Lovely Dark Things

SIX (RUBY POV)

I lean my shoulder on the doorframe behind me keeping my eyes fixed on Iselen's back while she asks questions to the soldiers and takes notes carefully. This group has just arrived from the northern fortresses, exhausted and frozen to death, it's summer and the weather is supposed to be warmer than usual in Baalberith but, because of the chaos proximity, it's snowing like it's winter. The advisor ordered the slaves to bring some bowls of soup, bread and hot wine and told the soldiers to sit down close to the fireplace while they ate before asking them about the situation in the north, if they had seen a demon, how they look like and behave, how they fight and what kind of weapons they use. They boys answer wearily, they can't wait to go to the barracks to change their wet clothes and sleep, but no one dares to be disrespectful with Iselen and I can see they're grateful because she let them warm up their stomachs before the interrogation.

The advisor has been reading all the chronicles for a couple of weeks, taking notes, drawing up battle plans, designing some light swords and a new crossbow capable of shooting five arrows before reloading that all the soldiers are really happy to add to their equipment. We've travelled to the City of Witchcraft and Sryne welcomed us like a perfect hostess, she showed us her library and answered Iselen's questions while watching her with curiosity and expectation. That put me in a bad mood, I don't like all this attention my girl is getting, but there's nothing I can do: the dark elves' eyes are fixed on her, waiting eagerly... They picture in their minds the advisor getting up from her bed one day and telling us she has the perfect idea to win this battle for survival.

But Iselen doesn't work like that, I know it well. She thinks, ponders, writes lists, draws intricate diagrams, she weights pros and cons of her plans, estimating how many soldiers she needs, supplies to feed them, equipment and ships to carry them, to make sure her plan is feasible and, only when she's sure there's a chance of success, she'll try to put it into action. Everything happens little by little, day by day, and her face shows her frustration when she realizes she's made a mistake or she smiles triumphantly when she thinks she's taken a step in the right direction. I've seen some smiles lately and I'm sure my girl has been brooding over an idea these past days, I believe she's close to finding a solution and it'll be right in time because the situation is becoming awkward.

And I'm not only talking about those demons attacking the borders nonstop or the foot of snow that's covering the entire city even if it's summer. Eonir is watching us cautiously the same way I'm monitoring his movements from afar, he's a coward who accepted to close his mouth because he's scared of me but our agreement is temporary, I'm afraid, because sooner or later his ambition will be stronger than his caution and he'll try to sell the information to the highest bidder... and that'll be my father or his wife the viper. And Khrise's brother is still asking questions... Teilan has assumed his sister is dead log time ago, probably, because there's no other way to explain why she's been missing for so long. I bet he's wondering if someone has decided to take their revenge after what she did to the enemies of her family years ago... He's determined to find the responsible for his sister's death and, even if there's no witness of what happened that night in the port, it would be difficult for me to explain why I've been using his sister's identity as my cover on the other side of the ocean.

I need this damned war to break out finally to avert the attention of our enemies, of my mother and Sryne, of my father, Teilan and Eonir. I could get rid of that treacherous elf right now but he's working with the corsair and a new disappearance in his entourage could make Teilan more paranoid, I don't want to draw his attention. However, in the middle of a battle, a knife can fly from any direction and stab Eonir's back by accident. It'd be easier this way.

"How is she doing?" my father gets closer slowly and leans his shoulder on the wall next to me, ignoring the etiquette rules. The Captain of the Guard looks tired because he's in charge of the maintenance of security in the northern fortresses but he's also improving security measures in Baalberith in case a demon sneaks in the city and tries to attack us. He works too much and I'm slightly worried about that, not the kind of concern I feel when my girl is involved since there's nothing tying me to this man, except for the blood running through my veins that forces me to help him to keep our family in the list of the privileged ones in this kingdom, but I don't feel natural affection for him. And yet, I need him to live for a few hundred years more while I learn, plot and draw up a plan to steal his position as Captain of the Guard. I respect him as a warrior and as the head of my clan but it doesn't mean I won't fight him to achieve my goals in the future.