Vainglory 3.37 - Trust

Enjoy the chapter! If it feels like I'm reviewing names and things in these conversations a lot, that's on purpose; I feel like this plot is getting a little convoluted, and I don't want readers to be like, "Wait... who's that guy again?"

Thanks!

-Plum

37 – Trust

When Ward felt the tug of consciousness and slowly opened his bleary eyes, he saw a white plaster ceiling and cream-colored walls, illuminated by rays of sunlight filtered through gauzy drapes. His pillow was soft, and he could smell a fresh, citrus tang wafting into his nostrils from the quilted comforter tucked up to his chin. He shifted, and the narrow bedframe creaked under his weight. Pushing himself higher up on his elbows, he looked around the room and didn’t recognize anything.

Flowers sat in a vase on a dark, polished dresser. A small chair sat beside his bed, an empty coffee cup on the table beside it, and he could see his belt and shoes on a trunk near the door. Grunting, Ward threw the blanket off and was relieved to see he was still clothed. He patted his pocket and was further relieved to feel the hard lump of the amulet still there.

He pushed himself into a sitting position, swinging his legs to the side of the bed. He felt fine—better than fine, really. He felt good. He stretched, twisting his back left and right, then stood to retrieve his things. The magic bag was still there where he’d tied it, and, if he had to guess by the knot in the drawstrings, no one had tampered with it. He couldn’t be certain, of course.

He was just slipping his feet into his shoes when a soft knock sounded at the door. “Come in.”

The door opened slowly, revealing the blindfolded face of Master Rose. “Good morning, Ward. How are you feeling?”

Ward shrugged. “I feel good. Thank you for putting me up.”

She chuckled, folding her hands before her and leaning against the doorframe. “It was no easy feat getting your enormous body into that bed. Haley helped.”

“Haley?” Memories flooded back to him—Haley unconscious, Grace battling her corrupted spirit fragment. Before Rose could respond, he softly said, “Grace…” Almost pitifully, he looked around, as though she might be lurking in a corner, ready to surprise him.

“Haley is quite well. As for your fiery passenger…” Rose sighed, shaking her head. “She gave much of herself. I suspect she’ll need some rest. I hope it comforts you to know that I can still see her within you. However, her spirit is far dimmer than before. I wish I could say more; I’m afraid I’ve never met a being quite like her, so I don’t know what to expect.”

Ward pressed a hand to his chest as though he could feel Grace in there. “You don’t know if she’ll recover?”

Rose shook her head. “I suspect she will, but I can’t be sure. Perhaps after a bit of rest, she’ll find the strength to speak to you. She’ll know better than any what she needs.” She moved closer to the bed, and when Ward shifted to the right a bit, she sat beside him. “Tell me, though. How are you? Do you remember much of your ordeal?”

“My ordeal…” Ward frowned, rubbing his chin. He knew what she meant, of course. He’d had to give up a memory for Haley, or he was supposed to have had to do that, but he honestly couldn’t remember anything like that happening. “Did I pass out or something?”

“You did, but only after sacrificing a piece of yourself, something very dear, if I’m not mistaken. In a way, I suppose it's good that you don’t remember how that felt. I can tell you this much: Haley is much better than she was before. Whatever you gave her has made her whole again. I hope knowing that will assuage any trauma that might crop up for you down the road.”

Ward scoffed, shaking his head as he smiled wryly. “Listen, Rose, I’ve been through enough shit in my life that losing a memory here or there isn’t going to mess me up. Hell, I can think of a few hundred I’d gladly give away, starting with my ex-wife.”

“Yes, but I’m afraid that’s not the sort of memory you lost.” She put a hand on his shoulder and, like before, Ward could feel the tingle of energy thrumming under her warm flesh, even through the fabric of his wrinkled shirt.

“Yeah, well, let’s not dwell on it. I’d rather Haley didn’t have to worry about that.”

“Understood. She’s asleep; she watched you for most of the night, but when she dozed off, I coaxed her to bed. Can I make you breakfast?”

The wolf in him immediately made itself known as his stomach rumbled at the mention of food. He and Rose both chuckled as he nodded. “Yes. That would be perfect.”

He followed Rose down a broad, plastered hallway, pausing briefly by the bathroom to relieve himself, and then past her atrium-like training room where Ward had, apparently, passed out. From there, they walked down another hallway into her kitchen area, where a small wooden table with four chairs sat beside a bank of leaded-glass windows that overlooked her front garden. “Sit down, please.”

