Hard Light (NaNoWriMo15)

Chapter 22 - The Final Piece

Leah spent the free hour she had before dinner searching for Kieran.

She checked the training hall. She checked the study halls. She checked almost every room and hall and library and storage room he could have possibly had an interest and found him absent. Despite her initial reluctance, she even started asking anyone she passed if they'd seen him. Linking them together probably wasn't the smartest idea if something unfavourable was behind that door, but she had to find him. Not just to open the door, but to fix things. To apologise for what Illiya had said.

It was her own damned fault. If she hadn't been so preoccupied with her woe-is-me attitude, she would have spoken for herself. She'd probably still be stuck on herself if Ash hadn't--

Leah stopped herself.

It'd happened. She needed to get over it. Not forget that it'd happened. It was too important. The key thing that'd kicked her ass into gear, or more accurately, her brain. It'd rekindled the questions that Dale's attack had almost killed, the questions that were driving her steps and fuelling the growing confusion behind the entire Lightless situation.

It was getting ridiculous, though. With the new Lightless being detained, there shouldn't have been anyone, especially not from the expedition teams, outside the League.

So where under the sun was Kieran?

Leah returned to her room and grabbed her notebook. If she couldn't go to him, then she'd stake out the dining room until he came to her.

She set up at a table that wasn't in the direct line of sight of the entrances.

The wait began.

People trickled in as the dinner rush approached. Leah glanced up inbetween scribbles, both productive and not, trying to make inspiration strike. The hidden symbols in the temple below were almost burned into her brain, and she found herself sketching them out, turning them around, playing with the words to try and get them sounding like plain Radiant.

More people arrived, the dining room over half full, and there was still no sign of Kieran.

Leah tapped her pencil impatiently as Sef sat down next to her.

"Looking for someone?" asked Sef.

"I was hoping Kieran would show up for dinner," said Leah. "I really need to talk to him about something."

"I'm pretty sure he's busy with League things at the moment," said Sef. "He usually is around this time of the week, it's like a weekly report or something. He could even be at another Spire inspecting our next ruins."

Leah threw down the pencil. "Great. Super."

Sef caught it at it rolled off the table, placing it back in the crease between the pages. "Is this something related to what's been stressing you out?"

"I guess, yea." She sighed. "I just... I think I've found something big, but I need to talk it over with him. He's sort of aware of what it is, so he'd my go-to, but I think he's annoyed at me."

"Kieran gets annoyed fairly easily. Holds grudges, too," said Sef. Leah tensed. "I wouldn't worry, though. You're on his team. He won't--"

"He would," said Leah, sinking down into her seat. "Illiya told him I didn't even want to be on this team, made it seem like I was some kind of lying jerk. I told him I still want to be here, and I do, but I'm pretty sure he hates me. "

"Ah," said Sef. "Um... yea. You might want to get on that apologising thing. I'm sure he'd let you explain yourself."

"Let's hope so," said Leah. If not, she was planning on dragging him down to the temple and hoping he'd forget about being angry at her long enough to forgive her.