Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Seventeen: Markings in the Dust

Explaining the full extent of what he had found involving the square in the dust was difficult for Jayler, but luckily for him, Liathine seemed to catch on without any issues. She was just as perceptive as he remembered, and she understood before he even fully realized what point he was trying to get across. Her eyes narrowed and went dark as she recognized what Jayler was trying to say, and she simply nodded to herself as Jayler finished the remainder of the story. He could tell that she was trying to put the pieces together in her mind that would paint a grander picture of the situation at hand. 

"I see," Liathine muttered simply. Jayler was sure that was the least of what she was thinking, but he didn't want to pester her about it too much. He had full confidence that Liathine was going to find some way to make sense of all this. It was practically her trademark at that point to pull answers from thin air without anyone needing to put forth much effort. He didn't know how she did it, but he decided not to ask her about it either. It was clear that Liathine had more than enough on her plate as it is. 

"What do you think we should do about it?" Jayler questioned when the silence grew to be too much for him to bear. "That means that somebody's been here, but I don't know who it could have been. They were here recently too, but why would they bother coming by? It just doesn't make sense to me."

"They must have wanted whatever was here beforehand," Liathine shrugged. "As far as I can tell, what was taken from the drawer was likely a picture of some sort. The outline in the dust that you described would imply that solution. The drawer in question sounds as if it's a bit too thin to have held a box. We don't have a way of saying for sure what the picture could have been of or why it was there, but I'm sure that we'll figure out a way to find the answer soon enough. You can go on and spread the news to the rest of the Clan Leaders if you want, but I doubt they'll have much more to say on the matter than either one of us does."

Jayler nodded slowly, closing his eyes as he contemplated Liathine's words. He really couldn't think of any reason that someone would want to come by the palace. It had been abandoned for ages as of the time that the Clan Leaders and Draconic Superiors decided to establish it as a home for Hanilia. Many stayed away because they were afraid of the rumors that something was off, so the rare person that would have possessed the confidence to infiltrate the space was likely one of a kind. Jayler knew that there was no way of tracking them down as it was right now, so all they could do was wait until a clue appeared before the team. 

That didn't stop Jayler from wandering back up to the room in question though. He glanced down at the desk that he had been messing with before, and he checked the place where the square outline in the dust could be found. He brushed his fingers along the wood before holding them up to his face. Just as he expected, they came up completely clean. Whoever had infiltrated the palace had been there recently, but he wished that there was something more that he could do. 

The knowledge that he was helpless until something else happened left Jayler feeling uncomfortable, if he was being perfectly honest with himself. It reminded him of his issues regarding the Silver Knight. All he wanted to do was find a way to reach the truth that he had spent so long searching for, but some roadblock or another got in his way. It was frustrating, to put it nicely, though there were a thousand other harsh words that he would have preferred to use. 

All he needed was a name. In both cases, a name would bridge the gap between his lack of knowledge and the revelation necessary to find the truth. He wished that the Silver Knight had been thoughtful enough of the future to think of giving him her name prior to her abrupt disappearance, though he understood why she had held back. At the time, the war had just ended, and she was still getting used to the idea of remaining safe in the aftermath of such violence. Jayler couldn't blame her for her choice, but that didn't stop him from feeling a bit disappointed that he couldn't do more to reach out to her.