The Charlatan

33. A Chain is Only as Strong as its Weakest Link

Clara's ragtag group of allies sat around a breakfast table near the wall of their cool stone inn. Air wolfed down a pancake as Honey, Rime, and Charlie all got up to get seconds from the server. The tables were well-filled, but not as much as the ones at the group's previous inn stays. There was a comfortable busyness in the air this morning.

"I intend to approach Hollow's leaders today about the alliance," Clara said in Velte, between munching on her mixed berries. "I've learned that Hollow is lead by a Chancellor, a political figure, as well as an extensive team of ombudsmen."

"And you learned this from your drinking match opponent," Air said, more as a question than a statement. He did not hold back his amusement.

"We had met before we agreed to the match," Clara clucked at him. "He had told me then."

"I am both surprised and impressed that you hold yourself so well in that sort of contest," Priyanka piped up. "You are quite small."

Clara laughed at the blunt comment. Air made note of her good mood. He could not decide whether it was a side-effect of having drunken too many spirits (therefore overcompensating for the likely painful headache that came after such an event) or of simply having won the bout.

"Would you like us to accompany you?" Priyanka asked. Clara thought over it a moment. Honey, Charlie, and Rime returned to the table in the meantime. Charlie nodded at Air, although there was still tension between them. Air wasn't surprised. He had involved her best friend in an immoral scheme, as far as she saw it. But it had to be done, Air assured himself. It was the only way.

Clara spoke up again, in Genesese this time to accommodate the others. "It may be better to have us all split off to do different tasks. Rime, please remind me, have you and Honey spoken to the Seers in Hollow?"

Rime nodded. Honey spoke, "They are ready to work with the Hollow government."

"Excellent. Thank you for your help on that front." Clara paused to beam at her companions. "Charlie, if you can, I would like you to scout the Courier Dispatch building. We should know who to approach if and when we decide to do that."

"Can and will do," Charlie replied.

"Safiya has been assisting with Irhan's sales calculations," Priyanka said. "Irhan being the owner of 'Irhan's Parchments.' She and I can continue our services there and contribute some gold to our pool."

Safiya had been absent from the group's meetings ever since the night of her altercation with Air and Honey. Air knew they had deserved her wrath, but he was not pleased that she was taking to ignoring the rest of the group, who had had nothing to do with the Seer-bandit's or the Charlatan's doings. Air had only bumped into Safiya twice since that day, and both times she had stopped him and grilled him mercilessly about his morals, his 'evil plans,' and everything under the moon and sun that was possibly related to those things. Air knew he couldn't answer. But he also knew that Safiya was trying to tire him out and frustrate him into spilling everything.

Air snapped back to the conversation at hand, having lost himself in his thoughts a tick. Honey was discussing the intricacies of Seer traditions, and Air felt the need to steer the conversation elsewhere, to something more productive.

"I am worried about Safiya," he said. Surprised and disbelieving looks from the group followed his statement. He shrugged. He wasn't an inhumane monster who cared none for anyone's feelings. It was in fact the opposite that had gotten him into this mess. "She has approached me a couple of times, and she has confidently voiced her and my disagreements," Air explained, with a bit more bite than he intended.