The pair stared at Winston without moving for what felt like an eternity. At length, the woman spoke. “I have not decided whether or not we are here to kill you.”

Winston stood stock still before their table, as though he was taken off guard by her response. It took him a moment to respond. “Who sent you?”

“I am here on my own accord,” the woman said sharply.

“How did you find me?” Winston continued. “Was it the Duke who sent you… or Nathan?”

“I already told that I am here on my own accord!” the woman snapped.

“I want to know if the two of you are fit to judge me,” Winston said with more confidence in his voice now.

The pair didn’t move, but the woman smiled sweetly. “Don’t threaten me, Kingslayer. I may not be a match for you, but he is.”

She nodded at the man, and Winston clenched his fists into tight balls. “I wouldn’t count on him being the trump card you think he is.”

“I can still sense the Dark One’s taint on you,” the man said, speaking for the first time. His voice was clear and had a melodic ring to it that strangely left Louis wanting to hear more. “That should be reason enough for me to crush you.”

“You are welcome to try,” Winston said. There was an edge of fury to his voice that chilled Louis down to his core and he wondered if he should rush downstairs with the weapons.

“Hey!” the woman hissed as she brought her fist crashing down on the table and looked directly at her companion. “We had an agreement.”

Before giving either man a chance to respond, she bored her eyes into Winston. “What is your relationship with the Ear?”

Winston took a deep breath to regain his composure. “Nathan and I are acquaintances.” Louis noticed that the woman bristled when she heard the name. Winston noticed it too and added, “Is he your master?”

“I am my own master,” the woman snapped irritably.

“Did he send you?” Winston ventured. “That is the only explanation I can think of for your sudden appearance.”

“He did not send me. He didn’t even tell me he’d tracked you down,” the woman said, sounding hurt. “I followed him when I noticed he was acting strangely.”

“You followed him?” Winston repeated, sounding incredulous.

The woman glared at Winston. “Yes. So do not underestimate me.”

“I let you follow me.” Louis jumped when he heard a familiar gravelly voice.

He followed it and was astonished to find a lanky figure sitting at a table close to the kitchen with his feet propped up on the table. Had he been there the whole evening?

“Master!” the woman exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought you’d left,” Winston added. “What is your lackey… I’m sorry, this independent agent doing here?”

“She is my successor, my fine fellow,” Huntsman said mirthlessly. “And I must say she still needs a little polishing.”

“Master I can explain, I…” the woman began.

“I think your master is the one who owes an explanation,” Winston remarked.

“I suppose I do.” Nathan got to his feet abruptly and Louis froze when the lanky old man looked up at him and smirked. “Why don’t you come down, boy? You’ll hear us better if you’re in the room with us.”

The woman followed Nathan’s gaze and gasped.

“I’m surprised you didn’t hear him,” Nathan admonished. “He sounded like a herd of cattle tramping across the hallway.”

Louis clutched the weapons tight as his mind churned. What should he do? Pretend he wasn’t there? Go down and bring the weapons with him just in case a fight broke out? It was three against two. Perhaps they could cause a loud enough commotion for someone to notice and bring help.

“Get a move on, boy, we know you’re there,” Huntsman called. “And leave the sword and shield upstairs. Your master won’t be needing them tonight.”

Louis hesitated and brought the weapons to the landing before setting them down there. He took a deep breath before walking downstairs with a sheepish look on his face. Winston had a look of disappointment on his face that set a dagger through the boy’s heart.

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“I thought I told you to go for a walk,” Winston said softly.

“I’m sorry Mister Weaver,” was all Louis could mumble.

“Master, what is your relationship to the Great Enemy?” the woman blurted.

Winston looked pained and he gave Louis a look.

“Well, the cat’s out of the bag,” Nathan remarked. “He might as well know the whole story.”

“Doesn’t he know the whole story?” Winston asked as he gave the strange man an accusatory glare.

“Some of us were too far from the Holy City when the Great Enemy attacked,” the man said in his melodic voice. His eyes appeared strangely reptilian to Louis, and they never left Winston. “Those who were not there were told the same story the people were.”

“So the Order didn’t even tell you?” Winston grunted.

“Easier to keep a secret when fewer people know it,” Nathan pointed out.

“What is this secret?” the woman asked suspiciously.

Nathan shrugged and pulled up three chairs. “Why don’t we all sit down?”

Winston walked to the bar and returned with a bottle of brandy and four glasses. “Do your kind drink?” he asked the strange man.

The man nodded and Winston quickly filled four glasses. Nathan took a large swig and sighed with relish. “You really know how to spoil a man,” he chuckled.

“Why did you lead your… successor here?” Winston asked.

A mischievous look crossed Nathan’s face as he set his glass down on the table. “I noticed Carla here was following me, and I thought it was time she knew the truth.”

“Why now?” Winston asked tersely. “All of that happened years ago.”