Ward took a seat that provided a nice view of the flowers, and he watched bees gathering nectar from big orange blooms while she cooked. He could hear and smell bacon and eggs, but she was also mixing up some kind of batter. After a while, he turned to watch her, admiring her deft grace in every movement, no matter how small. “Keep staring at me like that, and I’m bound to develop a complex,” she said, flashing him a bright smile.

Ward chuckled, looking down, but only briefly. “I was hoping to guess what you’re mixing there.”

“Well, be patient, sir.”

“You’re awfully different this morning than the last couple of times I spoke to you—lighter, less…severe.”

“Well, sir, that’s because I’ve decided to like you. I got a good taste of your character last night, and that of your passenger, too.” She shrugged, almost apologetically, as she glanced at him—well, pointed her blindfold at him. “I had some doubts, you see. I believed Haley when she said that you want to be good and often are, but people are complicated beings. I saw enough last night, in any case. Can you forgive my reluctance to trust?”

Ward chuckled. “Hell, I’d think you were strange if you didn’t have some doubts. I’ve been involved in some strange and creepy stuff since I came here. Even before I came here, if I’m honest.”

“Haley says you hunted criminals prior to coming to this world.”

Ward nodded. “I did, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit learning to think like those bastards hadn’t made a mark on me.”

Rose nodded as she began pouring her batter into little round baking tins. “I can see how that would be. Those who live in polite society often fail to mark the toll it takes on those charged with maintaining that order.”

Ward waved a hand. “I’m not some kind of hero; I just had a knack for solving puzzles.”

Rose put her baking tins into the oven, then shifted her focus to the stovetop, flipping the bacon and stirring the scrambled eggs. “And do you still?” When she glanced at him, Ward had a strong feeling the question was loaded. She knew he was up against something in the city, but how much had Haley told her?

“I think so. You could say sorcery makes it even easier.”

“Sorcery.” Rose nodded as she scraped some of the food out of a pan and onto a plate. “Yes, I suppose it would. Ward, I didn’t mean to pry, but you know I see more than simple eyes might reveal. I couldn’t help noticing the amulet in your pocket as Haley and I toiled to haul you into the bedroom.” She walked toward him, steaming plate in hand. “You’ve earned my trust. Have I earned yours?”

Ward watched her set the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon down, and, as she returned to the kitchen, he shrugged. “Yeah. Why not? Maybe you can give me some advice.”

Rose stood by the oven, clearly waiting for whatever she was baking—biscuits, if Ward were guessing. “I’d love to help if I can.”

“All right, well, this whole thing started back on Cinder.” With that, he began his rambling tale about Nevkin, the artifact, the cult, and then the summons the Assembly served him. When he started talking about his suspicions and dreadmarked, or “harrowguard” visions, she held up a hand, interrupting him.

“Just a moment! I need to take these biscuits out, and I don’t want to miss any of this.” She pulled the baking tins out, and Ward’s mouth began to salivate at the smell. Rose flipped the tins over onto a cloth and gathered up the contents into a basket, bringing them over to the table along with a pot of honey and a small crock of whipped butter.

“Amazing,” he muttered, utterly focused on the flakey biscuit she slid onto his plate. He took a minute to slather it with butter and honey. As he took a big bite, Rose sat down beside him. “Go on. I’m listening.”

Nodding, he told the tale of Adjudicator Coral and his pet sorceress, Gwen, and how they seemed to think Chancellor Veylan was involved in the “Umbrage.” He told her about Thrund, the sorcerer who tried to kill him in the Assembly Square. Then he told her about the spell he’d cast to reveal that Adjudicator Reembak had been the one to hire him. Finally, he described his visions inside the Garden Gates and how they led him to the amulet and the spirit within, Pallishae.

Ward wasn’t sure why he was so damn thorough in spilling his guts except that it felt good to trust someone. It felt good to honestly feel like someone might be able to help for a change. Of course, he trusted Haley, and she knew most of what he told Rose, but Haley was just as much an outsider as he was. Moreover, she wasn’t any more capable of taking on the high-tier sorcerers who might be associated with the Umbrage than he was. Rose was something else. She was an unknown quantity—someone with the potential actually to tip the scales a little.

