"Awful business, this. Yes, indeed. Plain awful."

Guard Captain Tober Falk, one of the two de jure leaders of the Splinter, wore a deep frown as he gazed sympathetically at Ana across his desk. They'd covered the pleasantries quickly, with Falk's first concern being Messy's recovery — Falk was a perceptive man, and he knew not to waste Ana's time.

"Yeah," Ana said impatiently. "What're you doing about it?"

"Since we have no names or real descriptions of the guilty parties, I was planning to call another meeting in the square. There I would ask Miss Mirell and Mister Varron, who interrupted the assault, to try and identify the perpetrators. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you can see, this is not fool-proof. Not at all."

"Yeah. How would we know if they just stayed away, unless someone snitched on them? It's not like any of us can recognize every one of the Stolen."

"Just so. Instead, I believe that a subtler approach is necessary. Would I be far off if I supposed that you have already started your own search?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not as such. Let me be clear. I gave you free reins to keep your fellow Stolen from doing anything unfortunate, and I stand by that. I trust in your restraint and judgment. But I am thankful you came to me before meting out justice on your own. I am concerned, you see, that this is not only a drunken assault on Miss Mestendi. I wonder if it may not be an attempt to drive a wedge between the Stolen and the community at large, or you in particular."

"I'm wedging myself apart from the Stolen just fine on my own," Ana replied in a rare moment of snarky honesty. Falk could have that effect — the impulse and desire to tell him the truth, and even to elaborate, if you weren't careful. "I don't consider myself one of them, and frankly I don't care about their opinion of me," she clarified. "I'm going to find who laid hands on Messy, and I'm going to make an example of them. But you already knew that."

Falk nodded solemnly. "I knew the moment I spoke with Miss Mirell and Mister Varron, and learned just who had been attacked. And, as I said, I will not go back on our agreement. I believe that you are likely to have a better chance of finding who our perpetrators are than myself or my guards. All I ask is that you make absolutely sure that you have the right persons, and that you give me a chance to question them and establish their guilt before you do anything irreversible. I am stretching my authority as it is; I cannot allow you to harm an innocent, you understand. No, indeed not!"

Falk's polite and oh-so-reasonable request brought a scowl to Ana's face. She wanted vengeance, immediate and brutal, and she suspected that she was slowly being talked out of it. She did not appreciate that, especially when she couldn't convince herself that Falk wasn't right.

It had been a mistake to come up here.

"Why do you think this is some conspiracy, and not just a bunch of drunk, vindictive shitheads?" she asked, hoping that Falk wouldn't have anything beyond a hunch.

"A few reasons. Firstly, because my gut says so, and it has been dependable this past half century or so, yes indeed! But more substantive, I find the coincidence to be suspicious. There are no inns or taverns near where the assault took place, nor was it on the way between one and any place where any Stolen have their lodgings. How then did a group of them, drunk before the evening meal, run into Miss Mestendi? Where did they find the silver for strong drink? Why did it happen on the least trafficked part of the route Miss Mestendi normally takes to Miss Petra's inn after finishing her work day? No, I believe these Stolen were plied with alcohol, and then led into Miss Mestendi's path."

God dammit, that does sound suspicious, Ana thought. Suspicious enough to warrant going along with the captain's request and take whoever was responsible in for questioning.

Which — and the realization struck Ana suddenly — should have been the way to go all along, but she'd been too damn furious to consider questioning them to find out why they'd attacked Messy. In Ana's head it had been so clear. She'd been absolutely certain that these people attacked Messy by chance, simply because she was connected to Ana. They were a threat because of their anger over their situation in general, and their anger at Ana specifically for her perceived betrayal. There might also have been an element of plain old homophobia — goddess knew Ana had caught enough filthy looks thrown her and Messy's way. As she'd imagined it, they'd been drinking to dull the fear and uncertainty, and then there Messy had been. It seemed a likely sequence of events, and a likely explanation for why they'd hurt a woman just going to get dinner. Pathetic but simple.

The way to make sure it didn't happen again had seemed just as simple. She'd find who they were and deal with them in a way that left no doubt that Ana's threats were not idle, and that would be that. Messy's pain would be avenged, and the threat would be permanently removed.

