Activity

(All right, I’m just going to pretend that Rúan had grabbed his sword)

 

Rúan felt the ground rumble under his feet, and he jumped nearly half an inch off the ground.

Then a voice that seemed to echo in his head and reverberate around the cavernous room declared, “I’ve been thinking about the next challenge, and it occured to me that several of you are particularly well suited to it. Our resident assassins.”

Without thinking, Rúan yanked Leaghadh from its sheath, holding it firmly in front of him with. He braced his feet, biting his tongue to ignore the throbbing in his injured calf.

“Lorcan–”

A name Rúan did not know.

“Niarok–”

Rúan’s eyes flew to Niarok, whose head was bowed. The man who had saved my life … Bitterness laced through the thought.

“And Siya Aydin.”

Aydin as well? What did Siya mean?

Then chaos broke out. Shouting and weapons flying, people lunging at one another. Rúan staggered back into a corner where the ruckus could not reach him, though he still held Leaghadh firmly in his left hand.

When the tumult subsided, Niarok was holding back a girl a little younger than himself, and Aydin was a few feet away, his entire frame shying away from the two.

Then the girl broke free from Niarok’s grasp and darted down a passageway.

Niarok and Aydin faced each other alone.

Rúan eased forward, his guard up,  his sword ahead of him and trained on both the men.

“Assassins,” he said. It was not a question, nor an accusation. A simple state of fact.

Niarok’s eyes flashed, and Rúan halted, his sword still indecisive about pointing at Niarok or Aydin.

“I have no reason to trust either of you,” he said, “but I too know assassins.”

He swallowed and tried hard to keep a collected demeanour. “Have any of you heard of the names Osløn Hvítur or Yulenna Coalshrike?”

They’re not going to recognise either of them, the prattish voice in his head sneered. You’ve already messed things up — don’t make it worse.

Shut up, the other voice boomed. I’m trying.

Rúan panted, waiting their answers. Leaghadh began to tremble in his grip.