Chapter 5: Part 1 - The Right Thing

It was a long time since Erin had seen her guild hall so full. Not all of Light’s Memory were even present ‒ there was fieldwork to do and leads to chase ‒ but she was still surrounded by a buzz of activity. Even the Valparis had fallen into line, with Jean busy collating field reports for Darr and Marissa… Erin wasn’t entirely sure what Marissa was doing. The fact that she was in the guild hall and not picking fights with anyone was good enough.

“You’re sure about this.” Amber’s flat voice interrupted Erin’s study of a gleaming sword, fresh from Ivar’s forge. He seemed to think they needed weapons and lots of them, which Erin couldn’t really argue with.

Erin laid the sword carefully back on the bench. “What is there to be unsure of?”

“It’s Spark,” Amber said. “She’s been with us since the beginning. She’s part of Light’s Memory. You’re treating her like the enemy.”

“Not the enemy.” Erin laid a gentle hand on Amber’s shoulder. “You didn’t see her in the Priory, Amber. You didn’t hear her talking about Auri. And besides… Can you really tell me she isn’t capable of kidnap?”

Amber stepped away from Erin’s touch, throwing up her hands in frustration. “Of course she’s capable of it! We’re talking about Spark! She builds weapons and takes risks. She killed‒”

Blaise. It had been a long time since either of them had spoken his name, but Erin had always tried to carry him with her in everything Light’s Memory did.

“Blaise’s death was an accident,” Erin said softly, as Amber closed her eyes. “But it happened because Spark was reckless and over-ambitious. She didn’t stop to consider the consequences then and she might not now. I know she thinks she’s doing the right thing by taking Auri, but Spark doing the right thing is…”

“Terrifying,” Amber said sourly.

Erin knew why Amber was so rattled. Spark had been both friend and foe for so many years that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Worse, they’d agreed to keep an eye on her. Amber had accepted responsibility for Spark’s weapon, Souleater. Erin had taken Spark into the guild so she’d never be far away. But all of it had been for nothing, because despite all the years between them, they still didn’t always know how Spark thought. They’d underestimated her and that realisation had come like a punch to the gut.

“Caolinn will find her,” Erin said. “She’s known Spark even longer than we have.”

Amber gave a bitter laugh. Caolinn hadn’t exactly been easy to work with all these years, but somehow they’d salvaged that relationship. Erin trusted the sylvari, even if she wasn’t sure Amber always did.

Amber turned to the workbench, picking up another of Ivar’s half-finished blades. It appeared to be a dagger, but it was as long as the asura’s entire arm. “These are good. Does he make anything that isn’t sized for norn?”

“I’ll ask‒” Erin started, but she was interrupted by a messenger bird swooping through the guild hall’s open door and coming to land on her shoulder.

Erin tore the message open, trying not to let her fingers shake. Caolinn’s message was as succinct as ever.

Meet me in Black Citadel. Spark is on the move. Weir hasn’t gone with her.

She looked up to find Amber staring suspiciously at the back of the letter. “Good news?”

“Maybe. I need to go to Ascalon.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“No. I need you here and…” Erin paused, neatly folding the ripped letter into a square as she put her thoughts in order. “I want to speak to Weir alone.”

Amber folded her arms. “Because you think I’ll get you in trouble?”

“Because this is my guild and Spark is my responsibility. I could have brought her in when we met in the Priory, but I didn’t. This is what a guild leader does. When something’s broken, they put it right.”

Amber was silent for a long time. “You’re better at this than you realise,” she said finally, picking up another of Ivar’s daggers. “Fine. I’ll hold the fort. Ivar can make me something new whilst I’m waiting.”

Erin was halfway across the guild hall when Amber called her back. “It’s going to take hard choices to fix this, Erin ‒ but we’re with you, whatever you choose to do.”

Erin managed a grin. “I know. I’ll let you know if I find someone you can stick that new dagger in.”

Amber raised a hand. “I’m looking forward to it already.”

