12. Status

Adolin froze when he saw them.

Two figures were sitting on his bed. Dressed in dark robes.

The room was dim, lit only by moonlight spilling through the window. The smell had changed.
A soft, flowery perfume… and tea. The same one he had earlier that day.

Lissandra’s.

“Close the door,” Lissandra said quietly. Just loud enough for Adolin to hear.

Adolin didn’t move.

Why were they in his room? And why was she acting like this?

He didn’t like it. This was his time to rest.

Adolin clicked his tongue and stopped two steps from the bed.

“Explain.”

“Keep your voice down.” Lissandra said, and pointed toward the door. “Close the door.”
The figure beside her remained still, head lowered.

Adolin shook his head and turned back, closing the door. He stepped forward again and stopped near the bed, his gaze fixed on Lissandra.

“The church is moving,” Lissandra said, watching him. “They came to my home. Looking for Lira.” She paused briefly. “I thought they already had you.”

Well… maybe he was overreacting again. It made sense. If the church was searching for him, they would look for anyone connected to him. Still, this was his time to rest. Not to be bothered.

Adolin looked at the person beside Lissandra, tilting his head slightly.

“That’s the student I told you about,” Lissandra said, keeping her voice low. “Revel. He’ll be leading the party escorting the caravan with you and Lira.”

Revel finally lifted her head and looked at Adolin. “Nice to meet you,” she said, winking.

Adolin ignored her and looked at Lissandra, “Lira?”

Revel rolled her eyes.

“She is already out of town. Waiting nearby with the rest of the party.” Lissandra said, clenching her jaw. “We need to move you out tonight. Before the priest can find and question you. They brought out Truthseekers.”

His annoyance eased slightly when he heard Lira was okay. They were too late for that anyway. The priests had already questioned him. “Too late,” Adolin said. “I was already questioned.”

Their eyes widened. Revel turned toward the window, scanning outside, while Lissandra stared at him.

Adolin chuckled softly. They were the ones overreacting now.

“What did you tell them?” Lissandra asked, her tone cold.

Revel glanced at her, then back toward the window. “We need to leave.”

Adolin frowned slightly. They really were overreacting.

“Nothing?” Adolin said, pausing. He wasn’t sure how to explain it. “Nothing important. I just answered their questions.” He rubbed the spot where they hit him. “Got hit a few times.” It still hurt. He had planned to heal it when he got back. Instead, he was stuck here.

Lissandra’s hand shifted slightly, and a staff appeared in her grip. Revel didn’t move, her gaze fixed on Adolin.

“What did they ask you?” Lissandra said, her voice low.

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Adolin stared at the staff. This world really had convenient spells.

“What did they ask you?” Lissandra demanded.

He looked at Lissandra. There was tension in her eyes now. She wasn’t calm anymore. That made sense. He hadn’t explained anything. Just said he was questioned and left it at that. Of course they would get defensive. They probably thought he had betrayed them. It wasn’t his problem. They were the ones who came into his room when he was supposed to be resting. It had been a long day with too many interactions.

Adolin frowned. “Basic questions. Name. Where I was. If I saw anything.” He shrugged. “Nothing important.”

They were still staring at him.

Adolin clicked his tongue.

“I got around it. The Truthseeker isn’t that good at its job,” Adolin said.

Nothing changed in their expressions for a few moments. Then Lissandra spoke.

“How?”