Chapter 2

The first thing Nyra noticed was the smell of wood smoke. The second was the headache. She opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. Light streamed through a narrow window, forcing her to squint.

For several moments, she remained still. Not because she was afraid but because she was thinking. The palace. The attack. The corridor. Someone grabbing her. A cloth over her mouth. Kidnapping.

Wonderful... Everything felt unreal. She slowly sat up from the bed. The room was small but clean. A wooden table occupied one corner. A bookshelf stood against the wall. The bed beneath her was surprisingly comfortable for a place where people were presumably held against their will. That was concerning.

Across the room sat a man. He was reading. Not sharpening knives. Not interrogating prisoners.

Just reading. Nyra stared at him. And he continued reading.

The silence stretched. And finally she spoke. "Am I supposed to pretend you're not there?"

The man looked up from his book. Dark hair, sharp features. A calm expression that suggested very little surprised him. "No."

"Good.". Nyra swung her legs off the bed. "Where am I?"

"Safe." He replied calmly

She stared at him expressionlessly. "That's not an answer."

"It is." He replied again without looking up to see her.

"It really isn't." Nyra frowned.

The man closed his book with a slight frown. "You've been unconscious for several hours."

"I know that." Nyra replied.

"You should be resting." The man said then put down his book.

"I should be in the palace." Nyra glared at him.

A flicker of amusement crossed his face.It vanished quickly. "Unfortunately, that isn't possible." He glared back at her.

Nyra folded her arms. "Unfortunately for whom?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard. Only slightly. But before he could answer, the door opened. Another man entered looking permanently exhausted.

He carried several sheets of paper tucked beneath one arm. He stopped the moment he noticed Nyra awake. "You're conscious."

"I worked very hard to achieve that." Nyra replied in a sarcastic tone.

The newcomer blinked. Then looked at the dark haired man then back at Nyra. A strange expression crossed his face. As if he suddenly understood why someone else was suffering.

"Good luck," he muttered.

The dark haired man's gaze narrowed and called. "Silas."

"I'm leaving." Silas turned around to leave before the matter on ground included him.

"You just arrived." The dark haired man calmly spoke

"And now I'm leaving." Without another word, he turned and headed for the door.

Nyra watched him go. "He seems pleasant."

"He isn't." The dark haired man replied

"That's unfortunate." Nyra shifted her gaze from the closed door back the dark haired man

The door closed and the silence returned. Nyra looked around the room once more then back at the man.

"Let's try this again. Who are you?" Nyra asked tilting her head to the side confused.

For the first time, he hesitated. Not long enough for most people to notice but long enough for Nyra to. Before he could answer, voices echoed somewhere beyond the room.

Footsteps followed then a knock sounded against the door. Without waiting for permission, a woman entered. She froze when she saw Nyra sitting upright.

"Oh." Her eyes widened. "She's awake."

Apparently everyone in this building had the same reaction.

The woman approached the bed. "You feeling alright?"

"No." Nyra sharply replied without a second thought.

"Fair." The woman took a step backwards, scanning Nyra over with her eyes.

"Where am I?" Nyra asked yet again.

The woman opened her mouth then glanced toward the dark haired man, then back at Nyra. And made a terrible decision. "You don't know?"

Nyra frowned. "Know what?"

The woman pointed directly at the man sitting across the room. "That's Kael Draven."

Silence filled the room. The room waited. The woman waited. Even Kael seemed to wait. Waiting for a reaction. A horrified one.

Nyra shifted her gaze to the woman then back at him.

"...What?" The woman blinked.

"Kael Draven." Nyra stared.

The name was familiar. Everybody knew the name. Children heard stories about him. Merchants cursed him. Nobles feared him. Soldiers hunted him. The leader of the Hollow Crown. The most wanted man in Velmora.

Nyra looked at Kael again. He looked exactly the same as he had thirty seconds ago. Which felt somewhat unreasonable.

"You're Kael Draven?" Nyra asked

"Yes." The dark haired gave a short reply.

She went silent, pondering on her words, then pointed toward him. "You kidnapped me."

"Yes." Kael replied

Another pause.

"Why?" Nyra's eyebrow arched up in a questioning look

Kael leaned back slightly. For the first time since she'd woken up, he looked uncomfortable. Not guilty, not embarrassed just so uncomfortable.

An interesting distinction. The woman noticed it too. Nyra didn't show any kind of horror look. She had the same tone she had the moment she woke up. Except a tone of anger one could barely notice in her speech.

"So..." The woman said slowly.

"What?" Nyra looked at her.

"Have you told her yet right?" The woman asked Kael

"Told me what?" Nyra asked.

Nobody answered immediately. That was never a good sign. Silas appeared in the doorway again. One look at the room told him exactly what was happening. His eyes briefly closed. The expression of a man accepting his fate.

"Tell me what?" Nyra repeated.

Kael rubbed a hand across his jaw. The room had suddenly become very interested in the floor. Even the woman avoided eye contact. Nyra's suspicion grew. Finally, Kael spoke. His voice remained calm. Almost irritatingly calm.

"There appears to have been a mistake."

A mistake? Nyra didn't like that word. Not in this context. "What kind of mistake?" Nobody answered.

"Kael." Silas sounded tired already. "Tell her."

Kael looked at Nyra and Nyra looked back. Then he delivered the sentence that would proceed to ruin everyone's week. "You were not the person we intended to kidnap."

Silence... Nyra processed the information. Slowly, carefully, then she smiled. Not because she found it funny. But because sometimes it was the alternative to screaming. "You kidnapped the wrong woman?"

"Yes." Kael replied.

The smile disappeared without a trace. "Are you an idiot?"

Silas turned away immediately. The woman choked on a laugh. And for the first time in many years, Kael Draven found himself without a response.

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