Fate of deception

Chapter 24 - Umaizah's POV

The sun had set for the day, leaving a hazy twilight to settle over the village. Layna and I sat in the small, dimly lit living room, our gazes fixed on the door. We still wanted to go back to the centred part of the village, thought Amir still needed to come with us. Amir had been gone far longer than we had anticipated. Unease prickled at the edges of our thoughts.

We needed him back if we were to venture to the Village's center, where we hoped to uncover  more secrecy within the late royals' writings. More than that, we needed Amir to ensure our safety; after all, the village had become a place of unnerving whispers and shadows that moved just out of sight.

My fingers traced the edge of an ancient map sprawled across the table, my mind racing with prospects and dangers. "He should have been back by now," I muttered, my voice barely a whisper, but the anxiety in it was clear."

Layna glanced from where she had been fidgeting with a small broken chain from a necklace. "He's never been this late before. Somethings wrong. I should have gone without him. Regardless of what my mum said earlier."

"No," I shook my head. "If something's happened, we're safer together. We need to wait. Besides that, we don't know what we may face at the Center. We can't risk it without him."

Minutes dragged on, each heavier than the last,  until at last the door creaked. Amir stepped inside, his movements were stiff and deliberate, as though he was forcing each one. The familiar warmth in his eyes was absent, replaced by a vacant, almost glazed look that sent down a chill.

"Where have you been?" I asked, standing abruptly, the relief of seeing him tempered by the strange aura that clung onto him.

Amir's gaze drifted over us, eyes narrowing as thought he struggled to focus. "What are you doing?" He asked, his voice distant, lacking its usual tone.

I exchanged a wary glance with Layna. Something was undeniably wrong. I moved to fold the map quickly, tucking it beneath the loose floorboard, while Layna slid the small journal–our key to deciphering the late royals' entries–under her arms.

"We were just waiting for you," I replied. The tension was palpable. "We thought we'd go to the Center together."

Amir's expression hardened, his eyes clouded wit suspicion. "Waiting for me? What for?" His voice was edged with something sharp, almost accusatory, that was clear he didn't like the idea.

I forced a smile, though my heart pounded in my chest. "Just to the market. We thought... it might help to get out of here for a while."

Amir's gaze fixed on us, unblinking, as if trying to peel back the layers of our words to uncover the truth beneath. The silence stretched, becoming suffocating, until he finally turned away from them with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Do what you want," his tone was flat, devoid of any warmth. He walked past us without another word, but stared at me with eagle like eyes. "I can't be bothered for now. You can go tomorrow." He disappeared into the hallway, hearing his door slam shut.

Layna released a breath. "He's... not himself." Her voice trembled.

"We'll have to be careful. We don't know what's been done to him, but whatever it is... it's bothering him. We need to find out what happened and fast."

Layna's eyes flickered with resolve. "We will. But first, we have to go to the Center. There might be something that can help us understand what's wrong with him."

"I'm not sure." It was already late. We couldn't risk it. "We can tomorrow, like he said. I'm too paranoid to go out at this time."

Layna understood as we headed to her room again.