She sighed as she watched a bird make it's nest in one of the many trees that dotted the royal garden.
"Well that went well."
Cervas huffed.
"Bureaucratic horse shit. All of it."
She shrugged.
"Yes, it is. But we couldn't really expect them to willingly send two council members away could we?"
He clenched his fist.
"If we could hide aboard one of Halans merchant boats, we could potentially get past the blockade."
She shook her head.
"Varow would just blow it out of the water, it wouldn't have worked anyway, we'll just have to find another way."
"She's right you know."
She was on her feet with her knives in her hand before Cervas had even moved. Fanvas stood before them, leaning against a tree as if he owned the place. Cervas stared at him in shock.
"How did you get in here?"
Fanvas smiled.
"It'll be no fun if I tell you."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Why're you here?"
His face hardened.
"I'm here because Varow has gone too far. I need to talk to Arvin."
She glanced at Cervas. He nodded and she hesitantly sheathed her knives.
"Arvin is in a coma. Has been for the last two months."
He stared up at the staircase to the castles entrance and sighed.
"Well, Shit."
Varin nodded next to him.
"I'm not familiar with this phrase but yes. This is a predicament."
He sighed as he braced his hands in the arms of the chair.
Well,ooks like I'll have to walk."
Varin shook his head.
"The healer said you wouldn't walk for a few hours."
He nodded as he braced and pushed himself to his feet. A few, painfully tense moments passed before feeling flooded his legs. He fell to the stairs and smiled. Varin crouched to help him up and he waved his hand.
"No, it's fine. I'm fine."
He pushed himself to his knees and eventually to his feet. Varin sighed.
"I'll be here if you need me."
He nodded as Varin disappeared and he turned his attention to the seemingly endless steps. He felt someone bump into him and the world blurred. He turned to find himself in a huge walled off garden. Oak trees reached towards the sky and neatly trimmed hedges separated each flower bed from it's neighbour. Mahogany benches sat at random intervals along the winding path. The whole area had a strange otherworldly feel to it, which left him very confused as a moment ago he'd been staring at a staircase.
"Arvin?"
He turned and guilt gripped his chest. Nora sat beside Cervas on one of the benches. She stared at him with releif and smiled.
"You survived."
He was scum. Worse than scum. There weren't the words to describe either the regret he held, nor the hatred he had for himself.
"Yes. I did."
"Good thing to. We'd all be up the creek if you were gone."
He narrowed his eyes at the voice and whirled, his tendrils bursting into existence. Fanvas leaned against an oak tree, a smirk on his face.
"I'm not here for a fight Arvin. I'm here to help, believe it or not."
He laughed. It was hollow and devoid of humour.
"You'll forgive me if I don't believe you."
Cervas stepped in between them and nodded.
"Arvin, he's telling the truth. Just hear him out."
Something in Cervas's voice had him retracting his tendrils and nodding.
"Alright, fine."
Fanvas nodded and clapped his hands
"Fantastic. Now we can get down to business. First off, this is for you."
He pulled something out of his pocket and threw it towards him. He plucked it out of the air and examined it. It was a small golden ring with a small green stone embedded in it. He narrowed his eyes as he pushed it into his pocket.
"Where did you get this?"
Fanvas lost his sarcastic demeanour and sighed.
"Nayrin gave it to me. After Varow brought her back from the dead."
The news hit him like a sledge hammer. She was alive. He had her back. Fanvas cleared his throat and he stared.
"Now I can see your mind already whirring to work out a way to get her back. Don't. I'll deal with that part later. Right now I'm here to give you information."
Cervas raised an eyebrow and laughed. A harsh bark, empty of warmth.
"Information? And we're supposed to believe whatever you say?"
Fanvas nodded and smirked.
"Well yes. That's rather the point."
Cervas took a step forward and grabbed Fanvas by the collar.
"You see that down there?"
He pointed to the cracked and broken city and the fields beyond, to the pillars of smoke that rose higher than any spire or tower, symbols of the destruction wrought in such a short time.
"That's all on you. You and your people did that."
Fanvas nodded and wrapped his fingers around Cervas's wrist.
"We did. But would you believe me if I told you that there are some among them, that were inspired by Nora's story and what nothing more than the chance to leave themselves. Would you believe me if I told you that I never wanted this."
He gestured to the scarred landscape.
"All this, I never wanted any of it. You have no idea, "
He pulled Cervas's hand from his collar and stared at them as tears gathered in his eyes.
"You have no idea how hard I tried to stop this. All of it."
Cervas sighed and pulled his hand free of his grip.
"Fine. We'll hear you out."
Nora dug him in the tins and he glanced at her.
"Is that definetly her ring?"
He took one last look at it before nodding.
"He's telling the truth."
He shoved it into his pocket and nodded to Fanvas.
"Tell us everything you know."
