Book 3 Chapter 30

Tirr frowned, his eyes going back and forth between the young former assassin and the well dressed young woman standing behind Tess. Torvus kept his dagger at the ready, his characteristic smile nowhere to be seen as glared at the two women.

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Torvus asked, his voice cold.

“Stop being a child Torvus…” Tess said, rolling her eyes as she walked past him to greet Raife, “Oh, no offense of course dear,” She added teasingly as she smiled at Tirr.

Tirr ignored her staring at the other woman, “What do you know about the children?”

He kept his voice neutral, yet Silk heard the unspoken anger. It sent a shiver down her spine as she looked at the child-god. Her guard seemed to sense it as well, stepping out in front of her instinctively…

“Ah, yes.” She stuttered, “I…”

“Of course she does…” Torvus said sarcastically, “She probably helped plan the whole thing… Now she’s here to make demands or some such nonsense…”

Tirr looked first to Silk, then Torvus, feeling confused…

“Yeah Boss, Say hello to the current Silk of the Confederation Council, earned her spot after getting rid of her dear old mother over there. Guess they didn’t cut ties as deeply as they led everyone to believe…

Silk ignored Torvus and instead stepped towards Tirr, bowing slightly as she introduced herself, “My name is Korana Feri, it’s a pleasure to meet you. As Torvus so indelicately put, I currently hold the position of Silk within the Merchant Confederation.”

Tirr looked towards Raife pointing at the young woman. “So she’s one of the people we need to kill?”

“It's complicated, but the short answer is no…” He looked towards Torvus, “For someone with barely any emotions, you sure can throw a fit.”

Torvus just grunted in reply not taking his eyes off the three women in front of them.

“Come,” Raife started, “We can talk inside, no reason to stay out in the middle of all this.” He turned and led the way inside, guiding them to his office once more. It was one of the few places that had been left untouched during the invasion.

Moving into the room, Raife sat at his desk, resting his old bones as he turned to see the group slip into two sides. Tirr and Torvus stood on one side, their hostility clear as they stared over at Tess, Silk, and her guard.

“Can one of you just explain already…” Raife sighed, looking towards the women.

“Quite simply,” Silk started,” Though I’m part of the Council, I’ve been working as an informant, passing information to my mother for some time now…”

Torvus blinked, surprise flashing in his eyes before being replaced with doubt. Tirr however seemed to come to a realization, “Oh, That’s how we were finding them,” He turned to Raife, “She was the source?”

Raife nodded, “Korana has been helping us for over a year now, and has been a big part in helping set all of this up.”

“Weren’t you the one that helped oust your mother and the others in the first place to take over her spot?” Torvus asked skeptically.

“Yes, when the council first started to divide, I took the chance to put my name forward as a replacement for my mother and helped force her out of her position. I had lived in her shadow for most of my life and was eager to prove myself. Even if it meant getting rid of her…”

“However,” Silk started with a sigh, “I soon realized that all the things my mother had warned me about were true. After seeing how far gone some of the other members of the Council were, I made contact secretly with my mother and started passing on what information I could…”

“And we’re just supposed to believe that?” Asked Torvus.

“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t change the fact it's true…”

“Enough” Tirr finally said, giving Torvus an exasperated look before turning back towards Silk, “Do you know where they’re taking the children?”

“Yes… When I learned of Knuckle’s plan I abandoned any attempt to hide my betrayal and came to warn you immediately. Unfortunately, it appears I was too late… However, I do know where he’ll bring the children. The remaining members of the Confederation are currently in hiding together. The only issue is that they’ll have the remaining assassin's guild with them as well. Once knuckle arrives, their fighting force could be considered on par with any countries army…”

“Knuckles dead, stuck in a frozen ball upstairs,” Torvus cut in, “We just need to know where the children are at.”

Silk’s eyes widened, and she gave Tirr an appreciative glance, “Impressive... “Yes, well… Currently, the rest of the council is holed up in the old assassins guild training facility, I believe you know the place well enough Torvus…

Torvus grimaced, “There huh…”

“The old place? Tirr asked curiously.

“Yes, where Torvus himself was originally trained, They changed facilities not too long after his year. The building was left derelict, but was originally chosen for being out of the way and easily defendable. It's still one of the most secure places within the city.

“It doesn’t matter how secure it is,” Tirr said confidently, “I can break through it, and if Garm’s there they won’t stand a chance, the only worry is the children. How do we make sure they don’t get caught up in everything?”

“I can handle that…” Silk replied easily, “Hopefully they haven’t realized that I’ve turned on them yet. If I can get in and find the children, I’ll make sure they stay out of the fighting….”

“You’re going to help the children?” Torvus questioned still pretending you’ve grown a heart then?”

“If your done making snide remarks we should be off soon,” Silk ignored him, turning to lead the way as her white masked guard followed. “The longer we take the more suspicious they might become of me, not to mention what they might do to the children…”