Amon was wearing a hooded cloak pretending to be a beggar, sat down in a narrow alley across the Anvil and Hammer. He’d been keeping an eye on it every morning for the past two days, but Jace had yet to give the signal that he was alone. Currently, Jace was hammering away at the anvil as he had every morning. Rickert’s death had been announced by the criers on the morning after his death, it was a relief when Amon heard that it was deemed a suicide and that Rickert's involvement in the drug trade and his nyghtmare addiction wasn’t revealed. It meant that the accusations made in the suicide letter were being taken seriously. Amon had expected Sir Orabas to investigate Solas and House Owlking, the man was nothing if not thorough, but Amon didn’t expect him to move so quickly.
He must be eager to finish things, two years is the longest time he’s spent on any task.
He was too far away to hear anything, but Amon knew something was going to happen when three men dressed in dark green gambeson approached Jace. They seemed to exchange a few words before Jace led them inside the shop. Amon was tempted to go inside the shop and help Jace, but he trusted that Sir Orabas hadn’t left Jace to fend for himself. It wasn’t long before Jace exited through the shop door, closed it, and started running.
The men that went inside the shop with Jace aren’t chasing after him, so they must be preoccupied with something inside. Hopefully Bastion Knights.
“Spare some coin?” Amon asked palms out to no one in particular. He just wanted to maintain his ruse.
“I have a silver to spare.” Someone said as he placed a coin in Amon’s outstretched palms.
Surprised since he didn’t expect anything, Amon looked up to the person who gave him the coin, but whoever it was had disappeared into the passing crowd. He pocketed the coin and continued his watch.
Who was that I wonder? It sounded like a man.
Musings on the identity of his benefactor ceased when a horse-drawn cart alongside three horses approached the Anvil and Hammer. The riders were three Bastion Knights and Jace. They got off their horses, drew their swords, kicked the shop door open, and stepped inside. Jace was the last one in closing the door behind him as he entered.
Sir Orabas wasn’t among them, so he must be inside. He’s not the type to push all his responsibilities to his unit.
The citizens passing by stopped to gape at the Anvil and Hammer, but quickly went back to their previous activity, not wanting to get involved. Though the Anvil and Hammer got their attention again when the door opened and three corpses were taken out by the Bastion Knights. One, Amon noticed was red and charred, and another seemed to be missing his right hand. The corpses were thrown on the wagon except for one which they placed on the wagon gently. He was the fortunate or perhaps unfortunate one that got to live. Sir Orabas stepped out behind the rest of his unit, and when Amon saw him, he couldn’t help but grin.
The Inquisitor of the Sun was in his mid-thirties and seemed to have a perpetual frown, though Amon had heard tale that he occasionally smiled and laughed. He had reddish-brown hair that was cut short and piercing black eyes. Though he was average in height, he was lean and all muscle. What stood out the most of his otherwise standard Bastion Knight's uniform was his thick leather belt with a steel buckle, and close to ten or more pouches attached to it. Other than a dagger he carried no other weapons for he didn’t need them.
He looks much the same as I remember, only younger. Strange to think that I’m technically older than him.
Though Amon had not known Sir Orabas well, he was one of the few blessed that didn’t turn on Amon or kept him at arms-length when it was revealed he could steal someone's blessing by killing them. Amon respected him for that, and because he was one of the last to fall against the Goetites and their Acolytes. Amon expected him to be a reliable ally in this life as well, though he wouldn’t get too close to him. Sir Orabas was inquisitive by nature and could very well find Amon suspicious.
When Sir Orabas and his unit got on their horses and left, Amon watched the Anvil and Hammer in anticipation of Jace’s signal. It was simple, Jace only had to take off or not wear his leather apron. So, Amon waited, and waited, and waited.
Where is he? He hasn’t even stepped out of the shop. Did he forget the signal?
