Book 2 Chapter 33

“The Assassin’s Guild started the war between Lutel and Rasor?” Tirr asked, a deep frown setting on his face.

Torvus shook his head, “I doubt they started it, though I can’t know for sure… There were plenty enough reasons for them to fight anyways and war is a constant for countries this size. The Confederation just had a vested interest in making sure the fighting continued...”

“What does that mean?” Nerida asked, scowling at the lounging assassin.

“It’s simple really, over the past hundred years. those two arms of the Confederation have kept a close eye on both countries. Whenever tensions seemed like they might be winding down or even starting to cease completely, they would give a little nudge… And soon things would be spiraling out of control yet again.”

“A little nudge?” Tirr growled, “Like assassinating one of Lutel’s Princesses who had traveled to Rasor for peace talks?”

“That and more, though I wasn’t even born for that one.” Torvus said cheerfully, juice dripping down his chin as he finished another bite. “From what I understand though that was just one of the bagger incidents in a long line of similar actions. Assassinations, poisonings, raids…”

The assassin threw the apple away before looking back up at them. All done to throw as much blame on the other side as possible. They had vast resources and a strong information network and they used behind the scenes to make sure that the hatred between Rasor and Lutel kept going… Even when both countries wished for it to stop…”

A loud grating came from Tirr as his teeth gritted tightly. His fist clenched, his fingernails biting into his skin until blood welled slowly from the indents. He couldn’t help but think back to the memories that had haunted the King of Rasor. The bodies splayed across the ground and that fierce hatred that had grown because of it… He tried to calm himself, “They did all of that to survive as a country?”

“Well, I’m sure it started that way…” Torvus scratched his cheek bashfully. “A while after the fighting really started up both countries needed a way to procure armor and weapons. As a coastal country, Lutel lacked the resources and mines to produce it themselves. Rasor borders some mountains but they're filled with Beasts that make gathering much impossible and they never had the right craftsmen. In the end, both countries turned towards the Confederation for help.”

“Then…” Maria started hesitantly,

“The confederation doesn’t have access to many minerals either, but they trade regularly with the mountain tribes of Mount Kalare that lies just to the west of them. The mountain tribes hate the flat land, so the Confederation never has to worry about them doing something like invading. They take the minerals from there and then sell them as weapons to Lutel and Rasor so they can keep fighting. Over time, that’s become one of the biggest sources of income that the city has…”

“So, they aren’t even afraid of them anymore?” Tirr asked quietly, his body relaxing as he released his fist and jaw. “They just don’t want to stop making money…?”

“Basically… They aren’t really a weak country anymore either. They hire mercenaries from across the continent so while they don’t have an official army, they could put together a large host in…” Torvus’s sentence caught in his throat as he caught sight of the eye’s glaring at him. They seemed bottomless as if he was staring into an endless void. He felt something he thought long forgotten start to burn in his core…

“I’ll kill them…”

Tirr’s voice was quiet yet Torvus could have sworn he felt the temperature of the room drop. He noticed that the god’s companions seemed to have felt the same thing, standing as if frozen under their god’s anger.

Torvus glanced back at the eyes once more and couldn’t resist the shiver that ran up his spine. His grin widened even as he tried to push down the growing fear he felt. Ah… That’s right this is fear… How long has it been…? He shook himself briefly, shoving down the useless emotion as he continued.

“That’s the plan… But nothing is so upfront within the Confederation, or I would have done it myself… The council has grown into a constant power struggle with them often turning their own assassins on each other. Because of that their overly cautious arranging different meeting spots each time and preparing body doubles…. They’re so at each other’s throats for the position and power that subterfuge comes second nature. Getting to them would mean a lot of deaths I’d rather avoid. So, I came here. I’ll help you get back the little princeling back and you can help me take down the Confederation….

“If you knew about the attack why didn’t you say anything earlier….”

Torvus felt a shift as the god’s rage centered on him, He gasped, the heavy killing intent pressing on him like lead. “I didn’t know the whole plan to begin with, just that they were going to try something. Plus... They weren’t doing it alone….” He let out a smirk as he glanced over at the Nerida.

“They have a contact within the water temple. Someone high up enough to be able to give them details on the palace and where the queen and princeling would be. As well as keep track of where the High Priestess’s favored guests were. I couldn’t risk being spotted so I had to wait for a safe chance to make contact. Thankfully though while they were keeping an eye on you, I was keeping an eye on them. I know where they're going now and how to get the little guy back…

“Then take us to him..” Tirr stated plainly, as he calmed himself. He stood and started to walk towards the door.

“Wait! We can’t go now, they're moving him so they’ll be extra on edge. If anything goes wrong they’ll cut their losses, kill the kid, and run.”

Tirr stopped, listening impatiently, “Then when?”

“When they think they're safe…” Torvus said, a smile returning to his face. “I know where they’re taking him. We can strike tomorrow night. For now, though we need to stay out of sight cause there going to be eyes everywhere… Trust me, I’ll help you save him. I don’t feel like letting those old fogeys plan work…”