“What?” Wolf yelled. “I can’t hear you, what?”
His voice snapped her attention back to the present and her head jerked up sharply.
It was one of those moments where things played out in slow motion, and even though she could see the inevitable ending, there wasn’t a thing she could do to stop it. Wolf, distracted by a question from someone below, had leaned his body out and away from the scaffold, trying to hear better. Of course, doing that shifted his weight on the board holding Tran, just enough that the board went skittering sideways and then down.
Tran, caught by surprise, yelped as the board simply disappeared from underneath his boots. He went straight down, arms above his head, falling eight feet until he made a spectacular crash against the boards stacked underneath. With one end of the board going down, the other one automatically came up, and caught Wolf just underneath the chin. He grunted at the impact and flipped sideways, landing nose-first into the side of the building.
Siobhan was running before Tran hit the ground. She hadn’t been far to begin with, and she covered the distance between them in a second. It was just as well she was close, for the board wasn’t done yet. Free from any weight or restraints, it came toppling down, spinning in a corkscrew fashion as it went. She had just enough time to unsheathe a sword before the board appeared right over her head. Teeth bared, she struck it with the flat of her sword and threw it to the side before it could land on top of her and Tran.
It bounced with a hollow sound against the cobblestones before spinning several feet and fetching against the far wall.
Breathing hard, she demanded frantically, “ERIK?!”
“Fine,” he choked back, sounding stuffed. “I thinkh I bwoke my nose. But fine.”
Good enough for now. Spinning on her heels, she dropped down to one knee, reaching for Tran. “Tran? How badly are you hurt?”
He looked back at her in a daze, the fall just now catching up with him. “I’m…fine?”
His lack of confidence did nothing to reassure her. “Alexander, get Conli,” she snapped.
Alexander jerked out a nod before dropping everything in his hands and running as fast as his little legs could carry him, calling for Conli as he went.
Siobhan dropped her sword and reached for Tran with both hands, checking for anything broken. Aside from some major bruising and a gash on his back, she couldn’t find any real injuries.
Conli came around the corner at a dead run, his black bag in hand. “Who’s hurt?”
“Tran and Wolf, Tran is worse off I think,” she answered quickly. Leaving Conli to deal with Tran, she scrambled back to her feet and went for her lover. “Wolf?”
He was already climbing down, awkwardly, as climbing anything with only one good hand was somewhat of a challenge. He thumped the last foot to the ground without any trouble but when he turned to look at her, she saw that his nose was gushing blood and already swelling and discoloring. If he hadn’t broken it, it was likely very bruised. Swearing, she grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and reached up, stemming the tide.
“Here, sit, tilt your head back a little. We’ve got to get this stopped.”
“Ow, Siobhan, owowowow, gently. I thold you, I thinkh iths bwoken,” Wolf protested, sounding even more stuffed up now with a handkerchief blocking his nose.
“It’s a miracle that’s all that happened,” she snarled. “Why do you two idiots always do this to me? I tell you something’s dangerous, it’s a bad idea, and you don’t listen and then you get hurt, and then I somehow end up with bloodstains on my clothes!”
Conli reported to her as he worked, “Tran’s got some beautiful bruises developing, and I think he wrenched his knee, so he’ll need to stay off of that for a few days, but he’ll heal.”
“Good.” Not that she wasn’t tempted to kill both of them later, but she was relieved they’d managed to get through this stunt with minor injuries. “Now, what did we learn from this?”
“Next time, move the scaffold?” Tran offered ingeniously.
“No,” Alexander corrected, voice sounding as if he were trying not to laugh, “listen to your guildmaster.”
“At least one of you gets it,” Siobhan snarked. “Alexander, do the world a favor, don’t become like these two. I’m not sure we can handle more than two.”
Wolf seemed to realize that her words were mere camouflage for hiding her relief, as he snaked an arm around her waist and cuddled her in closer. “And yeth you’re dhathing one of them. Whath thath say abouth you, eh?”