No longer having the patience to wait, Amon stood up and made his way to the Anvil and Hammer. When he arrived at the shop door, he stole a look over his shoulder and saw that no one was paying him too much attention, but he couldn’t linger long. Amon opened and closed the shop door as he entered. The shop was mostly undamaged, only some blood and scorch marks here and there. Jace was in the middle of the shop inspecting a broken longsword that looked like it had been melted in half.
“Jace,” Amon called out as he pulled his hood down.
Startled, Jace dropped the broken longsword and swiveled his head to look at Amon. “Amon, what are you doing here?” He asked surprised.
“I told you I would watch every morning for your signal to talk when you’re alone, remember?”
“Oh, right.” He said as if just remembered.
Did he not believe me?
Amon released an irritated sigh. “I saw the Bastion Knights leave, and was waiting for your signal for quite a while. When you didn’t give it, I decided to come regardless. Shall we talk in the kitchen?”
Jace squinted as he scrutinized Amon, but he nodded and he made his way to the hallway that led into the kitchen. Amon followed after him, and sat down on a wooden chair, Jace sat across from him, then grabbed a loaf of bread from a bowl on the table and took out a dagger. The one that Rickert gave him. Seeing it, Amon felt a pang of guilt, but he pushed it down.
“Hungry?” Jace asked as he sliced a piece off of the loaf.
“Sure.”
Jace handed Amon the bread, and they both began eating in uncomfortable silence.
“So,” Jace finally said. “you were right so far. The Bastion Knights are taking the suicide letter seriously, and Sir Orabas believes that Solas is the mastermind.”
Amon was glad to hear that. He was the one who had suggested to write the lie about Jace not having any involvement, so when Jace confessed he did, it would earn him some trust with Sir Orabas and it seemed to have worked.
“That’s good. I expect it won’t be long before Solas is taken care of, and for his crimes to be made public.” Amon replied as he chewed on the dry bread.
“Indeed.” Said Jace. Then there was silence again.
Gods, this is uncomfortable.
Amon swallowed the remaining bread and pointed at Jace’s right hand. Amon noticed it had a red tint as if it was burned. “Did you burn yourself smithing?”
“Ah, this.” Jace showed Amon his palm and he was surprised to see the mark of the Unseen branded on it. A closed eye.
Sir Orabas must have taken a liking to him or maybe he believes Jace could benefit from the teaching of the Unseen.
Amon knew that before Sir Orabas joined the Bastion Knights, he spent some time with the Unseen Brotherhood, a collection of monks who worshipped the Unseen. They isolated themselves in a temple hidden in The Valley of Mists and Dreams where they spent their time meditating and training their bodies into what they called Human Temples what they believed was the peak of human performance. Amon had believed Sir Orabas was a Human Temple since he was so physically impressive, but Sir Orabas denied that when Amon asked him. He didn’t have the right temperament for it or so he claimed. Amon found it hard to believe since Sir Orabas was the most placid person he knew.
“Sir Orabas the knight who questioned me gave it to me.” Jace continued. “I don’t know much about the Unseen, but he told me if I ever needed his help I should show the mark to a Bastion Knight, and they’d let him know.”
“How was it like being questioned by a Bastion Knight?” Amon asked curiously, though his curiosity was more about how being questioned by Sir Orabas was like.
“It was… intense?” Jace chuckled somewhat hysterically. “Sir Orabas is blessed you know. He can make his hands hot. I think he would have burned me if he was unsatisfied with my answers to his questions.”
“It seems he wasn’t unsatisfied with anything since other than your palm you’re unharmed,” Amon said good-humoredly.
Jace snorted. “I was also almost killed today, but yes, I’m otherwise unharmed.”
“Speaking of which. Did Sir Orabas tell you what he’s planning to do next?”
Jace shook his head. “No, but I suspect that he’ll be interrogating the man they took prisoner, and maybe investigate Alm’s Tears.”
The fountain? Why?
