And yet she was the one to set the boundary for us, with total transparency. It would seem that like me, Arken didn’t do relationships, which essentially made her the perfect companion.
A companion…
My connection with her was different from the ones I had with Jeremiah and Hans. I had a good rapport with my cadre, and I trusted those two with my life, but she was just… something else.
It was the look in her eyes as she beheld the mural that had truly struck me. If it wasn’t for that, I probably could have written off that trip as a one-time thing. I could have gone back to avoiding her. But that sense of awe, the way she absorbed the weight of every brush stroke, every detail woven into that grand picture…
I’d had a feeling she might enjoy it, but I hadn’t realized that she would see the mural the exact same way that I had, the first time I encountered it. Looking beyond the surface, finding the most intricate details to admire and appreciate. It was the same way that she looked at the sky, too. And sometimes, it was the same way she looked atme.
Gods, the way that woman made me feel seen sometimes was downright terrifying. And yet it was also invigorating. I had kept to my Shadows for so long. And I couldn’t lie to myself—I still wanted her. Carnally. But I could get over that. And when I couldn’t… Well, I had my left hand and an active imagination.
I was about ready to put that active imagination to work when I heard an aggressive tap at my bedroom window.
An owl that looked like it had been carved out of stone sat on the windowsill with a stiff envelope in its beak. It had a black wax seal embossed with Commander Ka’s emblem, which meant it was important. I gave the sprite a gentle pat on the head inthanks as I retrieved the letter. They weren’t truly sentient, but it still felt like a nice gesture.
Well, there goes my day off.
The missive was a summoning for all officers of the Elder Guard to report to headquarters at once.
High General Demitrovic had returned.
The air was thick with tense, anxious energy as the upper ranks of the Elder Guard began to convene in the large meeting hall, taking their seats one by one and murmuring amongst themselves.
It wasn’t often that we were all called together at once for a formal meeting with the High General, who was the pinnacle of leadership among us. General Demitrovic answered only to the Elders themselves.
Actually, outside of our annual ceremonies and reviews, I wasn’t sure I could even recall the last time I’d been summoned to this sort of off-the-cuff conference. I scanned the room while walking over towards where I’d spotted Jeremiah and Hans, but Demitrovic had yet to arrive. Commander Ka stood at the dais, looking worse for the wear. Troubled, even. That was… unusual.
What was going on here?
“Do either of you know what this is for?” I murmured quietly to my lieutenants as I took a seat beside them.
They both shook their heads.
“Rorick mentioned he’d heard a rumor that the reason Demitrovic went to Ithreac to meet with the House of Clay himself was because there was a high-risk lead on the disappearances, though. Not just to make nice with the Courts.”
That could very well be true. In fact, it seemed the most plausible reason to gather us all here. If that were the case, he must’ve found something worthwhile.
Finally.
The tension in the room grew taut like a bowstring as the clock struck noon, and High General Jin Demitrovic made his entrance.
He cut an imposing figure as he stepped into the room, the towering white-haired man still wearing the more official garb of the guard—the type of armor and leathers we wore when going into a known fight. His silver pauldrons were shined to perfection, but they still bore the dents and slashes of a man who had seen combat. Who had actually gone to war, unlike a majority of us who served in the guard today.
I took note of the fact that he still wore his traveling cloak as well, a dusty gold shade indicative of being a representative of Sophrosyne. Clearly, the man had not taken even a moment’s pause since his return, which meant…
A deep, grizzled voice filled the room, authority ringing through his tone clear as day.
“Guards, take note that what you are about to be briefed on is highly confidential. This information is not to be dispersed amongst your regiments without an explicit directive from your commanders. Is that understood?”
The replies were immediate, and in unison. “Yes, sir.”
“As you are all aware, in the last several months, forces across the entirety of the continent have reported an uptick in kidnappings. At first, there seemed to be no common thread between them, save the fact that none of those missing had yet to be found. The Atlassian Courts, however, have been leaning on us for guidance and strategy, and with the help of our scouting units,” the general paused, offering me the slightest dip of his chin.
My chest swelled with pride at the subtle recognition as the man continued on.
“We started to piece together similarities between each case. Every missing person was a child or young adult, connected to the noblesse in some way. We assumed this meant there were political motives at play here, and yet we have not received any demands of ransom or signs of extortion. It was also noted that every missing person thus far has either been a known Conduit, or a highly skilled Resonant.”
While I knew all of this, a majority of the other branches wouldn’t have had access to this information yet, and so the room started buzzing with hushed whispers.