The Silver Tree (Spirit Animals Fanfiction)

Chapter 6

"The name's Kyle," Rollan mocked while attempting to fit his legs into the tight pants the castle's servants had provided for him. "Oh, Mistress Meilin, would you like me to shine your shoes a little harder? Maybe while I'm at it I could carry you to the castle?" Rollan grunted as he finally managed to push his feet through the bottom of the pants.

That little suck up had Meilin wrapped around his finger. Rollan saw how Kyle had bowed to Meilin when they first met, yet pointedly ignored him. He saw how Kyle had talked to Meilin all the way to the castle, probably assuring her that their fight had been all Rollan's fault. And he saw how Kyle glanced at him when they first met. Not with a friendly smile, but with a daring smirk like they were about to play a dangerous game.

Since establishing his bond with Essix, Rollan had been able to read people. He knew when people were trouble, lying, or hiding something. And Kyle was all three.

When Rollan had seen Meilin falling for Kyle's little trick he knew he had to step in. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned and he ended up in a fight with her. Somehow he'd started pouring out insults and comebacks that had come out of nowhere. He'd like to say that at the time he'd been thinking about Kyle, but he knew that wasn't true. Everything he'd said had been directed at Meilin and he didn't know where it had come from.

He'd planned on apologizing a little bit later once she'd calmed down, but by then she'd started talking to Kyle. They'd walked and laughed and flirted all the way to the castle and Rollan never got the chance to apologize or tell her his suspicions. By the time they got to their destination, it was too late. He knew that if he told Meilin now she would just defend Kyle and dismiss his accusations.

So now the only thing he could do was wait. Tolerate Kyle, lie to Meilin, and wait for an opportunity.

Rollan lifted his head and looked around the small room he had been given to stay the night in. After receiving the useless information about the disappearance of Princess whatsherface the Greencloaks had each been given their own separate rooms. That was fine by Rollan. If he had to spend the night with Kyle he probably would've gone mad.

Although... it might have been a good chance to interrogate him without Meilin getting in the way.

That was it! He was going to wait until he got a chance to speak with Kyle in private. That way he could question him without getting in a fight with Meilin. That would be his opportunity.

There was a knock at the door. "One second," Rollan called, tugging on his shirt while making his way to the door.

He was hoping it would be Meilin so he could at least apologize, but when he pulled open the door he found himself face to face with one of the female Greencloaks in their group, Malia. Well, it wasn't exactly face to face seeing as she was probably about a foot taller than him, but that's not the point.

Even though it wasn't Meilin, Rollan was still pleased that it was Malia at his door. While they'd been trekking to the castle and Rollan had been waiting for an opportunity to speak to Meilin, he'd fallen to the back of the group. About halfway through Malia had slowed her pace and fell in with him. Even though Rollan had seen her in the Greenhaven halls many times, he'd never actually spoken to her.

For a woman that was probably twice Rollan's age, Malia had been really easy to talk to. She had come across as a very laid back person, someone who didn't really let anything get them down. While they had been chatting, he found out that she was Oceanian and her spirit animal was a chicken named Piko. Rollan remembered laughing when she'd first said that and stopping immediately when she'd given him a wink. Something had told him that maybe, in the hands of Malia, a chicken was not to be messed with.