Tempest War

Chapter 15

The city we were in is known as Akaiyla. Kirin was paving a path through the sea of people and I struggled to keep pace with him. "Are you still behind me?" Kirin cast one backward glance in me and Rhys's direction and slowed his pace slightly.

"Damn, why does he have to walk so fast?" Rhys caught up to me.

"Ask Kirin, not me," I replied. I grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her through the crowd. When Kirin stopped it was in front of a jailhouse style building on the opposite side of the city.

The outside of the building was grey brick interrupted by lines of black brick. Square glass windows were spaced at equal distances across the front of the building. The inside of the building was painted white. Small plants sat on coffee tables while sofas were assorted around the room. A receptionist desk sat at the very back near doors leading to elevators.

"Are you looking for someone in particular?" The receptionist looked over the edge of the desk. Scales ran up and down her neck and were scattered in patches across her cheeks.

"Keres," Kirin stated firmly.

"You realise what he means?" The receptionist was terrified. The look in her eyes said Keres was a man to fear.

"We will not cause any trouble," Kirin promised. "After all, we're not here to start a war. We're just here to get some information." The receptionist calmed slightly, but not enough to fully relieve the tension. She handed Kirin a room key and he handed it to me. "The pair of you go ahead. There are some things I must discuss with the receptionist here." The way Kirin mused over the word things concerned me.

"Let's go," Rhys nudged my arm and we were off through the doors. Keres' room is 509. It was the ninth room on the fifth floor.

"Hey, Rhys?" She turned her head towards me. "I really enjoy the time we spend together. I always feel calmer, more peaceful when you're around. Like I can do anything."

"You're an amazing person Koa. The way you persevere and see the world from a totally different perspective. You never fail to amaze me," Rhys smiled softly at me. The elevator dinged and we got off. The hallways were painted white, interrupted by doors in different pastel colours. The floor was covered in carpet with a swirling pattern.

509 was the only door down a side hallway. This door was painted black with a large splotch of red in the centre. It was gory and a sign that Keres should not be messed with. I knocked hesitantly on the door.

"What do you want?" A gruff voice asked. "I'm not in the mood for visitors."

"We are here to talk about the Exorcists and the Silencers," Rhys stated. Keres unlocked the door and ushered us inside quickly.

The inside of the room was quite nice. A large kitchen occupied the left side, a family room with a sofa, a couple of lounge chairs, and a couple of coffee tables was the right side. A hallway led to two bedrooms and a bathroom.

"Rumours are spreading quickly," Keres was already halfway across the room when we walked in. Keres had shaggy rust red hair with silver tips. He was wearing a black jean jacket with a skull and bone design on it. The words Bury me were above the skull, in a, between the eyes, and Melody on the bottom between the bones. Keres' name was engraved in the middle. He was wearing a white T-shirt, and light blue jeans.

"Keres, is there something we should know about you?" Rhys asked.

"I'm not the person people make me out to be," Keres answered. His voice appeared gruff at the beginning but it was soft and had a smooth cadence to it. The mark of an Encantment user. A smooth silky voice impossible to resist.