They didn’t walk far. He had somewhat hoped that they would walk longer and he wouldn’t have to face what’s become of his old friend. They entered an old shambling building right at the cusp of what one would describe as the slums and Camaz was met with the tired and wary gazes of at least half a dozen women. For a heartbeat he was confused as none of them were Orrna, but then he slowly recognized a set of dark eyes in the back of the group.
She looked surprised and without exchanging a word with him followed him out. “Appointments with us usually start at sunset,” she joked as they left the ill kept building. “But I’ll make an exception for an old friend.”
“I’m not buying your time,” Camaz said. “Orrna what the fuck are you doing here?”
They rounded the corner and when she was satisfied they had some semblance of privacy, she turned to give him a cool look. “I’m here to make a living and keep food in my belly.” She folded her arms. “If you think this is a far cry from what I used to do, you’d be surprised.”
Camaz wasn’t naive or a fool, he knew what happened at the Red Veil. But it was only today with an unpleasant twist of guilt that he realized how easily it was for Orrna to pivot into less savory professions in such a short time. “What happened to your bartender, Einta? At least back then you had him.”
“He’s gone.” Orrna’s expression shuttered shut. Camaz thought about what the fabric merchant said and drew the obvious conclusion.
“What happened? Does this have something to do with Moulu?”
“Not directly, although if you’re the one asking questions then the fault would fall to him,” Orrna said. “The Red Veil was taken over by a group I’ve never seen before. They knew exactly who I was and what I did. We were powerless to do anything to them, even if Einta’s manus abilities didn’t seem to faze them.”
“Bringers,” Camaz muttered. “With warding talismans.”
“Is that what it was?” Orrna didn’t even bother feigning interest. “They were saying something about us upsetting their god, I assumed they were Kuvan but they were all plain-clothed. Then said something else about betraying the emperor. Destroyed the Red Veil from the inside out and probably would have killed me if it wasn’t for Einta.”
“I’m sorry,” Camaz said quietly.
“It was his job,” Orrna shrugged, but her eyes didn’t meet his.
“Why didn’t you come find me after this happened?”
“I’ve lost everything, Camaz. Even that little book you gave me. And do you think someone of my profession can just call on a professor across the Strait?” Orrna sniffed. “For what it’s worth I tried to figure out what happened. I’m glad at least you gave me something to call these pieces of shits: Bringers.”
“Moulu is one of them. He tried to kill me. The whole trip out east was a scheme for him to make me find Aris then dispose of us,” Camaz said. Although the memory still stung, it felt like it had happened so long ago.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“He is a slippery one,” Orrna said. “Always feels like he is thinking and scheming something else when you’re in conversation with him. If he is responsible for both of our misery then there’s not much we can do. He knows almost everything about our business.”
“I killed him,” Camaz shrugged. If Orrna was shocked by the information, she didn’t show it. “But it’s sufficient to say he’s not the end of our troubles.”
“No. I no longer have glamorous contacts that let me listen in to the upper echelons of society…. Something doesn’t want you or me interfering. There is only one reason why someone would destroy something like the Red Veil instead of using it: they are planning something that nobody likes and require blindness and deafness from people like us.” Orrna shifted uncomfortably. “If the Bringers want Aris and you dead, you should take her and run.”
For a brief moment, Camaz was touched. Orrna always did care about the little moon more than she was willing to admit. Back then she claimed it was having a ‘stake’ in protecting a Caelisian noble. But now, Camaz looked at her in her shabby dress standing in a dirty alleyway - she had no stake anymore.
“You can come live on the island.”
“The Academy?” Orrna burst out laughing, a sound devoid of happiness. “The girls and women there are scholars, aren’t they? We can’t have a common whore tarnish their reputation.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I say what I want,” she shot back. “And don’t you dare start pitying me, Camaz. I won’t have it.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Camaz said with a half smile. “Take care of yourself. I’ll come back to visit.”
They shared a brief silence. For a few heartbeats, Camaz thought back to their usual meeting place: in a back room of the Red Veil. It felt like in the silence they were both thinking of that room. The place where they whispered secrets and played their spy games.
“I’ll make sure the Red Veil returns,” Camaz said. “I’ll make sure it goes back the way it used to be.”
“Men always make promises they can’t keep,” Orrna snorted. “No, keep your promises to your ward. You’ve fucked up raising her enough times. And besides, you should worry about yourself before you talk about me.”
She skewered him with a sharp look and all at once he knew that she knew about how utterly powerless he was.
“Did those fuckers do it?” she said barely above a whisper.
“No.” There was no way he could ever tell her.
“Will it ever come back?”
“I have no idea.”
There was another bout of silence, this time thoughtful. “It’s not like you ever liked it,” Orrna said finally. “Perhaps this is a good thing.”
He gaped at her, at a loss for words.
Back when the Part Imron asked him why he was desperate to save Aris’s life, he discovered he had to do it to redeem himself. Partially, it was redemption for the way he treated his ward, his lack of parenting skills and his ignorance in her suffering. But now he wondered if he did it because he’s always felt guilty about who he was. How could one have the abilities he’s had and not feel like a monster? To force people to do horrible things, to force words out of unwilling mouths; regular, innocent people don’t do these things and secretly enjoy it.
He could think better of himself if he saved Aris’s life. The price was that he had his abilities taken away from him, the abilities he despised so much. Did the Part plan for this to happen?
Did the Part now plan for him to now live as a man unburdened by guilt?