“That’s quite the mess you’ve gotten wound up in, Ward! No wonder young Thorn was worried about you! You know, when she came here and convinced me to train her, her main argument was that she needed to help you.”

Ward clicked his tongue, wiping his mouth with his napkin. “Seriously? God, sometimes I wish I could get her out of all this. I just want her to be happy and enjoy her life—”

“I am enjoying my life!” Haley said from the doorway.

Ward groaned inwardly. He’d sensed her coming, subconsciously—her smell or a scuff of her feet on the floor, perhaps—but his conscious mind had been so engrossed in his conversation with Rose that he’d ignored the subtle clues. “Good morning,” he said, turning to smile at her, perhaps a little guiltily.

“Good morning, but, Ward, don’t treat me like a lost orphan who needs a healthy home! I’m happy with you, doing the-the…things we do!”

He snorted, shaking his head, but he didn’t argue. “Understood. How are you?”

“I’m wonderful!” She hurried over to stand beside him, then she daintily leaned over and kissed his cheek. It was a sweet, effortless gesture, but it left Ward choked up and grasping for a proper response. “Rose told me you gave something up for me—some good part of yourself, and I hate that you had to do that, but I want you to know that I’m endlessly grateful. The darkness—the corruption—it was taking root, and I didn’t understand just how much—not until I came to, and it was gone. It’s like the sun’s come out from behind heavy clouds, clouds that rolled in so slowly that I didn’t notice how dark it had gotten.”

Ward stared into her eyes as she made her earnest little speech, and it dawned on him that they were still pale. She was still pale. Part of him had hoped that she’d revert to her old self now that the corruption was gone, but he supposed crossing the veil—dying and coming back—had made its mark with or without the darkness that had tainted her soul. “I’d give you a hundred parts of me, a hundred memories, or a hundred pieces of my soul. I hope you know that. You mean the world to me.”

Tears sprang into her eyes, but before they could start to stream down her cheeks, she grabbed Ward around the neck, hugging him as she buried her face into his shoulder. Ward patted her back, looking over to where Rose stood, arms folded, smiling as she watched their little drama play out. After a minute, she cleared her throat and turned back to the stove. “Thorn, sit down. I’ve breakfast for you, too.”

Haley sat beside Ward, and, while he finished his biscuit, she leaned close and whispered, “How’s Grace?”

The last thing Ward wanted was for Haley to have a new thing to feel guilty over, so he stretched the truth a little, pretending he knew more than he did. “She’s exhausted. Resting.”

“Master Rose told me she had to fight my, um, corrupted fragment.”

Ward nodded. “You did too! Don’t you remember?”

Haley shook her head.

“That battle took place behind Haley’s conscious mind. It was her spirit’s automatic defense, aided by Grace. That’s why you had to make her whole before she began to fight.”

Haley gripped Ward’s wrist, smiling. “Thank you, Ward!”

“All right, that’s enough of that! We’re a team, right? You’d help me if I needed it.”

“Speaking of which,” Rose said, bringing a plate over to Haley. “Ward was just telling me about his troubles with the Assembly—well, certain members of it.”

“That’s right! Aren’t you supposed to be visiting Coral at his country house?”

Ward shrugged. “I’ll go today.”

“I should go—” Her eyes flew wide and she slapped a hand over her mouth as she gasped, “Fitz! He must be worried to death!”

Ward tapped her plate. “Come on, eat up. You can go and tell him that you went for a walk and stopped for some Gopah practice with Master Rose. He doesn’t know what time you slipped out.”

Haley frowned, but she turned to her plate and began to eat with gusto.

Rose came over to the table and sat down across from her. “Haley, I want you to tell your friend that you’ll need to cut your visit short. I want you to come stay with me for a night or two.”

Haley dropped her fork and looked up, still chewing her last bite. As she swallowed, she nodded curtly. “Yes, Master Rose.”

The immediacy of her acquiescence startled Ward, and he looked at her sideways, noting the gravity of her expression as she stared at Rose. She truly respected the Gopah master. If she wasn’t going to ask why, he would. He cleared his throat and tapped the table. “Why’s that, Rose?”

