Chapter 5

By evening, Nyra had reached a conclusion. The Hollow Crown was full of strange people. Not dangerous people. Well...not yet, at least. Just strange people.

One man spent an entire hour arguing with another over whether soup counted as a meal or a beverage. Then a woman threatened to throw both of them out a window and nobody seemed surprised.

Nyra sat on a stone ledge in one of the manor's courtyards and watched the exchange unfold from a safe distance. A cool breeze drifted through the trees surrounding the estate. For the first time since waking up, she found herself relaxing...Slightly.

The keyword being slightly. She was still kidnapped. A fact she refused to forget. Footsteps approached and Nyra didn't bother looking up. "You're following me."

"I am not." Someone spoke behind

"Then this is becoming a remarkable coincidence." Nyra replied sarcastically.

Silas stopped beside her. His expression suggested he regretted every decision that had led him here. "Boss wants to see you."

"There it is." Nyra then looked up to him.

"What?" Silas stared strangely at her.

"The real reason you're here." Nyra replied to his question.

Silas quietly sighed. "Can you go one conversation without making things difficult?"

"No." Nyra swiftly replied.

"Wonderful." Silas rolled his eyes. From the very moment he had set his eyes on her. He knew another babysitting job was now secured for him.

Nyra stood. "Lead the way."

...

Kael's office was exactly what she expected. Organized, neat... Annoyingly neat.

A large desk occupied the center of the room. Shelves lined the walls, maps covered one section of the room, marked with notes and symbols she didn't recognize.

Kael sat behind the desk working. Of course he was. Nyra entered while Silas remained outside. The door closed then Kael glanced up from the papers in front of him. "Sit."

Nyra sat. Not because he'd told her to because there was a chair. An important distinction. Several seconds passed and Kael returned to reading. Nyra stared at him and he continued reading.

Eventually, she spoke. "Did you invite me here so we could admire each other in silence?"

Without looking up, Kael replied. "No."

"Good." Nyra replied

Another page turned then Nyra folded her arms leisurely. "Then why am I here?"

Kael finally set the document aside. For the first time, she noticed fatigue around his eyes. Not exhaustion but the kind that came from carrying responsibility for too long.

"I need information." Kael lifted his head staring into her eyes.

"About?" Nyra replied

"You." He replied back calmly.

Nyra blinked puzzled "Me?"

"Yes." Kael gave a slight nod.

"Why?" Nyra arched up her eyebrows.

"Because you're still here." Kael stated, his fingers locked together and his chin rest on them.

That was fair... Unfortunately.

Kael leaned back slightly. "Family?"

"No." Nyra answered his questions quickly

His brows lifted. "No?"

"My parents died years ago." The answer came easily.

Not because it didn't hurt but because she'd had years to live with it. Kael's expression remained neutral. He wasn't offering sympathy, oddly enough, she appreciated that.

"Friends?" He asked again

"A few." Nyra shrugged out the answer.

"Anyone who might come looking for you?" Kael asked seriously.

Nyra thought for a moment then laughed. "No." An that earned a look. "What?"

"You say that as though it's funny." Kael frowned.

"It is." Nyra rolled her eyes.

"It isn't." Kael stared keenly at her like he was dealing with a psychopath. The fact her reactions were always clearly and visible but psychological they could be mere disguise.

"It is if you've met them." Nyra smile disappeared.

For reasons she couldn't explain, Kael almost smiled again. That made twice now. The realization unsettled her. She preferred him looking annoyed, it felt safer.

A knock interrupted the conversation and the door opened. Silas entered this time, he looked serious. Actually serious, not merely tired. The difference was noticeable. "Boss."

Kael immediately straightened. "What happened?"

Silas placed a folded letter on the desk. "We intercepted it an hour ago."

The atmosphere shifted and Nyra felt it instantly. Whatever this was, it mattered. Kael unfolded the paper. His eyes moved across the page once then twice. Then his expression hardened. Not dramatically. Not visibly enough for most people to notice but Nyra noticed and Silas noticed too.

"Is it real?" he asked placing the letter down.

"Yes." Silas nodded.

Silence settled over the room, a heavy silence. The kind that carried consequences. Nyra looked between them and neither explained anything. Naturally, she was beginning to suspect people enjoyed withholding information from her.

Finally, Silas spoke. "When?"

Kael's answer came immediately. "Soon."

Neither man looked pleased. Silas muttered something under his breath. Kael remained silent,thinking, calculating, planning. For the first time, Nyra understood why people followed him.

Not because he was feared, not because he was powerful, because whenever a problem appeared, everyone unconsciously looked to him for the answer, even Silas. Especially Silas.

Kael folded the letter and stood. "We'll discuss it tonight."

Silas nodded. "Understood, Boss."

Then he noticed Nyra watching. An awkward pause followed.

"Oh." Silas calmly exclaimed beneath his breathe.

"What?" Nyra asked.

Silas looked toward Kael and Kael looked toward Silas. Neither seemed eager to explain.

Nyra pointed at the letter. "Someone is going to tell me eventually."

"No." Kael turned around.

"Yes." Nyra replied

"No." Kael spoke again turning back to look at her.

"Definitely YES." Nyra folded her arms again.

Kael shook his head. "You are remarkably persistent."

"And you're remarkably secretive." Nyra frowned

For the first time, a genuine smile appeared. A small and brief and gone almost immediately. But it was there. Nyra saw it, so did Silas. And judging by his expression, that worried him far more than the mysterious letter. And somehow, that worried Nyra too.

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