novelnext B5 Chapter 552: Silk Weave, Finale
B5 Chapter 552: Silk Weave, Finale
Julian stalked down a hall of lacquered mahogany and paintings of the long dead, heading towards the lower sublevels of the estate. He needed to train — a fool he’d been to think that dinner might have proven even a hair productive.
He stilled on the thought, forcefully unwinding his jaw as he shoved down his frustration and reevaluated that premise. No, it was productive. Learning more about the Tyrants was a grand boon, and there was much value to be had knowing it early.
What bittered him was weal and woe being metered out equally.
“That was sloppy,” Kel said softly from beside him.
“It was,” Julian acknowledged.
“They were sloppy too,” Baron Edmund said. “They spent a week researching unconnected ancient history, and their mage has some thin story about connections to Kanmost. Maybe they sniffed something out. They want in, I'm sure of it.”
Julian wasn’t so sure. For all their leader was boorish, every scrap of intel he’d been able to put together suggested he was genuinely honourable. The problem was that it didn’t matter.
“If they hunt for Kanmost, they might find what the Archivist had been looking for as well. If the Archivist is right, that can’t happen — especially not now, when our foundation has been shaken. It's a strategic resource.” Julian replied.
The very thought of another complication made him clench his teeth once more. A problem, he refused to let something as mundane as frustration guide his hand. He’d think of a way to manage this problem, but it could wait until after he’d done his bladework.
….
Kaius stood stock still, staring across the busy street to where Lyren was waving frantically. The librarian looked fantastic, as she always did with her pale grey eyes that matched the felted dress of her uniform. Out in public, the monochrome was even more stark, contrasted as it was by the creeping yellow flowers that coated the brick wall behind her.
For a moment, he thought it was nothing but a pleasant coincidence. Then he noticed she looked a little more frazzled than normal. Her hair was windswept, even though he’d never seen it as anything other than immaculate — even when they’d gone to dinner the breeze hadn’t so much as touched it. Her dress, too. It looked…ruffled.
Kaius frowned.
“Let’s go see what she wants,” he murmured, drawing quick nods from his team.
Waiting a moment for a carriage to pass them, Kaius jogged across the street. Lyren stepped in and gave him a quick hug as he reached her, though Kaius didn’t miss it was a little more tense than the last time she had seen him.
“Kaius. I looked for you at the Ruby Crown, but the receptionist said you were dining at Lord Flowers’ pleasure, so I thought I’d wait and see if I could catch you.”
She’d been waiting for him? Why? Sure, they’d been likely to take this route back, but their dinner had had no end time — she could have been standing on this corner for hours.
“Has something happened?”
She shook her head. “Not to me, no. The rumour mill in the library has been going wild since your meeting with Curator Lisn — he was forced to reveal that Kanmost has vanished.”
Lyren bit her lip. “Gods, it's hard to imagine. I just thought he’d shut himself up in his office — he does it so frequently.”
Her naked concern made him feel like a fool. Of course she was worried — she worked with the man; had to know him far better even than Ianmus.
“We’re going to look for him, don’t worry,” Kenva said, giving her a warm smile.
Lyren returned it with a shallow one, before she met Kaius’s eyes once more. “That’s why I wanted to find you. Listen, I didn’t say anything before, since I thought Kanmost was just busy, and it’s not my place to share his private business. But now… I don’t know. The four of you are strong, Ianmus’s connection to Kanmost is genuine, and I trust you far more than any of the local powers.”
“You have something you want to share?” Kaius guessed.
Lyren nodded. “ It’s not much, but I know a bit more than most. Kanmost is more secretive than a witch at midnight, but we used to have tea together three times a week. Just… not here. The walls have unseen ears in Baanswell, but the Ruby Crown is locked down nearly as tight as the ducal palace. Can I walk with you?”
“Of course,” Kaius replied without hesitation. The situation had already grown far too complex, it would be a godsend if Lyren could shed some light on Kanmost’s disappearance.
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…
The sweet smell of peach mingled with the bite of alcohol as Kaius stirred a splash of brandy into Lyren’s tea. He didn’t quite understand the appeal, but she’d gotten it more than once when they’d had dinner, and had mentioned she found it relaxing.
“Here,” he said, placing the saucer on the low table in front of her chair.
She smiled up at him, “Thanks.”
Kaius slid onto the couch next to Kenva, scooping his own tumbler of liquor from the table. “So, you said you wanted to talk to us about Kanmost? Do you know why he might have disappeared?”
