(178) Clarity – 3

Bel’s statement seemed to hit Kre like a punch to the gut and he staggered backwards a couple of steps, nearly finding himself involuntarily seated on an upturned pew.

Kitalia seemed unfazed by the statement, almost as if it weren’t a surprise at all.  “What makes you believe such a thing?  Have you any proof?”

Bel shook her head.  “No proof.  Nothing more than my own suspicions and some bits of information here and there.”

“Perhaps,” Kitalia offered, “you could tell us what you know, and we can help you sort out the truth.”

“Yeah,” Kre said, nodding quickly.  “I mean, it can’t be right that the Dragon Knights would murder their own like that.  I mean… who does something like that?  Who murders a pretty great guy like Ser Terync?”  His face was getting more flushed, visible even in the dim light of the room, as his anger started to rise up in defense of his deceased friend.

The light in the room got dimmer and the whooshing sounds outside of the walls seemed to grow more high-pitched.  Dust drifted down as things seemed to crash into the walls all around them. 

“Kre,” Bel said sympathetically.  “I know it’s difficult right now, but you need to get control of your emotions.  There is only so much that I can do right now.”

“Well, I’m sorry!” he snapped back, feeling guilty the moment the harsh-sounding words left his mouth.  Something crashed against the door behind him, and both he and Kitalia jumped a few feet.  “I mean, I am sorry,” he said a bit more calmly and sincerely, once he gathered himself and regained his composure. 

“I simply can’t imagine why the Order would do such a thing.”

Kitalia put a hand on his shoulder and gave a soft squeeze.  This was partially to comfort him, as she could tell he was hurt by this recent news, and partially to calm him down as she grew more aware of the potential dangers of his emotions sparking an invasion by the creatures prowling around outside their walls.

A loud crash seemed to echo through the air and the very ground upon which they stood seemed to shake.  Bel’s light flickered and then faded entirely.  She said something in a strange tongue that sounded to Kre like a curse and then she grew silent.

“Um… Bel?” he asked tentatively.  After a few seconds of silence, he followed it up with an even more tentative, “I’m sorry?”

“She is gone,” Kitalia said in a flat tone.  “She must have departed using some sort of dragon magic, as I did not even hear her leave.”

“You can see in this dark?” Kre asked his companion.

“No,” she snapped back, possibly thinking that Kre was displaying yet another ignorance about her people.  She softened a bit, feeling bad that she possibly jumped on him too soon, “…but possibly Ylveryan eyes much faster at adapting to changes in light than Tehynshin eyes are.”

“Yeah, possibly.”  She could sense the fear in his voice, even as he tried to hide it under a mask of courage.  “Where do you think she went to?”

“Probably to investigate that sound.  Last thing we want is for Red to have found us.”

The sound behind them startled them.  Someone was knocking very politely at the front door.

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