Chương 37: Honest Chat

I looked at my prisoner. She was one of those mysteriously annoying time loopers—reminding me of Juliette, really. But now that she'd drunk the truth bone powder, according to Gaston, she was supposed to tell me everything. But how did I know it would really work? I supposed I was about to find out. Enough time had passed for the thing to take effect.

"So, what is your name?" I asked. She scoffed, looking aside in contempt, but then…

"My name is Anne," she suddenly blurted.

"Wait, what is that? I wanted to say my name is Louise! Why did I say my real name? Why do I talk so much?" She talked faster and faster, her eyes going wide with sudden, absolute terror.

"Oh, I know what this is! You gave me truth bone powder in the water! You lousy, vile, flat-chested, wretched dimwit! You pox-ridden, flea-bitten strumpet! Oh, this is bad, this is really bad! I can't have this, no, release me at once! Now I will tell you everything! No! I could even talk about my betrothed, Michel, we are to marry next Summer, and he is handsome, and the third son of a marquis, but I hate how he looks endlessly at every woman in town!

And also he is hairy, his hands and legs are all bushy hair like he is a bear! Oh, I can't believe I'm telling you this! I want to punch you in the face! Now I'll probably tell you about my cousin Marguerite, a lousy—""Stop! Shut it, will you!" I ordered. The truth bone, apparently, was working. And terrifyingly well. She clamped her lips tightly shut, breathing hard. Her mouth twitched violently, and the veins in her neck bulged—it clearly took a monumental effort for her just to stay quiet. I looked around.

Henry and the two other soldiers were staring at her, their faces pale and stricken with horror. I knew this was very disturbing to watch. The same thought had probably occurred to them: what if it was me, instead of her? That thought flashed through my head too, and I shuddered. Well, no need to draw this out longer than necessary. I just needed a few simple answers.

"Tell me," I asked, "where do your allegiances lie in this war? What is your rank and posting? What exactly were you doing here? And do tell me, how do you feel about the prospect of assassinating Napoleon?"

"Oh, I'm on the same side as you, you lousy, lackwit, wretched trollop!" she blurted.

"I'm with Military Intelligence, Topographical Bureau—we map out road conditions and resources before a battle. But recently, as a time looper, I've been running covert agents in English territory under the cover of smugglers to spy on their forces! It's crucial during a time loop because—""Stop it!" I cut her off; she really talked too much.

"So, just to be absolutely clear: you are not plotting to assassinate Napoleon?"

"I told you already, you insufferable, clacking harpy!" she snapped.

"I'm on the side of France, and I wouldn't assassinate the Emperor, even if I find His August Majesty to be arrogant, ugly, stupid, and..." She managed to slap her hand over her own mouth to smother the treasonous mumbling.

"Okay, that's fine," I sighed.

"So if you are on the same side, why didn't you just say so from the beginning?"

"Listen, you cow-handed simpleton," she mumbled through her fingers.

"I am a high-ranking intelligence officer operating numerous secret agents! I can't have every lowly grunt knowing my true identity. I have enemy spies to consider, cover stories to maintain, and a fragile network of…"

"Okay, you can shut it!" I ordered, stopping her endless mumbling. I think this was enough. It all added up. I didn't think she was lying, especially since the truth bone seemed to be doing its job. I felt like we could wrap things up here. I also didn't fancy how she took the time to hurl insults at me at the start of every single sentence. I was more than happy to let this horrible woman to go on her merry way.

"So I guess we are done here," I said to the soldiers.

"Untie her and let her be on her way. The sun is setting, and we still need to head back to camp and get supper cooking." The soldiers started to untie her, and she angrily threw off the remaining ropes while muttering, "Stupid security soldiers, doing useless jobs... what a waste of money, or at least what's left of the treasury after paying all those damn contractors. Useless Emperor and his careless spending..."

"Wait!" I shouted at her just as she reached the tent entrance.

"Do you mean time loop contractors? Like, er... Thomas Thomas?"

"Like the Julian Group," she replied.

"A new contract was just signed today. I assumed you were from the Julian Group. Are you not? Oh, you are probably Thomas Thomas then. You might even be English! Not only a flat-chested strumpet, but English woman—" The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Out!" I practically screamed at her.

"Out now!" She looked entirely taken aback by my shouting, but then gave a stiff nod and all but bolted out of the tent. She said the Julian Group! They were the ones who had almost murdered me! And the whole point of doing this job for the Emperor was to get them off our backs. What did it mean that they were suddenly working for Napoleon? Was this... bad? I didn't really understand it. I'd better tell Juliette about it. But first, I needed to rest and calm myself down!

I think that horrid woman might have hurt my delicate feelings.

"Back to camp!" I ordered the men around me. It was getting dark anyway.

"Hurry now!" We made it back to the camp. Unlike our cold, exposed guard post up on the hill, down here we could safely light a roaring bonfire, which meant our tasty food was about to get a whole lot tastier. It also meant the entire squad could relax and enjoy the evening together, rather than just whoever happened to be off-duty. We arranged some cushions around the fire, and Luc, the rather feminine soldier, began strumming a cheerful tune on the mandolin.

