Trial by Flame

Chapter 38

Trelisti told them most, but not everything.

He started with the factory, the rust-stained cloth and tharaa. The invocation they'd discovered with Lias, the missing piece it took to mute magic. His mention of Sunila was met with skepticism, but that dwindled as he mentioned the receipts, and the fire that likely consumed them. He regretted not grabbing them before they left the building, too aware that they were probably ash.

Then, of course, were the targets, whose names he'd already made known. The dark elf quota came as no surprise, and neither did the royals, with news of the letters already circulating. Am'ran's name was the only of concern to them, leading to what didn't seem like the first argument he had with his uncle that night.

Trelisti gave descriptions of what few members he'd actually seen, but truthfully, Tellik's insight would've been better. He was asleep now, and still refusing to talk before that. So until they knew the real mole for the Pearl Sector, they couldn't trust anyone in Lias' lab, and Am'ran's guards would be under scrutiny.

Trelisti only left one part out of his narrative, and that was Espire. He didn't mention her by name, much less by bounty, knowing hers carried more risk than the others. It wasn't a distrust among this council, necessarily, but one slip-up, one poorly-timed passerby, and things would be more difficult than they already were. To say eight hundred thousand gold wouldn't switch some sides would be naive.

It didn't sound like she wanted their help much, anyway. For how much she already knew, she hadn't reported anything beyond the attack, at least not that the guard was aware of. She'd left without giving Asli much detail, keeping her face hidden even for their short interaction, so Trelisti only recognized her story by connecting the dots himself.

Lias and Ienitt stayed well into the night to devise a plan, and while Trelisti would have done the same, his body wouldn't let him. He soon reached a point where dry air replaced his words, the sting in his lungs so sharp that it pinched to speak. Asli and Am'ran escorted him to the clinic against his will, and after that, a place to sleep.

He was days into staying awake now, so exhausted that his limbs felt like lead and it stung to keep his eyes open. Shadows were starting to melt out of the walls, forming creatures of night that he knew didn't really exist. By the time he finally had a bed, it was hard to concentrate, and he barely remembered the day. His talk with Lias and Ienitt felt like a distant memory. Right now, the week was a mottled, fuzzy dream.

Yet he didn't want to let up here, knowing too well that an enemy could be among them. Haven, home, whatever it was to the others—it was just another foreign place to him. He might've been neutral towards the leaders, but there were too many extras, too many characters in the background that he should've known more about.

So he rested with one eye open, slipping in and out of consciousness until he caught a glimpse of morning light.

* * *

Trelisti blinked the bleariness out of his eyes, unsure if he'd really slept or dreamt or just watched the world through a hazy lens. It took a moment to stand up, slumping dizzily into the wall before he was truly awake. No doubt he'd have a pain in his head all day.

He was the first and only awake in the room they'd put him in, a wide and near-empty space with bedrolls scattered along the floor. Curtains attempted to provide a meager amount of privacy, but he could see through the gaps in most of them, and they did little for the noise. Beyond the hollow doorway, obscured by another sheet of fabric, the shyest light made the world a few shades brighter. The sun wasn't even close to rising over the buildings.

Luckily, he didn't need it to navigate, exploring every open door, ladder, and stilted walkway he could find. He wasn't entirely sure he was allowed in every place he went, but he didn't particularly care, either.

Still, if it bothered anyone else, it didn't show. He was surprised to find others awake—not many, yet enough to wonder if something was going on—all keeping to themselves and their loose chatter. He wanted to eavesdrop, but the language barrier blocked him every time he tried.

It was probably half an hour before he tired of wandering, not because it was exhausting, but because it was fruitless. There was no point in going back, so he just found a spot at the edge of a building, dangling his legs over the top while the sun lifted into view. With it came the heat, an absence he hadn't even realized.

"Any reason you're lurking up here?" asked a voice in the background. Trelisti didn't need to turn to recognize it.

"Quiet. Away from people," he answered succinctly. The blood churning in his ears was magnified. "Come to put an end to it?"

"I could see your legs hanging off from the street. Safety hazard," Asli replied, plopping near him with crossed arms. "And you look like shit, by the way."

"Thanks," Trelisti grumbled. Asli kept glaring until he drew back, keeping his legs on the roof rather than over. "I'm not afraid of the fall."

"Nor do I fear for you. But it'll attract attention."

Trelisti wasn't going to ask how the dozens of people going in and out daily was any different; frankly, he didn't care that much, and he was too tired to waste words.

"What's going on today?" he asked instead, motioning to the growing bustle behind him. A few new groups had woken with the sun, and the others seemed quick to fill them in. "It seems busy."

Asli let out a little laugh, one bordering judgment. "Clearly, it's your first time in Vanadh."

Trelisti gave him a glare like he was stupid, in whole because he deserved it. Asli rolled his eyes.

"We're always this busy. Yes, something's going on today, but it's hardly more than usual," he explained. His eyes strayed from the horizon, landing on Trelisti instead. "I'm sure you could put the news together even if I don't tell you."

"There's kind of a language in the way."

"Then use other methods."

"Are you always this annoying?"

The look Asli gave him was one Trelisti couldn't decipher, yet it still felt familiar. Like it was sitting somewhere between a tease and a theory, feeling for stones in murky water.

"We work quick," he said after a moment, a slight sigh escaping him. "And sleep little."

"For someone who looks straightforward, you're cryptic as hell," Trelisti scorned. Still, he was grateful for the sentence, however vague it was. "Do I get more than that?"

This time, Asli let out a full laugh, followed quickly by him standing up.

"Nope. Have fun solving the mystery, Ti'au," he said, back turned as he walked away. "You're closer than you think."