THE APPLE OF SNAKES

xxxv. war

That... that would definitely upset Lyana. And Corbett, considering how prideful he was of his stupid country. "I see," Nerluce said.

"It was... a tragedy," Eko continued. "No one really knows how many people died but the estimated number of deaths is over ten thousand." They paused for a moment, thinking, before continuing on. "The only thing that could outdo it would probably be... the Burnings of Socosab."

"What's Socosab?" Nerluce asked.

That brought an eery silence to the table. Nerluce wasn't exactly sure what he'd said but it had clearly been wrong. Was... Socosab someone important he was just forgetting? The name sounded Tilician so maybe he'd just never been taught. Itorohian tutors rarely covered anything Tilician outside of how Itoroh's victories over Tilica.

Nerluce looked down, shifting from side to side. The silence hung longer. Did that mean they expected Nerluce was making a joke? Or perhaps they didn't know how to respond? His ears grew warm as steps came closer from behind him.

"Socosab isn't a person, but a place," a smooth voice said, like water from a cold mountain stream running down Nerluce's back. He turned and instantly smiled. Aristide had come to save him once again. Was he what brought the uncomfortable silence? Nerluce knew he was hard for the other disciples to talk to.

"Oh," Nerluce said. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Aristide said. "The Burnings of Socosab isn't talked about in Itoroh." Aristide turned his head to the rest of the table. "Nerluce isn't being cruel."

That seemed to release a breath of tension.

"Why would I be cruel?" Nerluce said.

Aristide shook his head as if to say he didn't know either before turning and continuing his walk past their table. He was probably going to his place by the High Priestess's side or maybe to get Kierli. She had yet to make her appearance.

But once he was out of earshot, Lyana exhaled heavily. "I thought you were going to die."

"Why?" Nerluce asked.

"Why?" Corbett echoed. "Because Socosab is a Tilician city - or it was - and Head Disciple Aristide is very Tilician. I was half expecting him to skewer you!"

"Well, what is this Burnings of Socosab thing?" Nerluce asked, throwing up his hands. "And why do you all seem to know of it but I don't?"

"Socosab was a major northern Tilican city," Hamelin said, deep voice bringing their conversation to a halt. "Itoroh burned it." He looked up at Nerluce, lips curled downwards. "Death counts range between twenty thousand and over a hundred thousand."

"That's horrible," Nerluce said.

Everyone nodded their agreement.

However, there was something that Nerluce couldn't quite get straight. "I know..." he started and then cleared his throat, "I know my country had done a lot of bad things in the past." He looked down at his plate. "Everyone's country pretends to have never done anything wrong but it's... ignorant to buy into that." He looked up. "But I've never defended Itoroh's actions before, so why would I be doing so now? Why would it be cruel to ask what Socosab was?"

Hamelin offered a sad smile and Nerluce felt sick.

"Because," Eko said, realizing that Hamelin was finished speaking, "the first of the Burnings of Socosab only happened... twenty years ago. If even."

"What?"

"It's what started the war between Itoroh and Tilica," Corbett said, brows furrowed. "How didn't you know that? I know that and I'm from the other side of the continent."