Chapter 204: Confrontations

Chapter 204: Confrontations

A piercing whistle cut through the clamor in the Guild, making unawakened and awakened alike clamp their hands over their ears.

Looking over the heads of the crowd gathered around them, Rain saw a woman in a sleeveless jacket lowering her fingers from her mouth as she began stalking toward them, a pair of blue-coated clerks trailing in her wake—and a wake it was. As she moved, the crowd parted before her, minnows fleeing a shark’s passage.

Danger bells began ringing in Rain’s head as the woman prowled closer, her predatory grace combined with the powerful definition of her muscles telling a story of high synchronization, while the traces of gray streaking her swept-back auburn hair and the scars crisscrossing her exposed arms spoke of long experience. The silver Guild plate dangling around her neck left little doubt of who she was. What was really putting Rain on edge, though, was his growing awareness of the woman’s soul. It was a far cry from the overwhelming sharpness of Velika’s or the occluded solidity of Halgrave’s, but as Everiss came to a stop before him, Rain had no doubt that the leader of the Barstone Guild was dangerous.

Stronger than Bakal, for sure...

Stronger than Ameliah...

Maybe not.

“Well?” the woman asked, crossing her arms angrily. “You wanted my attention; now you’ve got it, assholes.”

“Branch leader,” Rain said, drawing the woman’s focus onto him quickly before Carten could say anything stupid. “I apologize for the disturbance, but it was necessary. We have important news. The Empire has attacked Three Cliffs by ship.”

Everiss glanced at Carten with an unimpressed sniff. “I heard him the first time.” She turned next to Officer Sana, who did an admirable job at not shrinking away. “Since Officer Pushy is here, I take it it’s true?”

“It is,” Officer Sana said with a firm nod, and the crowd erupted at her flat statement. Sana took a step closer to Rain’s elbow in response, but she didn’t take her eyes off Everiss. “Custodian Rain was there. He fought them.”

“Quiet!” Everiss roared, glaring the Guild back into silence. Once order was restored, she returned her focus to Rain. She was shorter than him by a good margin, but somehow, it still felt like he was the one being stared down on by a hawk. Finally, after a few long seconds of silence, she spoke. “Custodian Rain, huh? You’d think I’d have heard of you.”

“I’m new,” Rain said simply.

Everiss narrowed her eyes as she stared into his mirrored visor. “What’s your Guildscore?”

“Unimportant,” Rain said, meeting her stare for stare.

Everiss snorted, uncrossing her well-muscled arms. “That bad?”

Rain remained silent, judging it best not to mention that the last time he’d checked his score, it had been negative. Maybe that had changed after the Rankin incident, or maybe not. He neither knew nor cared.

Unexpectedly, before the staring contest went more than a few seconds, the branch leader smiled. “Okay then.”

Rain blinked. What?

Everiss turned to Tiller, speaking to the blue-coated clerk in a no-nonsense tone of command. “Get his story down, then post it to the board as an event quest. I want everyone spreading the news through the city. Three Tel per taker should do it. No verification required; just have them go tavern to tavern. I’ll cover the cost. Send out a call for Diviners and Trackers to scout south of here, and have Twoah meet me in my office once I’m back from the delving. I’m getting everyone up and out. We don’t want people down there when the bear comes for the beehive. They’d miss all the fun.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tiller said, bowing low.

Everiss ignored him, having already returned her attention to Rain. For some reason, she was smiling. “Fix your Guildscore. Fame is its own reward.” She began to turn away, then hesitated before spinning back to face him fully. She looked him up and down, her smile growing wider. “A thousand points if you duel me in the arena tomorrow, assuming we’re not all dead by then.” There was a flicker, and she was suddenly holding a spear. She twirled it over her head, the crowd ducking needlessly to get out of the way. Finishing her flourish, she slammed the butt against the ground with a thump, grinning at Rain the whole while. “Since you fought the Empire, you might even have a chance.” With that, she settled her long weapon against her shoulder, then turned once more for the lifts. “Move, people! For Guild and glory!”

Rain simply stared after the retreating branch leader as the Guild roared back to life, everyone rushing forward at once and swiftly swallowing her from view.

That went...well?

Carten laughed, raising his shields to fight off the press. “I think I like her.”

“Ameliah?”

Ameliah woke with a start, finding herself slumped against a wall in Temerity’s brightly-lit bridge. She was still wearing the same crumpled outfit she had been since the ill-advised stealth mission to the city, but she’d dismissed all of her armor save her boots. She blinked up at Tarny, who gently removed his hand from her shoulder.

“They’re on their way back.”

“Thanks,” Ameliah said with a tired sigh, licking her teeth with a woolly tongue as she got to her feet. “How long was I out?”