“That I’m a glutton for punishment,” she drawled back, not blinking an eye.
Tran roared with laughter. Even Conli chuckled.
Beirly came around the other end of the building, demanding, “What is going on over here? Did I hear something fall?”
“That’d be me,” Tran answered, raising a hand.
“You fell?” Beirly demanded, voice rising.
“Beirly,” Siobhan fixed him with a look a basilisk would envy, “these two are not to work together. Have I not made this clear?”
He gulped nervously. “Ah, sorry?”
“Tran’s not to work at all, not for the next few days. He needs to stay off this knee,” Conli interjected.
“What am I supposed to do sitting around all day?” Tran objected. He hated the idea of not being in motion and was the worst patient out of the entire guild.
“You should have thought of that before doing stupid stunts,” Conli retorted, not the least bit sympathetic. “Beirly, give me a hand.”
Glad to escape the potential tongue lashing from Siobhan, Beirly scooted around her and Wolf and went immediately to help carry Tran away.
Alexander watched them go before asking, “Is rebuilding things always this dangerous?”
Siobhan just sighed.
Cha Ji An came in like a whirlwind, speaking before she was even in sight. “Siobhan-jia, are you here?”
Siobhan looked up from her position on the floor. She had been laying down the new wood floor with Beirly most of the morning, but they only had one corner of the room done. Her knees and lower back were killing her and she was glad for any excuse that would get her off the floor. “I’m here. Welcome, Cha Ji An-jia.”
Cha Ji An, usually one of the most polite people in the world, skipped the pleasantries and went directly to business. “Do you not know of what has happened?”
“The way you are asking that question makes me feel like I should be sitting down.”
“You should,” Cha Ji An agreed but she did not pause long enough to give Siobhan a chance to do so. “Fallen Ward has somehow ascertained that their guildmaster is here.”
“Well, that only took them three weeks.”
Cha Ji An’s head pulled back like a startled bird’s. “You are not surprised?”
“Not really,” Siobhan admitted. “We have been taking Alexander everywhere in the city and while we haven’t told people who he is, it wouldn’t take long for them to figure it out. Especially after those first few days when he was shouting his full name at people and demanding they obey him. I more or less expected Fallen Ward to learn that he was here quickly.”
Cha Ji An’s flustered energy stilled. She had expected a panic when bringing this news and not Siobhan’s calm rationale. “If you knew that, why did you expose him to the public so readily?”
“Because it was the only way to teach him. The only way that I knew how to teach him. I can’t keep him here forever, after all, and the best that I can do is teach as much as I can while I can.”
From the far back of the room, a child’s treble voice carried: “My guild knows where I am?”
Siobhan half-turned, and found Alexander standing in the back door. He had a tool belt slung over one shoulder, and a box of nails in his hands. He brought them to Beirly and set them down without ever looking away from her. Siobhan met his eyes levelly as he came to stand next to both women.
Showing that he had indeed learned in the past two weeks, he
turned to Cha Ji An and extended a hand. “I am Alexander Jonquil.”
Cha Ji An must’ve heard something about Alexander because this civil greeting surprised her. But she returned it with all the grace an ambassador should display. She put her hand in his and exchanged bows with him. “I am Cha Ji An, ambassador from Saoleord. It is a pleasure to meet you, Guildmaster.”
“It is my pleasure, I assure you.” Alexander sounded more like a twenty-year-old than the ten-year-old he was. “You said that my guild is aware that I’m here?”
“They know that you are in Goldschmidt,” Cha Ji An clarified. “Guildmaster Darrens received a report not an hour ago from one of his spies. I do not think they know how you came to be here, only that you are here.”
“I knew that they would find me eventually.” Alexander did not sound haughty saying this. It was simply a fact that he knew to be true.
Cha Ji An did not treat Alexander as a child, but spoke to him as if she were speaking to an adult. “I feel that we must contact your guild soon. We must make arrangements for your return.”
