Commander Silver was working diligently when Jenkins opened the door and led Verdan in to what had once been Commander Griffon’s office. Not much had changed since the previous Commander’s tenure, though Verdan could see a few small ceramic statues on Silver’s desk that were new.

  Now that he knew about Cullan’s hobby, it wasn’t hard to guess who they were from, and that small personal connection was enough to remind Verdan that he was dealing with a man, not the city itself. Silver was a stickler for the rules, and he liked things to be done the right way, but he wasn’t unreasonable, and he’d been right there beside Verdan through the worst of the Cyth Host.

  “Please, take a seat,” Silver said, signing something before putting it to one side. The Commander looked tired, the bags under his eyes deeper than they had been the last time Verdan saw him. “I was wondering when you’d stop by.”

  “I felt it was time we had a more direct discussion about everything,” Verdan said, taking the offered seat. Barb had stayed outside, so Jenkins took the one next to him. “I think we have a lot to talk about. First, though, do you mind if I ward the room against listeners?”

  Silver motioned for Verdan to proceed and waited until the spell was cast before continuing. “Thank you for that. I admit that I’ve been giving some thought to this conversation, and I think we can boil it down to three topics,” Silver said, leaning back in his chair with a weary sigh. “The Brotherhood, the council and the non-human issue.”

  “I think that would cover most of it.” Verdan nodded slowly, motioning for Silver to continue. “The three aren’t quite separate though, not from what I’ve seen.”

  “I wish I could argue with that, but denying it only makes things harder,” Silver said with a grimace of distaste. “I don’t think things are as connected as you believe though.”

  Verdan’s brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed, but he bit back his response and smoothed his coat with his free hand. “Alright, let’s start with the Brotherhood. They’re involved in the attack on my estate and the attack on the food reserves.”

  “Yes, Sergeant Falk reported on the fragments you found. It isn’t conclusive proof, but it’s enough that I’ve given some briefings on key things to identify. If my people come across any trace of unauthorised Brotherhood activity in the city, I’ll have the justification I need to act.”

  “You are the Commander of the city guard, can you not just take action anyway?” Verdan asked incredulously. “The Brotherhood are experts at hiding themselves, just keeping an eye open won’t be enough. By the time you find definitive proof, they’ll be fully entrenched, if they aren’t already.”

  “I realise that, but how can I act against them if I have no information on their goals or location?” Silver asked, spreading his hands. “I already have my people watching for suspicious movements and I’m pushing to keep as many patrols active in the city as possible. What more can I do without something concrete to work with?”

  Verdan wanted to argue, but Silver had a point. In truth, Verdan hadn’t realised that the Commander was already keeping the patrols high and watching the gates. Something Silver had said was sitting ill with him, though. “What did you mean by unauthorised?”

  Silver grimaced and shifted in his chair before rubbing at his temples. “The Brotherhood sent a message to the city council directly. They’ve given a different interpretation of recent events, which has made things difficult.”

  “A different interpretation?” Verdan echoed, his voice rising slightly. “Of what, exactly?”

  “Of their being completely innocent of any accusations regarding working with the Cyth. According to the message, they simply stand against Sorcerers and non-humans. Your attack on them was apparently unwarranted and has put power into the hands of the Sects.”

  Verdan’s first instinct was to scoff at the patently ridiculous statement, but the worried look on Silver’s face gave him pause. Leaving out how outrageous it was, Verdan could see how it might resonate with the council. His anger drained away in moments, replaced by the sinking feeling that he had been ambushed by the Brotherhood without even realising. “How was the message received?”

  “Tobias and I know that it is nonsense,” Silver said, albeit with far less certainty than Verdan would have liked. “But as always, it is difficult to prove that. I’ve had the most experience out of the whole council, and almost everything I know is just from things you’ve told me.”

  “So once again it comes down to whether or not they trust me,” Verdan said, laughing mirthlessly. “Not a worry I’d had before, but I can imagine how it went this time.”

  Silver grimaced and looked away, saying nothing.

  “So.” Verdan cleared his throat as he forced himself to move on. The council not trusting him was hardly new at this point. “The Brotherhood are acting both overtly and in the shadows. A little surprising, and I admit they’ve moved quite well considering the local situation. That is what concerns me, though.”

  “What do you mean?” Jenkins asked, his smile long gone now as he turned a questioning look in Verdan’s direction.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “This message would do a lot less if I was firmly in the council’s favour. That tells me that either it was sent to sow dissent, or they’ve been watching for some time.” Verdan rubbed his jaw idly before nodding to himself. “We know they had a base here during the Cyth attack, and were responsible for quite a lot of damage, which I doubt their message addressed. Still, if they were here in such numbers then, they’ve probably been around for quite a while.”

  “I want to disagree, but I came to the same conclusion,” Silver said, getting up from his chair and beginning to pace the length of the office. “We were never watching for a threat like this. I’m not even sure how to deal with it now, let alone a few years ago. We simply need to know more.”

  “Sergeant Falk is looking into it,” Jenkins said, drawing an unintelligible grunt from Silver. “He’s our most experienced investigator, and our best chance to find any evidence.”

  “There’s nothing you can do until you know more?” Verdan waited until Silver gave a curt nod before clapping his hands together. “Very well, let us move on to the council itself.”

