Put Some Madness to the Method

[Lion]

Vandryn's eyes flickered with something he hadn't felt in a long time, though he couldn't explain it.  It was a lost emotion, but it was there as quick as a flicker of a candle in the wind.  "No," he said slowly to Dorothea.  "We will let you live.  But you must learn how to pick your friends more carefully, Halias."

[Clair]

Dorothea was stunned, so badly in fact she took a step back as if Vandryn's words had slapped her across the face. "V-Vandryn, no," she gasped. "You can't do that!"

[Lion]

Vandryn furrowed his brows as he looked at his apprentice.  "Why can't I?  What reason do you have that says she must die?"

[Clair]

"She tried to kill you," she snapped. "And you were weak and let your guard down. She almost did kill you!"

[Lion]

"You've tried to kill me, yet you live.  Curious how that works.  She's better off to me alive as an ally, than dead as an enemy.  She's not yet outlived her usefulness," Vandryn retorted dangerously.

[Clair]

Dorothea stepped back, her face turning red. "I'll leave," she warned, just as dangerously. "If you keep her alive, I'll leave."

[Lion]

Vandryn measured the weight of her words, finding that it didn't really matter if she left or not.  But after all they'd been through, if she would walk away now solely for keeping their victim alive, then she was not only impatient, but foolish.  "Now why would you go on and do a thing like that?  Because of her?  Are you jealous or something?"

[Clair]

Dorothea smacked him, which was quite out of character for her, at the word jealous. Dorothea was never jealous of anyone. Ever. "You're being stupid, keeping her alive!"

[Lion]

Vandryn was adamant.  He would have his way.  He stood toward Dorothea and grabbed her by the shoulders in an iron grip, shaking her violently.  "Listen to me.  Listen!  You must learn to see that all things have their uses.  When have I ever led you wrong before?  Trust me."

[Clair]

She tried to pull herself away from his grip, but he was stronger than she was. Dorothea scowled. "I trusted you before, but you're not thinking straight, Vandryn!"

[Lion]

"Then you can trust me now," he said with surprising calm.  "I know what I'm doing. "  He leaned in closer whispering in her ear.  "Halias knows the ins and out of the High Lord's castle at Reichsgard.  She can help us.  She knows things I do not and I will need her until then.  She's better off alive now than dead.  At least until then."

[Clair]

"Promise me that we will kill her when her use is finished?" Dorothea whispered back, sternly.

[Lion]

Vandryn looked at her eyes and said, "I promise.  Now will you cooperate?"

[Clair]

She sighed and pulled away from his grip. "Fine, we'll keep her alive," Dorothea snapped.

[Lion]

Vandryn burned internally.  Her insolence was infuriating and he surprised himself with his notion of patience for this moment.  But she had a lot to learn about this dark underworld, and he doubted she knew when to live and simply let be.  Yet, that was something he could not teach her.  You either knew it, or you didn't.

Vandryn went about warming up Halias, wrapping her in blankets and throwing more wood in the fire, working for her until she was ready to talk.

[Clair]

Dorothea stepped back against the wall and watched with a clenched jaw as Vandryn took care of Halis. She was filled with a stronger hatred for the woman than before; it was much like that of the hatred Dorothea felt for her own family.

[Lion]

Vandryn could feel a rift starting to come between him and his apprenctice.  He just hoped they could stick together long enough to finish the last job.  When Halias was wrapped and warmed by the fire, Vandryn stood and crossed to Dorothea.  "Feed her some of the stew from the pot," he said.

[Clair]

Dorothea glared daggers into him. "I will not feed her," she snarled.

[Lion]

"Fine, I will do it then," he replied nonchalantly.  He handed her a pail.  "Then collect some snow from the outside, to make water.  That is for all of us."

[Clair]

Dorothea almost wanted to take back what she'd said. She did not want to leave him alone with Halias; Dorothea couldn't risk them joining together. But she would not let on this suspicion so Dorothea took the bucket and left the cottage.

She didn't bother taking long, scooping up snow as near to the cottage as possible and rushed back inside.