“Just a few minutes,” Tarny lied.

“If you say so,” Ameliah replied, polling her interface for the time. It was 4:28 AM, but knowing that didn’t help her say how far Tarny was bending the truth. It wasn’t like she’d checked the clock before deciding to rest her eyes. She was exhausted, much more so mentally than physically, and sleep had just sort of happened. Grimacing, she shook her head and decided to move on. “Did they get the supplies?”

“Yes,” Tarny replied, offering her a steaming cup, which she accepted gratefully. “They had to hire a barge to carry everything. Also, we’re going to have a visitor.”

“Oh?” Ameliah asked, lowering the cup from her lips, the refreshing warmth of the spearmint tea washing some of the foul taste of sleep from her mouth. “Don’t tell me. He’s bringing the orphan girl.”

“He isn’t actually,” Tarny said. “Though he did say he stopped by that tavern again and convinced what’s-his-name to turn it into a proper orphanage.”

“That sounds about right,” Ameliah said, taking another sip of tea. Setting it on the chair she’d been sitting on, she summoned her armor from the waist down, then reached for the belt holding her quivers. “If not the orphan, then who?”

“Officer Sana,” Tarny said.

“Ah,” Ameliah said, finishing with her quivers. She picked up her bow before retrieving her tea and heading for the stairs. “I don’t think V’s going to be too happy about that.”

“That’s why you get to tell her, not me,” Tarny said, hurrying ahead of her. The metal door at the top released a tortured groan as he shoved it open.

Ameliah followed him through, her armored boots crunching against the layer of frost. The remains of the ship’s upper decks were entombed in ice, thick pillars of it holding up a low ceiling. Here, a small room had been formed for defensive purposes. Fredek was standing guard, holding an oil lamp, and she nodded to him in greeting.

“We’re going to have to be very careful,” Tarny said, lighting a candle from Fredek’s lamp and handing it to her. “After I talk to Vanna and the Defense Council, Rain wants me to find her a room in the ice, assuming the vote to let her aboard passes.”

Ameliah nodded, hooking her arm through her bow to accept the candle.

Fredek cleared his throat. “Who are we talking about?”

“Officer Sana,” Ameliah said, looking at him. “She’s coming back with the away team.”

“Shit.”

“Mmm,” Ameliah said, acknowledging his concern. [Rain, are you sure about this?]

There was a pause, then a flash from Tarny’s pocket, making him hurriedly extract Rain’s anchor and hold it on his palm. The tiny yellowish crystal was about the size of a Tel and quite a bit more jagged, which Rain said had to do with how bad a job he’d done of making it. Ignoring its appearance, Ameliah focused on the pattern of flashes, which Rain was sending more quickly now that she and Tarny had grown more practiced at decoding them.

When the crystal faded back to darkness, she spoke aloud for Fredek’s benefit. “Rain says he trusts this officer and that we need friends more than we need secrets.”

“Good,” Halgrave said, adjusting his hammer against his shoulder. “Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed. I want to be well-rested for when this all blows up in your faces.”

He turned to depart, and Ameliah let him go, closing her eyes and exhaling slowly.

I need a vacation.

Loading the barge and crossing the harbor took longer than expected. By the time the eight rowers had managed to paddle the bulky vessel out to Temerity, the sun was already beginning to brighten the horizon. Rain, meanwhile, had passed beyond tired and into the realm of the living dead.

“Just bring it up to the side, Lord Rain?” Caneb, the owner of the barge, asked.

“Not a lord,” he said exhaustedly, though he perked up as he saw a flicker of movement. An armored form detached itself from the iceberg ahead, soaring toward them in a graceful arc. “Heads up. Nobody freak out.”

“What— Ah!” Caneb shouted, stumbling back as Ameliah dropped down beside him, her boots thudding heavily against the barge’s wooden planks. The rowers likewise reacted with curses and gasps of surprise.

“I said don’t freak out,” Rain said, but he was smiling as he stepped forward. He wrapped Ameliah in a hug, bathing himself in the comforting warmth of her soul. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Ameliah said, squeezing back. “Sorry, I landed a little harder than I intended.”

“It’s alright, my lady,” Caneb said. “You just startled us, is all.”

“Not a lady,” Ameliah said, making Rain grin.

He reluctantly released her after giving her another tiny squeeze, the air feeling just a bit colder as he stepped away. He gestured to the barge owner. “This is Caneb. He was kind enough to let us hire his barge despite the hour. Can you tell him where to...dock? Make land? Make ice? You know what I mean.”

Ameliah waved a hand. “Just pull alongside anywhere. Someone will throw you a rope.” She turned to look at Sana, the final occupant of the barge. The officer was standing beside Caneb in her woolly coat, cradling a sleeping Dozer in her arms and looking extremely awkward under Ameliah’s gaze.

