Chapter 2: Part 5 - Fine Lines

Oska didn’t like waiting. He supposed no-one did, but he’d always had a particular aversion to it. Doing nothing always produced a worm of anxiety deep in his gut, as though to stop moving was to die.

“Sit down.” The necromancer, Caolinn, was perched on the edge of a chair, inspecting whatever sylvari had that passed for fingernails. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”

Oska kept pacing. He’d wanted to go to Lion’s Arch with Erin, but she’d sent him and Auri back to the Grove. ‘To keep an eye on Ruby’, she’d said, but it was clear Caolinn was supposed to be keeping an eye on them. He could have disobeyed orders; he was starting to wish he had. Except where would they have gone? Divinity’s Reach was too dangerous and there was nothing to be gained by going elsewhere. “How long is she going to be?”

“Erin? As long as she needs to be.” Caolinn gave an elegant shrug. “Besides, she’s norn. They never do anything in a hurry.”

That certainly sounded like Erin. She was undeniably strong, and a fair leader, and probably worthy of respect ‒ but she was so damned slow. To think, to act, to give orders ‒ all of it took her twice the time of an ordinary warrior.

“Why is she in charge?” Oska hadn’t really meant to ask, but the words escaped his lips before he could stop them.

Caolinn raised a brow. “Is that the sort of question you should be asking?”

Oska grimaced. She meant, of course, that he had no right to hear the answer. Still, he ploughed on. “What about you, or Amber? Things always get done when she’s around.”

Slowly, Caolinn rose to her feet. “It was Amber’s choice ‒ and I think you’ve just answered your own question. Light’s Memory needs to be led by someone who thinks first and acts accordingly.”

“Someone boring.”

“Someone who isn’t mired in layers of intrigue, be that from the Order of Whispers or their own sordid family dealings.”

Oska felt himself flush, but he couldn’t really argue. The Valparis were a mess and everything that had happened since Divinity’s Reach only proved it.

Caolinn folded her arms. “Besides, do you think Amber wanted to be in charge? As a thief and a Whispers agent, would you?”

Oska shook his head reluctantly. No, he wouldn’t. Being in charge of anyone but yourself was like carrying a lead weight around your neck. Freedom and ease of movement ‒ those were the things he valued.

Caolinn seemed to consider the conversation closed. “Do you want to check on Ruby, or shall I?”

“Auri’s with her,” Oska said, thinking of all the ridiculous stories his sister would likely ply their prisoner with. “I know you all think she’s‒”

The knock on the door came so suddenly that Oska froze. He hadn’t heard footsteps and the inn’s staff had orders not to disturb them. Caolinn seemed to be thinking the same. She pressed a finger to her lips, then moved silently across the room. She stood beside the door for several moments before sliding a dagger from its sheath.

On the other side of the door, someone cleared their throat. “I bring a message,” came a muffled voice.

Caolinn didn’t reply. She swung the door open and brought her dagger up in one smooth movement, pressed against the messenger's throat.

“It’s Haki, isn’t it?” she asked.

The norn gulped, but didn’t move. “Artair sent me.”

“Of course he did,” Caolinn said, but she didn’t lower the dagger. “Would you like me to gut you now, or after you’ve delivered your ultimatum?”

“How did you‒?” Haki stopped himself with a tiny shake of his head. “No-one needs to gut anyone. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Fine.” Caolinn stepped back far enough that her free hand was concealed behind the half-open door. Oska saw the green strands of light coalescing there and casually slid a dagger into his own hand. “The message?”

Haki cleared his throat. “We know you have Ruby Valpari in your custody. Bring her to Artair for questioning and he’ll consider a straight swap.”

Oska stepped forwards. “You mean Ruby for Jean.”

Haki nodded, his face hardening. “We know Jean has been spying for you.”

“Spying is such a strong word,” Caolinn said smoothly, but the magic didn’t dissipate from her hand. “We’ll need time to consider your offer. When our guild master‒”

“No.” Haki slammed a hand into the door Caolinn had begun shutting in his face. “Come with me, right now, or the meeting doesn’t happen.”

For the first time, Caolinn hesitated. Oska didn’t need time to think, though. Ruby had told them everything she was going to, at least without resorting to techniques Erin would never sanction. If they could give her up and get Jean back safely in return? They weren’t going to get a better deal.

Oska stepped past Caolinn; she let him go without complaint. “We’ll come. Just give us a minute to get the prisoner ready.”

Haki nodded and let Oska close the door.

“We don’t have a choice,” Oska said quickly.

To his surprise, Caolinn nodded. “You’re right. I suspect Artair has more people in the Grove than we realise. If we refuse this meeting, he’ll simply storm the building and take Ruby by force.”

“He’s going to have to do that anyway.” Ruby’s voice, far too close, made Oska look up. She stood in the bedroom doorway ‒ with a knife at Auri’s throat. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“You are,” Caolinn said firmly, before Oska could even raise his dagger. “You wanted to get close to Artair, didn’t you? This is your chance.”

Ruby’s expression became fixed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come now,” Caolinn said, apparently exasperated. “You were sent to the Grove to kill Artair, weren’t you? It’s what I’d do, in your position. Take out the enemy leader and your war is all but over.

“Well, it’s not going to work ‒ or it wasn’t going to, before I caught you. Artair is too well-guarded.”

Oska’s hands practically trembled with the need to fling a weapon at Ruby’s head ‒ but with Auri in the way, there was nothing he could do. The moment Caolinn talked her down, though…

Ruby’s eyes narrowed. “This is the way to get close to Artair.”

“Obviously,” Caolinn said crisply. She reached forwards, taking Auri’s hands and pulling her from Ruby’s grasp. Ruby let her go, as though they were suddenly all on the same side.

“Your guild master won’t sanction an assassination,” Ruby said.

“Last time I checked, you weren’t a member of Light’s Memory.”

Oska winced inwardly. That was the finest of fine lines. Knowing Ruby was going to kill Artair, even giving her the chance to do it… That wasn’t much different to killing him themselves.

But Caolinn was in charge here and she seemed to have made up her mind. “We can’t risk leaving a message for Erin; she’ll have to find us on her own. And you’re going to come willingly,” she said to Ruby, “but we’re going to make it look like you didn’t.”

Oska could see the logic in that; it would be far easier to take Artair by surprise if he didn’t know they were working together. He barred the door when Caolinn ordered him to, then helped the others trash the room. All the while, his gaze was on Ruby, his fingers itching for a blade. Even if it had been for only a handful of heartbeats, she’d threatened Auri. She might not know it, but she’d just made an enemy for life.

Their job was done quickly, though with enough thumps and shouts to make it sound real. Caolinn opened the door again, to reveal Haki’s bemused face. He peered into the room, seeing the overturned furniture, the gouges in the painted walls. “Everything all right?”

“Fine,” Oska said, pushing Ruby out into the hall. Her hands were bound behind her back ‒ or they appeared to be. The knot wouldn’t bear closer inspection, but at a glance, she looked like she was restrained.

They were halfway down the hall, with faces peering after them to see what all the commotion was about, when Oska tugged on Ruby’s bindings from behind. She tilted her head back a little, indicating she was listening.

Oska leaned close. He didn’t care about the plan. He didn’t care that they had a chance to work together, to take Artair out. He didn’t even care that Auri was completely unharmed. If Ruby’s blade had slipped even slightly, she could so easily not have been.

“Go near my sister again,” he breathed, so that only Ruby could hear, “and I’ll kill you.”

In response, Ruby gave a soft laugh ‒ but Oska saw the hairs rise on the back of her neck. He knew she understood.