But simply hearing Falk voice an alternative had broken that certainty, and now Ana saw how monumentally stupid she'd let herself be. Of course it might not be so simple! Of course someone might try to use the Stolen — whose reasons for attacking Messy could very well be just as Ana imagined them — as their cat's paws. Ana had literal enemies in the outpost. Most of those of the Sentinel's worshippers who opposed her, those that she'd identified anyway, hadn't joined Trig. They were walking around as free as Ana was, and in her desperate desire for things to calm down, to be simple, Ana had let herself believe that because they hadn't acted at the white obelisk, they wouldn't act now or in the future.

For the briefest moment, Ana's shoulders slumped in embarrassment. She'd let her Class and Abilities get to her. She'd been so focused on the Stolen, on the ones who'd hurt her object of affection, that she'd let her attention slip from the followers of the god that wanted her dead. She'd let the System mess with her head — that was the only explanation. She'd let it make her irrational, and she had the captain to thank for snapping her out of it.

Feeling oddly defeated, Ana told Falk, "Fine. Sure. When I find whoever's responsible, I'll let you question them first."

"Thank you, Miss Cole," Falk said with undisguised relief.

"And in exchange," Ana said, her tone leaving no room for argument, "if it turns out that there was someone behind the attack, when we find who it is, they're mine. I don't care who they are."

"As long as their guilt is established beyond any doubt," Falk said, equally firm, "I will allow you to render judgment."

"Fine. Two questions, then. Mirell and Varron, and Liu and Belov. Where can I find them?"

"Of the former, I'm afraid I have no idea. I do not keep track of most of our residents. That would be quite unacceptable, not to say an incredible waste of time. Yes, indeed! However, I believe that they are friends with the Parsers' girl, whom you know. Perhaps you could ask her? As for the later two, I will need you to tell me why you're looking for them."

Ana shrugged. "They're setting themselves up as leaders in the Stolen community. I figure I'll start by asking them some questions."

"And you have no intention of harming them?"

"Not unless I find that they were involved, no."

Falk regarded her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Very well. The Guild is paying for the lodgings of quite a number of the Stolen. Misters Liu and Belov, along with a large number of others, are staying at the Revelling Revenant, in the southern and duskward quarter of the outpost. It's a large inn, and the proprietor has kindly offered to house them at no profit to himself."

"Right," Ana said, getting to her feet. "Captain, I'll see you when I have someone for you to talk to."

"I hope so, Miss Ana," Falk said. "Miss Mestendi deserves justice, as do her attackers. And just in case someone tries to do a runner, I will ask the gate guards to keep note of any Stolen who might leave the outpost, as well as whose company they are in."

"Yeah. Good thinking."

Standing again outside the guard house, Ana's plan was simple. To start, she'd find Mirell and Varron. Going anywhere without them seemed pointless, since she had no idea who she was looking for. The names were familiar. They were indeed friends of Denikla Parser, and the young Evoker had mentioned them several times — the three planned to form a Party to go out and hunt demons, or to join a preexisting one as a group for Delves. And Ana had a vague idea of how to find Deni; the girl had mentioned that her parents' bookbinder's shop was somewhere behind the baths, and that seemed like a good place to start.

Hopefully, if she could find Deni, she could find her two friends. With that done she'd go to the Revelling Revenant — which was one hell of a name considering just what a revenant was — and talk to Liu and Belov… assuming that they were there. If not, she'd just have to ask around until she learned where they could be found. And if they didn't know, or wouldn't tell her who'd attacked Deni, she'd just have to go to every place that Stolen were staying until Deni's two friends recognized someone.

It wasn't a perfect plan, but it was all she had at the moment.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

First of all, though, she was going to do something she'd been putting off. She was going to the temple of the Wayfarer.

The temple stood across the square from the guard house, on the other side of the Waystone. The stone steps leading up to the wide-open gates were as well swept as ever, and a young man stood there, ready to greet any visitors. Ana wondered briefly where Sahna was, who usually had that duty. Although, as far as Ana knew, she was some kind of volunteer — she might be out Delving for all Ana knew.

The new guy, of course, knew who Ana was, greeting her with a mix of starstruck awe and genuine pleasure to see her. She barely paid attention, passing him with a muttered, "Good morning," as she braced herself and stepped—

* * *

"Fucking finally! Dammit, Anastasia, what is it with you and temples?"

The Wayfarer didn't sound nearly as upset as her words might suggest. Still, being cursed at by a goddess was not something Ana expected to ever get used to.

