Second Interlude - Watchers

The mood in Rata Sum was subdued, not a word Jean had ever associated with the city before. Its usual inhabitants seemed to have barricaded themselves in their laboratories and workshops, as though they wanted nothing to do with Yinn’s game; even the merchants who frequented the central plaza were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, there were only Yinn’s teams. Six were left and rumours were flying about those who’d left the game in the previous round. One group had fallen foul of an icy ravine whilst engaged in a chase, but the other…

“There was an argument,” Oska reported, when he returned from scouting the Commons. “One of the teams didn’t take kindly to Yinn forcing us all to run around like idiots.”

“Not all of us,” Marissa put in, a touch smugly, but she waved for Oska to go on.

“The team in question caught one of the illusory rabbits, like we did. They weren’t too happy to find out it wasn’t real. It sounds like they didn’t even get as far as Timberline Falls.”

“What happened?” Jean asked, putting down the sceptre he’d been cleaning.

Oska shrugged. “They tracked Yinn down. He was in Lornar’s Pass at the same time as us, so it sounds like they didn’t have too much trouble. There was an argument and that was the end of it.”

“The end of what?”

“The team.”

All eyes turned to Oska, which Jean thought was exactly what his cousin had intended. Even Marissa looked startled. “You’re not saying Yinn had them killed?” she asked.

“No-one knows,” Oska replied, “because no-one’s seen them since. They were all charr, though. Their bodies wouldn’t be easy to hide.”

Jean shuddered. Trust Oska to posit the most macabre outcome to any situation. Yinn certainly wasn’t averse to the teams taking damage, but killing them for a simple argument sounded extreme even for him. Surely the charr had left of their own accord.

He couldn’t dispute that Yinn was on edge, though. There had been no flashy appearance this time; in fact, Yinn didn’t seem to have any intention of addressing them at all. Their game cards had flashed up their standard message – HERE ENDS ROUND TWO! PLEASE RETURN TO RATA SUM FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS – before fading into blankness. As Yinn had stayed silent since the teams had arrived back, there was nothing to do except wait.

Had they really got to him? Jean wouldn’t have believed it possible, except… First, Yinn had had to deal with a team of argumentative charr. Then, the Valparis had captured Floxx, which certainly hadn’t been part of his plan. Yinn had been forced to make that warning message, which had had the unintended effect of giving both Vasha and Jean himself a clue to his whereabouts. They’d reached the hylek village before they’d been supposed to – meeting Amber and Erin had made that very clear. The two members of Light’s Memory had, Jean suspected, revealed more than they should have done, too. Had all of that actually rattled Yinn? Was he left wondering what to do next?

If that was the case, Jean found himself thinking, Marissa wasn’t the only one who’d be feeling smug.

He pushed himself to his feet, intending to take a walk around the perimeter of the Commons. He hadn’t taken a single step when Oska tapped him on the shoulder. “There’s someone trying to get your attention.”

Jean surveyed the plaza, but no-one was looking his way. “Is there?”

“Over there.” Oska gestured in the direction of an asura leaning against a wall some distance away. She was, as far as Jean could tell, paying him no heed at all.

“I don’t think–” he began, but Oska nudged him again.

“She’s waiting for you. Trust me.”

Jean sighed and headed towards the ‘waiting’ asura – only to realise Oska was right. It had taken a thief’s instincts to spot her intentions, but perhaps she had reason to be subtle. Somehow, Explorer Primm of the Durmand Priory had followed him all the way to Rata Sum.

Jean took several steps past her, then stopped and bent down as if to retie the laces of his boot. Behind him, Primm sighed.

“I should have known being covert was a waste of time. You’re as obvious as a dolyak in a golem workshop.”

Jean straightened, turning to the asura. She had her hands on her hips, foot tapping in irritation. She reminded him, uncomfortably, of Marissa. “And you’re not a scholar, are you? No member of the Priory goes sneaking around like this. I wouldn’t even have known you were here if it wasn’t for Oska.”

“At least someone’s got sharp eyes. But no, I’m not Priory.” She didn’t elaborate further, just looked Jean up and down. “You made it back here alive. I was starting to wonder…”

“I’m not a complete idiot.” Jean glanced around, but no-one was looking their way. “What are you doing here? You’re not keeping an eye on Yinn, are you?”

“I wasn’t but…” Primm looked briefly uncomfortable. “The grawl have returned to Timberline Falls. I thought you should know.”

“You haven’t come all this way to tell me about the grawl.”

“But I have.” Primm’s gaze focused on him, intense and searching. “I think you know why.”

Jean was silent. If the grawl of Timberline Falls had either been hidden or removed, only to return later as though nothing had happened… “You think Yinn moved them – or hid them, or something. You think he actually went to all that trouble to clear the area for our game.”

Primm still looked troubled. “Is he capable of it?”

Jean didn’t immediately know how to answer. None of them really knew anything about Yinn, except that he’d organised this whole extravagant affair – and that he was doing it for the benefit of the wealthy observers who watched their every move. Allegedly. That, Jean knew, might be a ploy like all the rest. “Yes,” he said slowly, “I think he might be.”

“Then you need to be careful. You can’t just negotiate with grawl. Yinn either offered them something extremely enticing, or he has significant magic at his disposal.”

Magic was Jean’s guess, but he didn’t say it aloud. “Why are you telling me this? Why come all this way?”

Primm cocked her head to one side. “Because I like you?”

“Try again.”

“Because people are starting to take notice of this game – people you might not want to attract the attention of.” Primm paused, studied Jean’s face, then sighed. “And because I needed a contact on the inside. Is that better?”

It wasn’t, but at least it sounded more like the truth. Jean folded his arms. “What do I get in return for being this contact?”

“My eternal gratitude. And I suppose I’ll let you know if my superiors decide to make a move.”

Jean nodded. That was more like it. “It’s a deal.”

For the first time, Primm laughed. “Are all humans this easy to negotiate with?”

“Only the sensible ones,” Jean said, at which Primm’s eyes narrowed. She nodded once, looked around again to be sure no-one was nearby, and walked away.

Jean didn’t watch her go. His mind was full of questions and they were more serious ones than before. He’d always known Yinn’s game was dangerous; Marissa wouldn’t even have joined if it wasn’t. This wasn’t just about traps and puzzles any more, though. Yinn had already involved whoever was wealthy enough to fund this operation – and now, if Jean had guessed Primm’s identity correctly, the Order of Whispers were watching, too.