Ten Arrows

Chapter 26

"And you couldn't have improvised some way to let me know what was going on?"

"That was the whole reason I'd asked to accompany you back to your room in the first place. Twice, in fact. I was pressed for time, and couldn't have known if that particular listening gem was the only one still left in the keep, or if others had been planted since the time I'd last checked for them. But I knew that your room was the one place Borshank's knights couldn't have planted one. If I can't break into it, they certainly wouldn't be able to manage without leaving some sort of evidence they'd been there. And I couldn't tell you why I was trying to get you to come with me to your room, what with people listening in on us."

Talia glanced to her right and briefly inspected the contents of the writing table, frowning slightly.

"This room is safe at the moment," I said, giving her a wan smile. "I've checked. I'm not sure about too many of the others, because I haven't had all that much time to do a thorough sweep, but this room is clean."

"And that one letter opener?" she asked. "Where is it now?"

"It's in the kitchen. North wall, by the grill. I thought it'd be fun to treat Borshank's staff to the sound of Mosond cursing out the cooking staff for a while."

My last comment solicited a greatly amused smirk from Talia, but her expression quickly became both serious and distressed.

"You don't understand how it felt, Vincent. You have no idea. We'd talked about it, and you'd told me you wouldn't, and then to suddenly possess evidence that you'd actually gone and done something like that? To be standing right here in front of you, asking if you did, and not hear you tell me that you hadn't? It felt like you'd lied to me about something I knew I'd never be able to get past. Then, between your cloak and the things you were implying as we talked-"

"Talia, I do apologize for that. You can't even believe how much. It hurts my own heart to know that you'd even momentarily believed I was capable of doing something like that." I gave her a look that I hoped came off as 'genuine and earnest' rather than 'dead tired and about to fall asleep in my chair'. "Seriously though, after everything we've been through - all of the missteps, all of the effort to get to where we are right now - did you honestly believe I'd choose to simply throw all of that away for the sake of revenge?"

"I'd-" she began, turning her head to one side and taking a breath. "I had hoped you wouldn't. Really, really hoped. But when everything was happening, I couldn't help but think..." She turned back to look at me, rallying some of her anger. "And you wouldn't tell me you didn't! I asked, again and again, and got nothing! You weren't admitting to anything, but you weren't denying anything either, doing your best to dance around my straightforward questions. What was I supposed to think?"

"To be fair, and at the risk of repeating myself, I did attempt to get you up to your room so I could explain what was going on, but you simply weren't having any of it. I don't precisely know why you thought I was trying to bring you up there, but..." I shrugged. "I was trying, Talia. I really was."

Talia took a short breath, and her expression became slightly contrite.

"Yes, well maybe you aren't to blame for that. At the time, I didn't know what to think. And you're saying that if I hadn't already assumed the worst, or if I'd actually given you the benefit of the doubt and accompanied you to my room so you could explain to me what was going on, none of this would have happened. So in a way, it's almost like it's my-"

"No, no, and no... it's not your fault. None of it is," I said quickly. "You're not allowed to go all keepmistress on me right now... you have every right to be upset by what happened! You came to a perfectly logical conclusion, all because I had to say the sorts of damning, ambiguous things that would cause anyone listening to draw those exact same conclusions, simple as that."