Hope

The four of them gathered in the privacy of the top floor’s offices. For all Waylan spoke with urgency he was not in enough hurry to skirt secrecy. Still, tea was not served in the haste.

“Elaborate then, what has Aaron found?” Elizabeth spoke as soon as they were seated. Almost sooner.

“So, as I tell Irw, we got new clues as to your dead men,” Waylan nodded, grim. “Though it ain’t good news. We gotta thank that scary fly for it, Aaron reckons.”

“You mean the dragon?” Irwyn squinted.

“It flies, don’t it?” Waylan grinned, then the smile slipped again. “But aye. Streets full of shat pants after that. So much so that it stirred something in people. Lost memories for one, some normally not forgot.”

“Altered recollections?” Alice’s gaze immediately hardened. “Among one of yours then, if you found out so fast?”

“Aye again,” Waylan nodded. “Not sure why or how, but two of ours suddenly remember things.”

“Shock and fear of death,” Elizabeth explained. “Extreme mental or emotional turmoil in general is known to loosen some mental magics, especially hostile ones. Since something could be stirred, those memories were merely obscured, not outright removed - that means that whoever had done so was meaning to either hide their tampering from inspection or was not the most competent. Here in Ebon Respite I would assume the latter… Willpower might also play a role at shedding such influences if weak enough.”

“Perhaps they underestimated the Tears’ mental resilience,” Irwyn opined. “Anyone who has been going out is a full adult by our reckoning, even if they might appear as young teens to most. They have been trained and gone through much.”

“Who knows? The ‘how’ is not the most important,” Waylan interjected. “What matters more is what they remember. It was not that bad at a glance, actually. A conversation. Until they dig into who was talking and about what.”

“Undead?” Alice asked immediately.

“What? No,” Waylan glanced at her in feign confusion, then grinned. “Lost a bet, eh?”

“Technically I haven’t bet anything,” she quickly backtracked. “And it could definitely still be undead.”

“Let’s hear out the rest first,” Elizabeth said, though there was a hint of amusement fighting the seriousness.

“Yeah, so one of our girls reports this to Aaron, then second comes with just the same issue,” Waylan nodded. “Neither can remember much of what happened but they both talked with two men, no face, no where, just that. And small snippets. One knows they were asking about this army place here, the other remembers the two wanted to know about Blackburgs.”

“Why would anyone need to ask about House Blackburg?” Irwyn frowned. “They are quite notorious.”

“They could be foreigners,” Alice suggested. “How much do you know of House Jaderoot?”

“Fair…” Irwyn admitted after a moment. “Is that Green?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth nodded. “It is a good point. It also essentially rules out undead. They do not need to ask such simple questions.”

“It could be a red herring!” Alice put up a last hope. “A deception.”

“Unlikely and you know it,” Elizabeth shook her head, the circumstances did not line up for that. Then she turned back to Waylan. “There has to be more, no?”

“Well, we put things together that the only place the two have both been to is likely the Guild’s little bar,” Waylan nodded. “So, I went to check… and found nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Anticlimactic,” Alice muttered.

“I ain’t done,” Waylan shook his head. “Aaron wanted to double-check and sent Kali with me. And boy, did she find. Two men, sitting at a table that no one knows exists at the corner just… watching.”

“What details did she see?” Irwyn immediately wanted to know.

“They wore weird clothes, apparently, like nothing she had seen before. Strange leather and different colored fabric strung in between. They also both wore masks she could not see through, at least not from outside - we weren’t gonna risk walking up on the cunts.”

“The masks?” Elizabeth asked, frowning.

“Smiling faces, kind of creepy,” Waylan seemingly quoted. “All she said.”

“I have a few suspects, though the masks throw me off,” she nodded. “I will quickly compile a dossier, if you can bring it to her and see if any of it fits.”

“Can do,” Waylan agreed.

“Give me a moment. I will be right back,” Elizabeth said and stepped downstairs, leaving the trio behind.

“Anything else to ask?” Waylan turned back from his eyes following her departure. “I will have to run when she gets back.”

“How is everyone holding up with this revelation?” Irwyn said.

