Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 33: Reasons

Toren Daen

I watched Naereni go, a complicated mix of feelings settling in me. From what I could gather, Karsien knew about Blood Joan's drug-mixing operations and had for some time. The fact that he was taking steps without Naereni's knowledge, and utilizing Wade's help, must have felt like a massive betrayal.

She was supposed to be his second in command, after all.

I looked at the Rat up and down, a new understanding finally clicking into place in my mind, like the final piece of a complicated puzzle. The picture it formed was now crystal clear, obvious with the last little segment.

"So that's why you recruited me," I said wonderingly. "You wanted a weapon to point at Blood Joan. A knife with which to sever the corruption from the healthy flesh. Not a thief. A warrior."

It made sense. If Karsien had been making plans and gathering information against Blood Joan and this operation for the past few months, then bringing me on, a mage who had a blood vendetta against them, was a wise choice.

I felt a bit of anger at that. I wasn't just a weapon to be pointed at something Karsien wanted destroyed; a tool of his machinations. Another part of me felt resignation. I had signed up for this, knowing the man had deeper motives. And even better, those motives matched my own. I knew mages were weapons, regardless of what they wanted.

Karsien narrowed his attention on me, his stance more rigid than before. The conversation with Naereni had affected him, but I didn't know the man well enough to tell how. "No, not sever corruption from healthy flesh, Toren," he said, more bite in his tone than he used with his protege. "Blood Joan isn't a wound that can just be excised. They are a limb that needs amputation. You were a surgeon's assistant once, weren't you? You understand this."

The bitterness in his voice surprised me. It was something I recognized well; an anger that resonated deep within. Blood Joan had hurt Karsien somehow. The look in his eyes was personal.

Before I could latch onto that familiarity, the storm dampened, then vanished back into Karsien's relaxed posture. He seemed to shed the effects of the conversation, his confident and guile-filled air returning like water filling in a breach. "But that doesn't matter to you, does it Toren? You'll get what you want sooner or later." A pause. "Congratulations on your first heist, by the way. I hope you made a good impression on any who saw you."

I nodded. "Thanks," I said, even more unsure about the man in front of me than ever before.

Karsien waved at me with a dismissive hand. "I'll call you back here shortly. There's something I want to talk to you about later."

Understanding the dismissal, I shuffled to leave, catching the look on Hofal's face before I went to my room.

He had a sad, mournful look stretched across his features. He seemed far older with that expression. It was something about how his wrinkles deepened, and shadows coated his brow.

"Thank you for helping me back there," I whispered under my breath. "I don't know what I might have done if you hadn't stopped me."

Lady Dawn hovered at my side, the familiar darkening of shades and colors beckoning her arrival. "Your actions were wiser than they may have been, Contractor," she said, sending a glance behind me to Karsien. "I have another note of advice if you are inclined to take it." Her arms were folded neatly over her stomach, the picture of poise.

When Naereni had told me about what Blood Joan was doing, a familiar anger swallowed my thoughts. It wasn't just me that the Blood was hurting, but every broken addict in East Fiachra. I knew what drugs could do to a person; how addiction broke them down.