Chapter 284 – Threads and Puzzles

Chapter 284 – Threads and Puzzles

 

“Do you have any questions?” Kai finished explaining what they had discovered at Herry’s house cobbled together with the information Kea had shared with him.

The group gathered in the living room filled every seat available, watching him in stunned silence. Several layers of wards wrapped the house like soap bubbles, ensuring their discussion would remain private.

Well, no one is screaming anymore… So that’s something.

Kea leaned against the kitchen table, her face dark like thunderclouds. After vouching for him, she had let Kai do the talking, just quipping on a few details.

On the battered sofa, Mari mumbled to herself, her words too quiet to make out. Niel opened his mouth, but no words came out. Caeli contracted her hands in her lap as if strangling an invisible enemy.

Given their recent acquaintance, Kai was surprised no one had accused him of lying.

They must trust Kea’s judgment a lot…

Flynn slumped in a creaking chair and massaged his temples with a resigned look. “Are you sure it’s the same people that attacked our ship?”

“There are too many similarities to be a coincidence. The praetor title, the Darkness runes, the secrecy.” Kai sighed, mirroring his gloom. “It’s possible they’re not the exact same raiders, but there is some link.”

Running into the same group at sea and hundreds of miles inland, he wanted to curse his luck, though perhaps he should thank it. If they had to face a bloody cult, better the one they had already encountered.

At least we have an idea of the threat… just how big are they?

Rain studied the messy decor of the room with unfazed tranquility, balancing three pencils on his index finger. Hearing about the conspiracy, his eyes had lit like when visiting a tavern for the first time. Spirits willing, there was more than blind confidence guiding the siren.

Some kind of criminal organization had been kidnapping people all over Limgrell, possibly for years, likely bribing the Hall of Seekers and the local Republic officials to keep silent. It wasn’t a job a group of newly minted adventurers should be dealing with, but asking for help would only risk getting them killed.

Herry had admitted to setting up Kea’s team with the cloud fairies before blowing up his own house. Then the gruff thug they overheard said he would deal with them like some washed-up villain, only the threat was real.

They won’t act in the open.

Kai held onto that hope. If the kidnappers put so much effort into masking the disappearances, they didn’t have complete control of this town. And they wouldn’t act in the open to get rid of a bunch of newbies that knew little to nothing.

Being underestimated is our best asset. They have no way to know we were aboard the Intrepid.

When the muttering quietened, Kai stood straighter with a confidence he didn’t entirely feel. “Me and Kea want to figure out what happened to your teammate, and the other missing people. Then we can warn the authorities in another town away from here. If anyone wants to leave Limgrell, it’s better if you wait a few days to not attract attention.”

Direct and concise—all cards were on the table. The trio on the sofa began to argue among themselves, the words too fast and soft to make out.

“This will be fun.” Flynn groaned in his seat. He had seemed the least surprised by the revelations just giving him exasperated looks.

“I know this wasn’t what we planned.” Kai met his gaze with all the honesty he could muster. “You can go meet with Valela and I’ll catch up once this is solved.” It wasn’t fair to drag him into his deadly problems.

“And how do you plan to survive in a town without me?” Flynn scoffed with a friendly slap to his shoulder. “You know I’m not leaving you, or Kea. She’s my friend too. And someone must make sure you two don’t burn down Limgrell. We just have to deal with a cabal of murderous madmen and avoid this green praetor. How hard can it be?”

“Yeah…” Before Kai could make sense of the guilt and relief swirling in his gut, Kea stepped to give an awkward nod to Flynn. “I appreciate your help.”

She wasn’t nearly that nice to me.

Kea and Flynn hadn’t been particularly close when he left but a lot could happen in two years. The sister he remembered would have claimed she could do just fine on her own.

We’ve all changed.

Compared to the crackling fire Kai remembered, her dark green eyes had grown colder and calmer. The fiery temper was still there, contained beneath an icy coating.

Guess I would also be stressed out if I had spent a month in this town, and one of my friends got abducted. Spirits, grant us a breather.

Rain observed the room with an indecipherable look. “I’m staying too.” He offered him a serene smile. “I’ve already said I wanted to come with you and help your— Keandra.”

“Thank you,” Kai wasn’t sure the siren understood the dangers, but he also couldn’t afford to refuse his help. No one would suspect to find his race so far from the sea; they needed every advantage to get out of this.

“None of us is running either!” Caeli jumped to her feet, voice rising over her companions. “I don’t care if there is a green grade involved. I’m not leaving till we find out what happened to Caeden.”

Her eyes burned with rage and what might be a hint of fear. Whether for herself or this Caeden, it was impossible to tell.

He must have been a pretty interesting guy to inspire such loyalty. Maybe he was her boyfriend?

“I’m not going to leave without you,” Niel said, his tanned face a shade paler. “We all knew the dangers. And now we have some idea of what we’re up against.”

Mari nodded her support, leafing through her journal. She chewed on an enchanted pen of black enamel. “Can you identify the man Herry met? Any detail could help.”

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“We were hidden behind a bookcase.” Kea shook her head with pursed lips. “I couldn’t even see his shadow.”

“I might recognize his voice if I meet him.” Kai tried to fix the gruff and drawling voice. At the time, he had been too busy staying still without breathing to consider peeking.

“Are you sure no one saw you enter or run from the burning building?” Flynn shifted his gaze between them. “If they know what you saw, we are as good as dead.”

“We were careful all the way,” Kai reassured him. He had kept his cloak of Shadow at all times and melted any ice shard before running. Once the Fate wards woven into the house burned, Hallowed Intuition would have warned him if someone was tailing them.

“We should go through everything from the beginning.” Mari scribbled on her leather journal. “There might be some details you missed, or you thought unimportant.”

Kai considered telling them about his skill to save time—enough people knew already. “Alright. What do you want to know?”

They went through what happened from the moment he and Kea stepped outside this morning to when they reached this house. Belicia’s tip about Herry’s location, the path they had taken, anyone they met, any strange smell or sound. Mari noted down everything in scrupulous detail.

Everyone visibly relaxed in their seats after confirming they hadn’t left a trail back to this house. They were safe, at least for now.

From the heat of the explosion, Kai would be surprised if Herry was more than a pile of charred ash. No skill below Green would be able to identify his body. With some luck, the gruff thug would suspect the informant had cut and run. The conversation they had overheard hadn’t been very amicable.

Hopefully, it will make them lay low for a while.

He could understand the mistrustful and skittish passersby on the streets. Rumors spread like sea breeze in a small town; people must know something wrong is going on­—if not exactly what.

“You could have waited for us to tell Mat,” Caeli grumbled at Kea, her eyes on the documents spread on the table. Copying papers from the archives of the town hall would land them in a military prison if discovered.

Niel lay a hand on Caeli’s shoulder and slightly shook his head. “What’s done is done.”

From the looks between them, the discussion was far from over, just delayed till they were alone. Niel’s gaze hardened toward Kai and his friends. “You must swear not to mention any of this outside a warded room before discussing it with us. No more exceptions. We’re all on the same boat.”

“You have my word,” Flynn vowed with unusual solemnity, a hand over his heart. Kai repeated the oath followed by Rain. The siren got a few looks when he passed three fingers over his face and muttered about the Deep, though no one commented.