Even after considering Kanda’s plan for the rest of the week, and going over it with Ghost numerous times, Alistair still wasn’t convinced it was the best way forward.
“It just seems risky as hell,” he told the assassin as he lowered his sword, the two of them in the void of Alistair’s mind at the moment. “But what other option do we have?”
They had taken to training in Alistair’s mind more as of late, and Alistair didn’t quite know why. With the way he was able to conceal his weapons, using them in the Resonant Rooms wasn’t really a problem. But Ghost insisted it would be better this way. Something about a different kind of muscle memory, something about how the body would follow the mind.
He always was full of quotes.
“That is what you’ve been worrying about all week?” Ghost asked. “The risk? Or is this about something else? Perhaps Lauren? Be honest.”
“What? Nothing is happening between us!” Alistair nervously scratched the back of his head. “Really, nothing.”
“Nothing? What about your little meet-and-greets? Those were certainly something.”
“We were just talking about our lessons!” It was true, Alistair had eaten breakfast with Lauren twice now, but only because Juno slept and Alistair was hungry after his morning exercises. At least this was what he told himself.
“Moving on.” Ghost flourished his sword and did it again, showing off. Even after all the time Alistair had spent in front of the intimidating assassin, he still felt a chill when locking onto Ghost’s golden eyes. “I know you have your concerns, and I have mine.”
“That’s not the first time you said that this week.”
“Because I don’t want to try to predict the future here, Alistair.” Ghost sent his sword into his sheath. “And I think you should—” The assassin let out a troubled sigh. “I can’t believe I’m saying this.”
“Saying what exactly?”
“Well, it makes sense to speak to Zola, and if you speak to her, you have to speak to your dumbass roommate. So Juno and Zola. They are heading there with us tomorrow. We should see what they think. That’s what I’m suggesting. We get their take. Personally, I say we cut Kanda loose. Let her figure out the hard way how foolish it is to go for Felix’s crown so blatantly, even if she feels like she may have some advantage. Her assumption of advantage could be our advantage. Nixing a future enemy now is something I’m not opposed to, even if it is messy.”
“Future enemy? You really see her that way?”
“I see anyone I don’t particularly like as a future enemy.”
Alistair recalled all the ways Ghost had complimented Kanda, at least in the beginning. “I thought you liked her.”
“In the beginning, I thought she was cunning, especially the way she has tricked everyone into thinking she is something she is not. But now, no. And you know that. I don’t like her. The closer we get to Kanda, the higher the chance we have of falling on our own blade. I’m not too keen on her crossing the border with us, anyway.”
Alistair considered this. “You think we will be able to convince her to stay behind in Solaria?”
“I don’t know. Part of me thinks that if we do that, and if we are successful, we will have to deal with the aftermath whatever that is on our way back. Hard to tell. If we do everything we can once we arrive in Solaria, that’ll force us to do so with Juno and Zola, meaning I will have to babysit.”
“They are capable.”
“Not against the Baronblades and whatever Felix has protecting him, they aren’t. Although, we could use Juno’s status as a Stonewind to our advantage…”
“I don’t like the way that sounds. What do you mean?”
“Huh. Just a thought. I should run that by Kanda but only after you talk to your friends.”
“Kanda, who isn’t your friend.”
“Kanda who will be our friend until we no longer need her.”
“Right. Well, it’s late now, so I should probably head back to… um… me, get some rest, and deal with my friends in the morning.” Alistair turned back to the reflecting pool.
“Zola is up. Juno is probably sleepwalking. I say you at least check. Although, I don’t know why I’m being so generous. They’re going to say they want to come along regardless, even though it could be a suicide mission.”
“Which part?”
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“Exactly. Handling Felix in Solaria won’t be easy. And that’s before we move to the border and cross.”
“Maybe it is best if we find a way to send Kanda off on her own mission, then. But you said already, that means we’ll have to deal with the results once we return.” Alistair chewed on his lip for a moment. “They could be insane, especially if we’re freshly coming from the border. You’d know better than I.”
Ghost started to pace, his dark robes lightly floating above the ground. “It could be madness, you’re right. The entire city could be on lockdown. My gut tells me to handle Felix first, and let the aftermath play out while we head to the border. Then, we come back a different way. Still chaos, but less murdery, and more suspensey, if that makes sense. It doesn’t. But you know what I’m saying.”
“I don’t exactly.”
“You know what? I take back what I said earlier: I don’t think your friends’ opinions are going to help us with this. I’m ashamed I even suggested it. Sorry.”