“I think almost everyone is still freaking out about the dragons,” Waylan shrugged. “Even the sharper ones are too off-key to notice something wrong. Only our closed circle knows.”

“Are people holding up? I freaked out with a warning, are the folk going crazy?” Alice wanted to know.

“Suicide rates will be up this month, all around,” Waylan frowned. “Lot of people thought it was the end, you know. Just suddenly this giant fucking lizard, swooping at us. We thought it might all be over and that is knowing about the girl is in the city whose pa apparently killed something like that before.”

“The Duke’s trophy looked thousands of times smaller if that is any comfort,” Irwyn offered. He still remembered the throne that had been displayed at the Exenn. It had been large, just not remotely city-sized.

“Volume is deceiving,” Alice disagreed. “Voidborn monsters in particular defy it. What is the point of size if the concept of space is loose where they live?”

“To swallow stuff whole,” Waylan pointed out.

“Some do take that route but many Void creatures are focused on extreme speed,” Alice explained. “It is also why they are rare and usually much less dangerous here, Realmside. They are used to the very basic rules of reality not applying where they live and fully adapted to be apex predators in such an environment - which makes them break without it.”

“I saw a Void bird once failing to take flight,” Irwyn nodded, it sounded about right.

“You never brought that up,” Waylan gave him a narrow-eyed stare.

“Uh, it was a bit of a footnote,” Irwyn excused, though it wasn’t even a lie. And that in itself was quite incredible.

Before he could be interrogated though, Elizabeth returned, holding a yellow crystal of some kind. It felt like Light magic, a deceivingly complex piece for all it held little power. “This contains images, just hold it to an even surface. They are numbered, see if Kalista recognizes any of them.”

“Be back then, see ya,” Waylan took the crystal, then vanished from sight. Even the enchanted item itself seemed to vanish from Irwyn’s senses.

“You said you have a suspicion,” Irwyn broached.

“We will need confirmation but I do,” Elizabeth nodded. “There is a certain mercenary group that fits such a description. Their more senior members only wear the leather of monsters they have personally slain, a mark of status among themselves.”

“And the colored fabric?” Alice asked.

“They add one patch for every mage they kill, corresponding to their element,” Elizabeth explained. “I think it is very likely their origin is such, though the masks are unusual.”

“I have never heard of such a group,” Irwyn admitted, turning to Alice. “Have you?”

“Nope,” she shrugged. “Maybe the name would stir up something.”

“Tempered Testimony,” Elizabeth said.

“Very vaguely familiar,” Alice admitted after a moment. “I don’t think they ever butted heads with Steelmire.”

“They operate in the Duchies of Yellow and Brown. Much like Steelmire did in Black, White, and Teal. I think there was never much cause for conflict since there would always be more work than could be handled locally.”

“If you are right, what would they be doing in the City?” Irwyn refocused the conversation.

“Work, presumably,” Elizabeth said. “Possibly something involving us if they are asking about the camp and my family.”

“Could it be sabotage?” Alice suggested.

“No.”

“Illius seemed like the spiteful type,” Irwyn hypothesized. “Would her really not be petty enough to sabotage you? Duchy of Yellow fits.”

“Even he would not dare stoop to that. It would be suicide,” Elizabeth shook her head. “A Lich War is the time of universal crisis. Traitors are not tolerated, even heirs to whole Duchies. The Archduke of Red might personally get involved if need be because letting anyone get away with something as overt as sabotage is a slippery slope ending with this entire Realm dying because an idiot thought the Undead would be convenient for getting rid of a rival. Illius is too smart not to realize that and know that the odds of getting caught would be significant. He would not risk his future just to spite me.”

“Who else could be responsible then?” Irwyn asked, coming to his own conclusion. He trusted Elizabeth’s reasoning why it wouldn’t be the Brightbeak heir. That left just one prime suspect in his mind.

“Undead hiring them through a proxy,” Alice suggested, though it was clear even she was not buying it. “Which would technically make it the Rot’s work.”

“What about Alira?” Irwyn said instead. And it all fell into place. Old Crow’s warning rose to the top of his memory. Alira had put a bounty on his head behind her House’s back – it so neatly explained everything. In that case he just needed to convince the girls it was a plausible explanation without that knowledge he had promised to not share.

