Silas peeked from beneath his lashes. The speaker was dressed in beautiful shades of autumn, reminding him of Nimit. His long coat, embroidered with golden threads lent him an ethereal look. 

Despite the dread coiling in his stomach, Silas relaxed at the warmth in his voice. He looked up.

The man smiled and settled into the chair across from him. "I see you’ve recovered well."

Silas silently nodded, standing still by the window.

“Leopold Gravesend, at your service,” he said with a mock bow, the corner of his mouth lifting. “And the brute you’ve already had the misfortune of meeting? That would be my dear brother, Lennox Gravesend.”

Silas’s breath hitched, the blood draining from his face. ‘Lennox Gravesend’, he whispered. 

The Lennox Gravesend?!! The cursed Archon of the House of Zenos - rulers of Fire and Rage? His stomach knotted, limbs frozen as if scorched by the mere thought of the man.

Damn, He wanted to kill Erie now. There were six frigging Royal Houses in Raia and he chose them to screw over? The Zenos Archons were power-crazed beasts—cursed by the very element they controlled. No Archon had lived past thirty and Lennox seemed quite young to him.

Oh Erie, You fool!

Silas buried his head in his hands. Tears of frustration pricked his eyes, threatening to escape. 

‘Hey, hey hey….’ Leo rushed to his side, standing awkwardly at a hand’s distance. ‘No one’s here to harm you, boy—as long as you’re not in the mood to spin tales. Tell the truth, and you won’t have to deal with Lennox’s temper tantrums. He’s a kitten once he’s fed and flattered. Not that bad.’

No, he was mad. Silas almost wailed. He slid down to the floor contemplating his new circumstances. All for a few copper coins, he lamented. He looked up to find Leopold quite amused at his expense. 

Once their eyes met, he asked, ‘Why don’t you start by telling me your name?’

‘Silas?’ He swore he meant it to come across as more confident but the chill in his bones did not help.

Leopold sighed. 

‘I am telling the truth.’ Silas said quickly, forgetting momentarily all about the identities they were supposed to assume.

‘We know that much. The name is engraved behind your neck. I was just checking.’ Leo chuckled and Silas wondered where the conversation was going.

‘Where is Erie?’ Leo asked, suddenly all solemn, voice bereft of all traces of humor

‘What has he done?’ Silas asked, already apprehending the answer.

‘If you must know, he stole something really valuable from Lennox, valuable enough for us to burn down your whole settlement. What do you call it, Nimit?’ 

Leo tilted his head slightly at the word "Nimit," mocking Silas’s claim to ignorance.

Silas eyes widened at the mention of the name of their motherland. Nimit did not exist on the same plane as Raia and without the Cords guiding someone, the civilisation could not be reached. They were not supposed to know Nimit existed. With a sinking heart he realized, the veil that had protected Nimit so far had been wearing thin.

‘Did Erie tell you about that?’ Silas asked, knowing he shouldn’t.

Leo tsked. ‘That’s not what you should be worried about, Silas. We know Erie is hiding in Nimit and we need the key to get us in there. You should have the key.’ He pressed. ‘All you runners do. So, Where did you hide it? It’s neither on you nor in your satchel. We searched everything.’

‘I told you,’ Silas murmured under his breath. ‘Erie was going to pick me up.’ 

Leo crossed the distance between them in a blink. Seizing him by the lapels of his shirt, he forced Silas to meet those piercing amber eyes.

‘Listen Silas. Don't play games with us. The coward who sent you—he’s already sniffed us on his tail, hasn’t he? He wouldn’t risk ferrying you knowing how many eyes would be on you, the moment you enter Raia. Please. We weren’t born yesterday.’ 

Leopold smiled thinly, humorless, ‘Just tell us where the key is. That’s all we want. He’ll only take back what was his in the first place. No blood, no theatrics. Lennox didn’t choose this war, and if you think you Nimahs can use him like some tool in your twisted little scheme—well…” He stood, voice dropping to a near whisper laced with deadly cheer.

'Then Us Brother would love to teach you what being hunted really feels like.'

Silas gazed into the depth of those eyes, the rage made them swirl like molten fire. He should have been scared at such a promise of violence but the smidge of vulnerability at the core of such a threat must have shocked him into a daze.

‘What did Erie take from him?’ He asked, not believing his own audacity to utter those words.

‘The Seal our mother sacrificed herself for, just so that her son could have a few more years to live.’ His tone was half mocking, but Silas could hear the grudge in them. ‘I would find it, even if I have to burn through the barriers between those two worlds.’