(II) Provoke

151 (II) Provoke

Silence followed. Everyone stared at Rose.

“M-mother,” Adam began.

“I’m not going to be lying about while your father fights for our town and his life,” Rose said, cutting him off. “It's not happening. I’m a Pathbearer too. I’m going to help. Actually, you idiot kids should have come to me about this shit instead of trying to plan this yourselves.” She did a double-take at Uva. “Actually, how old are you, Dark Elf?”

“Umbral,” Uva corrected, narrowing her eyes.

“Yeah. That is not the part I care about. I just want to know if there’s an adult among you.”

“We’re all adults,” Shiv replied, scowling.

Rose let out a pitched laugh. “Truly? Well, you do have more facial hair than your dad did at your age. Bad news is that it looks like what your mom had down below.”

Shiv tried to enter a meditative trance. Shiv tried not to picture her words. Shiv managed not to gag. In the corner of his eye, he saw Adam look on in growing horror.

“I am twenty-two years of age,” Uva said with quiet dignity. Shiv noticed her lip twitched slightly, but she was keeping herself polite for Adam’s sake. “I have undergone—”

“Great. So. You’re a baby too. An extra baby for an elf. Fuck me, is there anyone over thirty among you? Wait. Where’s the lich and the bot? Are they in your cape?”

Adam coughed. “Mother, what we’re about to do is going to be extremely dangerous. You—There are things you can do here. I could use your insight—”

“Are you going to be dealing with Havel or are they?” Rose asked.

“I… Uh…”

“So, I’ll be more useful there. I know Havel. Oh, I know that worthless mongrel far too well for my own liking. Did your father tell you I was supposed to be betrothed to him? That I went after your father just to infuriate your grandfather for selling me off like a broodmare?” Adam’s mouth was like a door left open during a rainstorm. It slammed open and closed over and over again as he struggled to produce words. “Well. Your father turned out to be a diamond, while Havel stayed a bitch. But that didn’t stop him from trying to wed me out of spite. Even if he wasn’t that interested in me. Oh, no, the fact that I went with Roland Arrow was the part that he couldn’t take. Losing. Which is what we’re going to make him do again.”

“Well, how are your skills?” Shiv asked, shifting the topic.

“Absolutely dreadful. Not a single one at Adept.” Rose spat those words with annoyance but not fear. She didn’t care that she was weak, and she was determined to come along. “I’m not offering myself as a combat Pathbearer—I’m not stupid, Lowe.”

“Shiv. The name is .”

Rose scoffed and rolled her eyes. She looked more than a little like Adam when she did that. “Shiv. Fine. Yes. I’m not stupid. I know I’m worthless in a force-on-force confrontation. But I have a question: Which of you served with the Inquisition? Who among you has actually fought in a campaign and marched with a Republic army?”

“I graduated from the Academy,” Adam squeaked.

Rose’s expression wilted at that. “You… you did, did you? I… Gods, there’s so much I missed.” A flash of sorrow passed over the woman’s features, but she forced it down. “But, Adam, have you served in the Guard? The Auxiliaries?”

“I took a class under Captain Irons.”

“Irons?” Rose did a double-take. “That fucking moron is still alive? And he made ?”

Adam’s eyes widened. “Yes?”

“Broken Moon, the Republic is in a worse state than I thought if they promoted that suicidal war-addict. But also, no, Adam. That’s a class. Which makes me the only person here who’s actually been in the Guard, and the only person who knows how Havel thinks. I’m going. No more arguments. Shiv. Activate your cape and let me in.”

The Deathless stared at Adam and projected a telepathic thought.

Adam hissed in reply.

Shiv ventured.

As Rose walked toward him, each step she took looked like a struggle. She was definitely not ready to be away from her bed.

Shiv called.

The Gate Lord’s face was scrunched tight with indecision. His mouth moved, but no sounds came out.

Shiv bit back a sigh. “Listen, Lady Erren—”

“That’s what people called my mother,” Rose cut in. She squinted up at him. “Cape. Also, weren't you a lot bigger a few days ago?”

“Yeah, skill stuff,” Shiv answered. “But I’m going to be heading into a mess, and the last few times I tried to be a spy, it ended bloody. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come with me.”

“It’s a shit idea, but being a Pathbearer is all about surviving an endless series of shit ideas and shit situations until you finally die in battle.” Her expression hardened. “Or people you considered to be your brother and sister end up giving you an involuntary abortion and murdering you. That can happen too.”

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Shiv flinched.

Uva glared at Rose. “You are risking yourself needlessly. Everything you know can be compiled into an intelligence report and reviewed.”

Rose didn’t even look at Uva; she just repeated her command to Shiv. “Open your cape. I’m going. If you don’t let me in, I’ll find my way over myself.”

“Mother,” Adam finally managed to say.

“I will not stay broken and worthless in bed!” Rose shouted. Adam shuddered in response. “I will not. I need to be out in the field. I must be close to the battle, doing something.” She bit her lip. “I need to be of some worth. I need to build up skills again. And quickly. I will not let Roland struggle alone. I won’t.”

This time, she met Shiv’s gaze without flinching.

“You will need to consign me to a cell to stop me,” Rose added. And though she said that to Shiv, the challenge was Adam’s to bear.

And that was the moment Shiv knew she was definitely going with him.

“I can watch over her within the Forest of Alloy inside Shiv’s cape,” Uva said, regarding Rose with a slight frown. “So long as she proves not to be a liability for us. Or herself.”

Rose looked Uva up and down. “Oh, don’t worry about me, girl. I’ll only be of use.”

“Uva,” Adam croaked. “There are orcs inside his cape. Orcs.”