  “Yes.” Silver turned and claspsed his arms behind his back. “I’ll be direct. Edward Hobson loathes you. His family have been strong supporters of magic being unnecessary, and bad for humanity. He blames you for much.”

  “Yes, I had picked up on that,” Verdan said in a dry tone. “He doesn’t exactly go to great lengths to hide his feelings. What about Arber, I haven’t got him figured out, if I’m being honest. I thought he was more neutral than Hobson, but then this Guild nonsense says otherwise.”

  “Guild nonsense?” Jenkins asked, cocking his head to one side. “You mean the Adventurer’s Guild?”

  Verdan nodded. “They’ve unofficially blacklisted anyone working with me, or with Natalia for that matter.”

  “What?” Silver stared at Verdan with a shocked expression. “Are you sure?”

  “As sure as I can be, I was warned by an official in the Guild and several adventurers.” Verdan shrugged, having come to a point that he’d accepted the situation. One look at the expression told him that such a simple explanation wouldn’t be enough though, so he settled into his chair and began a full recounting.

  Telling his close friends and allies what had happened and them being outraged on his behalf was one thing, but Silver and Jenkins were a little further removed. Having them react with just as much displeasure was gratifying.

  By the time Verdan had brought them up to speed, Silver’s expression was like a thunderstorm poised to roll over the mountains. His words we clipped as he told Jenkins to investigate, and Verdan felt a moment of satisfaction in the knowledge that the smug branch manager would have to suffer Silver’s wrath.

  “So, you see why I’m unsure about Arber,” Verdan said once Silver had given out his orders.

  “I do, but I’m not convinced that this is him directly,” Silver said, holding up a hand before Verdan could argue. “It might well be, and if it is, I’ll get involved. We can’t have councillors acting like that, especially not in a way that harms the city. What is more likely in my opinion is that the branch manager is acting on his own. Perhaps in an attempt to curry favour, or to enforce his control over the local Guild.”

  “Perhaps.” Verdan grudgingly admitted. “I’ll leave it to you to investigate.”

  “Good. Now, we should discuss Tobias and Agnese.” Silver took his seat once more. “Agnese follows Arber’s lead. She’s a miserly woman, but she understands finance and efficiency. I know little about her beyond that, but you should assume that she will simply mimic whatever stance Arber takes.”

  “And Tobias?” Verdan asked, curious what the Commander would say.

  “Tobias is struggling to act as a counterbalance to what Hobson wants, and so often ends up supporting Arber.” Silver seemed to hesitate for a moment before pushing on. “Tobias is a merchant, not a politician. He’s out of his depth with Arber. I’ve made it clear that my first duty is to the city and its stability. Perhaps because of that distance, I can see Arber playing Tobias and Hobson against each other. The charitable part of me says that he’s doing that to keep us moving forward without issue.”

  The unspoken alternative sank onto Verdan’s shoulders heavily and he nodded his understanding. An aborted motion from Jenkins drew his gaze over to the Lieutenant, who looked distinctly uncomfortable about what the Commander had said. Verdan waited to see if the Lieutenant would argue the point, but Jenkins remained silent.

  “I’d come to much the same conclusion,” Verdan said eventually, drawing a slight nod from the Commander. “I think he’s distancing himself from me to avoid any issues with Hobson.”

  “That’s what I’ve been seeing, and I confess that I’ve had to do the same to an extent,” Silver said with a tight smile. “My position is somewhat more secure than Tobias’s, but as I said earlier, the city comes first. Fighting with them over your treatment will endanger my ability to protect this city, and right now, I can’t risk it.”

  A litany of comments born from sarcasm, anger and frustration ran through Verdan’s mind, but he cast them aside and crushed down those feelings. Silver was simply being honest, and Verdan could appreciate the gesture, if not the message. Then again, he’d already known that this was happening, if not quite to this degree.

  Silver was waiting patiently for Verdan’s answer, so after a moment, the Wizard simply caught his eye and inclined his head to indicate he understood why Silver had brought it up.

  “Very well, on to the third subject,” the Commander said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his desk. “The rising sentiment against non-humans. In my eyes, it is a simple matter. Too much has changed, too quickly. I like to think that I’m open-minded and willing to accept new things, but you working with the Vespa leaves me unsettled. To the average person, what you are doing makes no sense. The Fwyn and Brecan themselves are a lot, never mind the Airta. A lot has happened, and during the same time period, a lot has gone wrong.”

  “But the two aren’t linked, surely anyone can see that!” Verdan exclaimed, years of frustration bubbling to the surface. He’d been fighting against this since he first rescued Gruthka and his people.

  “Of course,” Silver said in an almost gentle tone of voice. “But they are scared, Verdan. So many have died, so much has happened, and there has been no firm end to it. The fires in the city prove that. Scared people grasp for anything they can to try to make the world seem less scary. You seem at home with the non-humans in a way that most people never will.”

  Verdan grimaced and leaned back, knowing in his heart that Silver was right. For all his faults, the Commander was a good man, and if he was struggling, then it was no wonder the rest of the city was tense.

  Once again, Hursk had been proven right about how things would go. Verdan would try to fight it, but the way Silver’s explanation echoed the elderly Fwyn helped really drive it home for Verdan. As much as he wanted to recapture the best parts of the Imperium he grew up in, forcing that onto Hobson’s Point wasn’t the way.