The Wayfarer being annoyed with her was nothing new. The setting for this meeting, however, was. Instead of the idyllic forest where Ana had spoken to the goddess on their two previous in-person meetings, they now stood among the rubble of the white obelisk, the burnt tents just as Ana and the others had left them. And when Ana turned to face her unexpected patron — or should that be "matron"? — said deity was not wearing her customary traveller's clothes, the garb that the statue inside the temple depicted her wearing. Instead she was decked out in leather armor suspiciously similar to Ana's own, and her staff had been replaced with a glaive.

Out of pure curiosity Ana invoked her Inspect Skill on the goddess. The Wayfarer was apparently a [Nice Try, You Cheeky Bitch]. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, honestly.

"Well?" the Wayfarer asked, popping her hip out and leaning on her bladed staff. "Do I pass inspection? Do you feel ready to explain why I've had to force my way through the mortal veil every time we needed to exchange a few words, despite you having spent the last week within a stone's throw of my temple?"

Ana was entirely unapologetic. "I'm here now, aren't I?

"I suppose you are at that," the Wayfarer conceded. With that she stood up straight, pushing off on her staff and simultaneously sliding her hand along it so that it fell and rose, hanging horizontal and perfectly balanced in her grip as she spun in a lazy, yet perfectly controlled circle.

"The Sentinel is mighty peeved about this," she gloated as she swept her weapon along the destruction of Karti's camp. "I know I've told you already, but praise is best given face to face. Well done, Ana. And that goes for everyone else who fought by your side as well. Do pass on my deepest satisfaction to your friends and allies."

"I'll do that," Ana said, "but I don't imagine that's why you've been so insistent on speaking to me."

"Can a goddess not simply praise her Chosen once in a while?" The goddess turned back from the scene of limited, yet important destruction around them, and took one look at Ana's sceptical face. "Apparently not," she concluded. "And you are, as you already knew, right. No, that is not the only reason I wanted you here."

"So why?"

The goddess frowned, and her tone became serious. "Things are escalating. It's a slow and limited escalation, yes, but an escalation nonetheless. This Splinter is not the only one the Sentinel has poisoned, even if Karti seems to think so. It was possibly the first, a proof of concept, if you will, but my followers in a dozen other Splinters have prayed for guidance regarding creatures that sound remarkably like changelings. I've given what guidance I can, trying to impress on them the deliberate and contagious nature of the infection, and that they must find and destroy those causing it. But, as you know, I'm limited in what I can communicate to anyone who isn't one of my faithful Ascenders or, well, you. And the Stolen, I suppose. That, and I can't help but imagine that more will follow."

"Okay," Ana said, a sucking feeling of dreadful expectation in her gut. "So what does that mean for me?"

The Wayfarer smiled sardonically, approaching Ana with deliberate steps. "You're my Chosen, Ana. Beyond that, you know what must be done to save a Splinter. Your Splinter alone has a cure for the infection, thanks to the hard work of your friend Touanne and some others. You're needed, Ana. This world needs you."

Ana couldn't stop the bitterness that welled up inside her, nor did she really care to. "Do I get any say in this?" she spat. "I didn't ask to come here. I didn't ask you to choose me. I've already risked everything to save this Splinter; now you want me to save the world? Why? Honestly? What's in it for me? The Primes will be fine, right? That's the whole point of this, the Sentinel's whole mad idea? Protecting the Primes? Why shouldn't I just take everyone important to me, bring them somewhere in the Primes, and live happily ever after?"

She let the words flow, already knowing the answer but feeling a little better for venting her frustration. And the Wayfarer seemed to understand, because she only listened patiently, and when she spoke, she did so with patience and sympathy.

"It's true: you never asked for any of this, Ana. But we both know that it's too late. There's no backing out. The Lord of Order has decided that you are a threat to his designs, and he will direct his followers to destroy you. Anyone around you will be in danger, and even if you leave everyone behind, there is no guarantee that they won't be used against you. Now, that might be years down the line. Decades. Hells, it could be centuries for all we know. But the Sentinel is nothing if not persistent, and in the long run, victory is the only option. I'm sorry Ana, but that's how it is. You must help me and my faithful defeat him, or you will never know lasting peace.

"That said, I have something to offer you. I never expected you to do this out of the goodness of your heart. We both know that would be a fool's errand, and knowing you as I do, probably a direct insult. I wouldn't count on your gratitude, either; we've established already that I pushed my gifts on you without consent or expectation. And you are not one of my faithful, so I wouldn't appeal to the stillborn shreds of your piety, either. No, I think our relationship will have to be quite a bit more transactional than those between a typical Chosen and their deity. So: in exchange for you doing what you can to save the Splinters, I offer you a chance at that peace you crave, in the form of guidance and protection. I will give you what information I can. I will guide my Ascenders to protect and nurture you, and once you join their ranks, I will do what I can to prevent the other deities from having you bumped off — which happens more often than you'd think. The Sentinel is not the only one pruning every crop of Ascenders.

