Pushing it up, Maiya ascended into a small home with only one other occupant.
“Well? Anything new to report?” Tanya asked.
“Plenty. Just a question of how much I want to tell you,” Maiya retorted.
“You will tell me everything!” Tanya demanded, but her words rang hollow.
Gone were the days where Tanya ruled over her. With Maiya’s station, she could order a dozen Balarian Guard to come and jail her former instructor, and no one would bat an eye.
The only reason she didn’t was because of the debt she felt she owed Riyan. And for the training Tanya gave her… even if most of her advancement was thanks to Vir, and not Tanya.
Maiya shook her head. She’d come here today not to report on Princess Ira’s secrets as she’d always done, but for something else.
“She’s having me research the Children of Ash,” Maiya said, observing Tanya’s reaction.
“The Children, is it?” Tanya said. “Puzzling. But I’m sure General Savar will wish to learn more.”
“There,” Maiya said, pointing at the other woman. “That’s it, isn’t it? The past few times we’ve met like this, I always thought there was something off. Tanya, you’re unable to contact Riyan, aren’t you?”
The woman in black leathers narrowed her eyes. “I do not know why you would think that, but I assure you, you are—”
“See, if you really had been in touch with him, you’d have scoffed at me and hurled some insult. Something like ‘Please. Your pathetic attempts to foul his plans are merely that. Pathetic.’ Thing is, I know you haven’t heard a word from him lately.”
“Oh? And pray tell how you know this?”
“Tell me. Have you been back to Riyan’s house?”
“Of course. Several times, in fact.”
Maiya crossed her arms in victory.
Tanya gave Maiya a death glare, but when she refused to wither, the woman finally relented. “What do you know?”
“Tanya, Riyan’s abode burned to the ground. Dunes filled it in so you can’t even tell there was a home there anymore. I flew there, saw it myself. Ah, right. I have an Acira now. I can fly places,” she added, rubbing salt into Tanya’s wounds.
The commander did her best to hide her surprise, but Maiya had been trained to detect such things.
“He’s gone, Tanya. Princess Mina finally did him in.”
“We do not know that,” Tanya said, desperation leaking onto her face.
Maiya continued her assault. “Bet your communication orb isn’t working either, is it?”
“How did you—”
“I’ve got my ways. Maybe I can’t sneak around as well as Vir can, but Riyan taught me himself, remember? You didn’t think I’d check your possessions?”
“That’s…”
The two fell silent for a moment.
“Say… isn’t this all useless now? My espionage. Me coming here, feeding you information? What are you even going to do with it? You were operating under Riyan’s orders, weren’t you? With him gone, what’s the point? What’s the point of any of this?” Maiya said, gesturing to the home.
“No. No, you must continue to—”
“Go look for him,” Maiya said, cutting her off. “It’s what you want to do, isn’t it? Staying in this place is a hazard to you, and I’m also taking a great risk spying for you. Let’s just end the farce and each go our separate ways.”
“…What will you do? If I leave?”
Tanya’s question came as a surprise to Maiya. She’d planned to give the woman an ultimatum today. To break away from the chains that had bound her until now. She hadn’t really thought about what came after.
What should she do? Her role as handmaiden was voluntary—she could walk away from the job anytime she liked. Maybe she’d burn some bridges with the Kin’jal, but it wasn’t like anyone was forcing her to stay. Not anymore.
As she reflected on her current situation, she came to realize that it wasn’t that bad. In fact, she’d achieved nearly all of her childhood goals.
“Y’know? For the longest time, I just wanted to move to a big city. To be a somebody. To be wealthy. To be someone significant, doing meaningful things. I… well, it’s hard work, and I dunno if I like where the princess is going with the Children of the Ash, but I think I’m happy here. I really do.”
“I figured as much,” Tanya said, smiling wryly. “When I said this job had everything you ever wanted, I said it only partially to coerce you. So you’ll become a true agent of Kin’jal. An agent of our enemy.”
“Hiranya killed my parents. I’ll gladly help burn that country to the ground. But honestly? If Ira’s the sort of person I think she is, I don’t know if Kin’jal will be Hiranya’s enemy for long. There are… things. Things I haven’t told you, Tanya. But if they go Ira’s way, Kin’jal could be a very different place soon. A better place, I think.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Tanya said with a scoff. “So…”
“So…”
“This is it, then.”
Emotional moments weren’t a strong suit for either of them, but Tanya seemed especially bad at it.
“It is,” Maiya replied stiffly.
“Goodbye.”
“Goodbye,” Maiya replied softly. “And, Tanya? Thanks. For training me. I… can’t say I like you. But, well… I’m grateful for some of the stuff you’ve done.”
Tanya nodded. “Now go.”
Maiya left through the hatch through which she came.
I’m probably never going to see her again, huh?
The thought brought her down. But then it was gone. Because her next task was a far more enjoyable one. Her next Acira time slot was in just a few hours. And with it, she would fly to Zorin. To Vir.
Just wait, Vir. Just a little longer.
With a deep breath, she set out.
34PAGAN SUMMONS
“And then he said, ‘I’m not dead?’” Vason said, doing his best Vir impersonation.
Haymi giggled, while Tia burst out laughing, spitting her mead all across the table in a very unladylike moment.
But all four of them were laughing too hard to reprimand her—Vir included.
“I wasn’t that shocked,” he said with flushed cheeks. “Besides, if I remember right, you cried like a baby.”
“Did not,” Vason retorted, clearing his throat.
“Oh yes, you did!” Haymi replied, outing him immediately. “Your eyes were all red and puffy when Apramor finally came to.”
“Haymi! Times like these, you gotta back me up!”
But instead of sympathy, all he received was Haymi’s cold smile.
Vason sighed. “Sadists, the lot of you. I’m warning you, Apramor. Stick around long enough and the women of this party will trample all over you.”
“Oh?” Tia asked, cocking a brow. “Is that right, Vason? Tell me more, why won’t you?”
“I’d best not, milady-who-spits-mead-over-her-table. Don’t worry, I’ll not breathe a word of this to your brother.”
“Good. You won’t, if you value your head,” Tia said, leveling a death glare at Vason.
All joviality evaporated in an instant, and Vir worried a fight might actually break out.
Then they both burst into laughter and clapped their mugs together, spilling yet more mead on the table.
“That was good! I thought I had you!” Tia said.
“That’s my line, you blonde brute!” Vason said.
Vir gave the waiter passing by an apologetic look.
It’d taken Vir two full days to wake after his ordeal in the forest. While his crushed leg had been mended by Grade A healing orbs, he still bore a slight limp. He could fight if he absolutely had to, but it’d take another week for him to mend fully. At least, without his efforts to cycle blood and prana through his injured leg. The blood there simply refused to circulate, so he’d been aiding it with his own prana manipulation efforts.