“Elaborate?” Elizabeth frowned.

“Well, it is obvious isn’t it?” Irwyn said, confidence in his voice. “She would not let go of the grudge against me. Assassination seems like the obvious next step after her failure during the Exenn.”

“House Fathomsight would not dare disobey the Duke’s verdict concerning you, despite my mother’s machinations,” Elizabeth did not seem convinced by that. “Not just out of fear, Irwyn, but they are rigid, extremely conservative. Breaking tradition in such a way… the only scenario where that would make sense would be if they were declaring rebellion - not happening during a Lich War. Especially during a Lich War, actually, since such poorly time betrayal would pit everyone against them.”

“Which is exactly why these mercenaries are from the Duchy of Yellow or Brown, not local,” Irwyn elaborated. “This is not House Fathomsight. This is just Alira, lashing out without the knowledge of her elders.”

“That would be extremely foolhardy,” Elizabeth frowned.

“Alira has shown herself to not be particularly clairvoyant when it comes to consequences,” Irwyn said. “Is it really such a stretch she would carry on believing herself untouchable despite all the proof to the opposite? She has done that every step of the way so far.”

“I am gathering we do not like this Alira person?” Alice interjected.

“Oh,” Irwyn paused. It had not come up, had it? Such an uncomfortable topic most of the time that they avoided it. Of course Alice would not know.

“We can explain properly later but she is just a half-crippled brat with some noble background,” Elizabeth said, deceptively calm.

“I will note that as ‘Yes, we do not like Alira’.”

“If it is indeed Alira acting on her own, there should be a trace of that. Missing liquidity from her personal wealth,” Elizabeth thought out loud, then paused and bit her lip. "Traceable."

“I don’t suppose you have a convenient way to audit her finances,” Irwyn sighed.

“Not without asking my mother,” Elizabeth nodded.

“Which you want to avoid,” Alice understood.

“She will ask for something back,” the other heiress sighed. “Let’s wait for Waylan. We might be spiraling in a completely wrong direction. Other explanations could present themselves…”

But they didn’t.

“She said 4 and 8 looked close to one while 11 and 12 to the other, maybe different colored fabrics,” Waylan explained. He had, indeed, hurried to come back as soon as possible. “The masks looked nothing like those they actually wore, not even close.”

“Is that the confirmation you wanted?” Irwyn asked.

“Indeed,” Elizabeth sighed. “They are a master, apprentice pair from the Tempered Testimony. Unfortunately, they do not make their real power as mages readily apparent in cloth. So, in the absence of better options, I will contact my mother for help.”

“Perhaps I could go scope things out,” Irwyn suggested.

“And put yourself into incredible danger against unknown enemies?” Elizabeth gave him a very intent stare until he looked away in embarrassment. “I had once said I would not let the dislike for my mother get you killed. That has not changed. I will go and… negotiate. Alira’s finances are not such a closely held secret as to be too expensive.”

And so she left, seeking the further privacy of her own room. In the meantime, Alice and Irwyn filled Waylan in on what they had discussed during his absence. In the first place he would have been there for that conversation if they hadn’t been in such a hurry. It was still uncertain how much ‘of the essence’ time was with the situation. That meant it was better to err on the side of caution and do everything with all reasonable haste. When Elizabeth returned a few minutes later she did not look any happier than when she had left - not any grimmer either though.

“My mother has confirmed that there is indeed a discrepancy in Alira’s funds,” she announced. “For exactly how much or where it all went she will need time, especially to afford discretion. Tomorrow, maybe the day after, is what she promised.”

“So we wait until then?” Alice asked.

“Risking them leaving is far better than going in blind,” Elizabeth confirmed. “And they have likely been waiting around for a while now. A day will hopefully not make a difference.”

“What did she ask of you?” Irwyn was far more focused on that.

“She said it was merely a small favor,” Elizabeth answered slowly, then looked at the other heiress. “All she wanted in exchange was that - once this situation is resolved - I would negotiate with her the price of Alice’s testimony… about what happened in Steelmire.”

