House of Bone

Chapter 14

After remembering what I had found out with Tia, I hadn't gotten any sleep.

So here I was, twenty minutes late to breakfast, trying my best not to look like the sleepless zombie I knew I probably could be mistaken for.

"How was your beauty sleep?" Tia teases.

I run a hand through my hair, "Great." I say sarcastically and Tia snorts.

"Come on sleepy-head, let's get you some breakfast."

Much to my dismay, Tia serves me breakfast, insisted on staying, and even threatened to spoon-feed me when I tried to get her to leave.

She also got me to call in sick and made sure I was in bed when she and Shade left for classes.

"I expect you to be in here when I return," she states firmly "Although I suppose you can wander around if you get bored, but for the most time, sleep."

Tia is a force to be reckoned with.

Although I am grateful for her kindness, it gives me more time to figure things out.

***

After about two hours of attempted napping, I give up and decide to do the most with my time.

I leave the bed and change into a loose pair of trousers and a shirt.

I take a deep breath and pull out the book, waiting for the satisfying clink of the bookshelf sliding into place.

When it does, I climb into the venting system, the all too familiar paths appearing before me.

The only problem is that when I overheard Vynn and Kimron talking about the meeting, they never said where. Thankfully there are only a few places that would make sense for them to meet. One being the testing rooms, and the other being the room I heard Vynn in last time. Thankfully they are both in the same direction so I don't have to go on a long detour and risk missing some key piece of information.

When I reach the meeting room, I can hear the annoyingly familiar gravel of Vynn's voice, alerting me that this is indeed the correct place for their meeting.

All I really know about this meeting is it was monthly, and that Kimron and Vynn needed some kind of results to present to whoever else showed up.

Would that Kurai person show up?

Or were they as shrouded in mystery as Vynn implied earlier?

I try not to get too sidetracked by my thoughts, and spy a small opening in the venting system where I can peek through and hopefully see what's going on.

Sometimes, just hearing things isn't enough.

I crawl over and peek through the gap, stifling a gasp as I see something – someone – I never thought I would, at least not here at the Institute.

General Umbra.

Shade's father.

***

This was unexpected.

I'm not sure what I was expecting – probably something more black & white, 'we are doing some very obvious bad stuff, everyone should hate us' type thing – but seeing Shade's father here? That threw me off.
If the general was here, this was clearly something important.

But did that mean I was wrong?

Were people dying here for a greater purpose?

For the entire empire?

The only way I'd know for sure was if I stayed and listened to the entire thing.
The General speaking brings me back to the present.

"Seeing as I've been called, I assume you have some promising statistics for the Empress?"

Vynn nods, "Yes, sir. The latest arrival certainly has promise, the highest results we've seen in, well ever. Not even that Blood kid we had last year. His were nothing compared to Kyra's."

I just need a minute to process that.

Or maybe two.

But time waits for no one and it certainly isn't going to stop for me now, as the General and Vynn continue.

The General nods, "Good, the Empress expects her to be ready by the Equinox."

Shit, when was the equinox again? More or less than a month away?

Kimron speaks from the shadows, I didn't notice him hiding there.

"There is... one complication though sir."

General Umbra raises his brow, "And you didn't tell me this before? You could've saved a lot of time and my patience."

Vynn winces, "I thought it would be better if I told you the good news first, and then the complications later."

Umbra glares at Vynn, "You should know by now, that I value all information, without having anything concealed from me. Now tell me, what complications."

There was no question in his voice, the true authority of a commander.

"If she is what we think she is... then you know her type has a certain... resistance to magic."

The general frowns, "I thought that only she could do that."

Kimron nods nervously, "That's the thing if the Empress is right –" the General glares at him "Which she usually is – then Kyra is her daughter."

Who is this she? And... if what Kimron said was true... then I am her daughter? 

"As I said," the General says "The Empress needs her ready by the Equinox. You have three weeks to sort out your shit."

"Four sessions won't be enough sir. Her system needs to be weakened, and it's taking longer than the others."

"Have more than three sessions between now and the equinox then, problem solved."

I can see Kimron trying not to sigh, "They need to be spread out far enough, otherwise there will be side effects. We don't want her taken too early, or for the other initiates to notice any behavioural changes in her."

"Figure. It. Out."