The King's Knights

Chapter Forty-Four: Boiling Point

Jaina wanted to be elsewhere.

Everyone in the Guild had been sending messages this way and that. Trying to get a handle on the situation as it developed and salvaged things. Meanwhile, House Atravain had just been trying to keep things in line. Vanion had been going completely off the rails by not returning to Artarq immediately;

She'd already sent her report;

'Political situation significantly more stable than Guild believes. William Gabriel flummoxed at the suggestion of making political move against House De Chevlon. Did not inquire further.

'He does not consider motives to be relevant.

'The suggestion may have raised alarms, but he is subordinating himself to Red Safara. I have no idea why. I think he's depressed.

'-Should not ask again,

'Jaina.'

They'd asked again.

Eventually, it had come down to Oresa.

The Guild wanted her.

It had to do with her bloodlines and her status as what is called a fragment of Jaha. Since she was already a fugitive from Calisha, she was operating without a license. To them, it seemed like an open-and-shut arrest. The problem was that it wasn't, for reasons William illustrated.

Hostility to the Guild was present.

But doing this openly...

"Are you sure about this, Twilight?" asked Jaina. "Shouldn't we make a formal appointment instead of coming in unannounced?"

"I can't wait on this," said Twilight, hurrying down the street. "Vines hasn't been at his desk for days, and we still don't have a malas stipend. The Guild needs that stipend to run anything.

"And, well, I am friends with William, and I did face down Diabolus. That ought to get me at least a meeting."

"Duke Vanion might not be in a very good mood, though," said Jaina. "With all that's happened." What had the Guild been thinking, putting out all those bounties? It might have been the idea to make an appearance of enforcing the law.

This is to demonstrate that they have been held back from doing their duty by the Guild.

Then, someone put out an arrest warrant for Oresa, royalty.

What idiot had done that? The nobility was never going to tolerate it. From the second William heard about it, you could tell it would be bad. His jaw had tightened, and you could see him looking through all possibilities.

The irony was that Oresa had been a bit player until now. A secondary adventurer, she was seen and met by several in passing. She had mostly been notable for her brief association with Casia and Sophia. She had no relevance to Harlenorian politics, more than any other do-gooder, and no support to speak of. Messages Jaina had gotten a look at on Vines' desk had indicated she was of small concern to Emperor Garus. The most he'd done was inquire on behalf of her Father, Belosh.

And Belosh had better relations with the Guild than Asim, who you couldn't work with.

But no. Someone on a shadowy council of robed men wanted a fragment of Jaha seized and saw a chance to do it. So Vines made an arrest like they told him to.

Why the rush?

"It has to be done," said Twilight. "We can't put it off any longer, or we might never get a chance."