Chapter 4: Part 5 - Foolish Moves

Gathering what remained of Light’s Memory was proving more difficult than Erin had expected. Very few of the guild were left under her command, but Ivar was asleep, Darr was busy overseeing more repairs to the guild hall, and Caolinn was nowhere to be found.

And then, of course, there was Oska.

Erin had stood silently in the middle of the guild hall for a long time when she’d realised he was missing. Her first reaction had been disbelief, swiftly followed by anger. Both, she knew, were unfair. Oska had made it clear he was loyal to the guild ‒ and loyal to her ‒ which meant he wasn’t deliberately trying to cause trouble. It was Jean who could never think clearly where Vasha was concerned. If he’d insisted on leaving in secret, Oska would have felt duty-bound to follow him.

That still left Erin with a problem, though. Jean had planned this meeting with Vasha, which he hoped would lead to Auri’s return, but he hadn’t breathed a word about where the meeting might be held.

It was Caolinn who provided the answer, a scant hour after Oska had left. A messenger bird arrived at the window of the guild hall and tapped insistently on the frame. The letter it carried was brief, but it was from Caolinn and it filled Erin with relief.

I’ve tracked Oska and Jean to Ascalon. Will send word once their destination has been established.

That was one less problem to deal with and it once again proved Oska’s loyalty. The thief was used to Caolinn by now. He wouldn’t have let her track him unless he’d intended to be found.

But there was still much to do. Erin woke Ivar and ordered him to arm himself, before heading to confer with Darr.

The asura was characteristically pragmatic. “There’s little I can do to help you in Ascalon,” he said, tapping his cane on the ground. “My fighting days are over.”

“You can send a message to Taria,” Erin suggested.

Darr put his head on one side. “I’ve had few dealings with Lady Valpari. What makes you think she’ll listen to me?”

“You’re a spy,” Erin said roughly. “You think more like her than I do. Besides, she’s stopped responding to my messages. Oska’s, too. Perhaps you’ll have better luck.”

Darr nodded, as though it was obvious he’d succeed where others had failed ‒ but there was a trace of hesitation on his face. “Is it really Taria you want to speak with?” he said finally.

Erin tensed, uncomfortable with how easily Darr had read her. She knew she should expect nothing less, though, from a former Whispers agent. “You think I should contact Amber.”

“I think you want to.” He knew what Amber was up to; Erin had told him herself. There had seemed little point in keeping it a secret with so few of them left. “That isn’t necessarily the same thing.”

“You’re saying I should stop worrying and let her get on with it.”

Darr inclined his head. “Amber is a skilled operative and she would never do anything to put this guild or its members in jeopardy. I have faith in her, Erin, even if you don’t.”

“I have plenty of faith,” Erin replied, but she knew she sounded defensive.

“Good,” Darr said crisply. “But you should send her a message regardless. You’ll never rest easily otherwise.”

Erin strode away, resisting an urge to roll her eyes. Why did asura have to be so damned bossy and why did they always think they knew best?

Or, perhaps the more pertinent question was: why did Darr, just like Amber, know her better than she knew herself?

Erin kept her letter to Amber short, hoping that would make her sound practical rather than frantic. Oska and Jean are attempting to engage Vasha. Report in when Marissa makes a move. She read it over twice, then sealed the note into a tube. It made no attempt at secrecy, but if Marissa got her hands on the letter, a simple code wouldn’t be enough to hide the fact that Amber was working behind her back.

If that was still what Amber was doing. A twinge of uncertainty made Erin’s head ache. She hadn’t heard from the asura since the night she’d left with Marissa. What if she’d decided Light’s Memory was in the wrong? What if Marissa’s plan to recover Auri had been good enough to convince Amber to switch her allegiance?

Erin shook her head. Allegiances and loyalties and the choosing of sides. She was starting to think like an Order of Whispers agent and it was doing her no good at all.

To settle her nerves, she headed for the guild hall storeroom. Oska had left in a hurry, which meant he’d be travelling light. She had her own supplies to prepare, too. Instinct might be screaming at her to run all the way to Ascalon with her sword in her hand, but that was a sure way to get them all killed.

The storeroom was small and cramped, one of the only places in the guild hall that had escaped the fire. A fire that Taria had ordered, Erin thought sourly, as she began rifling through crates. Like all the Valparis, the old woman played by her own rules. The rest of them had to keep up or be left sitting in the dust.

The first crate was empty and the second held only a handful of whetstones. Erin frowned and moved on to the next. Ivar was in charge of maintaining their supplies and he usually left them neatly arranged. What she needed was blade oil for herself and smoke bombs for Oska, perhaps with a handful of dry rations in case they got stuck out in the field.

But nothing was where it should be and it wasn’t long before Erin knew something was seriously wrong.

The fuses on the smoke bombs had been cut or pulled out completely. Sacks of grain and flour had been sliced open, spilling their contents in heaps on the floor. Three lengths of rope had even been cut to pieces, whilst their entire supply of ink bottles had been unceremoniously smashed.

This wasn’t just her brother being disorganised. This was sabotage.

The moment Erin realised it, all the hairs rose on the back of her neck. She reached instinctively for her greatsword, only to remember she’d left it propped against the wall outside. She spun, reaching for the half open door ‒ which was when the shadows above shifted.

Ruby dropped from the ceiling like an anchor being thrown overboard. The shock of her appearance made Erin shout in surprise and scramble backwards ungracefully. Ruby landed on a closed crate and swung a booted foot towards Erin’s face, which came perilously close to connecting. Another foot followed the first, but this time Erin was ready. She grabbed Ruby’s ankle in mid-air and pulled.

Ruby yelped as she crashed into the crate with a sickening crunch, then rolled onto the ground. She was back on her feet instantly, but now the height difference between them was far more apparent. Ruby’s daggers flashed, but Erin brought up an armoured forearm and blocked each attack, before driving her own weight forwards. Before Ruby could attack again, Erin had slammed her backwards into the wall and put a hand around the girl’s throat.

She was very careful not to squeeze too hard. They were both panting and Ruby had a wild look in her eyes, but they were supposed to be allies ‒ and whatever else happened, Erin wasn’t about to end this with Ruby’s blood on her hands.

“Talk,” she snapped.

Ruby bared her teeth. “Taria wants to see you,” she spat.

“And that’s why you’re here destroying our supplies?”

Ruby’s feral look hadn’t faded. “It’s less than you deserve.”

Erin leaned back, finally releasing her grip and allowing Ruby to lurch away. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know damned well what it means. You’ve been lying to us and Taria knows it.”

A denial bubbled to Erin’s lips but she left it unspoken. She was missing something. What did Taria think she knew? Something the rest of them were oblivious to, clearly.

“Your cousins are out there,” Erin said, nodding towards the storeroom door. “They need our help.”

“That’s nothing new,” Ruby said, with undisguised bitterness. “They’ll have to fend for themselves. Taria’s waiting.”

The options weighed themselves in Erin’s mind, but the choice was clear. Oska and Jean had made a foolish move, but they could take care of themselves. In order to keep the rest of the guild functioning ‒ and to get Auri back in one piece ‒ they needed Taria’s help.

“Fine,” Erin said, pushing past Ruby. “Lead the way.”