Rain hurriedly stepped forward to introduce her. “Ameliah, this is Officer Sana.”

Sana bowed sharply. “It’s a pleasure to...uh...” She struggled, muttering something too low for Rain to hear, then straightened. “Sorry. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You have a very beautiful soul.”

Rain blinked. Right. Of course she can see.

“Do I?” Ameliah asked, amusement in her voice. She waved to someone over Rain’s head, and Rain looked to see Jamus wave back, sitting beside Carten in the metal rowboat tied behind them. It was cramped back there, thanks to the cage holding a very plump and very angry Fatbird.

“What’s that about?” Ameliah asked, returning her attention to Rain. “Dinner?”

Rain chuckled. “No, that’s for Ujesh. I felt bad that we still haven’t found him something, and the Guild was willing to sell it, so...” He shrugged. “Fin might be interested too, maybe. I wouldn’t want to morph into a rotund chicken, but I don’t judge. It’s not as strong as the red ones, but it should do for a start. Let them use their skills, at least.”

“I suppose,” Ameliah said. “Wasn’t it expensive, though?”

Rain gestured toward Dozer, still held in Sana’s arms. “Surprisingly, no, and apart from that, Dozer managed forty Tel today. On top of what I brought with me, I had enough for everything we needed.”

Ameliah fixed him with a flat look, plain despite her visor. “You let people see your money slime?”

“Not by choice,” Rain said. “I was haggling, and he just—” He raised his hands, spreading his fingers quickly and making a popping sound with his lips.

“Of course,” Ameliah said with a note of amusement. She looked again at Sana, still clutching the slime to her chest, then back to Rain. “You realize people are going to try to steal him from you now, don’t you?”

“I would never...” Sana began, sounding horrified.

“Not you, obviously,” Ameliah said. She gestured vaguely. “People. Guilders. Assholes.”

“Oh, right,” Sana said, sounding embarrassed as she squeezed Dozer like a stress pillow.

Rain cleared his throat. “How did the vote go?”

Ameliah shrugged. “It was close, but she can come aboard.” She fixed Sana with a cold stare. “Provided that she agrees to a few restrictions.” Her voice was surprisingly harsh as she continued. “You aren’t to speak to anyone other than me, Rain, and a few others you’ll meet in the morning. No questions until then, and no snooping. If you learn something you shouldn’t, you might have to stay with us for a long, long time.”

“Ameliah, come on!” Rain said. “You can’t just say that.”

“Custodian?” Sana asked, concern in her voice as she took a step closer to him.

“I have nothing against you, personally,” Ameliah said, though her tone remained hard. “Rain trusts you, and that’s enough for me, but Ascension can’t trust the Watch as a whole. Not with everything that we know. We’d like to, but we can’t. The restrictions are for your own protection as much as ours. Know that we mean you no harm, but we won’t let you take what’s ours.”

Sana swallowed heavily, then stepped forward. “True.” She glanced at Rain, then back at Ameliah. “Okay. I agree to the restrictions.”

“Thank you, Sana,” Rain said earnestly. “I really think this is the best way forward, given the urgency of the situation. We’re not forcing you, though. If you want to go back to shore, we won’t stop you.”

“I’m coming aboard,” Sana interrupted firmly, stepping forward. Her confidence was clearly a mask, though. If Dozer had had bones, they’d have been powder by now. As it was, the slime was still firmly asleep, nothing but tired contentedness flowing through the link.

“Good,” Ameliah said with a nod. She spread her arms wide, then beckoned. “Come on, then. I’ll take you both over.”

“Thank you,” Rain said, quickly moving to embrace Ameliah, her comforting warmth again pressing back the chill. “And thanks again for the ride, Caneb.”

“You’re welcome, my lord,” Caneb said. “For what you paid, you won’t hear me complaining.”

“Not a lord,” Rain said again. He could feel Ameliah’s laughter, and while he was still tired to the bone from sleep deprivation and constant stress, the complaints of his body hardly seemed important with her beside him.

“Coming?” Ameliah asked, beckoning to Sana, who had frozen in place.

Rain turned to better look at the officer, then raised an eyebrow. Is she...blushing?

“I, uh...” Sana stammered. “I wouldn’t want to come between... Your souls are so...and...I...um. I could just climb a rope, or...”

“What—” Rain began, but before he could properly phrase his question, an urgent voice called down from above.

“Rain!”

“What?” Rain called back, looking up at Samson, who was pointing out over the water. Following his finger, Rain saw the DKE frigate in the predawn light. It was moving despite the lack of wind, riding a gentle swell as it bore straight down upon them.

Filth.