Ryson felt as if he was just given an order he could not, would not, follow.
"Or what?" the delver demanded, unwilling to simply accept Sy's declaration as the final word.
Sy understood Ryson's question all too well. The guard captain was placed in a situation where he had to exercise his authority. It was not a position he savored, but it was a duty he would not shirk. With one deliberate decision, he put an end to the argument.
"I'm not giving you an ultimatum, if that's what you think, because it's not up to you. I've had my say and you've had yours. Hopefully, you'll understand my next decision. What you said is true, you have saved this town many times over, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Still, I don't believe I can rely on you as I have in the past. In my judgment, your actions contributed to the breakdown of our defenses tonight. Whether you want to believe it or not is irrelevant. In the future, I will not be calling for your assistance."
The finality of Sy's tone caught the delver completely off guard.
"Just like that?" Ryson asked in disbelief.
"No, unfortunately, it's not that easy. I have a great deal of work to do. I have to retrain my guards, have to break my own reliance on you, but I don't have a choice. Your official service to Burbon is at an end."
A thousand questions burned through the delver's mind. He wondered exactly what that meant and how Sy would treat him from that moment on. He had grown accustomed to working with the town guard, in being part of Burbon's defense. Did Sy take all of that away because of one disagreement? It certainly seemed that way. He wondered what he would do, how he would feel about being excluded, about not being allowed to help, something that was part of his very nature.
He was a delver, a scout, and he used his abilities to track threats, defend against invaders, and unravel mysteries. One such mystery faced them that very evening, and he could not remove his focus from it once it reentered his thoughts.
"And what are you going to do about the elves?" the delver demanded.
"That's not your concern," Sy stated, holding to the very core of his decision, disregarding the assistance he knew the delver could offer. It didn't matter. If he was going to move forward without Ryson's aid, he would have to start that very evening.
"Not my concern?" the delver responded with growing astonishment. "I'm afraid it is! I worked with the elves long before you did."
"Your relationship with the elves is not relevant to my duty."
Ryson considered what Sy had said, but he also realized he was still a delver. Just because Sy made some irrational decision, that wasn't going to alter his identity or diminish the natural curiosity that burned within him.
"I need to find out what happened to them," the delver declared. "By tomorrow morning, I'll be out in Dark Spruce searching for answers. Are you going to want to know what I find?"
Sy felt as if he was being maneuvered. He decided against playing along. He meant what he said about breaking his reliance.
"What you do from this point on is your business," Sy responded coldly, "as long as it doesn't interfere with the safety of this town. As for the elves, I'm going to send a messenger to Connel. I will inform Enin of what happened here tonight, and I'm going to request the assistance of Holli Brances. That's how I'm going to handle this. As far as I'm concerned, this matter is concluded."
The statement was as abrupt as it was final, and Ryson decided that suited him as well. He turned about and left the command post.
As Sy watched the delver leave, he wondered if he just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life. He looked to Sergeant Klusac and made a very honest admission.
"Well, I didn't handle that very well."
"No, you didn't," the sergeant conceded, but then added to that concession. "Then again, neither did he. He's got no right to question your judgment, and anyway you slice it, that's what he was doing here tonight."
Sy reflected on that thought, and for one moment, tried to examine the events that transpired from a different viewpoint.
"He doesn't want to kill. I knew that when I asked for his help. Why was I surprised?"
"That, I can't answer, but were you really surprised?"
"No, but I was angry. I can't lie about that."
"Angry doesn't mean you're wrong," Klusac offered. "It doesn't mean either of you are wrong. You're just in different positions. He sees things his way, you see things yours. As long as you're looking out for the best interests of this town…"
"I believe I am," Sy interrupted. "I honestly do. What do you think?"
"I wouldn't serve with you if I didn't."
"Thanks, but what did we lose tonight?"
"Maybe something we never really had," Klusac suggested. "I can't dismiss Ryson's abilities, but they're his, not ours, and he's always done with them as he saw fit. Maybe you did make the right decision tonight, maybe we have become too reliant on the delver."
Chapter 6
Ryson wanted to immediately rush out of Burbon's western gate and into Dark Spruce Forest. Despite the rain, the goblins, and the two river rogues lingering about the perimeter, the mystery regarding the elves pulled at him like the clutching grasp of a hungry shag. Many things could spark his delver curiosity, but an issue of that magnitude could overwhelm his attention and divert him from any other concern.
What happened to the elves?
That was the question that repeated itself over and over in Ryson's mind. The elves were gone; that was the simple admission of an enormous goblin, but it became a near obsession for the delver. Okyiq described the event as if the elves had just vanished like an early morning fog, but Ryson could not imagine how an entire camp could simply disappear. He knew there had to be something more to the story.
For any delver, it was the perfect puzzle. It was not a fool's errand or a delver hunt with a thousand possible scenarios. Ryson could not deny the assertion that something had happened to the elf camp, but he would not accept the premise that they had simply faded out of existence.
There were answers in the forest that would shed greater light on the mystery, of that he was sure. He only had to find them, and such a quest always drove a delver's spirit. He had his senses, and there were trails to follow. The elves might have been gone, but that was neither an assumption nor an explanation. The thought of the pursuit filled him with anticipation as it would stimulate every trait within him that was pure delver.
As he considered the few details, he understood the simplest explanation would create its own course to navigate. He knew the elf camp moved about with regularity and always managed to conceal its presence from curious humans and delvers alike. Perhaps the elves simply migrated to a different part of the forest, or perhaps they fled an immediate threat. No matter where the facts hid, he would find them, and they would lead him to the elves.
The desire to race into the forest and discover every clue was strong enough to wash away the gnawing concern over his confrontation with Sy. He was not happy about the discussion they had, or the results. He faced both anger and sadness over the harsh words they traded, and the apparent break in their friendship left him hollow. He did not hold any great animosity toward the captain of the guard. Ryson understood Sy's position, but the delver wished Sy would appreciate his own point of view.
He never meant to undermine the captain's authority, but he could not dismiss his own principles. It was a complex dilemma, one that required greater consideration than a single argument after a difficult night of limited combat, but such was the course of events. Sy had made what Ryson believed was a hasty decision, and the delver did not wish to leave Burbon on such a discomforting note, but such an action appeared as the only option. Sy had ended the discussion, and further argument was as pointless as a rounded stone from the bottom of a river bed.