“That’s the fountain in the Craftsman District, right? Why would he want to investigate that?”
Jace watched him carefully before speaking. “I thought our part in this was over, why do you want to know?”
“Just curious,” Amon smiled. Jace’s part was over, but Amon needed to see it through until the very end.
“Amon, you may not be normal, but you’re still just a kid. Let the Bastion Knights take care of the rest. You’re the one that put your faith in them.”
Amon suppressed a groan. He appreciated that Jace was trying to look out for him, but in this case, it was just annoying.
Being a kid sure is inconvenient.
“I’m not planning on getting involved anymore.” Amon lied. “It’s genuine curiosity.”
Jace seemed unsure, but he yielded. “Alm’s Tears is where I dropped off the blue powder. Sir Orabas must have found it on one of the men that came after me because he had a pouch of it that he wanted me to identify.”
A blue powder? I don’t think there was anything like that in my previous life.
“What does the blue powder do?” Amon probed.
“I don’t know, but I think it’s special in some way because it’s rare, and Master Rickert never touched it and he tried every drug at least once.”
Interesting. I’ll have to see this blue powder and who it was delivered to for myself.
Amon stood up. “Thank you, Jace. It seems things are going according to plan, so I’ll take my leave.”
“Sure, Amon,” Jace said grabbing a mug of ale on the table. “be careful on your way back to the orphanage.”
“I’ll make sure to do so. Goodbye, Jace.”
Sorry Jace, but I’ll be investigating Alm’s Tears first, and apologies to you too Sister Haze. I won’t be returning to the orphanage as quickly as I promised.
*****
Alm’s Tears was a fountain named after and made by the Sculptor King, Alm Weyer. Though the fountain was named after him it was made in the image of his wife, Queen Griselda. It was said that King Alm never shed a tear when his wife died, only when the fountain was complete which was meant to be a monument to her, did he cry filling the fountain with his tears.
I’m glad King Alm isn’t alive to see the monument he made for his wife being used to hide drugs. The tale is too sappy for my taste, but even I feel it’s wrong. I can’t imagine how King Alm would feel.
Though Amon came to investigate on his own, he was fortunate that two Bastion Knights were already investigating Alms Tears when he arrived. Amon had simply been following them keeping a close distance to overhear their conversations with some of the citizens.
“Is there anyone who frequently comes to the fountain?”
“A lot of people, especially the young ones they find it romantic.”
“There's a loose brick in the foundation. Have you seen anyone remove it and place something or take something out?”
“No! Who would dare be so disrespectful!
“Have you seen anyone suspicious? Someone that looked like a drug addict?”
“Aye, I’ve seen them walking about, talking to themselves and sniffing those pouches. Not many by Alms Tears though, we scare them off.”
It’s already midday, and they’re not having much luck, perhaps I’ll return to the orphanage, and come by to investigate tomorrow.
As Amon turned to leave, he heard something that caught his attention.
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“I don’t know who you’re looking for, but there’s someone strange that moved here around two years ago. A raven!”
“Really? How do you know this person is a raven?”
“She usually wears thick clothing and a cape, but I swear I saw a black feather fall from her, Sir!”
“What did she look like? Even if you didn’t see her wings a raven has distinctive features.”
“Sir, I’ve only seen her face, but her skin is as white as snow, the darkest hair, upturned amber eyes, and the thinnest nose you ever did see!
“I know who Jarvis is talking about she’s Ariadne, and she’s no raven. Jarvis lost half his wits years ago, pay the old coot no mind. Ariadne is a good girl, she often helps in the pottery workshops.”
The two old citizens seemed to be getting into an argument, and the Bastion Knights were trying to get their attention, but Amon couldn’t spare them another thought because he was in disbelief at what he just heard.
Ariadne! What’s she doing here?
