The Twenty Seven

Chapter 4

As the first rays of unfiltered light find their way through the window, Eira realizes that wood is not a replacement for a curtain. She groans, turning over and shielding her eyes. She lets herself doze off for another few minutes before there's a knock at her door. "Let your prisoner sleep, won't you?"

"You're not our prisoner anymore, Ei. Get up." It's Ty's voice. "Es' making food."

At the idea of sustenance, Eira's mouth begins to water; still, she tries to play it off. "What is it?"

"Come down and find out. Promise it's not anyone you know."

Five minutes later Ty, Eira, and Nes are huddled around one end of the large dining table, gathered around a single plate. "Is it good?" Es asks. "I can make more if you like it."

Nes brings the fork away from her mouth. Her eyes are calm and calculating as she slowly chews. Ty slaps the table, growing impatient. "Come on, Nes. It's eggs. Are they edible?"

"They're good," Nes says finally. The others let out small cheers. "Eira, you work on the coffee. Ty, the toast."

"Wait--" Eira asks, giving the eggs a cautious once over. "Where did you find this food? The place doesn't look like it's been touched for years."

"I went out this morning. I left each of you the items you will need for our stay in the den. I didn't want to disturb you." Nes takes another bite. "Thank you, Es."

"Do we know how long we're staying for, then?" Ty asks as she places bread in the toaster. "This is a lot of food." She pauses. "Does that mean we're getting reinforcements after all?"

"No. We're not. We're staying until we can solve our little problem." She meets Ty's eyes. "We can't go back until we know who--"

"Or what," Es cuts in.

"--was in those robes. We're on our own."

"Were those the Ri's orders? Or did you make a decision without consulting her again?" Ty asks. She plops down some toast in front of Nes, grabbing the butter from the fridge. "Because if we don't have to be here, I'm all for going home."

"Would you like to call the Ri yourself?" Nes asks. "Please, by all means, Cenn."

"Don't pull rank on me. I'm supposed to be your second in command, remember?"

"I don't know much about what's going on, but I'm pretty sure that fighting isn't the way to go. You should stop before I doodle on you." Eira places down a cup of coffee on the table. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Ritire." When Eira's head turns towards Nes she sees the hint of a friendly smile.

"Right."

They all sit down to eat together, and things are calm. Once they finish, Ty cracks her neck, leaning her chair back on two legs. "So, boss, what's our next move?"

"We need to find a way to make contact with all of the other countries we can. See how many of them are missing theirs." Nes takes a long sip of her coffee. "I could call again through headquarters."

"Did you get Nic?" Es asks. "I know you've always liked him best."

If Eira didn't know better, she would have said that Nes was blushing a little. "Now is not the time, Cenn. I didn't speak to Two. It was Four that answered."

Eira raises her hand, earning a nod from Nes. "I thought Ty was Two."

"I'm Two of Twenty Seven. Nic is Two of Nine."

"The Nine that are under the Second Ri? That focus on protection?"

Es pats her on the shoulder. "Exactly. You're a quick study. They always have one person manning the phones. It rotates daily."