Nathan shrugged. “Perhaps I feel like I am the end of my tether and want to make sure that the true story of Timothy Weaver, the Great Enemy, does not go with me to the grave.”

“None of that is true, is it?” Winston ventured.

“Some of it might be,” Nathan grinned. He abruptly turned serious and continued. “Carla’s position as the kingdom’s Delver of Secrets is coming under threat.”

“I have the situation well under control,” Carla protested.

“It is time she knew the truth,” Nathan continued as he looked her in the eye. “As to leading her here, it was an off the cuff decision I made when I discovered I was being followed.”

“Things came very close to being bloody,” Winston’s voice trembled as he spoke, and he took a sip of whiskey to calm himself.

“You have no idea, Kingslayer,” the man added ominously.

A grin crept across Nathan’s face as he eyed Winston and the strange man in turn. “I was all ready to step in if things looked like they were going to turn violent.”

“You sound like you’ve set this all up for your own amusement,” Winston observed.

“That’s because I might have, a bit,” Nathan admitted. “But the fact remains that Carla needs to know the truth of what happened at the Circle of Ascension.”

“As does our big friend here,” Nathan added after a short silence.

Louis blinked. The man was short and slight of build. In fact, he looked just a shade lighter than Louis did. Upon closer inspection, Louis was surprised to see that the man was still not resting his bottom on the seat. However, he showed not a hint of strain, and Louis desperately wanted to ask how that was possible.

Winston and Nathan exchanged looks and the old landlord sighed. “I suppose it’ll be best if I’m the one to tell this tale.”

Nathan nodded and the landlord took a deep breath. “Well, you know the part about me becoming the Great Enemy…”

Winston paused and took a deep breath. “And you know how that went up to the walls of the Holy City.”

Carla and the strange man nodded coldly, and Louis gaped as his boss, shocked to learn that he really was the notorious Timothy Weaver.

Winston flicked his eyes to the strange man and continued. “This was all with the intention of breaking into the Chamber of Ascension to do what the Order would not, kill the Eternal Prisoner.”

Carla gasped. “Is that why the Light of Ascension faded that day?”

The man hesitated before nodding ever so slightly. Nathan smiled grimly. “I’m a little disappointed you hadn’t figured that out for yourself, girl.”

“Unfortunately, when it came time to strike the final blow, I was unable to do it myself,” Winston continued. He paused and smiled ironically. “After all the atrocities I had committed, I could not do the thing that would redeem me…”

Winston’s shoulders shuddered and he lowered his head as his voice trailed off.

“Well, from that point on, the rest of the official story is true,” Nathan said, picking up where Winston left off. “But it’s important to note that the Dark One’s demise would not have been possible without his actions.”

“You went there to kill Her, not free Her,” the strange man remarked, levelling his reptilian eyes on Winston. “You took the blame so that the people wouldn’t learn that the Order had been keeping the Dark One prisoner.”

“I don’t understand,” Carla frowned. “Why the subterfuge?”

Nathan smirked. “As far as the people are concerned, the Three ascended into the Heavenly Plane after the defeat of the Dark One thousands of years ago. If it came out that the Order was keeping Her locked up to keep their shattered husks on life support, the faithful would tear themselves apart. You remember what happened in Carthus after the War of Retribution.”

“So he was a convenient villain,” Carla murmured.

“You are a real tragic hero, Kingslayer,” the strange man said thinly.

Winston nodded. “I did what had to be done. If you desire satisfaction… well, it so happens I have a grudge that I still can’t seem to let go of myself.”

“He’s not responsible for what happened in Estos,” Nathan pointed out before taking a sip of brandy. “Are you going to throw away all you’ve built up over the years for revenge against someone who had no clue of what was going on?”

Winston took a deep breath and sighed. “I apologize. It’s just that seeing one of your kind again brings back painful memories. You are not responsible for your brothers’ actions.”

The strange man grunted. “I too can admit that I should see you in a new light with this evening’s revelations.”

“Good,” Nathan declared as he clapped his hands. “Now that everything is sorted, we can leave.”

He turned to the strange man and smiled crookedly. “I happen to need a ride back to Estos.”

Winston raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were walking the trails.”

“Are you mad?” Nathan laughed. “I’m an old man. I wouldn’t last a night out there. I’ve been hiding out at your friend Franklin’s house waiting for Carla here to show up.”

“How did they get up here then?” Louis asked, as his curiosity got the better of him. “The roads are all snowed in.”

A smile crept across Nathan’s face. “Why they flew, my fine fellow. I’m sure even you’ve noticed he’s not sitting on that chair properly.”

To stress his point, Nathan kicked the chair out from under the man, who remained in a seated position.

“I did,” Louis said and swallowed. “How is he doing that?”

“He’s a genuine child of Barylon,” Nathan grinned. He rolled his eyes and sighed when Louis stared at him blankly. “He’s a dragon.”