'Qui: The Fall of Ottawa' Chapter 5

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Qui stepped out from the shadows and put a hand on Cranston's arm. The spy was at her mercy, but something told him it would be better to hold back. "Don't do this," he said.

"The childe brought it upon herself," Cranston spat. "Why would you vouch for her?"

"I'm not vouching for her," Qui said. "But destroying a member of the local court without the Prince's permission will bring attention that neither of us wants, right now. If we're going to work together, I need to know that you're stable enough to handle your end of the job."

Cranston ground her teeth. "This creature attacked me in my own home. We don't know what she heard. Bouchard knew what he was doing when he sent her; he'd never expose himself by reporting an unsanctioned destruction to the Prince."

"Unless that was his goal in the first place," Qui said. "Send this one to spy, hoping that you'll kill her. Then he has leverage to use against you—a convenient means to get you out of the way whenever he wants."

Cranston's closed fists shuddered with the power of her anger. "You're right," she said, finally. "All this talk of conspiracy has made me lose sight of the other players. What are your recommendations?"

"We have several other options," Qui said. "But first…" He stepped over to the smashed remains of the Primogen's drafting table and tore one of the legs free. The wood cracked, leaving a sharp, jagged edge. He threw it to Cranston. "Will this do?"

She grabbed the makeshift stake out of the air and looked it over. "Yes."

Qui nodded. Staking wouldn't destroy a vampire like common mortal myths suggested—it merely immobilized them, slowly starving them until they fell into torpor.

"No…" the spy begged. "Please don't!"

"Consider this a mercy, childe," Cranston said. She raised the stake into the air and plunged it as hard as she could into her victim's heart with supernatural strength. The spy's mouth twisted wordlessly and then she was still. "Stay put," Cranston told her. "Not that you have much of a choice." She gestured for Qui to meet with her in the adjoining room.

"That was well done," he said. "The fight, I mean. I've never seen someone cling to a ceiling like that, before." He made a mental note of the ability. The last thing he wanted was to fall victim to it, himself.

"A gift of knowledge from an old ally," Cranston said. "It seemed appropriate at the moment, since you didn't appear keen on coming to my aid."

"You had it handled," Qui said. "And I provided the distraction you needed."

Cranston sniffed. "As long as you're willing to get your hands dirty when you need to."

"You know my reputation or you wouldn't have summoned me."

"You'd better live up to it, assassin." 

Cranston was growing angry again, so Qui decided to back off and move on to the more important topic. "We have options, here," he said. "Destroying Bouchard's agent would draw too much scrutiny. Your plan for Jonah is solid, but it would fall apart if the wrong Kindred were watching us."

She crossed her arms and bit her lip before nodding. "What would you suggest we do with the spy, then?"

"You said that the Ventrue Primogen would be escorting me tomorrow night, right?"

"Yes," Cranston said. "Arundel will pick you up from your haven."

Qui tapped his foot as he considered his options. "He has a reputation. They say he's particularly talented when it comes to forging suggestion and memory."

"He could do it in seconds," Cranston said. "Make the girl forget all about what she heard us say. But it would mean bringing Arundel on board with our plan."

"I thought you said you trusted him more than me," Qui said.

"I do. But he's a supporter, not a collaborator. I don't know the limits of his power and if he gets inside that girl's mind I'll have to assume he knows whatever she knows. I've underestimated him in the past and it nearly cost me everything."

"Do you know anyone else who could do the job?"

Cranston shook her head. "No one half as good as Arundel."

"Then I suppose you have no choice." Qui stepped back toward the wall where he'd left the sword leaning. He wasn't familiar enough with it to use it in battle, and he'd learned from experience that taking a new weapon into a fight without training first could be more of a liability than anything else. The blade might be powerful, but that wouldn't do him any good if he couldn't cut anyone with it. 

"What should I expect from my meeting with the Prince?" he asked.

Cranston gave it some thought. "I was hoping for a simple meet and greet, but after this mess, there are bound to be questions, including from your escort. Arundel knows how to worm secrets out of a person. Keep any answers short and to the point or else he'll know more about you than you know about yourself within the first hour you spend with him. As for Jonah, the man is a witless fool. He'll ruffle his feathers in an attempt to appear strong and dramatic, but it's all for show. Typical Malkavian. Tell him you're here to work with me on internal law enforcement concerns and leave it at that."

The sword barely fit beneath Qui's long, gray trenchcoat, but he managed to make it work after a moment of awkward positioning. He couldn't be seen walking the city streets with the thing. "That part about Arundel sounds ominous," he said. 

"It's just the way he is," Cranston replied. "Don't take offense from it. In fact, I can almost guarantee you'll enjoy the attention."

Qui very much doubted that, but he kept his thoughts to himself. "You have matters under control here?"

"While I appreciate your assistance, assassin," Cranston said. "You should not presume too much or overstep your station. I'll handle my affairs and you manage your own. There's work to be done in exchange for that blade."

"I'll take my leave, then." He walked toward the stairs, picking his way through broken pieces of wood and plaster from the ceiling's collapse. He wondered if his patron intended to clean it up herself, or summon a host of servants as soon as he left. Best not to ask.

"Oh, and Qui?" Cranston called after him. "Try to flee with that sword before the job is done and I'll have my people hunt you to the ends of the Earth."