James Islington - The Shadow Of What Was Lost

He rubbed at his chin, gaze growing distant. "When I first discovered this place and realised it could serve as a haven for Shadows, Aelrith was already here, staring into that light. Aside from today, it’s the only time I know of that he’s stopped to speak to someone. He and I came to an agreement - we wouldn’t go near him, and he wouldn’t go near us. Today is the first time either of us have broken that accord."

There was silence for a few seconds; finally Asha straightened, taking a deep breath. "So what are you going to do with me now?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Scyner raised an eyebrow. "Do with you? You’re free to return to the Tol, Ashalia. Or free to stay if you wish," he said, looking mildly surprised. "You were locked up because I thought you might be a spy. Now I know you’re not." He hesitated. "However, before you make any decisions, I do have a proposition for you which you may find interesting."

Asha exhaled, tense muscles loosening a little. "Which is?"

"I have… something of an interest in finding out exactly what happened to your school and the others that were attacked," said the Shadraehin. "I suspect you do too. If you’re willing, I think I know how we might work together to find some answers."

Asha stared at Scyner for a moment, barely daring to believe her ears. "How?" she asked eagerly. Then she paused. "Though… why would you be interested?"

The Shadraehin leaned forward. "The thing is, Ashalia - Administration know about the Sanctuary. Not where it is, exactly, or how to get here. Yet . But they know it exists, and they have dedicated people trying to find a way to destroy it."

"But won’t any Administrators die if they come down here?" asked Asha.

Scyner nodded. "That’s true - we’re not worried about a direct attack, at least not yet. At the moment, Administration are focused on cutting off our supplies. Water isn’t an issue; there’s a river a little way into the catacombs that we use. Food, though… we can’t produce sufficient crops down here." He sighed. "Up in the city, Shadows are now being told that they need a letter from their employer if they want to purchase large quantities of food. We can get around that for now, but it won’t be long before Administration start making things even harder."

He shrugged. "So as you can imagine, I’ve been looking for a way to get them to leave us alone. I’ve reached out a few times, tried to negotiate, but they just aren’t willing to listen. So now, we’re keeping an eye on everyone with power in Administration. Trying to figure out a way to… force the issue."

"To blackmail them, you mean," said Asha, a little darkly.

Scyner gave her an apologetic smile. "I know it’s not the most pleasant method, but we have already tried the other avenues at our disposal." He shook his head. "Regardless. A few months ago, we noticed that the Northwarden was abandoning some of his duties. A lot of his duties, in fact - in order to focus on something else. And as it turns out, that something else was his trying to get to the bottom of the attacks."

Asha frowned. "That doesn’t sound terribly strange."

The Shadraehin raised an eyebrow. "We’re talking about the Northwarden - head of the Administrators, the man who created the Tenets. A man who hates the Gifted like few others. His looking into the attacks wasn’t unusual, but abandoning his other duties as well? It seemed odd."

Scyner smiled grimly. "And as it turns out, the more we looked into it, the more it became evident that the Northwarden was a little too interested in what was going on. Obsessed, I suppose you’d say. The man doesn’t sleep, some nights… from what we can tell he’s kept his inquiry from Administration, too. He’s been very carefully hiding the fact that he’s even interested."

He rubbed his forehead. "What we don’t know is why. We have many contacts in the palace, and even some in Administration itself - but none have been able to get the answers we need."

Asha watched him, an uneasy feeling growing in her stomach. "And how do I fit in?"

The Shadraehin looked her in the eye. "I want to tell him who you are, and where you are."

Asha just stared at him for several seconds, trying to decide if the man was making some kind of odd joke. "You cannot think I would agree to that."

Scyner just held up his hand. "Hear me out," he said calmly. "I understand the danger if Administration finds out about you… but the fact is, I don’t believe the Northwarden will tell them. He’s going to want to question you, maybe even take you back to the palace with him to keep you close. But if he turns you over to Administration then he loses that direct connection to you, has to share any information you might reveal." He shook his head. "No - it’s more than likely that he’ll keep your secret. And if he wants your cooperation, he’s going to have to let you in on his investigation. Which is your best chance of getting answers."

Asha bit her lip. "And maybe after a while, he might let slip why it’s so important to him, too."

"Exactly. Which you can then relay back to us." The Shadraehin smiled. "Once we know the details, we can hopefully use the information to force the Northwarden’s hand, get him to have Administration back off. And we would find a way to do it without implicating you, of course," he quickly assured her.

Asha frowned. "But that’s all you would use the information for?"

"That’s all," promised the Shadraehin.

Asha shook her head. "It’s a huge risk," she observed. "And even if the Northwarden doesn’t tell Administration about me, it doesn’t mean he won’t try to torture information from me himself."

The Shadraehin nodded. "I know. And I won’t force you to be a part of this," he said seriously. "But from what you were saying earlier, the Council have no leads. So if you really want to find out what happened at Caladel, this may be a chance you’re going to have to take." He paused. "I can give you time to -"

"I’ll do it," said Asha.

There had never been a question, really. She was useless sitting at the Tol, and each day that passed was another day the trail of Davian’s killer became colder. At least this way, there was a possibility she could make a difference.

"Good." The Shadraehin rose, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We will do everything we can to make sure you’re safe, Ashalia - there will always be someone keeping an eye out for you, you have my word. And if everything goes according to plan, I’ll make sure we find a way to contact you discreetly once you’re inside the palace." He wandered over to the door, whispering something into one of the guard’s ears, then turned back to her.

"Shanin here will guide you back to the Tol, and… organise an explanation for why Jin is missing," he said quietly. "Little enough time has passed since you left - your absence shouldn’t have been noticed." He gave her a polite nod in farewell. "Fates guide you, Ashalia. I hope we meet again soon."

As abruptly as that the meeting was over, and Asha was left to follow Shanin back into the Tol.

Soon she had found her way back to the familiar confines of her room.

It was late, but after sleeping earlier she wasn’t tired. She paced around for a while, then sat pensively on the bed. How long would it be before the Northwarden came to find her? Hours? Days? She glanced at the Decay Clock. Most of the night had gone; it was only a couple of hours until she had to be at the library.

She couldn’t sleep, but there was no point in wasting energy. No point in thinking about what was coming, either. She couldn’t stop it now, even if she’d wanted to.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, she lay back on the bed and settled down to wait.