Ariadne was indeed a raven, and she and the Raven Clans had been Vine’s steadfast allies in his previous life. Only, she never lived in Mefleiad, she only stayed in the Royal Palace on occasion. Since it was around the time that Vine had chosen him to be his bodyguard, Amon could recall it near perfectly. Vine had made contact with the Raven Clans in an attempt to strengthen the relationship between them and the Weyer Kingdom. With the help of the royal alchemist, Vine helped make a concoction that extended a raven's lifespan as they tended to live only to their forties. Ariadne was among one of the many representatives the Raven Clans sent to confirm the effectiveness of the concoction. When it proved to work the Weyer Kingdom had almost instantly gained all of the Raven Clans’ allegiance. Ariadne was chosen to be the liaison between the Weyer Kingdom and the Raven Clans. Amon, Vine, and Ariadne had grown close, and because she was older than him, Amon had grown to think of Ariadne as an older sister.
It seems Vine doesn’t know how to make the concoction in this life, and he never reached out to the Raven Clans, but that doesn’t explain why Ariadne is here. Regardless, I have to find her. I don’t think this is a good development.
The Bastion Knights had gotten the location of Ariadne’s home from the two older citizens, and they wanted to question her. Amon didn’t believe Ariadne was involved with Solas or using drugs, but he didn’t want her to be questioned by them. She was an easily frightened raven.
But… she proved her courage when it mattered.
Amon shook his head, trying not to remember Ariadne’s final moments, and followed the Bastion Knights. They were quick, and it was hard to keep up with them with his young body, but he wasn’t far behind when they came to a stop in front of a small house, little more than a hovel. Before they could knock on the door, Amon ran into one, hugging his leg. The knight looked at the child clinging to his leg surprised but didn’t fling him off, and the other knight looked on with an amused expression.
Finally, an advantage of being a kid.
“Sir knights!” Amon said out of breath. Something he didn’t have to fake.
He pulled out the silver coin he received earlier and showed it off. “A man near Alms Tears gave me a silver coin to ask you what you’re doing, and that he’d give me another when I returned to tell him!”
“Who is it, kid?” The knight Amon was clinging to asked seriously.
Amon took a moment to catch his breath, and to come up with a story. “I don’t know, he just saw me, gave me the coin, and told me to ask his friends what they were doing. He also muttered something about you not being there for him when I was leaving.”
The knights exchanged glances and Amon could see the silent conversation they were having. Amon hoped they believed him.
They nodded to each other, and then looked down at Amon “Come with us, kid.”
“I can’t.” Amon panted. “I’m too tired. Please just tell me what you’re doing and I’ll tell your friend what you said when I catch my breath.”
They chuckled. “I don’t think he’s our friend. You do look tired, so just tell us what he looks like.”
“He was tall with black hair, and brown eyes. He was wearing dark green gambeson and had a cloak that I think he was wearing to hide the sword he had, but I saw it!” Amon said proudly.
“We’ll come back later.” One of the knights said to the other.
They turned around and made their way back to the fountain. “Here, kid.” One of them said flipping a silver coin at Amon.
Amon caught it and pocketed it. “Thank you, Sir knights!” Amon grinned.
They seem like decent men. Hopefully, they’ll think the man I made up left, or that I was just playing a trick on them to get coin.
When they left Amon line’s of sight he approached the hovel and tried the door, it was locked. He knocked on it, but no one responded. He knocked again, and again, no one responded. He was going to find a way in when he heard footsteps, but then nothing again.
Should I just say her name? People in the Craftsman District seem to know her, so I don’t think she’d find it strange.
Amon cleared his throat and tried to make it deeper. “Ariadne.”
There were hurried footsteps, and then Amon finally heard her soft voice. “Who are you? I heard you talking to the knights.”
So she heard that.
“A friend of ravens,” Amon replied.
There was a moment of silence, and then. “Are you one of Solas’s men?” She asked hesitantly.
Solas! Why does she know Solas! She can’t be involved with him can she?
“If I am?” Amon asked heart pounding as he put his hood up to cover his face.
