Guardian of the Night

10

The Senate Secretary moved back to his desk, touching the back of his head several times, scowling at Bilain and she had already started to think of other jobs she could take on. Asnarrus attempted to tug the spear from his cushioned chair and waved to Bilain to retrieve it. Once removed, he sat at his desk and flicked through several sheets of paper to the side, pulling one out and offering it to her.

"I realise, now, it was a mistake keeping the Senate informed. It simply never occurred to me that such a thing would happen." He shook the sheet of paper and Bilain took it, glancing at the words. Part of the Senate minutes, it clearly showed Asnarrus mentioning her investigation. "For what it's worth, you have my utmost sympathies. Now. What do you need?"

"I'm sorry?" Bilain had slumped her shoulders, expecting an inevitable backlash at the way she had handled the Secretary. Instead, he raised his hand, indicating the chair opposite. "What do you mean?"

"What do you need? To continue this investigation. It is vital we learn everything. I think it is quite clear, now, that the death of the Senator, and now your Sergeant, is part of something far larger than first thought." As Bilain sat, cradling her spear against her chest, Asnarrus leaned forward, resting upon the surface of his desk. "As you must know, most of the, shall we call it 'fighting', in the Senate has always been with words and schemes. Oh, we've had a few deaths, but that is the exception. This? This is different. Planned and secretive. It must be stopped."

"You aren't taking the Watch from me?" She had dropped her eyes, unable to believe she had allowed her anger to bring her to this. She hadn't acted with such anger in years. "After what I just did?"

Asnarrus tilted his head, a little amused grimace crossing his features. After a moment, he sighed, pressing his hands flat against the desk before leaning back. With a look to both sides, he pulled out a drawer and removed a dusty bottle from within, followed by two glasses. Bilain caught sight of the label. Yürzlend rum. Not the kind of drink she would expect the high and mighty to enjoy. Rum, here, was mostly drunk by the likes of her. Rougher people. Lower class.

After pouring into the two glasses, Asnarrus pressed a finger to his mouth, urging her silence, before returning the bottle to the drawer and closing it. He sat back, head resting on the cushioned chair and took a sip, eyes closing as he appreciated its taste. Uncertain what the Secretary intended, Bilain also took a drink. It was good rum.

"I was brought up in The Fell, don't you know?" He waved a hand in the general direction of the rundown slum, where, inexplicably, a hundred years or so ago, the entire Ward had collapsed into a hole. People continued to live there, even after that. "One of the Senators at the time, Hhruhn, lovely man, found me scrounging and stealing and took me in as his ward. I never looked back, but I never forgot where I came from. I understand your anger. Your Ward, your Watch has come under attack. I'm not going to punish you for loyalty and passion."

He cradled the glass to his chest as a far-away look passed across his eyes. Bilain had to admit, she had not expected that of this man. A child of the worst area within the city, even more than The Sprawl. The people there lived in despair and poverty unlike anywhere Bilain had seen. And, the strangest of all, The Fell bordered both the Municipal Ward and the High Ward, ignored by both. To think Asnarrus had come from that gave Bilain a newfound respect for the man.

"I apologise for my actions." She took another sip of the rum, taking another look at the section of the minutes Asnarrus had handed her. "I don't know what to do, Secretary. The only thing of note I have found was the Seal. Everything else is speculation and coincidence. The other Senators for The Sprawl have not replied about my need to speak with them. Yiladry's wife is still in mourning and this shadow vigilante complicates matters, though I don't believe them connected to the Senator's death."