Book 2 Chapter 3

The room fell into an uneasy quiet as Torvus’s words were met by the others with stunned silence. They stared at him, thoughts lost by the strange decree un6il a peal of laughter rang out shaking them from the stupor. Claire had broken down, tears in her eyes and hands clutching her sides as she laughed uncontrollably.

“I don’t think this is a laughing matter…” Nerida sighed as she rolled her eyes at Claire's doubled over appearance. “And it wasn’t a very funny joke to start…” She continued, fixing Torvus with a glare.

“Hey, I wasn’t joking! Okay… Maybe exaggerating a little, but I already have it all thought out. All I need is the boss and we can handle it ourselves…”

“Oh?” The water priestess started, her voice heavy with sarcasm, “And what is this grand plan of yours that involves bringing our god into the middle of a city where a highly trained group of assassins would give anything to see him dead? Let's not forget the only person that will be with him is an untrustworthy fool who used to work for that same assassins group… Please, tell me how this would work…”

“Hey, I think I’ve done enough work around here to deserve some trust… And the plan is simple… I have some contacts within the city, people who want to get rid of the current council and are eager to change the way the current assassins guild works.”

“Who are these contacts?” Claus spoke for the first time, rubbing his chin as he listened.”And why couldn’t they help us if we brought an army instead of just the two of you?”

“Former council members mostly…” Torvus answered, “When the shard was found a few years ago not everyone agreed on how to use it. You couldn’t say they were good people… But I guess for some of them there was still some boundaries they didn’t want to cross… I guess they grew a heart and went against the rest of the council… And got kicked off for it. If we can put them back in power we’ll be able to handle the rest.”

“If they aren’t on the Councill anymore than how are they going to help us?” Maria questioned him this time, tilting her head.

“Even if they got kicked off the council they still wield a good amount of power in the city. They’re merchants after all they don't act without taking the cost and risks into account. They're businesses and followers are strong enough that the council can’t act against them directly, and they know the assassin's guild well enough to dodge any stabbers.”

“And how could we trust these people?” Nerida asked scathingly, “These are the same people that helped plot and plan to keep Lutel and Rasor in war correct? Even if they left once the shard was found they were likely responsible for more deaths than we could imagine before that.”

“I’m not saying you have to trust them completely,” Torvus replied holding up his hands as if to ward off Nerida’s negativity. “And God can make the decision himself once he meets them. But I do trust them… Or at least one of them… He was the reason I was able to get away from the guild in the first place.”

“What does that mean? Tirr asked curiously.

“He didn’t like forcing the kids they bought and abducted into using the Shard, was one of the main reasons for the schism… Though I guess he was okay with raising them as normal assassins so like I said not a good guy… But when he left he brought me and a bunch of my little brothers and sisters with him, helped us get out…”

“Weren’t you still working with the assassin’s guild till just recently?” Claire interrupted, “You know, like when you stabbed me in the heart?”

“I went back on my own not long after…” Torvus sighed, “I was a quick learner when it came to the shard, so the council got tired of losing the people they sent after us. They gave me a deal, I’d work for them and they would stop hunting for the rest of my brothers and sisters…”

“I took it and had been working for them since then. Until I heard rumors of someone that was related to the shard, someone that might be able to get rid of it...”

“Why did you want to get rid of it? Claus couldn’t help but ask, “The power is amazing and you seemed to have used it well…”

“I had already been an assassin for years when they forced the shard on me so it’s true I don’t really care about myself… But some of the other kids... They deserve a chance at living a normal life. So when a job came in to head to Rasor I took the chance to come investigate. After meeting with Tirr and hearing what happened in Rasor, I knew it was time to leave the Assasins Guild for good.

“That, man back at the Warehouse, he…” Tirr stopped, thinking back at the threat he had heard.

“Yeah,” Torvus replied, nodding. “When I left my family had to go back into hiding, but they won’t be that easy to find. I do prefer getting back as quickly as possible though, and bringing an army will take time to prepare, not to mention the Confederation will see it coming a mile away. If it ends up being some drawn-out siege thousands will die for nothing and who knows how long my family will last…”

The room went quiet once again, this time in contemplation as they absorbed his words, until Nerida was the first to break the silence. “As persuasive as that is, I still believe a full attack will be the best way to deal with the situation. Putting God at risk with sources we don’t know is unacceptable. And if your plan falls through you’ll be stuck there without any support.”

“Tirr and Garm are a huge part of our fighting power, To send them in alone would be foolish.” Claus agreed, nodding his head.

“In that case, let's start getting into how to do this as quickly as possible then…” Nerida started pulling out a series of maps as she spoke to Claus, “How soon can your…”

“Let's go with Torvus’s plan…” Tirr said quietly.

The words made Nerdia stop mid-sentence as she looked over at Tirr, giving him a reluctant pout, “My Lord, I don’t think that is….”

“I promised Torvus I would help him, so far he’s kept up his side of the bargain. If he thinks this is the best way to takedown the Confederation than I believe him. If we just need a small group though then it should be fine if Maria and Nerida come too right?” He asked Torvus, who nodded in reply.

“But…” Nerida started, stopping when she saw his eyes. She sighed and collapsed into her chair, “Fine, but can I at least recommend we still prepare the army? If the Confederation sees that we’re preparing to march it’ll be easier for a small group to infiltrate. Plus if things do go wrong then we'll have a force ready to provide aid quickly, I’ll need to stay behind though to coordinate with Rasor…”

“Torvus clapped his hands, “That’s a good idea, good thinking…” His words were full of praise but Nerida felt like his eyes were gloating…

“Then that’s settled,” Tirr said nodding happily, We'll sneak into the Confederation and take them down from within while our armies prepare to knock on the walls…