jeriendhal | RVA: The Devil is in the...

The advantage of finding a plot hole in one of your old stories is that it can become a plot point if you're lucky.

***

"Salli, I've been thinking about something," Ali said cautiously. "You may have a problem in House Darktail's security."

"You're our House's security," Salli pointed out to her. "Aren't you confident in your training?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Ali said. "It's just that I was thinking about what you told me concerning the attack Hotlclaw had made upon you and your brother Rolas, with that sniper rifle at Lady Melanie's manor. He said in his testimony that he was aiming at you, right?"

"That's correct. Well he thought he was. I had let Melanie borrow my shawl because of the rain," Salli noted.

"Yes, but how did he know you'd be wearing that particular shawl?" Ali asked. "And how did he know to even be be in the copse near Lovejoy Manor to attack you?"

"Well... I had been visiting there regularly," Salli said slowly.

"Not good enough," Ali said, starting to pace in agitation. "He didn't know you were going to be there that particularly day. And even assuming he'd been camping there for several days in ambush, how could he know what you'd be wearing? Furthermore, when you left on your Grand Tour, and we were attacked at that tourist spot on Earth, and later on The Queen of Norway who gave the Highgliders your itinerary? I was passing it along to the Red Vixen at the time, but she certainly wasn't forwarding it them."

"I... I honestly hadn't thought about that," Salli admitted, a cold chill running through her as the implications became obvious.

"Somebody in your House gave that information to Lt. Hotclaw and later to the Highgliders," Ali concluded. "There was a second traitor in House Darktail. I think there still is!"