Kiros

Chapter 23: So You Think You Can Hack?

I suddenly regretted asking. That would have happened to me? Would they have murdered me like that? Shoving me into a burning bonfire?

How cruel could these people get? Killing innocents just because of something potentially dangerous! It was ludicrous. Complete and utter idiocy and ignorance.

Leni leaned back. "So, that's my reason for making sure you stay safe. I know that you haven't done anything wrong... Well, as far as I know, anyway... And I won't let another innocent girl die."

I smiled softly at him. "Thanks, Leni. That... It means a lot to me."

He bowed mockingly. "Of course. Anything for the lovely young lady."

I lightly slapped his shoulder. "Oh, shut up."

His smile faded, and his serious expression returned. "But, really, I would risk my life to save you. If you really are the true heir to the throne of Zyphin, then we have to make sure you regain your place as the rightful ruler."

"What do you mean?" I frowned. 

He stood up and gestured for me to follow him back to the cockpit. "Well, the current ruler is a tyrant. A really bad one. That's really all I know, but yeah. He's really bad. Come on. I think we can find a picture of him or something."

I tried to remember the name of the man who tried to kill my parents. The one I had seen in my vision. Kaden? No. Korbin? No... I sighed. It had totally escaped me. 

Leni sat down in my chair and grabbed my tablet. "What's the passcode?"

I snorted and took the tablet out of his hands. "Like I'd tell you," I said teasingly. I unlocked the tablet and handed it back to him. "What are you doing again?"

"I'm looking up some information on the guy to show you. I don't actually know that much, now that I think about it," he replied. 

I nodded and stood in silence as his fingers tapped on the glass. A few minutes later, I sighed with impatience. "What's taking so long?"

"Do you think it's easy hacking into royal security?" said Leni, annoyed. 

My eyes widened. "What do you mean hacking into the security?"

"They don't just release that kind of information to the public. Everyone would know that he had somehow gotten rid of the rightful rulers of the planet. If he keeps all pictures and images of himself secret, then no one can know."

I spent a few moments processing the information. "So, you're a hacker too?"

"Too?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "You mean, along with being a shapely and insanely handsome young man?"

I rolled my eyes. "I meant that you're a hacker as well as a secret spy or whatever."

"Secret spy?"

"You almost got us out of Cheribuen without being spotted..."

"Almost. That doesn't count."

I huffed. "Whatever. How much longer?"

"Not much longer. I just need to get past their firewall. Then I think I can access the camera feeds and we can see whatever the cameras see. Maybe we can get more information about... Uh... Whatever we need to get information about." He glanced up at me. "What do we need information on?"

"Preferably my parents... I... I want to know if its really true, or if Kodi is just screwing with me."

Leni nodded and continued to type.

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Finally, after another ten minutes of waiting and pestering Leni, an image popped up on screen of the long hallway I had seen in my vision.