The door clicked and opened slightly. Amon turned his hands into steel immediately and pushed the door open. There was a yelp and then a thud.
Amon made his hands flesh, stepped in, and locked the door behind him. He looked down at Ariadne. She was young, sixteen if he remembered correctly, and she looked just as he remembered her with her kind amber eyes, dark hair hanging loose, cute little nose, even her scared expression was the same, down to the way she bit her bottom lip, and her eyes watered. It made Amon feel ashamed for what he did and what he was suspecting her of. He turned his face away, so she couldn’t get a close look at him, and pretended to look around the hovel.
“You’re alone?” He attempted with a deep voice.
“Y-you’re really a kid!” She said surprised.
Damn it.
“No. My blessing allows me to take somebody else’s form. Being a kid is more convenient for the moment.” Said Amon, no longer bothering to deepen his voice.
“There's such a blessing?” She said in awe as she stood up.
“Yes.” Amon nodded, and he wasn’t lying. He once killed an assassin with such an ability and Amon took his blessing for himself. It was convenient, but the transformations were painful.
Amon walked up to Ariadne and pulled her by the arm. “Come with me, the Bastion Knights will return soon.”
“Wait.” She pulled herself away. “I need to grab some things.”
Amon watched her as she entered a room, then returned shortly with a long dark blue hooded cloak, and a shoulder-strapped satchel.
“I didn’t find the powder yesterday or the day before, so I thought something was wrong, but why were the Bastion Knights here?” She asked scared.
The words made Amon's heart drop, but he acted quickly and grabbed Ariadne by the arm, then began leading her out of her home.
She’s working with Solas and is using drugs! How and why did this happen!
The Anvil and Hammer was the only place Amon could think to take Ariadne on such short notice, and with Sir Orabas and his unit currently busy with their interrogation and investigation of Alm’s Tears, he didn’t expect them there.
“Where are we going?” Ariadne whispered.
Amon ignored her. He didn’t know what to say to her, and he was trying to make sense of the situation. They kept their heads low avoiding any eye contact with anyone, and when they reached the Anvil and Hammer, Amon saw Jace outside hammering away on the anvil as he did.
“Keep your head down and don’t speak,” Amon told Ariadne as they approached Jace.
She didn’t say anything, but Amon knew she would obey. He didn’t want Jace to say his name, so Amon spoke up immediately when Jace noticed them.
“It’s me. I need to borrow your shop to talk to this person.”
A look of understanding passed over Jace’s face when he heard Amon, and he shook his head. “I have to deal with customers now. So, I can’t let you do that. Sorry.”
“We’ll talk in the kitchen. Please, this is important.”
Amon met Jace’s eyes through his hood, trying to convey how serious he was. Jace held his gaze for a moment then turned his gaze towards Ariadne who had her head down as Amon told her to do.
“I thought,” Jace said slowly. “You wouldn’t be getting involved anymore.”
Amon didn’t respond and kept looking at Jace expectantly. Jace didn’t seem to have any reaction, but he reached into a pocket on his apron and threw Amon a folded piece of paper with something inside of it. “The answer is still no. I can't afford to turn away any more customers, but that’s a key and a map to a house in the Craftsman District.”
“Thank you,” Said Amon, catching the map and key.
When he turned around to leave, Jace spoke again. “Master Rickert didn’t seem to have any use for it since he lived here, and I don’t think I’ll be using it either.”
Amon let go of Ariadne and began unfolding the map trying not to let what Jace said bother him.
*****
“This place is so dusty,” Ariadne brushed the dust off a table then a chair before sitting down. “Do you have the powder?” She asked looking at Amon’s half-turned face expectantly.
Amon didn’t say anything as he walked to stand behind her, so she couldn't see his face. Both so she couldn’t identify him, and so she couldn’t see his anger. Ariadne followed him with her head as he did so.
“Eyes forward!” Amon snapped.
