Trial by Flame

Chapter 35

Tellik folded his hands. "Then explain it to me, the same way you're cycling it through your head. I'll help you sort it."

He sent a slightly dubious, mostly hesitant glance. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"I'm sure it's better than you moping."

Trelisti dropped the sympathy, eyebrow twitching with irritation. For both of their sakes, chose to ignore the comment.

"The most obvious one," he said, drawing back towards the subject at hand. "Is Snake-Ring, as you could guess. There's only two reasons a mole would kill someone on their side—either silencing failures is part of their job, or they're not really a mole. I'm conflicted about the latter, but there's plenty of reason for it not to be the first."

It was a mental fork in the road, and for now, he was starting on one side.

"What you heard, mostly. It sounds like they trusted the guy, even encouraged their lackeys to use him as security if they messed up. It's the opposite of what you'd have an assassin do." Trelisti didn't even realize how many paths he'd walked in his head until he started speaking, and the words poured out on their own. "That aside, if he really was a member of the industry, I feel like he wouldn't have let the target escape so easily. Especially considering her bounty."

A tangent, a hike off the trail, but an important one. Tellik's face scrunched.

"What do you mean, her bounty?" he asked with a hint of concern. "You know who they were after?"

"A jewelry shop in the wealthiest district of town, the dampness in the room, and that mist we saw in the darkness," Trelisti said, counting off his fingers. "I thought I recognized the scream, and while I wasn't gonna take it seriously at first, the pieces fit together too well to ignore. She's got decent self-defense knowledge, too—I saw it firsthand. Unless you know another tidebringer whose father owns a jeweler, I don't think it could be anyone but Espire."

Tellik's mouth dropped a little, but his shock melted away quickly. "You're...you might be right. It was an Az'syra Jewelry store. And frankly, she's the only tidebringer I've ever seen in Rosvanii."

"Exactly." He didn't realize he'd been clenching his knuckles until his fingers started to go numb. He released his grip and circled back to where he'd been going. "There's no way Snake-Ring's ignorant of her bounty. Clearly, she trusts the guards enough to alert them of the attack, and he could've used that to his advantage. But as far as we know, she escaped without a hitch, and he killed the one who attacked her. He's done absolutely nothing to benefit the industry."

"So you think he really does work for Ienitt, then?" The question wasn't exactly doubtful, but he wasn't fully convinced, either. "Like a double agent?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you could help with that part," Trelisti admitted, clenching his arm. "Do Ienitt's guards normally murder potential pulse suspects?"

"Not that I've heard," Tellik said, shaking his head. "What happens to them isn't exactly public, but it feels extreme. And much too hasty."

"My thoughts, too," answered Trelisti. He took another swig of the drink, a tart burn in the back of his throat. "I seriously doubt he's a mole with the industry's interests in mind, but I still don't know if he's an enemy or not. Much less how he fits into this whole picture."

Tellik mulled over the notion, but gave up a few seconds in. Instead, he looked over expectantly. "What will you do about it, then?"

"What can I?" Trelisti sighed, leaning against the wall. "I think my only choice is to watch him, at least until Lias makes contact with us. Unless you feel like infiltrating Sunila."

"Uh, no. I don't think that would go in our favor," Tellik said, any earlier enthusiasm draining. "They're one of the biggest distribution centers in the city, and if they're really as close with the industry as we think, they're not going to make it easy to investigate. I hate to say it, but they're too big of a fish right now."

"Figured," Trelisti grumbled, not bothering to hide his disappointment. He didn't like to rely on others, but at the same time, he knew his own limits. They were better off waiting until they had more allies, or in the worst case, handing the matter to Ienitt's guard. "Think there's much else we can do today?"

Tellik let out a nihilistic chuckle. "Slow down. They're not going to make moves because you're anxious."

"They're going to make moves anyway. I just don't know when and where they're all at." The knowledge was like a cold stone sitting in his stomach. "I should've stayed watching Snake-Ring."

"He would've noticed eventually. You saved us both the trouble by coming back." Tellik yawned as he finished speaking, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. "Plus, I need to recover my mana before we do anything serious. That cut on your hand earlier was straining as it was."

Trelisti glanced down at the seamless skin on his palm. He hadn't realized it was taxing—the heal went so smooth it looked effortless.

"That's...fair," Trelisti said, resigning. "Have your burns healed fully yet?"

"Not since the last time you saw them. Don't worry about it," he answered. "I'll finish after a nap. If you want to investigate the rest of the day, I guess won't mind, as long as you come back before nightfall."

"You sure?" Trelisti didn't think there was much risk in leaving him, but he wanted to be certain. "I can stay if you really need me."

"Nah. I'm borrowing a dagger again, though." Tellik stood up and started for the door, empty cup in one hand. "Now hurry up and go, before I change my mind."