Before the words could finish leaving her mouth, Alexander was already shaking his head in denial. “No, I can’t leave yet.”
Siobhan was just as startled to hear this as Cha Ji An was. The women asked in near unison, “You want to stay here?”
Alexander gave them a grimace and shrug. “I need to stay here.”
When he said it that way, Siobhan had an inkling of what was running through his mind. But in the past three weeks, she had spent a great deal of time around him. Cha Ji An had not and was justifiably confused.
“Alexander-zhi, I do not understand.”
A terribly mature expression came over his face. It made him look a decade older. “When I first came here, I was angry and scared. I was in the hands of my enemy and I didn’t know what they were going to do to me. But now I understand what they were trying to teach me. I understand how much damage I did and how much heartache I caused. I haven’t fixed anything yet. I can’t leave.”
Cha Ji An gentled her tone. “It will take years to reverse the damage done here. You cannot stay here that long. There are duties that you must return to.”
Alexander looked frustrated and torn. “But I haven’t done anything yet.”
Siobhan sank down to her haunches so she could put an arm around his shoulders. “Alexander, you were brought here so that you could learn. You have not learned everything you need to, but that too, will take years. You have learned the important things.”
Alexander turned an unreadable expression on her. “You think I should go?”
“I think we need to do something.” Siobhan did not mean to equivocate, but she did not have the perfect answer at that moment either. “We can’t just stay silent. If we do, your guild will send another army against us. Right now, that will be devastating. We need to avoid it at all costs.”
Alexander’s shoulders fell in disappointment. “I understand.”
She didn’t want him to think that they were abandoning him, so quickly added, “You’re not going back alone. You’re right, we haven’t taught you everything you need to know yet. How would you feel about having someone from Saoleord as an advisor?”
The lost expression on his face fell away and he looked at her from the corner of his eye. “An advisor from Saoleord?”
“I have been asked to be your advisor,” Cha Ji An volunteered. She gave him a blinding smile as she said this. “I came here as an ambassador but in truth I have no urgent desire to return home.”
Feeling the need to reinforce this, Siobhan tacked on, “Cha Ji An has been responsible for organizing the refugees and keeping things running smoothly. In the time that she has been here, she has formed many business connections, and has gained a solid understanding of the economy. She’s also very well-versed in ancient history. If there is anyone that can help you revive Coravine, then it’s likely her. It’s why we asked her.”
Alexander looked at her the same way that any child regarded a new adult that would potentially have power over him. He was weighing her, not at all sure he would like this person, but already half-resigned that she would be in his life whether he liked it or not. “What is the major mistake I made as guildmaster?”
This question, coming out of the blue, surprised Cha Ji An. It was obviously a test and she hadn’t expected one. Siobhan hid a smile behind her hand. Alexander was not the type to win people over. Rather, he tested the people around him to see if they were good enough for his company, not the other way around.
Cha Ji An was a woman that could think well on her feet, a necessary trait for a woman of her position, and she only needed three seconds to get over her surprise and think of the answer. “You were too quick to settle problems with immediate solutions, without thinking of how it would affect things long term.”
This answer pleased Alexander, as he had come to the same conclusion the first week he was here. But he wasn’t done yet. “Instead of ransacking the cities here in Robarge, what should I have done to boost Coravine’s economy?”
“The bridge that your grandfather started was not a bad notion. For the future, it would be good to have that built. But until its completion, Coravine must create trade demand. All reports I have seen say that you have no specialty in the market, no trade good that you can create that no one else can?” She waited for his confirming nod before continuing, “Then that is what you must do.”
Alexander was following this closely. “What would you suggest?”
“I cannot tell you specifics until I have studied the problem and spoken more with your people. I have no idea what resources you have available.”
A slow smile came over his face. “You might be a good advisor for me.”
Cha Ji An took no offense at this and gave him a pretty bow at the compliment. “I am pleased you think so.”