“Because she and I are going to find a way to help you. This cult…this Umbrage, must be dealt with. I’m offended at myself for not taking action sooner. I’ve felt the corruption eating at this city’s heart for years. Rather than look into it, I sequestered myself into my little haven. I turned student after student away, withdrew from politics, and…shirked my duties. Then, here you come, a relative stranger, and you risk everything to confront the evil that lies beneath our streets. No, Ward, you do your part—use this Pallishae spirit to corrupt the cult’s leader, and I’ll be there to deal with my share of the cult’s high-tier sorcerers.”

“And I’ll help!” Haley immediately added.

“Of course you will, child!” Rose chuckled. “You’ll be at Ward’s side, where you belong.” She turned her blindfolded gaze toward Ward. “How will you find the leader?”

“I’m going to see if a new spell I learned will do the trick. It’s supposed to let me ‘walk through’ a person’s memories. I just need to get my hands on one of the cultists. I was thinking Veylan or Reembak—”

“Will you ask your allies? I refer to Coral and his sorceress.”

“That’s the idea. I was going to entrap Coral.”

“What?” Rose’s blindfold shifted as though she were raising her eyebrows.

“I’m going to ask him to let me try the spell on him. If he refuses, I’ll know I can’t trust him. If he accepts, then I’ll learn more about him. Either way, I come out ahead.”

“Unless he kills you!” Haley cried.

“If he tries, I’ll know—”

“That you cannot trust him,” Rose said with a chuckle. “You’re a bold man, Ward. Aren’t you fearful of his sorceress?”

“She’s powerful, sure, but I’ve got a trick or two up my sleeve. Besides, my gut says they aren’t going to attack me.”

Rose’s lips parted to speak, but she paused, tapping a nail on the table. Slowly, she began to nod. “Your gut? You mean your dreadmarked bloodline?”

Ward chuckled. “Maybe. Maybe just my instincts as an interrogator. I got a feel for Gwen, and I think she likes me. Coral, too. They didn’t stink, if you know what I mean.”

Rose shook her head, shifting her attention to Haley. “He’s an interesting one, isn’t he?”

Haley giggled, nodding. “I still think I should go with him.”

“No, Adept Thorn. You’re very close to gray, and I’ll see you as prepared as possible for the coming battle.”

The idea that she might be ready to advance a Gopah rank must have shattered Haley’s objections because she ducked her head and didn’t say another word. Ward nodded, sighed deeply, then pushed his chair away from the table. “I guess that’s my cue; I need to get on the road.”

Both women stood. Like two cats, they uncurled from their chairs, without a sound. Haley hugged Ward, and when she pulled away, Rose said, “Thorn, go and give your friend the news. I’d like you back here within half an hour.”

“Yes, Master Rose.” Haley pressed her hands together, bowed, and then turned and darted from the room, calling over her shoulder, “Good luck, Ward!”

After they heard the heavy front door clang shut, Rose spoke, “I meant what I said about preparing her for the battle to come, but she also needs distracting. I hope you can find a way to rouse your spirit companion before you return. I fear it will shatter Haley’s good spirits if she learns that Grace was severely harmed by her efforts on her behalf.”

Ward nodded. “Trust me, I had the same thought.”

“You’re a good man, Ward. A good protector. She’s lucky she fell in with you.”

Ward shook his head, straightening his shirt as he moved toward the hallway. “No, I’m the lucky one.”

Rose gestured toward the hallway. “Let me walk you out.” Ward nodded and followed her out through the atrium to the metal front door. As she opened it, Rose said, “I hope you’re right about Coral. I hope we have at least one ally we can depend on.”

“Me too. Me too. We’ll know one way or the other by tomorrow.” To his surprise, as she nodded her agreement, Rose held out her arms, inviting an embrace. Ward hugged her, again surprised by the warmth with which she gripped his shoulders as they parted. “Good luck. We’ll be here when you return.”

“Thanks,” he muttered, a little confused by her affection. He cleared his throat, waved awkwardly, then hurried down her garden path to the street. He thought about walking for a while, but shook his head at the idea. What was the point? He waved down a taxi—one of the nicer ones with the mana-driven engines. The fare would be steep, but he figured it was worth avoiding the possibility of running into more over-eager duelists. In the taxi, he could lie low while he traveled.

He pulled the driver’s screen shut, then took a minute to pull fresh clothes and his good boots out of his magic bag. That done, he took out his sword, a honing stone, and some oil. If he was going to confront an Assembly member, his sorceress, and lord knows how many guards, he might as well be prepared.