Guild Wars_ Ghosts of Ascalon - Matt Forbeck [60]
“I think I have to stay,” said Riona. “I have doubts about what we’re doing. I thought I didn’t, but now that I’m back here, I feel myself falling back into what I once was—that we should be here, not at the Vigil or trying to find lost treasures. We should be here to protect Ebonhawke.”
“Riona, that’s wrong,” said Dougal.
“We have guards coming up,” said Killeen, suddenly and clearly. Dougal looked to his left and saw a pair of Vanguard moving along the battlement toward them. They were moving with the slow, relaxed pace of two soldiers near the end of their duty shift. They were not actively seeking charr who had broken into the Fortress City, or the humans that had aided it.
For that, Dougal was thankful, but when he turned back to Riona, he saw that her face had fallen and she seemed on the verge of falling apart.
“I will delay them,” said Killeen. “You talk to her.” Before Dougal could stop her, she moved toward the guards, letting her hood drop to reveal her long, vegetative braids.
Dougal turned back to Riona. “This was all your idea,” he said firmly.
“I know,” she said, and sighed deeply, her forehead furrowing. “And when it was just finding you, and then sneaking into an ancient human city, it seemed doable. Now we have picked up a menagerie of castoffs and volunteers. And the more our numbers grow, the less likely we are going to succeed.”
Dougal shrugged in agreement. “The less likely we will succeed without losing people.”
Riona lowered her chin to her chest. “We could go off on our own.”
Dougal started, but Riona continued hurriedly, “Two humans could sneak out of here easier than our clown carnival. Norn, charr, sylvari, and now an asura. Hardly the easiest party to conceal in open fields. We could reach Ascalon City, retrieve the Claw, and return it here, to Ebonhawke. Then we could keep it here. It would be a coup, a rallying point for our people.”
“And for the charr as well,” said Dougal. “If the charr thought that the Claw was here, they would stop at nothing to regain it. It would be worse than the worst of the assaults of seventy years ago, when the charr reached the base of the outer walls and undermined the outer district.”
“You think so?” said Riona, and slid closer to him, her eyes never leaving the quiet battlefield.
“Look at it this way,” said Dougal. “The charr want the Claw so badly that they are willing to talk about peace with the humans. What do you think?”
Riona nodded. “If this peace faction—”
“Truce faction,” said Dougal.
“Truce faction,” repeated Riona. “If they get the Claw, they will be able to force the rest of the charr to at least lift the siege and start talking. That’s the theory.”
“And then maybe we’ll finally get a better view from here.” Dougal kept his voice light, but Riona just scowled and stared at the charr front lines. Then she said, “You were right.”
Dougal looked at her and she continued. “I froze back there, at the gate. I thought I could come up with a way to get us all past the guards if there was trouble, but when the time came, I found myself empty. I’m just rattled. Second-guessing myself.”
Dougal’s lips became a thin line, and he chose his words carefully. “This is about Ember.”
“Do you trust her?” asked Riona. “Really?”
Dougal said, “She is part of your order. She is a crusader for the Vigil.”
“I know,” said Riona. “And I don’t feel that way about General Soulkeeper. She’s a charr, too, one that fought our people for many years. But the way Ember acts, she reminds me so much of … them.” She pointed a chin at the distant war wagons.
“If it helps, I feel the same way,” said Dougal. “After five minutes with Soulkeeper, I could forget she was charr. She commands naturally, and everything else just flows from that. Ember is part of her people, just like we’re part of ours. You can see her struggle when she talks to us.”
“Like I’m struggling,” said Riona. “Still, I want you to know that I’m glad I found you. I’m glad you’re here. You I trust.” She