Fourth Interlude: Worse Than Nothing
Plans were being made, Jean knew. They’d been in motion from the moment Oska appeared on a hill in the Shiverpeaks, visibly alone. His appearance had sent a ripple through both sides of the battle and finally brought it to a shuddering stop.
Chapter 4: Part 10 - Fury and Despair
Oska’s world had slowed to a crawl. He saw the arrow drop out of the sky and strike Erin in the chest. He saw her stagger backwards, unharmed, and brush the arrow away as though it was nothing more than a biting insect. He saw, through the thickening snow flurries, weapons being drawn and spells prepared.
Chapter 4: Part 9 - A Hundred Years in the Wilderness
It was a long time since Erin had spent any real time in the Shiverpeaks. Over her years with Amber and then with Light’s Memory, she’d passed through from time to time, but that simply wasn’t the same. Wading through knee-deep snow, waking to ice in your hair and eyelashes, feeling the cold sink right down to your bones… She knew Amber would call her mad for it, but she missed everyone one of those things.
Chapter 4: Part 8 - Conniving Natures
Erin was usually good at waiting. Hunting in the Shiverpeaks required the utmost patience, which meant it was a quality she’d cultivated even before she could hold a sword. But crouching in the undergrowth of a rain-slick night in Ascalon? This was more excruciating than any ambush she’d ever done before.
Chapter 4: Part 7 - The Wrong Hands
Chapter 4: Part 6 - Ruses and Lies
The carriage ride was cramped and uncomfortable. Erin was certain Ruby had chosen the smallest vehicle possible, just to spite her. They sat across from one another, the curtains closed and Ruby’s eyes glinting in the darkness. The girl managed to look both comfortable enough to fall asleep and yet ready to stab someone as quickly as blinking. Erin, on the other hand, was forced to pull her knees up almost to her chest.
Chapter 4: Part 5 - Foolish Moves
Chapter 4: Part 4 - Starry-Eyed Idealists
Chapter 4: Part 3 - A Loose Cannon
“What are you doing here?” Erin had spoken the words before she could stop herself.
Chapter 4: Part 2 - The Upper Hand
Marta’s office was both tiny and alarmingly familiar to Erin. It had once been a storeroom, stuffed full of unused scrolls and abandoned student theses. It had also been just about roomy enough, Erin recalled, for two norn who’d had one too many ales and ended up wearing too few clothes. They’d been a pair of drunken fools, all right. No wonder Marta had called the relationship off before it could really get started.
Chapter 4: Part 1 - The Type To Hold A Grudge
Third Interlude: Head Full Of Smoke
Spark was keeping secrets. In the grand scheme of things, that wasn’t unusual. She lived and breathed her schemes, each one more elaborate than the last. Weir was used to the engineer’s scribbled notes, her furtive mutterings, and her odd excursions in the dead of night.
Third Interlude: Opposing Sides
The message arrived at midnight, when the guild was quiet and everyone but Erin was asleep. There was no need to keep watch, but she did it anyway, standing in the open doorway and staring out into the night. Lion’s Arch seemed unusually subdued, but maybe it was only her mood that made it so. Marissa’s defection didn’t surprise her, nor Jean’s. The fact that Roan had followed them raised its own questions, but perhaps he was more comfortable with his former enemy than with a guild who were still strangers to him. Amber, though… There would be a reason for her departure ‒ there was a reason for everything Amber did ‒ but that didn’t make it any easier to bear.
Chapter 3: Part 9 - A Time Of Peace
Chapter 3: Part 8 - The Family Motto
There had been times in Oska’s life when he’d questioned his choice of profession. What use was skulking in the shadows when he couldn’t show off his skills? What use were daggers and tools when his parents kept him at home? Most of all, what was the use of being a thief when he couldn’t protect those he loved?
Chapter 3: Part 7 - Weapons and Enemies
Erin wasn’t going to panic. She knew, as the camp descended into chaos, that she absolutely couldn’t let herself. The moment she gave in was the moment Light’s Memory was lost.
Chapter 3: Part 6 - The Call Of Power
Auri’s world had always been one of colour and magic. For as long as she could remember, she’d been fascinated by the energies swirling through everything around her. Rock and sky, plant and person ‒ each and every facet of existence was vibrant and alive.