Ariadne obeyed and tensed in fear. “S-sorry.” She mumbled. That just made Amon angrier.
She seems the same as I remember, so how did she end up where she is now!
Amon took a moment to calm himself before speaking. “Ariadne, why are you working with Solas, and why are you using drugs?”
“You’re not with Solas!” She exclaimed trying to stand.
Amon made his index finger steel, and though he hated himself for it, he needed answers. He placed his finger on her spine before she stood up. Pushing slightly so she could feel the steel.
“Sit down,” Amon said, pushing his steel finger further through her clothing.
She sat down immediately, and Amon removed his finger. “Now, you will answer my questions. Let’s start with the ones I’ve already asked.”
“I’m not using drugs, and I’m not working with Solas, but he is helping my people!” She said in one breathe.
Helping her People?
“Explain.”
She flinched but didn’t say anything.
I never thought I’d hate her moments of courage.
“Ariadne, you say you’re not using drugs yet you’re so eager for the blue powder. You say you’re not working with Solas, yet you seem to be protecting him. How is a man who is making and supplying drugs like nyghtmare helping Ravens?”
Again, she didn’t say anything, but she was trembling in fear.
Amon placed his index finger on the back of her neck. “Answer me!” He said harshly.
“H-he’s making medicine that increases the lifespan of my people.” She said crying.
Amon stepped back, astonished.
Solas is trying to make the raven life concoction!
He had to compose himself before he could think clearly. He wasn’t expecting Solas to have a connection to the Raven Clans or even that he was trying to help them.
This must be the reason why Vine dealt with Solas and House Owlking so harshly. He wasn’t the one that created the concoction, it was Solas.
“Why? Why is he trying to help ravens?” Amon asked, still unsure of Solas’s motives.
Ariadne was still crying and didn’t answer. Knowing that he was the cause of her tears was like a stab through Amon’s heart.
“Ariadne, I’m sorry for being so harsh,” he said gently. “but please believe me when I told you I am a friend of ravens.”
If it was the raven life concoction she wanted, Amon had it. Well, only the formula, and he didn’t know how to make it himself, but the ravens had their own alchemists that would be able to figure it out. He had planned to travel to the Raging Winds in two to three years to get in contact with the Raven Clans and to give them the formula making them allies, but he could do that now.
“We didn’t accept his help at first,” Ariadne said sniffing. “He came to the clans five years ago and said he could make medicine that increased our lifespan, and all he wanted was our loyalty to him and to a group he called the Acolytes.”
As soon as she mentioned the Acolytes, Amon's blood ran cold.
Solas is an Acolyte! No. I don’t think Vine would be able to deal with him at ten years old if he was, but at the very least he’s associated with them in some way.
The ravens allying themselves with the Acolytes was a terrifying thought. Though they were a peaceful flock, ravens didn’t shy away from war when it came to it. With their natural ability to fly, superior vision, and affinity for ranged weapons, they were masters of the sky. Even with their peaceful inclination, low fertility rate, and short lifespan, Amon believed they had a chance to conquer the known world if they wished.
Ariadne didn’t notice his distress as she continued talking. “We didn’t believe him, and we didn’t want to pledge our loyalty to someone we just met, and a group we never heard or knew anything about, so we refused, and he left. We didn’t hear from him again until two years ago when he came to us again with a blue powder. He said that even though we rejected him he was hard at work trying to make the medicine, and he wanted to give us the fruits of his labor.”
The blue powder? The Raven life concoction is a potion, and a blue powder isn’t an ingredient. Then again, the blue powder could just be an early version of the concoction which was later perfected.
“We were suspicious, but one of our elders was forty-two years old and close to death, so he volunteered to try it.” She composed herself. “And it worked! Thanks to the blue powder Elder Helios is still alive and is livelier than ever!”
“Does Elder Helios and all the others who’ve taken the blue powder also suffer from bouts of madness?” Amon asked. He had a suspicion that the nyghtmare was somehow related to the blue powder.
