Re:Creation Book 1: Allegiance

Twenty: Three

Lev wandered the castle grounds alone, lost in thought. The past few days had been very hard to manage, but this was the most confusing by far. For one, trying to read Vistara or Navari was near impossible and just thinking about either of them reminded Lev of Vivienne's word of warning.

"You don't know my family," she'd said. Just what sort of secrets did the Ralhana name hide? Though, Lev himself had little room to judge about secrets. After all, he still hadn't divulged to the others the truth of the Prison District or his meeting with Vivienne even though he deeply wanted to. He didn't want to put anyone on edge around the Ralhanas, and he wanted to wait to have the discussion alone with everyone, including Khel.

There was also the matter of Reif's sudden bout of illness that still went unexplained. Reif had claimed that he felt fine but Lev couldn't help but harbor doubt after witnessing his friend's pitiful state. And as for those strange markings that appeared on Reif's body--in all the years they'd known each other, Lev had never seen something like that happen to Reif. It was only natural that he'd be worried.

Lastly, Lev still felt somewhat shaken by the memory of the night of the siege. Such a reminder couldn't have picked a worse time to rear its ugly head. With everything that had happened to Lev within the past week, he wouldn't have been surprised if he'd actually caught a glimpse into Sylth--the land of the damned ruled over by the god of death and darkness, Sylthius.

Lev yawned--a simple reminder of how tired he was. For a moment, he considered turning in, as the only reason he was still out was that he was still hoping that Reif would show up.

Further along the stone path, Lev came across a small bench almost hidden by the surrounding shrubbery. With a heavy sigh, he slumped onto the seat, resting his head in his hands. He noticed the area around him grow slightly darker and looked up to see heavy clouds beginning to block the soft glow of the moon. Many of the trees and other plants surrounding the pathway faded into the darkness, bathing Lev in shadows. A slight breeze sent a small shiver through his body. The cold season was quickly approaching, which would make traveling even more difficult; yet another reason to focus on his throne first and foremost.

"Lev?" A familiar, yet hushed voice sounded from further down the stone pathway.

Even in the dim lighting, Lev could make out Reif's lean silhouette approaching him. Just the sight of his friend was all it took to somewhat calm his nerves. Trying not to look too eager, Lev rose to his feet, stepping back onto the path.

"I'm here."

"Oh good," Reif sighed. "I couldn't tell if that was you sitting in the dark or not. It's already hard enough to see in this area, and there you are hiding off to the side."

"Well, for one of us with the ability to summon flame, I wouldn't think slight would be much of an issue." Lev only meant his comment in jest, but Reif's pause and sunken shoulders told him it wasn't taken as such.

"Yes." