Silver: The Lost Royal

39 | Din Rae

♛
Belian ~ be-lee-an
Din Rae ~ deen-ray
Urden ~ oo-r-den
Varael ~ va-rah-yell
♛

FINALLY, she had done it, yet she hadn't expected the act to leave her overwhelmed and drained at the same time. She could sense the crackling energy, feel its pulsating force tapping, and hear it thumping on her heart like an external visitor on her soul's door.

It lay within her grasp, almost like a tangible entity, demanding even more of her energy to resist its allure. She even had her hands clenched on her thighs to stop herself from physically reaching for her necklace. The weight of the necklace pressed down against her chest, brimming with immense power - power she had successfully locked away within herself.

To force her mind off the energy and disorientation she was feeling, she focused her eyes on the moving world around them.

The city of Belian glittered under the sun. It had more structures and monuments than Emerfield or Cathurva combined. Most of the structures were highrises, stretching far up into the sky, all varying designs and architecture she had never seen before. Dohlia had told them there was a glass mine here, and it was the largest ever in Yhulja, and the town people—or rather townfold—called it their Mini-Pride.

Amidst the shimmering surroundings, Karyn's gaze fell upon the structures, all of them marred by cracks. Some cracks were barely noticeable, while others were long and jarring, leaving her wondering what caused the cracks and how long before they would give way.

The threader they sat in, unlike the one at Vesper's shed, had doors and windows that were down for fresh air. This one also had more space as she sat at the back with Salome between her and Jamie, while Zack sat in front beside Dohlia.

They had swapped their shirts and gowns for tees and jeans and this time, she couldn't find the difference between them and the regular clothes she wore back on Earth. Even Wlerden had some mundane within its extraordinary sheen.

Dohlia had offered to drive them to the station, which was fifty minutes away from the house, giving Karyn enough time to notice how devoid Belian was of red guards. But she was quick to reason when she recalled Zack saying no SiatJan had ever risen from Yhuljan glass.

Where there were no SiatJans, there shouldn't be any red guards, right?

A popping sound echoed within the threader, and all eyes fell on the small square screen beside the steering wheel. The letter Q popped on the screen before Dohlia tapped the button on the left side of the screen. What showed next was a series of letters and numbers, all in an arrangement Karyn couldn't understand.

The threader slowed for a bit as Dohlia's eyes scanned the screen. When she had finished, she tapped the button on the right and the screen went off. The woman increased her speed and, with her eyes fixed on the road, she asked, "Thought yer wanted a low profile?"

Zack was the one who replied. "Yes, that's what I said."

"How does killing a Red Guard look like a low profile?" the woman said in a calm voice. While Salome gasped in response, Karyn met the woman's dark blue eyes through the rear-view mirror. "Hope that was not yer intention?"

It wasn't just the look Dohlia gave her, but also her tone that made Karyn conclude that the woman knew they were the culprits.

"How did you know that?" Jamie asked.

"That's what that message said. The man who sent it knew about me having guests today and was wondering if those guests were running away from something. Red Guards, perhaps."

"Do they have a suspect?" Zack asked.

"Word is two girls did it," Dohlia said and when Salome gasped again, she added, "Two girls is a very broad and vague suspect list. They would need eyewitnesses to the crime and a very clear retail of what happened for yer both to be on their radar."