Chapter 3: Part 8 - The Family Motto

There had been times in Oska’s life when he’d questioned his choice of profession. What use was skulking in the shadows when he couldn’t show off his skills? What use were daggers and tools when his parents kept him at home? Most of all, what was the use of being a thief when he couldn’t protect those he loved?

He couldn’t protect Auri ‒ that had become abundantly clear ‒ but at least the skills of a thief were useful for leaving the guild hall unseen.

Even that made him feel like a traitor. Erin had been nothing but sympathetic and protective since Auri had disappeared. Even now, when the suspicion of his sister’s deceit lay over everything, Erin was still making plans to get Auri back. Oska couldn’t wait any longer, though. As the rest of the guild slept, he stole from the hall and let the night air swallow him.

At least Lion’s Arch was never silent. Even in the dead of night, there were people on street corners and in taverns. It was enough to make Oska feel a little less conniving, as though there was nothing abnormal in sneaking away from his guild like a criminal.

He wasn’t heading for Artair, at least. Even if he’d known where to find the sylvari, Oska wouldn’t have deviated from the path he’d chosen. He needed answers and there was only one person who could provide them.

Given the time of night, there was no queue waiting to pass through the asura gate to Divinity’s Reach. The city on the other side was quieter than Lion’s Arch had been, the streets drowsy and subdued. Oska hurried from one alley to the next, always choosing the most shadowed route. It didn’t really matter who saw him, but the instinct to remain hidden died hard.

It was nearly dawn by the time he reached Blackthorn Manor. Clouds had flooded in across the bright wash of stars, leaving nothing but a dull grey sky. The manor itself was lit up on all sides, as though no-one inside ever slept. If Oska knew his grandmother, she likely didn’t.

He only hesitated when he reached the front door. He had every right to enter, but being back at his grandmother’s home made him nervous. Why should Taria tell him anything? In the space of a few weeks, she’d had him kidnapped and then sent him off into the Wildlands ‒ and that was after lying to him and Auri for years. Even for a Valpari, she was astonishingly good at keeping secrets.

Not any longer. Oska’s jaw clenched. The situation had become far more dire than before; even Taria had to recognise the need for them to all work together.

Even so, he retreated from the front steps and slunk back into the shadows. Perhaps Taria would be more amenable if he took a softer approach and didn’t draw attention to himself.

The manor’s back doors, leading to kitchens and storerooms and cellars, were all locked. Oska tried one after another, before finally sidling up to the dining room window. It was closed, but he seemed to recall there was a loose pane of glass at the bottom, one that could be jiggled free…

Oska had barely pressed his fingers to the glass before a hand clamped around his wrist. He swore and wrenched backwards, aiming to throw his attacker to the ground ‒ but she’d anticipated the move and all Oska got for his trouble was a knee to the stomach.

Gasping, he released his grip and jumped away, already reaching for a dagger. His assailant tutted, though, which was enough to kill Oska’s momentum. Ruby. Of course it was Ruby.

“What are you doing out here?” he hissed, as she flicked back her hood.

“Stopping you doing something stupid.” The side of Ruby’s face was illuminated by the light pouring through the windows above. It cast dark shadows under her cheekbones, making her look almost skeletal. Her cadaverous grin didn’t help.

“How did you know I was here?”

“Well, you weren’t going to follow the big norn’s orders for long, were you?” Ruby stuck one finger in the air as though testing the direction of the wind. “You honestly think the approach to the house isn’t watched? We knew you were coming. You should have just knocked on the door.”

“I’m here to see Taria.”

“Of course you are.” Ruby’s tone was patronising enough to make Oska grit his teeth. “Because it hasn’t occurred to you that she might not want to see you.”

The words died in Oska’s throat. He truly believed he was owed answers, but Taria might not see it that way. “You can’t stop me,” he managed.

“I never said I was going to.” Ruby shrugged. “Just don’t blame me for the outcome. You’re the one who can’t take a hint.”

Oska pushed past her, already ready to fight if he had to ‒ but it wasn’t Ruby’s blades that stopped him. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked, sounding almost as stern as Taria herself.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We both know Taria keeps her secrets for a reason.”

Hadn’t Oska thought that very thing himself? He wouldn’t give in to his fears, though. He wasn’t going back to Lion’s Arch without answers.

“I’m not a child any more,” he said roughly. “It’s time Taria understood that.”

Ruby gave a hard laugh. “Oh, she knows that perfectly well.”

Oska ignored her. He did his best not to look back as he crossed the manicured grass and returned to the front door.

Which was open.

Oska stared into the gloom, imagining a thousand disasters. Ambushes, assassinations, burglaries ‒ Taria could have been subject to any of them. But there was no sign of a forced entry and there were carriage tracks in the gravel drive that hadn’t been there before. Fuelled by a rush of indignation, Oska went inside.

There were still servants present; one or two looked up as he passed. None of them stopped him, though, as he ghosted through room after room, finding all of them empty and silent. He knew, with a sinking heart, that there was no point looking upstairs. Taria was gone.

He returned to the entrance hall, his pulse thudding in his ears. Ruby was waiting, twirling a knife over her knuckles. “Found what you were looking for?”

“No,” Oska spat, resisting the urge to wave a dagger in her smirking face. “You knew Taria was leaving.”

Ruby sauntered closer, her cloak thrown over one shoulder. She looked, Oska thought, as though she owned the place. “Places to go, people to meet. Our grandmother has a busy social calendar, you know.”

“You knew she was leaving,” Oska said again, stepping close enough to feel Ruby’s breath on his cheek. “You slowed me down so she could get away.”

“Did I?” Ruby’s eyes widened mockingly. “Do you think she fled into the night with three carriages and a dozen servants? What a daring escape.”

The tension seemed to build and build in Oska’s chest, until he could hardly breathe. “Why would you betray me like that?”

“Betray you? I don’t owe you anything, you little brat.” Ruby’s face abruptly twisted. “But if that’s what you think, I suppose I’m just living up to the family creed. Yourself before everyone else ‒ isn’t that our motto?”

Oska felt strangled. He wanted to be angry, to lash out at Ruby, but he couldn’t find the words. “I’m here for Auri.”

“No, you’re not.” The viciousness in Ruby’s tone made Oska take a step back. “You’re here for yourself, because you’ve been kept in the dark and you don’t like it. Well, get used to it, Oska. Taria has better things to do than run around coddling your feelings.”

Oska was silent a moment, digesting Ruby’s venom. She might be in a bad mood, but there was a truth at the heart of her tirade that didn’t sit easily with him. “You’re asking me to trust Taria,” he said slowly. “Even though she lied to us all.”

Ruby’s laugh was swift and ruthless. She opened her mouth for another retort, but Oska had already spun on his heel. He knew, with a sudden certainty, that he wouldn’t get what he needed from Taria, or Ruby, or indeed any of the Valparis. Ruby was right about one thing: his family had always put their own schemes before everything else.

“Where are you going?” Ruby called, not moving from her spot in the middle of the hall.

Oska shot her a look over his shoulder. He thought of a half rebuilt guild hall, a mismatched collection of spies and thieves, a norn with a heart as big as her shoulders. “Where I should have stayed in the first place,” he said softly. “Home.”