As an aside, Alexander said to Siobhan, “Everyone else always rattles out something when I ask them those questions but it’s never any good. They don’t have any facts, just guesses. I like people that will say ‘I don’t know’ instead of saying what they think I want to hear.”
Ahhh, is that what he had been testing her on? Siobhan thought he was just trying to get a firmer sense of Cha Ji An overall. “The reason we’re suggesting someone from Saoleord is because they have knowledge that’s lost in the rest of the world.” Honesty compelled her to add, “And they’re neutral. Anyone else we chose would have their own interests to push which won’t do you much good.”
“A point that Guildmaster Darrens himself observed.” Cha Ji An flipped her hand over in a delicate motion. “But we will leave that aside for now. At this time, we must decide what to do with your guild, Alexander-zhi.”
Alexander’s face scrunched up as he thought. “Send a letter? Saying I’m fine, I need to stay here…likely won’t work, huh.”
“Would you trust a letter coming out of enemy territory?” Siobhan asked him dryly.
“No,” Alexander grumbled. “But if I leave now, they won’t let me come back.”
“Yes, you’re right, and Rune’s not allowed to go kidnap you again. Also, if we just hand you back, we lose any bargaining power. No one is going to take Cha Ji An’s presence well. They’re used to having a certain amount of authority and they’re not going to want to give any of that up.”
“As to that,” Cha Ji An interceded, “I do have a plan. But simply returning you, Alexander-zhi, will foil it.”
Alexander looked longingly to where Beirly was still putting floorboards in place. “Can I go back to hammering things?”
Siobhan sympathized completely. She too would prefer construction work over figuring out this political, hostage situation. “Cha Ji An-jia, I suppose that you and Darrens have discussed how to insert you into Fallen Ward?”
“We have.”
“Did he have any ideas of how to handle this new curve?”
“I’m sure he does by now. It’s been over two hours since I’ve
spoken with him.”
That made the next step clear to Siobhan. “We need to go talk to Darrens.”
ӜӜӜ
Like Siobhan, Darrens had been forced to reconstruct part of his guild compound. The damage done to his place hadn’t been as severe, there were parts of it that were still intact, but he had been neck deep in construction right along with most of his city. The front gates had taken the worst beating, and it was a mess of frustrated guards trying to control the traffic in and out and building materials stacked up all over the place. It took Siobhan forever to get through. She had wondered why it would take Cha Ji An a full two hours to get from Blackstone to Deepwoods when they were all within the same city, but after spending thirty minutes just to get through the gate, it made perfect sense.
Darrens did anticipate that they would come back to speak with him, as he’d instructed his people to show her directly to him, which helped speed matters along. One of his guards brought the little party to Darrens’ office. Siobhan noted as she stepped inside the room that it had survived largely intact. The bookshelves and desk weren’t harmed, and most of the books and scrolls that were here before were all in their proper places. It was some of the finer art and statues that were missing.
Rotten thieves.
Seated at his table, Darrens didn’t realize he had guests for a few seconds until Siobhan cleared her throat to get his attention. Only then did he stop his conversation with the other young man seated next to him. She had the sense that she should know who he was, but Siobhan couldn’t place him.
“Ah, Siobhan, Cha Ji An-jia, Guildmaster Jonquil,” Darrens greeted. He did not smile, but pointed them to the empty chairs at the table. “Come sit. This is Bryce Moon, one of my informants that lives outside of Channel Pass.”
Oh? This was the infamous watcher that had been the only warning Goldschmidt had of an invading army, eh? Siobhan had heard the story, but didn’t realize it was such a young man. He had olive skin, pitch black hair, and a thin build. There was a bow leaning up against his chair, and a short sword strapped to his back. She bet he was a capable fighter to have the occupation he did. He looked ridiculously young for the position. In fact, if he were older than Rune, she’d eat her boots.
Fallen Ward (Deepwoods Saga Book 3) Page 21
