Virridus paced nervously at the end of Auric’s bed. The man was still out cold. Fiedad watched him quietly from his own bed where he had sat himself down and appointed himself as Auric’s watcher, after securing the two intruders. Virridus frowned at them again. It turned out they were Master and pupil, the pupil being a young girl around Fiedad’s age but with dark skin and hair. The woman, it turned out, was a travelling exile from her home in a border city of Kessari and Amyre known as Casanata. He had to decide what to do with her. Hand her over or heed her claims…
Auric was better at this sort of thing… but then he was what this mess was all about, that and his faith in the Guild was on shaky grounds already; he didn’t need any more logs to feed that fire!
“Your precious Guild is not truthful to you.” The Witch spoke up, not bothering to hide her smug tone at his anxiousness. “Deep down you know this.” She dug harder, knowing she’d shaken his foundations. She smirked a little when he flicked his hand at her as though to shoo her away like he would a fly.
“Anyone could have done it…” He replied dismissively, still in thought but he stopped pacing and faced the window with a mild scowl. “Just because it was on our lands does not mean it was one of our people or that we sanctioned it.” It felt like a practiced answer. It was a logical answer, one that had been drummed into the people of Amyre for four years, but… it felt hollow now.
“You know already what I’m talking of?” She accused, smiling when he finally focussed his scowl on her, eyes narrowed but she could see a hint of doubt behind them. The man was easy to rile. “He is remembering his past is he not?” She asked coyly, hoping to get a rise out of the brash man but he was calm again. This both confused and irked her somewhat.
“Why did you come for him? What do you need him to do?” He asked, his wary eyes still focussed on her as he sat himself down in the chair he’d previously been occupying before this breaking and entering had started. His gaze bored into hers and she looked away, over to the bed where the subject of their argument laid sleeping; still completely dead to the world.
She took a breath. Guilt, a rare emotion, slowly leaked into her mind; the man was just worried for his friend, he was protecting him, looking out for him. “I need him to remember. To prove your Guild did it.” She revealed still watching the young man in question.
Virridus snorted, “It would prove nothing… only fuel the war even more.” She turned to him again, a scowl of her own upon her face.
“No, Amyre would have to admit they were wrong… a ceasefire would ensue!” She believed her words. Amyre would surrender if the truth were to be revealed.
But the arrogant man just snorted again. “You think Amyre would surrender? Amyre will fight on, for freedom and glory as would any other country, regardless of whether they were right or not. This is War not a blame game. Amyre won’t just back down and let the winner invade and take control; she is strong and proud, as her people should be too. And IF - and I mean a very big IF - one of Amyre did it, who’s to say it was all Amyre’s fault? The whole nation didn’t just decide together to up and kill the Great Wizard King of Wizardry!” He paused, letting this new information sink in while sneaking a quick glance over to Auric and Fiedad. Both were fine, though Fiedad seemed a little pale at the turn of events.
“If Amyre discovers who the murderer was, the war will stop and Kessari will be free of Jasderian rule. The truth will show the way…” The witch spoke, quoting one of her many proverbs but she seemed unsure now, as though she were trying to find some sturdy purchase of her belief to cement her foundation again. Virridus took a breath and sat forward in his chair, reaching for his whiskey glass.
