Fallen Ward (Deepwoods Saga Book 3) (25 page)

He did not lift his head but spoke to his knees. “I did this. This is my fault.”

She did not try to soften the truth for him. “Yes, you are responsible for this. You understand now what it means to start a war.”

He peeked up at her through his bangs, his eyes red rimmed. “That’s why you brought me here isn’t it.”

“Yes,” she verified without apology. “Before, you did not understand what it meant when you gave an order to loot a city. I had to teach you why this was wrong and the only way I knew of doing it was to give you a taste of what it’s like.”

He turned that over in his mind for several long minutes before speaking again. “Was it this scary for them too?”

“For the people in the city, you mean?” Siobhan clarified. “It was terrifying.”

Wolf, standing behind her, added, “They had people out for their blood all night long. You just had ghosts to deal with.”

Seeing that he did not know how to respond to that, Siobhan took one of Alexander’s hands and pulled him to his feet. “Now that you understand, you need to take responsibility for it.”

“How do I do that?”

“For now you will help rebuild. You can start on our guildhall.”

Tran drifted in from a side street. “I hope we get breakfast first though.”

“I think some good food is in order,” Siobhan agreed.

ӜӜӜ

The group returned to Goldschmidt, victorious in more ways than one. All of them were tired after the events of last night, but satisfied at the outcome. Siobhan ordered a hearty breakfast for them at the Rose and Crown, and they tucked in with gusto.

All except one.

Alexander ate mechanically, taking no pleasure in the first hot meal he’d had since yesterday. Siobhan watched him in worry. It might be partially fatigue, after all he wasn’t used to such, but she didn’t think it was just that which had robbed his appetite. His eyes had looked haunted when they returned to Goldschmidt and even now, he looked around him with a new understanding of what he was seeing.

If he was thinking, she was perfectly willing to let him think.

With breakfast over, they all stood and went to the guildhall. The building party was already at work, and they could hear saws biting into wood and hammers striking nails before they even got into the yard. Denney pounced on Rune as soon as he came in, which amused Siobhan and made Conli sigh in resignation.

In the day they had been gone, definite progress had been made. The walls were up on the southern side, and partially on the eastern side. They still had the rest of the outer walls to do, and the floors, and the interior walls, and a myriad of other details, but it did Siobhan’s heart good seeing the building taking shape.

“Beirly!” she called in greeting as she strode inside.

“Siobhan, back I see.” Beirly straightened from where he had been sawing at a board. "Things go well?”

“They did. You made wonderful progress while we were out.”

“We did,” Beirly agreed cheerfully, almost boastfully. He looked around him with open satisfaction. “We’ll get this done faster than I thought we would. What’s your plan with the boy today?”

“I think he needs to help us build. You got tasks he can handle?”

“Sure, sure.” Beirly laid the saw aside so he could put both hands on his knees and bend down to where he was more eye level with Alexander. “I don’t suppose you have much experience in the way of building things.”

Alexander slowly raised his eyes to look back at the man in front of him. He looked drained after the previous night, skin pale, every movement on his part speaking of effort to do the slightest thing. “You want me to help you build here.”

“Right.”

“Why?” His voice shook but there was no sign of tears in his eyes. Perhaps he had cried himself out on a physical level. “I’m responsible for it being destroyed.”

Beirly stayed bent over and they just stared at each other for a long moment. Siobhan was sure Beirly was working out what to say and how to say it. She held her breath, waiting to see how he would respond.

“Alexander,” he finally stated, “a boy’s got the right to make mistakes growing up. I grant you, most don’t mess up on this level, but then most don’t have the power you do. Mistakes are part of life, no getting around that. We can all forgive that. What I can’t forgive is if you don’t learn from them, and you don’t try to make up for them.”

Alexander turned in place, looking all around him. Siobhan had the sense that he wasn’t just seeing the half-constructed guildhall but also the city itself. “Helping you build will make up for it?”

“It’s a start.” Beirly waited for Alexander to face him again before jerking a thumb at the sawhorses behind him. “I could use someone to hold that board steady while I saw.”

Alexander gave him a very serious nod. “I can do that.”

“Good. This way, then.” Alexander fell into step with Beirly as they went back to work. “Now, you didn’t answer my question before. You got experience building things? No? Not right for a boy your age to have never picked up a tool. Well, no matter, we’ll teach you as we go. First off, those saws are sharp, so don’t be putting a hand in front of it. Alright?”

Siobhan had no qualms leaving Alexander with Beirly. The man had taught multiple people how to craft and build things through the years, herself included, and no one had lost a hand yet.

With them in motion, she grabbed a tool pouch from nearby and belted it around her waist before picking up a hammer. “Wolf, shall we start on the east side?”

“I hold the boards up, you hammer?” he guessed, already moving for the stack of pre-cut boards on the ground.

“It was a good system last time.”

“It was,” he agreed, hefting several boards into his hands. “Are you sure you want to work on this now, though? Shouldn’t you talk to Darrens?”

“The man will find me when he wants an update. I have no idea where he is and I don’t want to waste most of the day chasing him down.” She climbed up on the scaffold, bending long enough to get the boards from Wolf and bring them up so he had a free hand to climb with. He stole a hug as he came up, which made her smile. Wolf was proving to be very physically affectionate.

She was not complaining.

Fei was above them, on a taller scaffold, and he did not miss this exchange. Ducking down, he put his head through the side bars and asked, “Did something happen last night?”

Wolf pointed to the top of her head. “Mine.”

A rare smile lit across his face. “Really?” Fei asked in delight, then his expression changed into one of aggravation. “That means I lost the bet with Sylvie.”

Siobhan burst out laughing. “What was the bet?”

