The Traitor's Heir

Chapter Five

 "I know what you're trying to do." Quara's eyes narrowed and she said the words in a flat, disinterested voice that belied the excitement that had begun to unfurl in her chest at her sister's first mention of a library. A library bigger than her entire world, hidden away beneath the earth? She wouldn't even have set foot above ground to see it, to sit and flip through the pages of giant tomes, reading about men and women and events that had long since been forgotten.

No, she pushed the thoughts away with a shake of her head. "I know exactly what you're trying to do and it isn't going to work. At all. I'm not some child that you can entice to join you on some fool hardy adventure by simply promising a library full of books. That's ridiculous." As she spoke she focused on the corridor leading down to the Lake, avoiding Lina's gaze.

"I'm not trying to do anything. You know me Quara. I'm not subtle." Lina caught her sister's eye and shrugged, a movement that was not easy with the pole pressing down on her shoulders. "Let's finish our walk home before Mom sends Xav down to find us. Dad's probably already home by now. We may have already missed dinner entirely. Do you think Mom meant it last month when she said that anyone who wasn't home by dinner wouldn't have a scrap of the meal that she made? I mean I know that was directed at me, since I'm always off doing the sort of things that I tend to do, but do you think she'll really stick to it, especially since I'm with you?"

"I don't think she will but if she does I know where Xav and Iggy have a box of treats hidden and since they've been staying down at the Garrison just about every night I don't think that they'll miss it."

"They have food hidden?" Lina was clearly shocked by the news, but Quara sensed that the shock was because she knew nothing about their secret hiding place, rather than surprise that the stash of treats existed in the first place.

"Yes, they do. But I don't think we'll need it. Mom knew where we were going." They trudged on in silence with Lina steadily refusing her sister's offers to take her turn carrying the heavy load.

"Quara, there's one thing that I haven't told you yet." They had walked for some time and were nearly to the entrance to the Training Field when Lina half whispered the words so that for a moment, Quara wasn't entirely certain that she had heard them.

"What is it, Lina?" She said the words gently, mentally commending herself for not revealing the stress that the idea of another surprise brought washing over her body.

"There's a place that I go to sometimes. A little hiding place. It's not far from our house. And it's totally safe. I started hiding there sometimes, when I needed space and quiet, when I was five or six." Quara's thoughts went back to frantic searches when Lina slipped off, despite the family's thorough efforts to have eyes on her at all times, only to reappear an hour or two later exactly where she'd last been seen, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "There's something there that I want you to see. I don't think that it will change your mind, but I think that you should be the one to have it."

Without waiting for her sister's response she stepped out into the bright light of the Third Level, not looking to see if Quara was following behind her. Quara stood for a moment, watching Lina move easily around the edges of the busy field. The Guard looked as though they were preparing for some major operations in the near future, and people were running here and there carrying armloads of armor and weapons across the field towards the staircase leading down to the Guild Halls. She spotted Xav and Iggy by the doors of the Garrison, but she didn't have time to go over and ask them if there was anything that they could tell her.

A sinking in the pit of her stomach told Quara that, more than ever, she needed to stick by her sister's side and make sure that she stayed out of trouble. She ran after her, dodging Squires that were running here and there carrying out their orders in an attempt to keep up with her nimble footed sister.