NIMBUS AND THE KNIGHTS OF CENFERUM

Chapter 9

Teachings...

Another day, the sun hadn't even risen when Sir Lonios woke up Nimbus, saying that the day would be long, and the journey even longer and more strenuous.

Nimbus was in a deep sleep and cursed having to wake up in the middle of the night. It had been over a month since he slept in a comfortable bed, and this one was the most comfortable he had ever slept in. Getting up from it was torture. After a few minutes of stretching, he gathered the courage to get up. Lonios didn't wait; he just called him and left the room, probably organizing the journey. Nimbus put on his clothes, grabbed the belt with his sword, and descended the stairs slowly, still with his eyes closed. The table was set, offering various breakfast options—bread, fruit, sweets, wine, milk, and tea. Nimbus chose to grab an apple and left. Since the previous night, he hadn't been hungry. Sir Ahbran had ruined his appetite.

— Keep it together, lad. Those are things of the past that need to stay there. Let's focus on the journey ahead.

A reminder of the task at hand, Sir Lonios and Nimbus pressed on. The entourage was late, and they needed to catch up. Sir Lonios, mounted on his mare Tempestade, led the way, with his horse Trovador by his side, ready for the journey.

With a nod from his master, Nimbus mounted his horse and joined the procession. Exiting the palace proved less grand than before; no one served them or opened gates. Nimbus had to dismount, open and close the gate himself, all while under the indifferent gaze of the guards. The city streets presented no major challenges, but as they rode for several hundred meters, a contingent of soldiers joined them.

Sir Lonios, in a rare display, issued direct orders to the soldiers, placing them in formation. It was something Nimbus had not witnessed before, and Lonios seemed entirely comfortable with it, as if command came naturally to him. Nimbus wondered if he could ever achieve such ease in leadership.

The group continued as a convoy along Solitude's avenues. However, Nimbus was distracted by a scene near a tavern's entrance. A woman with flowing red hair was sharpening her long nails with a knife. Spotting Lonios, she smiled, and upon realizing Nimbus was observing, she winked. It was Violentina the Butcher. Nimbus turned pale, feeling a sudden darkness creeping over him. Lonios, noticing his distress, spoke quietly to him.

— Relax, don't faint here just because you're in the presence of an adversary.

— Master, how did she find us here? What if she decides to follow us and attack during the night?

— She will always find us. She has tasted my blood; they say she has this ability. Once she tastes someone's blood, she will never lose track of that person. She'll always know the direction and distance. And don't worry; not even she would be crazy enough to attack a government convoy.

— But how can someone do that just by tasting a person's blood? That's impossible!

— Nimbus, there are many things in this world that you can't even imagine are possible. Women who can track others by tasting a drop of blood, warriors who grow larger and stronger during combat, adversaries who can foresee the future and prepare for every move you might make. These are common challenges for you, Nimbus, who is becoming a knight. Get used to it.

Nimbus stood there, absorbing what his master had told him. It occurred to him that he might not only face enemies armed with swords and special powers. After encountering the Grand Leader, he knew that a confrontation with someone as powerful as him might be even more dangerous than facing someone who could be defeated with a weapon in hand. So, when the guards accompanying them were at a distance, he asked:

— Master, but how do we confront someone like the Grand Leader, who has so much power?

— The Grand Leader is the kind of dictator who uses collectivist philosophies to manipulate the people and gather more power for himself. You don't face this type, at least not directly, if that's what you want to know. You don't go there and kill him, or you run the risk of another tyrant just as bad or worse taking power in his place. People, when not enlightened, are very susceptible to these beautiful speeches and willingly hand over their freedom to these scoundrels. And as you saw quite well, dictators always have people like Sir Ahbran to protect them, whether they've been bought or deceived, as is the case with my friend.

— So, how do you face a guy like that if not like this?

— With information! You enlighten the people, make them see how bad this tyrant is, and the people themselves will rise up and depose this tyrant.

— But won't we fall into the same problem of killing him, and another tyrant will take power?

— When you enlighten the people, you show them what is right, teach new ideas, show other places in the world where these new ideas exist, and life is better. And you hope that, with this information, the people will create a new government. You can never impose your ideas on others; you can only present the options and hope they create a better policy.

— Better policy?

— Nimbus, I'm going to tell you something. A good political system doesn't involve centralizing power in the hands of one person or a group of people, as it is here in Cenferum, where lawmakers are elected because they inaugurate projects in the places where their voters are and not because their opinions are good for the people. A good political system is the creation of democratic groups becoming smaller and smaller until the point where a democratically elected leader is a personal friend of every person in the community they lead. The decentralization of power.

— Decentralization?

— Yes, exactly. The ideal would be increasingly smaller groups of people with the same interests. It would be something like a village or a street having total sovereignty over that place without needing to report to anyone. And groups with similar interests forming alliances, creating groups, each with total autonomy, but allied by common interests, without ever having someone with power over all of them. That's how it is in Victórius, the place I came from.

— But why is that? Why is this better?

— I'll teach you one more thing. The more power you have in a political position, the more you will attract the worst elements of society who want to use that power to gain an advantage over honest people. Precisely because people who can convince with arguments, who can be useful to others, who can take initiatives without having to coerce anyone, they won't need the power of a political position. Now, scoundrels, liars, and psychopaths, they need the power of the state; they see the state as a tool where they can extend all their ideas on a continental level. The greater the power of the position, the greater the bad elements who will want to take possession of it. And you saw with your own eyes where a monster like that can go.

— It's scary — Nimbus replied.

— Keep one thing in mind. The worst of the worst will have an advantage over the less bad ones because they are willing to do anything to achieve power; it has always been that way and always will be. Do you understand now why small and autonomous groups?

— I think so, smaller groups have less power to attract these bad elements. That way, we'll only have good people in charge.

— No, Nimbus, with smaller groups, it's easier to remove a tyrant from power.

Lonios winked at Nimbus.

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