Chương 35: Ancient History

The long table in the private meeting room had been cleared of maps and contracts. After the night that felt like hell, the team had finally reconvened well into the mid-afternoon. The mood in the room was somber. Half of the room was feigning at eating their food, Aldric and Jack pushing their food across their plates, never lifting it to their mouths. Kael and Seraphine flatly refused to touch theirs. Jack had been awake long before the others.

He had seen to the docks while the city still stirred itself from exhaustion. The merrow's body had been raised in silence, hauled into place beneath the guild's banner. Another shape against the stone. Another warning. The Dock Ward had watched without comment. Some with relief. Some with fear. He had brought lunch back himself after clearing his head with a walk. His thoughts had become a haze after meeting with the girl's parents. It took the guild all night to find them. They were beyond grief.

He had apologized profusely for being unable to save her. He had offered his condolences, and the father grunted, for all the good that did. His eyes lingered on the body of the beast that tore his precious girl from this world. Seraphine sat with her shoulders stiff, face pale beneath the bruising at her temple. Aldric had carried her unconscious body here after the fight, and when she finally woke it was well past noon. Kael exhaustedly changed her dressings and cast a small healing spell.

The cut on her forehead was gone completely, no scar to speak of. While magic was powerful, she still had a concussion. That was something he couldn't fix. Only time and adequate sleep could. Kael had insisted she rest longer. She ignored him. Kael now sat across from Jack, hands folded, untouched bowl before him. He had not eaten. His face was gaunt with worry and forlorn failure. Aldric sat nearest to Seraphine, armor shed, posture uncertain. He looked as tired as Jack felt.

He hovered near her in a way she openly didn't appreciate. Long after the silence grew awkward and then settled, Jack spoke.

"I thought lunch would help, but I can't seem to stomach it either." Seraphine's eyes flicked to Jack, irritation clear.

"Why is that thing hanging outside?" she asked. No preamble. No greeting. Just a question demanding to be answered.

"I thought it was obvious," he joked.

"You can read context better than anyone."

"Answer the question." She was not in the mood for games.

"It's a message."

"Clearly." Her voice dripped with contempt. Aldric shifted uncomfortably. She was right to ask, but he wasn't fond of her delivery.

"A message to whom?" Seraphine pressed.

"Because I was under the impression we already sent one."

"It's a message to anyone who thinks they can threaten the Dock Ward or the guild. We won't back down from a fight. That even if we fail, we'll do our best to set things right and, at worst, exact revenge." Jack vented his pent-up frustration. The others could tell he didn't really mean the last part. It was anger talking. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"It's a message to myself," he added.

"A reminder that my decisions carry weight, and that I must bear the consequences of my actions." Her chair scraped back sharply as she stood.

"Your consequences?" she snapped.

"You think this was yours alone? Are you so stupid or self-centered enough to believe only your opinion matters?"

"Sera…" Aldric said quietly, worry tracing his face.

"No, Ric. He needs to hear this."

"You don't get to do that," she continued.

"You're not our leader any more than Aldric or Kael are. We're partners. We chose this together, and we failed together. It's our burden to bear as well." Kael stirred for the first time at the sound of his name, hands curling into fists.

"Seraphine," Aldric murmured. She ignored him.

"This was our failure," she said.

"Every one of us. You don't get to pin this on yourself like it's some act of penance." Jack opened his mouth.

"Don't," she cut in.

"You are not our commander. You are not our martyr. You are not Eldrin." Jack winced, not at the implication, but because she was right.

"We made this choice together," she continued, her voice tight but controlled now.

"We weighed it. We agreed. We missed something. That does not make you the sole bearer of the cost." Jack felt the words hit harder than her anger had.

"You keep trying to shoulder this alone," she said.

"And that is not leadership. That is isolation." Silence followed.

"I need to say something," Kael said at last, "and before you all disagree, I need you to really listen." He waited until they gave him silent agreement.

"This is no one's fault. We couldn't possibly know the outcome of our decisions. We chose the known and immediate danger instead of the hidden one. What should we have done, allowed the other threat free rein of the docks while we hunted ghosts?"

"Seraphine is right. We chose this together. And we chose the only option we knew had real consequences if we didn't act. We did our best in a bad situation. Tonight, we just weren't strong enough."

"Tomorrow we try again. The Dock Ward doesn't appreciate us for the wins. It appreciates us for the effort." Jack sank into the chair opposite her, suddenly very tired.

"I don't know how else to do it," he admitted. Seraphine studied him, then exhaled slowly, anger bleeding away into something colder and sharper.

"Then we start with honesty."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, truly confused. She folded her hands together.

"Now you tell us who you are." Aldric's attention sharpened as Jack stiffened.

"You know who I am."

"No, Jack," Aldric said.

"We really don't. We've seen your choices. The face you show others. But we don't know your history." Seraphine continued, calm but relentless.

"You planned that engagement like someone who's done it before. Not instinct. Not luck. Structure. You read terrain faster than most people read a room. You tracked that beast like it was second nature. You climb easier than most people walk. That is not normal."

"Not to mention his archery," Kael added softly. Jack looked away.

"Before we met," Seraphine said, "when you were just a rumor I heard in a bar, I assumed you were an ex-thief. Careful. Honorable. Competent. Then I saw you scale a building like it was nothing, and I thought burglar with a conscience." She shook her head.

"But you're neither."

"Why does it matter?" Jack asked.

"You've seen my principles. Judge me on that."

"It matters because your history defines the threats we don't see coming," she replied.

"Someone with your skill has enemies. Or baggage. Or consequences we can't anticipate until it's too late."

"Why now?" Jack asked finally.

"You trusted me until this moment." Seraphine nodded.

"Because until now, we thought we understood you. Now we know we don't. That makes you a liability, not because you intend harm, but because you're an unknown." Jack felt the room closing in. Every instinct screamed at him to run. Aldric cleared his throat.

"I've seen scouts before," he said quietly.

"Many kinds. You're something more." Jack winced at how close they were. He leaned back, eyes unfocused, seeing the hall not as it was, but as it had become. The people. The work. The thing he never intended to build and now couldn't imagine leaving. He hadn't planned to stay. Not here. Not anywhere. Greyhaven was supposed to be a place to hide while doing a little good. Temporary. And now the idea of walking away felt wrong. His heart was already here. Jack lowered his head and told them his story.

Not the details. Just enough. Silence settled again. Seraphine watched him for a long moment, then sat back.

"That's enough," she said.

"For now." They ate after that. Quietly. No one said it aloud, but something had shifted. A trust bruised, then slowly repaired. A knock sounded at the door. Jack rose and opened it. A worker stood there, hat in hand.

"Lord Breakwater," he said.

"A letter arrived." Jack waved away the title, took the letter with a nod, and closed the door. The seal was unmistakable. House Thann. He broke it open and read. His expression hardened. Seraphine noticed immediately.

"What is it?" Jack set the letter on the table for all to see. Breakwater— Rumors are circuating, and your message was ill-received. Be on the lookout. Something is headed your way, through many channels, some official, some not. Expect the Watch shortly. After that, stay alert. – K