanthe stood, touching her upper lip with her tongue. ”According to my sources, the second Pillar is to be found in the jungles of central Africa, zealously and jealously guarded by the same tribe that has held it for over three thousand years, the Neetha.”
”I've researched the Neetha. Cannibals. Nasty.”
”Captain,nasty does not even begin to describe the Neetha. Nor does cannibal.Carnivore would be better. Ordinary cannibals kill you before they eat you. The Neetha do not give you that dignity.