The journey to the Black Citadel passed in a blur. Erin stepped out of the asura gate to the realisation that she’d brought nothing with her but her weapons and her own self. But she wouldn’t need supplies, she reminded herself. She was here to talk to Weir, not to chase Spark halfway across Tyria. If she was careful, Amber would never even have to sharpen her new blade, let alone use it.

Caolinn waited at the foot of the ramp. “There are other leads I can follow,” she said, not bothering with a greeting. “If Weir doesn’t come through, that is.”

“He will,” Erin replied.

Caolinn studied her face. “You’re very sure of yourself.”

“Weir’s here and Spark isn’t. I think he’s ready to talk.”

“I hope you’re right.” Caolinn nodded sharply. “He’s waiting for you in that bar he likes. See you back in Lion’s Arch.”

And then Erin was alone, surrounded by all the hum and bustle of the Black Citadel. She found, quite suddenly, that she felt more sure of herself than she had in a very long time. She was the guild leader and Weir was one of her guild. It really was that simple.

Weir was, as Caolinn had promised, seated outside the grimy little bar where she’d talked with him before. This time, there was no Spark to keep him company. Judging by the array of empty glasses in front of him, he’d been there rather longer than was wise. He didn’t look bleary-eyed as Erin slid onto a stool, though. If anything, he looked angry.

“I wondered how long it’d take you,” he growled.

Erin put both hands flat on the table. “Where is she, Weir?”

Weir gave a shrug that was filled with tension. “Can’t tell you.”

“Can’t or won’t? You know every move Spark makes.”

“You make it sound like I’m the brains of the operation.” Weir’s laugh was sharp. “Well, I’m not. Spark makes the decisions and I just follow along.”

“You’re not following her now.”

Weir’s expression clouded. He picked up the nearest glass, found it empty, and shoved it aside with a grunt. “Spark likes her privacy.”

“You weren’t with her in the Priory, either.” Erin paused, trying to read more in Weir’s face than a scowl.

Weir abruptly pushed to his feet, rattling the table and all the glasses upon it. “Is this an interrogation, or are you just here to waste my time? I don’t care what Spark does. Inferno, Souleater, all the plots and schemes ‒ none of it means anything to me. When she asks me to follow, I do it. Are you listening yet? I don’t care.”

Erin stared at him, finally realising there was more than mere anger in his hunched shoulders. Weir did look furious, but he also looked… desperate.

“Spark didn’t order you to stay behind in the Citadel,” Erin said slowly. “You’re here because she’s gone too far, even for you.”

Weir turned his heavy head away and huffed out a breath.

Erin pushed herself upright. Standing, she and Weir were almost the same height. “You’re lying to me, Weir. You care more than you’ve ever admitted. You want Spark to be a good person. You want her to make the right choices. And when she doesn’t, you keep following her anyway, waiting for her to be better.

“Well, we’ve all been waiting a long time. We can keep waiting, but it won’t make any difference. Spark could choose to be better, but we both know she never will. This is who she wants to be and we either accept that as unchangeable, or we accept that we have to be better in her stead. Which is it going to be?”

Still, Weir refused to look her in the eye.

And Erin knew, quite suddenly, how to get through to him. Hard choices, Amber had said, and maybe this was one of them. Erin had to choose the one thing Spark would never do herself.

Erin stepped away from the table, making the empty glasses rattle again. She waited until Weir had turned her way a fraction and then dropped to her knees.

“Spark thinks Auri is a weapon,” Erin said, her voice low and urgent. She ignored the curious charr eyes turning her way. She even ignored Weir’s frozen look of shock and indecision. “But Spark’s wrong. Auri’s just a girl who had the bad luck to be born with a power no one knows how to handle. Her family are terrified for her. I’m terrified for her. And I’ve promised, more than once, to bring Auri home.

“Please, Weir. I’m not asking as your guild leader. I’m begging as a friend. If you know where Spark is, where she’s taken Auri, you have to tell me before it’s too late.”