She was silent. Amon could see the question made her uncomfortable by the way her wings moved underneath her clothes and cloak. “It’s not perfect.” She said softly. “But the blue powder is improving, and Solas says that it will be perfected in three to five years.”
“The fact that Solas is making drugs like nyghtmare to perfect that medicine doesn’t bother you? I’m sure you’ve seen the addicts in the city, they’re hard to miss.”
She was quiet again. “It bothers me.” She admitted. “But my people come first, and we’ve come too far to have second thoughts.”
Amon was getting angry again, but he didn’t let it seep into his words. “So, you’re fine pledging your loyalty to someone like Solas and the Acolytes who you don’t even know as the price for this? Have you not questioned what they want your loyalty for? Do you think that someone who can make something like nyghtmare and sell it to his fellow humans cares about ravens? Will Solas even give you the formula or will you have to rely on him to give you the medicine? Have you or the Raven Clans even given any thought to this!”
“Stop!” She exclaimed, more angry than upset. “Of course, of course, we’ve thought about those things, but what other choice do we have?” She was tearing up again. “Our scholars say that if we don’t find a way to extend our lifespan or increase our fertility rate, we will be near extinct within three hundred years. We’ll do anything to prevent that from happening!”
Amon was taken aback. That was never an issue in his previous life.
No, it was. I just didn’t make note of it because when Vine shared the raven life concoction it wasn’t brought up as a major issue the raven had.
Amon was silent, stewing in self-loathing as Ariadne wiped her tears.
I have been a fool. I thought I had put together all the information I needed from my previous life. I need to go through everything, every word spoken, every action taken, everything that I can remember.
“Ariadne,” Amon placed a hand on her shoulder gently. “you and the Raven Clans need no longer be beholden to Solas. I know a concoction that will increase a raven's lifespan by at least thirty more years. I will give it to you so you can take it back to your people, and try to make it.”
“Why should I believe you?” She sniffed as she continued wiping her tears. “You tricked me, captured me, and threatened to kill me!”
Amon didn’t believe he threatened to kill her, but he wouldn’t correct her. “Because you have no choice. Solas and his entire operation will soon fall. Unless Solas shared the knowledge of how to make the blue powder with you or any other raven, his knowledge will die with him.”
Amon didn’t completely believe that because if Solas was associated with the Acolytes he would have told them, but it was important to have Ariadne and the Raven Clans believe that.
“What do you mean?” She asked, shocked.
“Why do you think the Bastion Knights were looking for you? They know everything about Solas. They were looking for you because they also know about the blue powder though not of its purpose.”
She tried to turn around, but Amon held her head in place with his right hand atop her head. “Even if what you say is true I won’t place my faith in you.” She said stubbornly. “You won’t even let me see your face nor do I even know your name. Now that I think about it, I don’t even know what you want or what your goal is. You could be just as bad or worse than Solas. I’d rather risk trying to steal the formula for the blue powder from him!”
She makes some good points. I am rather suspicious, she would be a fool to trust me so easily.
“Ariadne, I go by… Second.” He said the first name that came to mind. “What I want is simple. I want to be allied with you and the Raven Clans. I won't demand you pledge you’re loyalty to me, and I will be giving you the formula for the concoction, so you can make it yourself.”
“Second is obviously a fake name.” She snorted. “And in the end, you still want the same thing as Solas. To have the Raven Clans at your beck and call.”
Amon couldn’t deny that, but she made him sound so callous. “I’ll give you time to think on it. For now, stay here and wait. I’ll return with some food for you later, and visit you again tomorrow.”
“You expect me to just listen to you, and stay here?” She asked, confused. “What’s to stop me from leaving?”
What was it that Vine told me? I know you better than you know yourself?
Amon chuckled and began walking away. “Nothing, but I trust you’ll make the right choice.”