Adventures in Bastard Secretary, feat. one particular bastard (though not, I suppose, a secretary)
(1) What does human even mean? I mean, really? You still bleed, you can still die. And your will is still your own, mostly. That’s more than can be said for a lot of “real” humans.
(2) Jonah Magnus did leave him in that place, Jon. He got the letter, oh yes, and was on good terms with Mordechai Lukas. He could have interceded, perhaps even saved him, but he did not. And it was not out of malice, or because he lacked affection for Barnabas Bennett: he retrieved those bones sadly enough when the time came. No, it was because he was curious. Because he had to know, to watch and see it all. That’s what this place is, Jon, never forget it. You may believe yourself to have friends, to have confidantes, but in the end, all they are, is something for you to watch, to know, and ultimately to discard. This, at least, Gertrude understood.
Let us begin.
(3) Just do what you need to do, and you’ll be fine.
Understand?
(4) The scar may have faded, but you haven’t forgotten. Did it itch, just a little, when you were burying him?
{You shut the hell up, or I swear I’ll kill you.}
A genuine threat, I’m sure, but right now what you’re really trying to figure out is if I have any evidence that could make it back to your people. It seems impossible, of course; how could I? But you just don’t know.
So many impossible things happen here, in this strange musty place.
(5) You never wanted this, no, but I’m afraid you absolutely did choose it. In a hundred ways, at a hundred thresholds, you pressed on. You sought knowledge relentlessly, and you always chose to see.
Our world is made of choices, Jon, and very rarely do we truly know what they mean, but we make them nonetheless.
