>>6189203“And… Miss Senna Moltularis,” you begin, turning to the girl. “I don’t recall we’ve even been formally introduced. I’ve seen you fight; you’re certainly no ordinary acolyte.”
“I’m not an acolyte,” she says at once, as if in reflex. She looks away, avoiding your gaze. She and Soren then exchange a glance, one that asks, ‘should you say it, or should I?’
“Master Callus found me in a cell in a Carillon prison when I was a boy,” Soren says. “He offered me a way out. Something to fight for. When I happened across this one sitting in the very same cell around a month ago, I sat down and talked with her, and we came to an understanding. Eventually I convinced the judge the Faith could take responsibility for her if he granted amnesty.”
“Paying forward your master’s goodwill?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, I am very pleased to meet you, Senna Moltularis. So long as we are acquainted, you are always welcome in my halls.”
Senna nods slightly, still not quite meeting your eye.
You do not miss that he never mentioned why Senna was in that cell, but that is no doubt for her to share on her own time.
“Lady Alyssa, pardon my asking,” Lukas says, “but I am curious now why we are here. Us in particular, I mean. Cuva is famous for the skills of its defenders - I have seen what your army can do myself. What need is there to seek outside help to combat the Nightrunner threat?”
“Ah. That,” you say darkly. “Two reasons. The first: With great skill comes lighting reflexes, iron will, and steely fortitude. There is a point at which a truly powerful combatant’s spells and powers are great enough that lesser beings such as common soldiers, no matter how well-trained, cannot resist them. We are all roughly at the cusp of such power. A greater number of lesser combatants would simply have died or been halted without recourse.
“The second… you are correct that Cuva has powerful individuals. Yet fewer than you might imagine, not all well-versed in combat casting, all of them needed as it is, and all of them centuries older than me or Anya. When Anya presented her evidence of the Nightrunners before the standing members of the High Council, they thanked her for bringing this threat to their attention and suggested she best manage it soon before it becomes a bigger problem. They would not bestir themselves or deploy any army casters to our aid. We were forced to look elsewhere, and quickly.”
Soren looks appalled. “The Council hung you out dry!?”
