The Rogue Guardian

Chapter 22: New Clothes

I didn't get around to character drawings but I did draw Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes and to be honest I think that's almost as good.

Also, there are two important characters introduced in this chapter so while I'm sorry about the abrupt end I hope you enjoy it!

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"Are you going to tell Ysmay about our talk?" I asked Wes as we stepped into the downpour.

"Why does it matter?"

"Because her knowing I'm only agreeing to this so I can use the revolution's resources for my own ends may not be helpful in the long run?"

"That... is a good point. Don't worry about what I tell her, I'm not trying to sabotage you."

I raised an eyebrow, skeptical. Actually telling me how much he planned to share would have been a much more reassuring sign of support, and his reluctance to be specific made me suspicious. We may have had a link and somewhat mutual goal through Jaden, but I didn't know how far his promise to help me would go. Despite what how alarmed he'd been to hear what had happened, there was clearly something else going on beneath the surface-- I only hoped I'd know what it was once I figured out why he'd left the capital.

"Fine, then. Do you know what happens next?"

"What do you mean?" He had to raise his voice over the harsh thrum of rain falling all around. The distant sound of thunder rolled through the thick clouds overhead.

I swiped wet hair out of my eyes, squinting to see where I was going. I would have liked to get out of this storm as quickly as possible, but the streets were slippery and we were going slowly. "Once I tell her I'll join you, am I going to have to do anything else? Am I going to be expected to come to meetings and stuff? What exactly do you guys do?"

"Don't you know how this works from the capital?"

"Kind of. I'm just trying to get a handle on all this."

"Well... don't worry. Ysmay will explain everything." His head was lowered, watching his feet, so I couldn't see his face, but a prickly, disconcerting feeling buzzed in my bones. Why did all his advice come across like 'just stop asking'?

I stopped suddenly. "Is there something else going on?"

"What?"

"Is there something else going on here that you're not telling me."

He raised his head to look at me. His face was entirely blank-- I couldn't read anything, and I was reminded again how quickly his emotions seemed to change. Something about Wes, I realized, threw me off. He never seemed fully committed to being one person, going from the amiable boy who had accidentally mistaken me for Therese to the grim-faced backup of Lucien's trap to the caring but reserved former-student at the inn.

I stared at him until he finally broke eye contact, frustration breaking across his face.

"I just don't know what she has planned for you, alright? Let's keep going."

That did not make me feel better.

By the time we made it into the caverns my cloak and most of my clothes were soaked, and I was far more grateful to Evvie than was necessary for sitting me down in front of the fire in the main tavern room with a mug of tea, which turned out to definitely not be tea upon tasting it but was nevertheless good for warming up my frozen hands.

Almost as good, Wes had loosened up again, making my nerves calm down. I had probably overreacted to his skittishness. There was nothing threatening about the atmosphere here. It was smoky and overcrowded, probably from everyone trying to stay out of the rain, and filled with talking and laughter. An unintelligible murmur of more talking from the match room drifted in through the doorway.