Gemworld by Jeremy Bullard

and answer each question honestly and to the fullest extent of your knowledge. Remember, no harm will befall you if you are found true, no matter your allegiance. Now then, please state your name for those assembled.”
    “James Edward Salvatori, Lieutenant, United States Navy,” Sal answered, wondering idly if he should offer his service number as well.
    “True,” came three voices, followed by an uncertain, drawling “false”. Sal whipped his head around in confusion. Seemingly unperturbed, as if this were a mere matter of course, Reit paused for a moment and gave the floor to the mage, Menkal.
    “He’s not at peace with his answer,” said the sapphire carefully, searching for the right words. “While the answer is essentially true, it’s my opinion that this is not the name he answers to most comfortably.”
    Reit nodded his thanks and resumed his pacing. “How are you most comfortably known, James Edward Salvatori?” he asked.
    Knowing no other way to answer, Sal shrugged and said, “My friends call me Sal.” This time, he was rewarded with an unbroken chorus of “true.”
    Suddenly, it became clear to Sal what was going on, or at least in part. On their flight from Schel Veylin, Jaren had spoken a little about the magical way that mages view the world. Emeralds saw the processes of all things living, sapphires saw stress levels... Having all four types of mages here concentrating their special abilities on him, they were acting like one big polygraph machine.
    As he reached this realization, he heard the soprano’s voice murmur, “He’s a sharp one.”
    “I agree,” Menkal said. “He just grew very excited, and is now at a deep level of peace. I believe he’s figured something out.”
    Reit raised his eyebrows meaningfully, prompting Sal to explain. “I just realized that this is a lie-detector test. Your people need to be able to accept me, so the first thing you gotta figure out is how honest I can be with you. Even the assurance of safety is no guarantee that I can be trusted. That’s why the mages are here—to see if I’m holding back.”
    Reit nodded appreciatively. “Yes, but that is a discussion for later. Let us continue. Where are you from?”
    “Dothan, Alabama.”
    True.
    “And where is this place?”
    “The United States of America.”
    True.
    Sal heard whispers among the council. Obviously, this sophisticated and learned council, with all their apparent knowledge of their world, had never heard of such a place. He suddenly felt his lips twitch in mirth. He knew where this was headed.
    “I’ve never heard of this ‘America’,” Reit said, confirming Sal’s suspicions. “Where is it?”
    “On a planet called Earth,” said Sal, his smile growing.
    True. The murmurs grew louder.
    “Are you saying that you are not of this world?”
    “That’s correct.”
    True. The murmuring was stifled in gasps of astonishment, some of which came from the lie-detecting mages themselves. All except for Jaren, who’s own lips twitched, briefly mirroring Sal’s grin before resuming their stoic cast.
    “Do you know how you got to this world?”
    “No.”
    True.
    Reit paused for a moment, and changed his line of questioning.
    “What was your occupation in your world?”
    “I was a Navy SEAL—a member of an elite military group.”
    True.
    “Ah, a soldier. A warrior. And were you in battle when you came to this world?”
    “Yes.”
    True.
    “Who was the last person you saw in your world?”
    That one caught Sal by surprise. Why in the world would this be relevant? Sal couldn’t believe that Reit was planning to make him out to be a traitor, consorting with the enemy. If he’d wanted to do away with Sal, he could have done it any time he’d chosen to. Brushing the irrational fear aside, Sal took a deep breath and answered. “I believe it to have been what you call a granite mage.”
    True.
    The council exploded. Questions of “how?” and “why?” filled the air as Reit again