Chapter 5: Part 9 - Steel
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Chapter 5: Part 9 - Steel

It was the greatest feeling in the world to know they’d made Artair angry. Oska watched as the portal at the end of the deck opened and the sylvari stepped out of it, a crowd of Talons at his back. He was no longer carrying his usual greatsword, but instead a sleek rifle that somehow looked all the more dangerous for being so subtle.

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Chapter 5: Part 8 - The Flawless Victory
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Chapter 5: Part 8 - The Flawless Victory

It had taken all Erin had to put her trust in Vasha. Even now, crouched in the undergrowth of Bloodtide Fen, she wasn’t quite sure what she’d let herself in for.

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Chapter 5: Part 7 - Good Luck With Thieves
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Chapter 5: Part 7 - Good Luck With Thieves

After days of frenetic activity, the guild hall had fallen eerily quiet. Oska was gone, of course, chasing Spark’s trail into the depths of Ascalon. Erin had tasked Marissa, Roan, Jean, and Caolinn to go after him. She was certain they had enough experience to handle Spark, especially Caolinn, who’d worked with the charr years before Light’s Memory formed.

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Fourth Interlude: Loyalty
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Fourth Interlude: Loyalty

Blackthorn Manor was dark and silent, but it wasn’t empty. Erin had been at the door for only a few moments before it swung inwards, revealing a stern-faced servant.

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Chapter 4: Part 10 - Fury and Despair
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Chapter 4: Part 10 - Fury and Despair

Oska’s world had slowed to a crawl. He saw the arrow drop out of the sky and strike Erin in the chest. He saw her stagger backwards, unharmed, and brush the arrow away as though it was nothing more than a biting insect. He saw, through the thickening snow flurries, weapons being drawn and spells prepared.

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Chapter 4: Part 9 - A Hundred Years in the Wilderness
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Chapter 4: Part 9 - A Hundred Years in the Wilderness

It was a long time since Erin had spent any real time in the Shiverpeaks. Over her years with Amber and then with Light’s Memory, she’d passed through from time to time, but that simply wasn’t the same. Wading through knee-deep snow, waking to ice in your hair and eyelashes, feeling the cold sink right down to your bones… She knew Amber would call her mad for it, but she missed everyone one of those things.

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Chapter 4: Part 8 - Conniving Natures
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Chapter 4: Part 8 - Conniving Natures

Erin was usually good at waiting. Hunting in the Shiverpeaks required the utmost patience, which meant it was a quality she’d cultivated even before she could hold a sword. But crouching in the undergrowth of a rain-slick night in Ascalon? This was more excruciating than any ambush she’d ever done before.

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Chapter 4: Part 6 - Ruses and Lies
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Chapter 4: Part 6 - Ruses and Lies

The carriage ride was cramped and uncomfortable. Erin was certain Ruby had chosen the smallest vehicle possible, just to spite her. They sat across from one another, the curtains closed and Ruby’s eyes glinting in the darkness. The girl managed to look both comfortable enough to fall asleep and yet ready to stab someone as quickly as blinking. Erin, on the other hand, was forced to pull her knees up almost to her chest.

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Chapter 4: Part 2 - The Upper Hand
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Chapter 4: Part 2 - The Upper Hand

Marta’s office was both tiny and alarmingly familiar to Erin. It had once been a storeroom, stuffed full of unused scrolls and abandoned student theses. It had also been just about roomy enough, Erin recalled, for two norn who’d had one too many ales and ended up wearing too few clothes. They’d been a pair of drunken fools, all right. No wonder Marta had called the relationship off before it could really get started.

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Third Interlude: Opposing Sides
Amy Sanderson Amy Sanderson

Third Interlude: Opposing Sides

The message arrived at midnight, when the guild was quiet and everyone but Erin was asleep. There was no need to keep watch, but she did it anyway, standing in the open doorway and staring out into the night. Lion’s Arch seemed unusually subdued, but maybe it was only her mood that made it so. Marissa’s defection didn’t surprise her, nor Jean’s. The fact that Roan had followed them raised its own questions, but perhaps he was more comfortable with his former enemy than with a guild who were still strangers to him. Amber, though… There would be a reason for her departure ‒ there was a reason for everything Amber did ‒ but that didn’t make it any easier to bear.

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