“An actual apology? You are changing.”
“You wish. Honestly, I was hoping that Zola would have some angle that I’m not seeing. Juno is useless, as we both know, but Zola—”
“He’s not useless.”
“According to you. Now that I play this out in my head, there really is no other option aside from what you just alluded to. And there remains the wildcard of all wildcards.”
“Felix?”
“Hardly. Fuck him. I’m talking about Kang. We don’t know if he will be there in Solaria, or on the other side of the border. If we deal with Felix first, then we’ll know.”
“I wish there were a way for us just to hit Felix’s mansion with everything we have. Between the four of us, and you, so five, we could do quite a bit of damage. Lionel too,” Alistair said.
“I don’t disagree. But we would come under the scrutiny of battledeck mages. That won’t be a problem for Juno considering his father’s position. And while it might not even be a problem for Kanda, you and Zola would be fucked as a pair of lowly orphans.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“It has nothing to do with voting. I was an orphan myself, remember? The kingdom would have tossed me under the first carriage had they known what I would become.”
“Yet you fight for the kingdom, the one that has turned you into this.” Alistair was surprised at the tone of his own voice and the way it had raised as he motioned to Ghost. Alistair truly meant it. The Dawncrest Kingdom had let Ghost down by allowing him to become an assassin. It had even employed him, yet it never actually nurtured or looked after whatever a young Ghost may have looked like.
“Things are complicated, Alistair. And you aren’t wrong. I didn’t say you were right, but you aren’t wrong. With Felix, we’re going to have to do this in a stealth mode. Not stealth mode in the way that you are thinking, sneaking around at night, rooftop to rooftop. More of a sudden ambush, which is where Kanda’s card will come in handy. I’m glad we talked this through.”
“Yeah?” Alistair gave him a funny look. “I feel like it was mostly you talking out loud.”
“We are workshopping things here.”
“Is that what you call it?”
He waved Alistair away. “Go back. Get your roommate. Meet Zola.”
“One last thing, if we really are workshopping here.”
“Yes?”
“We’re going to the Dracolich Empire to handle Professor Dreadwell,” Alistair said, still not one to use words like murder or kill. They just didn’t roll off his tongue.
“What are you getting at?”
“Originally, we wanted to go there to deal with weapons, the ones Felix has been trying to move over the border, and the professor. Which one are we going for now?”
“Ah, I see. Hopefully, that’s where Caidan’s assistance will come into play. We handled Renez the Twin Daggered for her, if you recall.”
An image of the dead woman flashed across Alistair’s mind’s eye, her crumpled body, how she had resembled a discarded doll in the end. He shuddered. “How could I forget?”
“Hopefully by now, Caidan knows more about the weapons and perhaps its relation to Professor Dreadwell. If we’re lucky, and I have this feeling that this may be the case, the weapons and our dear professor will be in the same location.”
“What about the Card of Rebirth?”
“Fuck. That. Right. Yes, that is a complication I’m not prepared to address just yet. Obviously, I kill him, or we do, or Ziggy does, however that works out. But if Dreadwell has already taken the card from Kang, which should be a given by this point considering Kang has visited the Empire and we’ve seen him with a lichmask, what you’re suggesting is correct. He will simply be reborn, and then it will be shit all over again.”
“Then what should we do about it? And if you kill him, who gets the Card of Rebirth?”
“You don’t want it?”
Alistair brought his arms to his chest. “I don’t know if I want any of this.”
“And you are already rich, so it’s not like selling it will do any good. The only one I can think of who would know is Zola.”
Alistair shook his head at the mention of money. He rarely thought about how much he had in the bank because of Ghost, and he certainly didn’t feel wealthy. “Or…” An idea came to him. “Lionel.”
“Lionel? What are you suggesting?”
“Lionel can store items in what he calls his stomach. Could he store a person?”
“You mean doing something like banishing Professor Dreadwell to the void that is Lionel’s stomach? I wonder what would happen if Dreadwell died in such a state. Will a card move on, or would it be trapped there forever? I don’t know, I’m no Resonant Mana expert.” Ghost shook his head. “It sounds ridiculous, but… I like it. I like that option..”
“I could also ask Zola to look up at the Wraithen Archives tomorrow before she leaves. How about that?”
“Smart. But don’t make it too known what you are planning. Or actually, fine, do. The more information she has, the better she’ll be able to help. Nice talk, Alistair. It’s good to workshop from time to time. You’re getting better at this, you know.”
“I am?”
Ghost pointed toward the water. “Go back and wrangle your friends.”