Another soldier handed me a tin plate piled high with hot sausages and melted cheese, and I finally started to feel relaxed again. I pulled out my book, and a few soldiers eagerly gathered around me, hoping I'd continue reading out loud. I was more than happy to oblige. Yes, we were having a genuinely good time. Then, two unexpected guests arrived.

"Drizella! Is that you?" I heard Juliette's sharp, angry voice call out. I laid down my book and sighed.

"Yes, it's me." Juliette marched into the firelight, looking around with absolute, horrified dismay at our cozy setup.

"Why is there a... a party going on?" she demanded.

"Oh, a party is a great idea!" I agreed brightly.

"This is a military outpost! Gosh, what have you turned this place into? I suppose you truly don't need any help building camaraderie with the men, because you are way overdoing it! This is a serious operation, Drizella! Victor and I are—" She suddenly realized Victor was no longer standing beside her. She glanced over and found him clutching a cured sausage, already swapping stories with two of my soldiers.

"That man," Juliette muttered, rolling her eyes toward the heavens.

"Well, no matter. Drizella, report. Tell me about your first day."

"I am pleased to report," I said, puffing my chest out with pride, "that the Emperor remains thoroughly un-assassinated and in rather excellent health."

"I could already deduce that from the fact that you're all sitting around eating sausages!" Juliette retorted impatiently.

"But was there any attempt? Any suspicious activity?"

"Mostly it was a nice, calm routine," I replied.

"You know, some music, some cheese."

"That is not a guard routine," Juliette hissed.

"But I did find one suspicious time looper," I added defensively.

"I drugged her with the truth bone Gaston gave me and interrogated her."

"You... what?" Juliette asked, her eyes going wide.

"Yes," I said.

"She was annoying as hell! And the truth bone made it so she wouldn't shut up! She called me names like you wouldn't believe. And the fact that I knew she was telling the truth made her insults all the more offensive. She called me flat-chested on more than one occasion! And English woman, too! She—""Please get to the point already!"

"Fine," I said, annoyed.

"Anyway, she's actually on our side. Something about Military Topographical Intelligence or whatever. She talked a lot about boring things, but she also mentioned something weird. She talked about a big contract the army just made with the Julian Group. Signed just today! She didn't know the details, though."

"A contract with the Julian Group, right after we made our contract?" Juliette murmured, her face darkening into a deeply troubled frown.

"It could be nothing... but it could also be something very bad."

"Oh, what could it be?" I asked, my own anxiety flaring.

"I honestly don't know," Juliette said grimly.

"But we are lucky you stumbled upon that. We'll contact the boss; he'll pull some strings and we'll get to the bottom of this."

"Good," I said. I still remembered... well, dying, and I certainly didn't want that happening again.

"For now, stay vigilant," she advised.

"Even if things look relaxed now—" her gaze swept critically over the eating, laughing soldiers "—and they indeed look very relaxed, always remember that a time looper's job is always dangerous."

"Yes... I know," I said, serious now.

"Here," Juliette said, handing me a folded slip of paper.

"This is a list of two more safe houses in town, complete with the exact locations of hidden gold, weapons, and supplies. Remember to memorize it before the cycle ends."

"Ah, sure."

"One more thing," she added.

"We won't come to pick you up tomorrow morning. You're a big girl with plenty of gold; you'll manage. Just remember to visit the Marshal at Napoleon's headquarters before heading back to the camp. He'll give you the documents you need to get inside and requisition your equipment. You won't have Gaston with you tomorrow, either."

"A shame."

"Remember, you are expected to arrive by tomorrow evening," she said.

"I'll be here." I said.

"Well, we will leave you to your... er, military duties. Let's go, Victor."

"…"

"Victor!" she shouted, dragging him away right in the middle of an incredibly animated story he was telling an enraptured young soldier. After they left, I helped myself to some more sausage and cheese, sat back down by the bonfire, and enjoyed the mandolin music and a delightfully crude story told by Antoine, who apparently hadn't noticed his female captain was listening. We continued enjoying ourselves until it was close enough to midnight, at which point it was time for me to retire to my cabin.

I sat down to memorize my list of safehouses and treasures list. I also pulled out the remaining of my truth bone. I realized this must be a stationary object, even if Gaston hadn't explicitly said so. If it wasn't, there wouldn't have been any point in him giving it to me in the first place. And since it was a stationary object, I needed to hide it somewhere in the cabin so it would be waiting for me when I returned tomorrow. I tucked it away safely and climbed into bed, closing my eyes.

Even though I'd only get thirty minutes of sleep before the new cycle, I preferred to rest before it started. My body would be refreshed either way, but it felt too weird to let the days blur together without a proper pause. Plus, I was genuinely tired. Today had been fun. Tomorrow, I'd bring Cinderella with me, and it would be even more fun. Smiling to myself, I drifted off to sleep.