The librarian sighed. “Even a fool could tell you that — he found something valuable, and someone wanted it. He’s grown increasingly tight-lipped about what he was researching in the last couple of years, but before then he was a little sloppier. I don’t know much, but i’m confident that he was hunting for an ancient ruin — potentially pre-system, maybe even a place of power.”
Kaius’s eyebrows rose. A place of power? That had always been on the list of potential suspects, but not high — they were too damn rare. Certainly valuable enough to fund research, and abduct someone for their findings, though.
He didn’t know much about them, really. Only that they were highly potent, strange, and often inconsistent. The legend of Kyne’s Peak came to mind, a place where the worthy would face a baptism of storm, and be blessed with the powers of cutting lightning if they survived.
In all honesty, he’d thought they were just legends, Kyne’s Peak included. A way for people to make the world that had come before seem more powerful and mysterious. If they were real, that would definitely kick up a fuss — and would help explain Lord Flowers outburst. Even if he wasn’t behind the disappearance, he really wouldn’t want anyone muscling in on something so valuable. Even if it wasn’t a limited resource, they would lose an exclusive advantage
“Well, that certainly provides motive. Even if it wasn’t a place of power, ruins that ancient can often have potent artefacts or just simple mundane riches,” Ianmus mused. “Still, half the continent would be interested in that — it doesn't quite narrow down any suspects.”
Lyren nodded slightly, crossing her legs. “I know — and I'm sure you’ve already figured out that he was being funded by a party within Baanswell?”
“We have,” Kaius said. “Most likely Lord Flowers, if his outburst when we mentioned him was anything to go off.”
Lyren paused at that, frowning deeply. “That’s what I was afraid of. Kanmost has been… stressed for months. Mentioned some sort of breakdown with his funders — they’d been pressing him for results. He didn’t seem overly worried, but given he’s now missing, I'm suspicious.”
Kaius ran his hands through his hair. Gods, he hoped it wasn’t Flowers. That would mean they’d just played their hands to the culprits themselves.
“Is there anything you know that might help us actually find him?” Kenva asked. “We can speculate on who’s behind his disappearance all we want, but without some kind of evidence we can’t even say for certain if he’s still alive.”
“He’s alive, I’m sure of it,” Lyren said resolutely. “The last time I saw him was mere days before he vanished. He said he was close to a breakthrough, and just needed a bit more time to analyse some data he’d gathered from an expedition, but he wasn’t there yet. If he was being watched, it must have been close enough for someone to make a move — but they’d still need him to find whatever he was searching for.”
She paused for a moment, clearly weighing up saying more. “I know where he keeps his notes. I arrived an hour early to a dinner party a couple of months ago — thought I'd surprise him with some wine. I snuck in and heard him rustling around upstairs. I saw him hiding a notebook behind a wall panel in the spare room next to his office. I didn’t want to worry him with how much he had on his mind, so I went back to the stairs and called out. He never knew I saw.”
Lyren looked almost ashamed to be spilling the secret she’d stumbled upon — though she had no reason to. Kaius was as interested in rescuing him as she was.
He sat up a little straighter. “That’s definitely something we could use. It’ll be tough to get our hands on them though, the guards have his house—”
Lyren held up a hand, cutting him off. “Don’t tell me any more, please. With my connection to both Kanmost and the four of you, I have no doubt that I’ll be watched eventually, if I haven’t been already. I’d rather know as little about what you plan to do as possible.”
A moment later, she met Kaius’s eyes and gave him a small smile. “That also means I shouldn’t be seen with the four of you any longer. Sorry.”
Kaius felt a slight pang of unexpected sadness in his chest. It made sense, but he didn’t like it. “Are you sure?”
“I can’t jeopardise my livelihood, or my position at the library,” she said with a nod, before rising to her feet. “I’m sorry, truly — and I hope what I've told you helps.”
Kaius didn’t know what to say, so he simply nodded as she made her way to the door.
“Lyren,” he said as she pulled open the door.
She paused, looking back — her eyes shining just a little too bright.
“I enjoyed our evening together,” he said, before he felt like kicking himself. What a stupid thing to say. “We’ll find him.”
She smiled and nodded, though it seemed weak and uncertain, before leaving without another word.
A crack filled the room as Kaius’s tumbler fractured in his grip.
“Well, that sucks. You okay?” Porkchop asked, nudging him.
“It is what it is,” he replied, sighing as he set down the leaking glass on the table. “So, we’re breaking in?”
“It’s our only lead,” Ianmus said, nodding.
“Gods, finally. Been itching for something to do,” Kenva said, kicking her feet up on the low table and downing her drink.