“Testimony, huh?” Alice chuckled, her expression suddenly dark. “What a polite word.”

“I…” Elizabeth hesitated, unsure what to say.

“Don’t,” Alice interrupted her. “I am honestly amazed I was not dragged off for this long. I got a better handle on my wits than I used to. It will barely be unpleasant, I expect.”

“You shouldn’t need to speak with them at all,” Waylan huffed. “Though that ain’t how anything works.”

“It is indeed strange our hand was not forced… earlier,” Irwyn admitted. Elizabeth had told him - back when she had asked Irwyn to recruit Alice - that part of it was to demand a price for this particular testimony. At first, they had stalled, having Alice act out a week more of depression that would keep such demands away. When that period passed though, Irwyn had expected the Duchess would want to have a word…

Yet she never had. Months had passed and Elizabeth had scarcely brought the topic up. It was as if Avys had already lost interest in events as massive as Steelmire’s slaughter. To the point Irwyn and Elizabeth had begun to suspect the Duchess already knew all she wanted to.

Perhaps Avys had merely been bidding her time. Waiting for Elizabeth to need something before she sprung it onto her. Forcing her to negotiate had a major advantage for the Duchess: Elizabeth could not so easily simply walk out if none of the bargains struck her fancy. She probably still could technically, but it would be disastrous for the reliability of future deals. Therefore, the Duchess would likely emerge with either a better deal or with Elizabeth thinking she did not get underpaid, despite Avys’ leverage to do so – a different kind of debt.

Maybe… probably. Irwyn could think, estimate, and predict all he wanted. He didn’t dislike untangling the mess of schemes like one would a puzzle - as long as it involved no actual talking - but he was ultimately an amateur before Avys. Perhaps she was playing a game he did not even know existed.

“I want a cut,” Alice said. “I don’t know what. I don’t know how much. But I want something if my recollection is being sold.”

“I will bring you to the table,” Elizabeth agreed immediately. “Involving you like that will also show my mother that I fully intend to support you as a member of my retinue. Well, future member. Either way, it should dissuade her from the worst possibilities she might entertain.”

“Dissuade, what confidence,” Waylan muttered.

“I will not lie. If my mother has her mind truly set on something there is nothing I can do to stop her,” Elizabeth readily admitted. “But if she is not determined beyond reasoning, I can sway her. What I will promise, Alice, is that I will do my utmost to spare you from harm.”

“This is already better than I could ever get without you,” Alice smiled sadly. “Were it not for you, I wonder whether they would just keep me in a damp cell, drained for every droplet of knowledge, then left to rot just in case there would be some use in the future.”

“That is a bit… extreme,” Irwyn said. It was a horrid picture his friend painted.

“Is it?” Alice wondered. “It has been done, in fact, it is a common enough practice today across the Federation. Grandpa told me those stories from time to time: How Steelmire had been hired to rescue someone from exactly that Fate… and how little of that person often remained still lingering within the prisoner’s body. Knowing too much is dangerous and I am likely several steps past that. The picture of the Duchess you have painted…”

“About what I would have guessed, honestly,” Waylan sighed.

“We can start preparing while we wait,” Irwyn redirected from the grimer topic. “Even if we do not know what to expect, we can make plans for multiple scenarios. Have them ready and adjustable.”

“And our call today,” Waylan added, turning to Elizabeth. “You said they might not be the most secure.”

“It should be better with my involvement…” she said slowly.

“...But better safe than sorry,” Irwyn interjected. “We will act as if nothing is wrong. Talk about the dragon, maybe. Never even bring up we suspect anything, assume that duo listens in.”

“Agreed,” Waylan said but discretely rolled his eyes at Irwyn. It would be rather obvious to the Tears, the basic secrecy. They had mostly said it out loud for Alice, maybe Elizabeth, though doing it this way would make the cautioning not seem insulting in case they were already on the same page from the start. “I will head off. Might be back later if Aaron has anything else you can chew on.”

“See you around,” Irwyn nodded and Waylan vanished. Then he turned towards his remaining companions. “So, plans. What can we do?”