Equilibrium

Chapter 30 - Things fall apart

"Cyanide is alive, and at least as comfortable as I am right now," Kevyn quipped.

Zen looked at Kevyn as well. Confusion creased his brow.

"Where is he?" Sion demanded.

"Do we have a deal?" Kevyn asked.

Sion pressed his lips into a thin line. Color stole over his usually pale face. Zen had never seen Sion flustered before. "Yes," he said. "Now we're out of time. Let's go." They all marched briskly toward the Keep's front door, and Sion seemed to be using the distraction to calm himself. "Does Lumen have him? He was exceptionally smug the last time I saw him."

"I won't give you any names," Kevyn said. "Just a location. But I need time to work that out. No reprisals."

Sion scowled. "And how has Cyanide offended your anonymous friends? What role did you play?"

"It's destroyed, you know," Kevyn said instead of answering.

Sion didn't look surprised. "I had gathered."

Zen's mind whirred at what this all meant. Kevyn was involved in something secret? Destroyed something important to Sion and even now holds a captive? He stewed on this until they reached the castle. When they passed through the gate, however, fear crept in at what he was in for next.

~

Kara said, her voice crisp, "We're here to see Mr. Haveford. We have an appointment."

"And you are?" asked the receptionist.

"I am Ms. Sweeney, and this is Ms. Nenonene," Sara replied pleasantly.

"Just a moment," the receptionist replied as he clicked away on her computer. Her neutrally professional face fell. "We gave your appointment to someone else this morning," she replied.

"Why?" Kara demanded.

"Well, Ms. Nenonene, the office looked into your background and discovered you have close ties to a notorious elf, Zenneth Valgustus. Mr. Haveford found that to be rather disingenuous of you, and so we canceled your meeting today.

"Without informing us?" Kara asked.

"It must have slipped our minds," the receptionist replied unconvincingly.

"But its because of my friend that I think we have a lot to talk about," Kara argued. "It was right in my letter."

"Good day, Ms. Nenoni," the receptionist said with finality.

"Let's go," Sara urged. "We won't change anyone's mind today."

~

When Zen and Kevyn were returned to their room an hour later, Zen sat down stiffly on the bed. Slowly, gingerly, and like a shadow of himself. He had no shirt. His back was mottled with the five strikes he was given. Every nerve ending was on fire.

"Zen," Kevyn said from his position knelt in front of him.

Zen had been looking into the middle distance, but Kevyn's voice got his attention. He focused on his candlelight eyes. "Yeah," Zen replied in a faraway voice, rough and unfamiliar to his own ears. He could see the utter rage that Kevyn was trying to keep in check for both their sakes. Half of the Fire Elf's face was purpling from the punch to his jaw from Byron.

"This was getting off light," Zen said and laughed.

"The pain will fade. And we will remember. And we won't let the Empress go unpunished," Kevyn swore.

A tear ran down Zen's cheek unchecked. Impotent rage and despair consumed him. They couldn't win this game. He was a pretty good player, sure, but the Empire made the game.