Discordant Note | TBATE

Chapter 37: Confrontation

Naereni

I shuffled nervously in front of the entrance to Karsien's room in the Cistern. It had been a while since we had spoken to each other, the secrets he had kept from me looming between us like a chasm.

But I had to talk to him now. Considering what I had planned, there was no way to keep it secret. Furthermore, if I kept what I was planning to do secret from my leader, I'd be doing the exact same thing to him that he did to me.

I knocked on the wooden door, and then waited.

And waited. And waited. I knew the man was in there, but after a minute of staring at the oak panels, I was starting to feel discouraged.

When I was about ready to leave, a bit of irritation bouncing around in my mind at being ignored, I heard the telltale voice of Karsien calling out.

"Come in, Naereni," he called.

Steeling myself, I swiveled back on my heel and opened the door. The inside of Karsien's room was surprisingly gaudy for the thief. Little trinkets were displayed here and there, small prizes taken from our targets. A dartboard was hung next to the door, with several darts stuck around the bullseye.

Karsien himself lounged on a small cushioned chair, a few darts set nearby. He had probably been throwing them before I came in.

We faced off for a moment, an undercurrent of emotion traveling between us. He had his mask on: he rarely took it off, unlike the rest of the crew. He seemed unperturbed by my interruption, but I thought I knew him well enough to sense some uncertainty.

"I came here to tell you that I'll be going out on a mission soon," I said, mustering my courage.

Karsien didn't react, at least not outwardly. "I did not assign you any mission," he replied.

"You didn't."

"Then why do you claim to be going on one?"

"I decided to on my own."

Karsien shifted in his seat, crossing one leg over the other. He scrutinized me from afar. "You haven't ever gone out on your own before," he said. "Is this some sort of attempt at rebellion? Trying to get back at me for perceived injustice?" There was a bit of condescension in the last question.

He phrased it like I was a child, lashing out at my parents because I didn't understand why they kept the cookies away from them. I felt anger pulse in my head at that.

I was not a little girl.

"No, it is not," I said irritably. "I'm going to do something good for East Fiachra, instead of waiting around for pieces to fall into place. I'm going to make a difference. A permanent one, instead of just inflating a sinking ship with air."

Karsien was silent for a moment. "So you located the distillery, then? You plan to destroy it, and cut off the production of blithe to East Fiachra?"

"Yes," I replied, pulling myself up a bit straighter.

"I assume you're not alone in this. And you've planned all of this out? Every contingency, every possible point of failure?"

"We have," I asserted. "We're going to hit every warehouse and the distillery, all in one night. We won't give the Joans a chance to recover or react."

Karsien finally stood up, his cloak unfurling behind him. He walked toward me, a relaxed gait measuring his steps. I took an involuntary step back, but the man simply went to the dart board. He retrieved each of his darts, one by one.

He inspected the darts carefully. "No, you haven't. It is clear from how you speak. What will you do if one of your members fails to complete their target? I assume you'll be splitting up, trying to hit multiple targets at once. That's that many many more places where your enemies can take you down."