"Consider that. You can refuse the call, struggle for however long, and then die in obscurity. Well, most likely. You've impressed me before, and I suppose you might surprise me. Or, you can help save uncountable lives. You will have strong friends and allies to help you defend those you…" the Wayfarer gave Ana a knowing smile, "Let's say, those you care for. And if you should go further, if you should manage to follow in my footsteps, so to speak, and reach apotheosis, well… I suppose we'll have to speak about that if it happens. Just know that I remember those who've done good by me, and that I reward loyalty in kind."

All the time the Wayfarer spoke, Ana listened in silence. She walked a slow circuit of the rubble that remained of the white obelisk, letting the goddess' words pour into her like bitter medicine. She already knew what her reply would be. She'd known ever since she'd first seen hate in the eyes of some of her neighbors, since Waller had told her that people were plotting to kill her, and since Trig had tried to use Messy to kill Ana.

As the Wayfarer spoke, she turned to follow Ana with her eyes. And when the goddess fell silent, Ana stopped and turned to face her.

"Three conditions," Ana said.

"Let's hear them," the goddess replied with an amused smile.

"Whatever protection you offer me, it extends to my friends and anyone else who's in danger by being close to me."

"Done. And the other?"

"I want your full support when it comes to any authorities. I know that you're not all-powerful. As I understand it, there aren't an theocracies out there that follow you—"

The Wayfarer snorted at that. Apparently the idea was incredibly amusing.

"—but you can guide through prayer, and you have powerful people who worship you. I don't want any red tape or courts holding me back if you can possibly prevent it."

"Within the limits of my powers," the goddess agreed. "And the third?"

"When this turns into a goddamn full-scale holy war, your church against the Sentinel's, I want your full commitment. I don't care about whatever rules you operate under. You'll bend them as far as they'll bend, and you will break them if they can be broken. I'm risking everything. Your followers will be risking everything. I want the same from you. Can you promise that?"

That, Ana noted with satisfaction, caught the goddess off guard. For a long time she just looked at Ana, her surprise slowly turning to consideration. Then, just as slowly, a vicious grin split her face, her teeth startlingly white in the bright sunlight.

"Risk everything, eh? It's been a long time since I did that. But what's eternity without a little risk? Fine, my dear Chosen. I accept your terms. You have my promise. Full commitment, no matter the cost." Then she held up one finger and added, "When the risk is worth the reward, and will increase the chance of victory. I will not allow myself to be ousted needlessly."

"Fair." Ana nodded, then approached, holding her hand out. The Wayfarer took it, palm to palm rather than wrist to wrist, and shook it once, firmly.

"Now," Ana said once they'd let go, "I have some people to find, and maybe a conspiracy to tear apart. You wouldn't know where I can find two people named Mirell and Varron, would you?"

"Oh, that's easy," the Wayfarer said. "They're both mine, and they're visiting the woman they saved. Go directly, and you should be able to catch them. Good luck, now!"

This time, when the goddess dismissed her, Ana only nodded her thanks.

—across the threshold. She didn't stumble this time. She'd expected the discontinuity of being whisked away into a space between moments, as the Wayfarer had once called it. But she did stop, just inside the gate, getting her a curious look from the man at the door.

A notification greeted her:

Congratulations! Your Skill Negotiation has improved to Level 6. You have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Medium).

Congratulations! Your Skill Inspect has improved to Level 6. You have been awarded: Growth Crystal (Medium).

Ana rolled her eyes. Haggling for your future with a goddess, buying a set of armor, what was the difference, right?

"Is anything the matter, Chosen?" the greeter asked.

"More than you want to know," she told him, patting him on the shoulder as she turned to leave. "You fought with the volunteers, didn't you?"

His face brightened as he said, "I did!"

It had been a reasonable enough guess. The priest, Mamtass, and most of the devout followers of the Wayfarers had volunteered for the militia, after all. But there was no reason to point that out. "The Wayfarer wants me to pass along her gratitude for all you did. You and anyone else who risked their lives for this Splinter."

With that she left the temple and the stunned man behind, heading south toward Touanne's.

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