The Silver Seer

Chapter 33: Lion Knight

I walk towards the headquarters of the knights, deciding I must take it upon myself to bring Leon, at best, back into the military, but also fulfill Liam's dying wish of not letting their father have his way with the young officer.

Thankfully, news from Reko about Reyes' successful recovery, though suspiciously quick, was able to lift my mood before I arrived in Geneva.

Right after Reko departed for the small village just within Germany, I called some of my officers into Bern's formal office and reassigned them their cantons to cover for the deaths and temporary absences of their peers.

After reassignments, Thilo now commands both Vaud and Fribourg after Rainier's betrayal and death. Callalily, a sweet officer originally from France, volunteered to take command of Basel-Landschaft after Liam's death, while Armin is in charge of Basel-Stadt until Leon's (hopeful) return. I opted to have Joliette command Ticino after Kal's death over Lumi, as having the latter command the canton of someone she was especially close to would not go over well.

I still haven't heard from Friederike, and judging from my circumstances right now, I can't help but fear the worst has happened. But if she is dead, why didn't I see it? Or maybe she's alive, being kept prisoner by the Russians? Perhaps she'll die any given hour now, and I'll be powerless to stop it...

If the worst-case scenario has occurred, I may have to ask Sigfried if he'd be willing to command Geneva's rather small base, as I know a large majority of the canton's battle-ready citizens are knights rather than soldiers. How they can stand Commander Timeo is beyond me, but he's not their abusive father, so they probably have their methods.

The canton itself is extremely pretty- far more than Bern, at least in my opinion. Yet the breathtaking views I catch as I walk towards the large white cathedral-like building that marks the headquarters where the Knight Commander and some of his closest members should be situated does not soothe me in the slightest.

I'm more anxious about seeing how Leon is doing above everything else. Has his father reverted back to his old ways (at least those I've heard from the twins themselves) or, like my father, did he promise to change his behavior once his son finally returned?

No. It's nonsense to think about it. No one can just change in an instant when someone returns into their life. Thilo did not erase all my thoughts about self-harm and suicide upon his arrival in Bern- sometimes I catch my eyes lingering on my switchblade, but I just shake my head and focus on something else. The scars of my past will never disappear, so the best thing I can do is move forward and consciously try to become a better person that all my soldiers and officers can look up to.

I freeze before I walk head-first into the grand double oak doors marking the entrance to Knight Commander Timeo's office. Hastily glancing around at my surroundings to ensure no one saw me almost embarrass myself, I take a deep breath before knocking upon the rightmost door.

The rush of footsteps tells me someone has heard my knock and is promptly going to answer the door, yet I hear a voice from inside before the door opens. "Lukas, do you have any idea who could be visiting at this hour?" Undoubtedly, it's the Knight Commander's voice, and I can't help but look around myself once more in regard to his question.

It's only 16:00- a perfectly acceptable time to visit anyone. Now, if it were 5:00 or 23:00, I would expect skepticism and suspicion, but considering the previous conversations I've had with Timeo (albeit over the phone), his question doesn't surprise me.

"No, sir." I hear a young man's voice- coming to the conclusion that it belongs to Lukas- answering the question posed to him before he opens the door.