“Orcs?” Rose snorted, as if the gray brutes weren’t a problem at all. “Oh, those cockless, predictable monsters. I’ve killed more than a few of those. They’re easy to play with as well. I’m not worried about any orcs. Now. Stop wasting time and let me in. I wish to speak with the lich and automaton.”

“Are we leaving yet, Insul?” Whisper’s voice sounded from Shiv’s cape. The Dimensionality lining the material quivered as the orc used his magic to connect to the outside. “Or has there been a delay?”

Rose went still. Then she looked at Shiv. “Insul? I—you invoked the Bloodrites of the Vaketh-Insul?”

“You know about that?” Shiv asked, surprised.

Rose Van Erren groaned with displeasure. “Know about it? The Challenger offered me the same ritual thirty years ago. I told him to drop asshole-first on a naked blade. But you agreed… Is this the army you’re going to use to liberate Blackedge?” She blinked in realization. “Adam?”

“I…” Adam winced. “Yes?”

“Oh, Broken Moon,” Rose rubbed at her face. “Alright. Fine. Right. The best out of a list of shit choices, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Shiv said.

Rose glared up at the ceiling, but with the way she was blinking, she was reading something. “Oh, laugh it up, Challenger. Like I’m going to be cowed by your dickless wonders. In fact, I’m going inside to give them a piece of my mind—cape! Shiv! Now!”

The Challenger wants you to bring Rose Van Erren with you.

He promises the orcs will behave.

He promises this will be amusing.

Shiv trusted the Challenger about as much as he trusted a blood-starved vampire with a newborn. “Uva,” Shiv called out. “You go in first.”

“I’ll keep the orcs controlled,” she said. She eyed Rose once more. “But… are we sure about this?”

“Not a godsdamned bit. But I don’t think I want to manhandle Adam’s mom. And Adam’s no godsdamned help right now either.”

“What do you want me to do?” Adam hissed.

“Manhandle your mom,” Shiv answered.

Rose turned to eye Adam. The Gate Lord’s legs started shaking.

Shiv rolled his eyes. Uva stepped into his cape first—and just as she passed through, Rose flung herself in.

Adam’s jaw was clenched so tight that Shiv was worried he was going to chip a tooth.

“You know, it’s still not too late to drag her out,” Shiv noted. “Uva will do it if we won’t.”

The Gate Lord nodded, but said nothing.

“You can’t even give the order, can you?”

“No,” Adam muttered. He looked at once overwhelmed and ashamed. “No, I cannot.”

Shiv sighed. “Alright. Look. She’s probably going to be safer in there than in a lot of places if the orcs manage to slip into the gate. At least Uva’s watching over her. Along with Valor and Can Hu. I’ll make sure nothing happens to her. I’ll just jump back immediately if something goes wrong.”

“I can’t believe I just let her do that,” Adam breathed. “Why couldn’t I stop her? Why did I let her go in? Is… is she alright?”

Shiv paused. “Uva? Uva? What’s the situation in there?”

The Umbral’s mana strands twitched. Shiv frowned, and an ill feeling filled his gut. “Uva?”

Uva glared at Rose Van Erren as she dragged the human away from the orc she was attacking. Rose was less than an Initiate in terms of Physicality and a head shorter than Uva. But the moment she got into the Forest of Alloy and laid eyes on Whisper, she went berserk and attacked the orc. She tried gouging his eyes with her fingers and ripping his throat out with her teeth.

Whisper, for his part, didn’t resist. In fact, he had a wide grin on his face.

“You motherfucker! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you for what you did to Lena!”

“It’s good to see you again, too, Lady Van Erren.” Whisper chuckled. “I would say I’m surprised to encounter you here, but I have already known about your presence since a few days ago. And I must confess, I was looking forward to our reunion.”

Rose continued seething and spitting venom at the orc as Uva held her at bay. The Umbral eyed Whisper, and he held up his hands. The other orcs looked with amusement as well. Behind them, Can Hu and Valor observed the unfolding conflict in silence.

“I was the victim in this,” Whisper said. “You saw, Sister Uva. As did the rest of you.”

The other orcs grunted in accord, and Rose let out a very unladylike growl as she tried to push past Uva. The Umbral held her still.

“When you said you didn’t fear the orcs, I thought you were a fool,” Uva hissed at Rose. “Not a madwoman. What could possibly possess you to attack an orc in your state?”

“He murdered my cousin,” Rose snarled. “You—When you said orcs, I didn’t think this one would be with you. He’s supposed to be dead. Roland broke his soul. I watched you die!”

“Not all of my soul,” Whisper replied. “Not nearly enough. And now, his life might very well be in my hands. Isn’t life delicious, Lady Van Erren?”

Uva sighed. “I’m removing you—”

“No!” Rose barked. She pushed away from the Umbral and glared at the orcs. She drew in a sharp breath through her teeth, but adopted a hateful stare in place of further violence. “I’ll control myself. But I stay. I have to stay.”

Uva hesitated as the former Diviner and the robed orc stared each other down. The moment was only broken when Valor slipped out from between the orcs. Rose blinked, and before she could say anything, the Legendary Pathbearer spoke first. “Lady Van Erren. Have you come to partake in this mission?”

Rose’s mouth opened slightly as her eyes narrowed. “Yes. Wait. Have we… Who are you, lich? Why does your voice sound familiar?”

“I am Valor Thann. I believe you’ve faced my son before.”

The Diviner’s jaw went slack.

Whisper chuckled. “The System is provoking you, Rose. So many ghosts of your past inside a tight little dimension. Are you sure you still wish to stay?”