“That the guildhall would have to be completely built before something happened between you two.” Fei huffed out a breath, looking peeved. “How does she know these things?”

“Do not underestimate a woman’s instincts,” Siobhan advised. “Sylvie’s especially.”

Despite Fei’s grumbling, he was clearly pleased with the development. Siobhan had worried at one point during the night that not everyone in the guild would be accepting of the change. It was sometimes a delicate balancing act, dealing with all of these personalities, and she couldn’t always predict how people would react. So far, however, she’d only been met with open delight, and it made her worries of the night before seem silly and groundless.

Fei peeked downwards before asking in a loud whisper, “Did the plan work?”

“It did,” Wolf assured him in the same pitch. “The boy’s openly remorseful. He’s now helping Beirly.”

Shifting positions, Fei let his legs dangle over the sides, arms crossed over the bar as he settled in more comfortably. “I’m glad. Siobhan-ajie, I had a thought while you were gone.”

Siobhan perked up with true interest. Fei’s thoughts were usually good ones. “Which is?”

“Teaching Alexander-gui is all well and good, but it will not change things in the long run. He is surrounded by bad advisors in Fallen Ward. Would it not be better to send him good advisors when he returns home?”

Actually, it would be. “Darrens was hoping that someone from Saoleord would do that.”

Fei gave a nod. “Yes, that is what we are trained to do. It was why my people preserved history all of this time and so readily agreed to send help when I asked. That is not quite what I meant.” He slicked a hand over his hair. “What I meant was, would it not be better to start the relationship now, between him and his advisor? Having an advisor one cannot trust is useless.”

Siobhan blinked at him. “Well, certainly, it’d be better if that person was working with him right now, but we don’t have anyone like that, do we?”

“Cha Ji An-zhi,” Fei said simply.

Wolf gave a wordless rumble of approval. “Yes, she would be a good choice. She’s spent her entire time here learning how things work and making connections with people. And she told me she has no interest in returning home. I bet if we asked, she’d readily agree to help Alexander.”

This was all news to Siobhan, but she barely saw Cha Ji An in passing. They tended to be on different schedules, somehow. “Does Darrens know this?”

“I believe he does. He asked me several questions regarding her and even had me take a message to her with Grae-ren at one point.”

“But you don’t know her answer?”

“I believe she wanted to meet Alexander-gui before making any decisions.”

That was likely wise of her. Siobhan didn’t have to think hard about this before requesting, “Go fetch her. She might as well meet him now. If she doesn’t think she’s right for the job, we need to know that sooner rather than later.”

“Indeed.” Fei promptly used the bar as leverage as he swung himself nimbly off the scaffolding and flipped neatly to the ground. His acrobatic skills never ceased to amaze her. He made that motion look entirely effortless.

Wolf watched him leave the yard with a calculating look in his eyes. “If we really could send her with Alexander back to Fallen Ward, it would set my mind at ease.”

“Me and you both.”

“Alexander, you’ll help Fei paint Kaye Ruffner’s store today. You’ll start by going and fetching the paint from the store.”

Everyone left at the breakfast table stopped in mid-motion and turned to look at Siobhan, wondering if she had taken leave of her senses. Or perhaps she wasn’t awake yet and making poor decisions because of it. But Rune could tell in a glance that wasn’t the case. She was clear eyed, perfectly presentable, and (aside from himself) probably the most alert person at the table. Rune, Denney, and Grae all shared looks between themselves, all of them conveying a silent conversation through gestures and mannerisms. Was this a good idea?

Rune could think of at least a dozen reasons off the top of his head why it wasn’t.

Alexander spluttered for several seconds, nearly choking on his juice, before he slammed the cup down a little too hard on the wooden surface, causing it to slosh over the rim. “Why should I? He’s the one that was drunk.”

“Fei does not get drunk on purpose, it was an accident, and that is not the point. When a guildmember needs help, you help. If someone in this city needs help, you help.” A hard light came into her eyes. “If
your
city operated like that, then half of your people wouldn’t be starving.”

“The world doesn’t work like that.”

“Maybe it should,” she shot back. “But whether it does or not, my guild works like that, and while you’re with us, you’ll do the same. Now, the paint has already been picked out and paid for. It’s at Paint & Dye store. Go fetch it. When you’re back, tell Fei, and you two can paint together.”

“Alone?” Alexander protested.

“It’s straight down this street and on your left. A blind man could find it. You’ll be fine.”

Make that two dozen ways that this could go wrong. At least.

The boy’s mouth opened again in protest, but he never got to voice it. Siobhan stood, signaling an end to the matter, and made her way out the door.

Rune paused long enough to give Denney a quick peck on the forehead before he darted after her. When they were well away from the door, across the street, Siobhan stopped dead and waited for him.

“He’s not really going alone?” Rune queried.

“He thinks he is.” Siobhan gave her adopted brother a dry smile. “Shadow him, but don’t interfere unless you absolutely have to.”

Rune scratched at the back of his head, lost. “Why?”

“Why send him alone?” she guessed. “Think about it. He’s been under protection his whole life. Even here, we’re protecting him. But he needs to learn what life’s really like without anyone to safeguard him. This might be a simple errand, but for a boy that has never had to lift a finger for himself, I’ll bet it will be taxing for him.”

It was just fetching a can of paint from a store. Rune could go and come back in thirty minutes. And that was if he walked. Why would it be so hard? It wasn’t the task itself that made him think this was a bad decision. It was sending the kid off ‘alone.’ Who knew what he’d get into.

The confusion must have shown on his face as Siobhan chuckled. “Follow him. You’ll see. It’ll be harder for him than you think it is. But remember, don’t interfere unless you absolutely must.”