what life is like there. I heard you describe it as living darkness. Being in an environment like that would take its toll on any heart. You, at least, came from a loving home and knew light from darkness. Rune never experienced anything else. Now, suddenly, he has. All of us aside, he has a woman who shows concern for his wellbeing and smiles at his antics. Is it really so strange that he’s attached himself to her the way a duckling would?”
Wolf scrubbed a hand over his face for a moment before he let out a heavy, drawn-out sigh. “Your theory makes too much sense.”
“It does,” Siobhan admitted. “Although the idea of it feels awkward.”
“Well, he may think of you more as a big sister,” Conli added thoughtfully.
That did sit better with her. Or at least, she could wrap her head around it better. Still, now that she had this knowledge, what was she supposed to do with it?
“Don’t think too much on this,” Conli advised them both. “In fact, act like you’ve always done. Just be aware that his intentions are not nefarious.”
“He acts like he didn’t just put a spike in the wheel,” Siobhan complained to Wolf. He gave her a sour grunt in return.
“You asked,” Conli pointed out mildly.
“No, I didn’t!” she sputtered. “Wolf did!”
Wolf rubbed at his forehead in a pained gesture. “Believe me, I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“Just keep in mind that taking him with you to Orin will be fine.” Conli smiled at the two of them, lips quirked in an almost-smile. “That’s all you need to remember.”
Siobhan lightly slapped both of her cheeks to erase the weird expression she was surely wearing. “Thank you, Conli, for adding to the general strangeness. With that lovely idea in mind, I’m going to hunt Rune down and tell him about the trip. Wolf, get packing.”
She turned on a heel without waiting for any response and tried to organize the lines of her face into a general, neutral expression. Stupid Conli and his unnecessary theories. Don’t think much on this? Act like you’ve always done? Now how was she supposed to pull any of that off? One of these days, she’d find the right size cork to stick in that mouth of his. He always told her more than she wanted to know.
Muttering to herself, she went looking for an assassin.
“Shi, there’s a problem.”
She looked up wearily toward the doorway. Beirly had that look to him, the one that said he wasn’t budging until she either fixed the problem or gave him a solution. He stood solidly in front of her chair, arms crossed over his chest, beard bristling like a bear contemplating a rampage.
This was the third time in the past hour that she’d picked up her book only to be forced to set it down again. Resigned, she closed it and set it aside on the table. “Alright, which one are you referring to?”
“There’s more than one problem?” he asked in genuine concern.
“In this guild, when isn’t there?” she countered crossly. “Just sit, and tell me what it is you want.”
“You know that Rune is disappearing into the city every day?”
At least he had waited until the common room was empty before speaking to her about this. Siobhan gathered up some patience from somewhere and managed to respond steadily, “I know.”
“He’s likely contacting his old guild, you know that too?”
“That I highly doubt.”
Beirly blinked at her. “Why?”
“That’s not an answer I can give without…breaking faith with him.” Not that Rune had really told her anything, per se, but she’d been able to read a great deal into the way he flinched. Also his habits of responding to danger or even just general trouble told her what his life must have been like before she’d taken him on. His life here might be difficult, bewildering, even confusing, but it was infinitely better than where he had been. She didn’t believe for one second that he wished to go back to Silent Order.
Beirly sat back in his seat with a slight huff and regarded her for several seconds through narrowed eyes. “You know something.”
“I know very little and have a lot of guesses.”
He snorted, not believing this. “Then why is he leaving every day, only coming back at night.”
“My theory? He’s not comfortable in his former enemy’s main headquarters.”
That bushy red beard twitched. “Didn’t think of that.”
Siobhan rubbed at one temple with her fingertips. “Just tell me that you didn’t spread this theory of Rune