Chapter 3: Part 1 - Birds Of A Feather

Oska was fairly certain that Brisban Wildlands was the most boring corner of all Tyria. From what he’d seen as they’d trekked in, the whole region was nothing but jungle and swamp and mountain. It had absolutely nothing to recommend it.

But here they were, in a tiny Seraph camp to the north, surrounded by nothing but biting insects and a handful of grubby humans who’d been stuck in the wilds for far too long. From the rise on which it sat, Oska could see nothing but rolling, scrubby hills, apparently infested with bandits.

“Bandits,” he said aloud, annoyance finally getting to him. “What are we doing fighting bandits?”

“Bandits who’ve been conspiring with the Inquest,” Auri said placidly. She crouched at Oska’s feet, more interested in braiding the wiry grass than studying the view. “The Seraph need our help.”

No, they don’t, Oska wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. They were here because Erin and their grandmother wanted to keep Auri safe. Oska had agreed, back in Lion’s Arch. Now that they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, he was starting to wish he’d put up more of a fight.

Because the real fight was taking place miles from here. Artair had escaped. Erin had practically let him, in order to save Oska’s own life. It wasn’t that Oska was ungrateful, exactly… He just hadn’t expected to be so obviously sidelined as a result.

He looked down at Auri’s bowed head. Her face was hidden by a fall of silver-grey hair, but her hands were still busy. She seemed to have woven some kind of grassy crown. Was she really in danger? Were any of them? Or was it all a ruse to keep them out of the way?

“Cheer up, kid.” Oska’s thoughts were interrupted by Ruby’s voice. “Have a banana.”

Oska looked up, unable to hide his scowl. Ruby stood a short distance away and she was indeed holding out a banana. Oska pointedly ignored it. Ruby had been as sharp as a blade back in Kryta, but out here she was far more relaxed. So far, Oska had seen her do nothing more than eat fruit and climb a few trees.

“When are we going to start training?” he asked.

Ruby shrugged and began peeling the banana. “You’d have to ask Burg.”

That made Oska’s frown deepen. They’d been sent to the Wildlands with a handful of Taria’s staff, including a grizzled old man named Burg. Oska vaguely remembered him hanging around the manor years before; he’d seemed old even then. Now, he was ancient ‒ and he was supposed to be there to train them.

“Burg’s having a nap,” Auri put in, finally standing. She examined the grass crown she’d made, turned it over several times ‒ and then handed it to Ruby.

Ruby visibly softened. She seemed determined to treat Auri like a younger sister. Worse, Auri seemed happy to let her.

“Thank you, Auri.” Ruby studied the crown with equal care, then leaned forwards and gently placed it on Auri’s head. “But I think it’ll look better on you.”

Auri beamed a smile in response, gave Ruby a kiss on the cheek, and headed back to camp.

Leaving Oska glaring at Ruby, not even trying to hide his disgust. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Ruby looked genuinely startled. “Being nice. You should try it some time.”

Nice. The word didn’t suit Ruby one bit. “By sucking up to Auri? There’s nothing she can give you.”

“You underestimate your sister,” Ruby said. She took another bite of the banana, chewing slowly. “Don’t look so sour, Oska. I’m not trying to steal Auri away from you. And I’m not trying to recruit her, either. We’re here to get to know one another, that’s all. There’s no other agenda, no scheme. Nothing.”

Oska didn’t believe that for a second. He’d seen how Ruby operated. She wanted something, even if she was doing a good job of hiding it. He shook his head. “How can I believe anything you say?”

Ruby’s expression turned stiff and distant. “I could say the same to you. Birds of a feather and all that.”

“We’re nothing alike.”

“Aren’t we?” A faint smile crossed Ruby’s face. “We’re family, Oska. It’s time we started acting like it.”

She was gone before Oska could find a suitable retort, leaving him staring at the scrubby landscape and wishing there was something in the vicinity worth punching.

The rest of the day wasn’t much better. Back at the camp, Burg had cleared the Seraph and the traders to one side, replacing them with a succession of dummies stuffed with straw. “Training,” he said gruffly, pushing Oska into line next to Auri. “We start today.”

Ruby, Oska noticed, was nowhere to be seen.

He folded his arms. “Training for eight-year-olds, you mean?”

Burg gestured to the dummies. “Your sister doesn’t seem to mind.”

Nor did she. Before Oska could make so much as a sarcastic comment, she stepped forwards, staff raised. Fire rained from the sky so suddenly that even Burg stumbled back. The four dummies went up in a blaze of flame, hot enough to make Oska shield his eyes ‒ and then Auri waved one hand and the fire went out in a puff of smoke.

She turned to them with a smile even wider than the one she’d given Ruby. “What’s next?”

Oska had expected that to be the end of it, but Burg was undeterred. There were more dummies, then a selection of targets, and they finished the day by going for a jog around the camp. At least in that activity, Oska could excel. Auri got distracted on the first lap and only made it to the finish line holding a fistful of flowers. Given that she’d nearly set fire to the camp three times already, Burg seemed content to let that go.

It wasn’t until dusk that Ruby reappeared. She sauntered into the centre of the camp as though she’d been there all day, stopping only long enough to scrape the mud off her boots before ducking into a tent. For a long moment, Oska considered following her. What would he say, though? He could start as many arguments as he liked, but it wouldn’t make them like one another more.

Instead, he went after Burg. The quartermaster was sitting beside a campfire, feeding it with sticks.

Oska crouched beside him and took a deep breath. He wasn’t going to turn this into yet another argument. “This training,” he said evenly, “is on my grandmother’s orders.”

“That’s right.” Burg didn’t even look up.

“Taria already knows we’re better than this.”

“That’s not what she told me.”

“Because she still thinks we’re children.” Oska fought down the frustration rising in his chest. “You saw me today. You saw Auri. We don’t need this training.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Burg said, with mulish stubbornness. “I’m just following orders.”

Oska got to his feet. Burg was right: it didn’t matter. The only way to resolve this would be to confront Taria and she was a very long way from here. If he sent her a letter, would she respond? Would she even read it?

He walked away, scrubbing at the tension in the back of his neck. Taria wanted them here for a reason. Was that really to train? To get to know Ruby, who hadn’t even bothered to spend the day with them? Or had his darkest fears been right all along? Did Taria just want them out of the way?

No-one stopped him when he left the camp. Perhaps that was simply because there was nowhere to go. Oska knew there were Seraph out in the dusk, patrolling for bandits and whatever else lurked in the wilds. He avoided them, though, making his own slow circuit of the camp until his thoughts calmed.

By the time he returned to camp, full night had fallen. A soft glow came from the tent he shared with Auri ‒ and from one other.

A supply tent. Oska hesitated, fingers reaching for a dagger. He knew the camp had been beset by bandit raids and thefts before their arrival; there was plenty here worth stealing. The light was low, too, as though whoever carried it didn’t want to be seen.

Oska crept closer, a dagger now in his hand. It was almost silent inside the lit tent, just a faint rustling audible through the canvas. Oska knew he should be cautious, but all his patience seemed to have been used up. He flung the flap open and stepped inside.

And came face-to-face with Ruby.

She didn’t look embarrassed to have been caught. She was bent over a small table, studying a map by lantern-light, but she straightened as Oska entered. He didn’t like her grin one bit.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. “And where have you been all day?”

“Secrets, secrets, my pet,” she said, sounding much more like herself. “Shall I let you in on a couple?”

Oska knew he should turn around. Whatever Ruby was up to, he didn’t want to be involved. He was too slow, though, and she grabbed his arm before he could leave.

“Let’s save the secrets for later,” she said, almost in a hiss. “First, it’s time for some fun.”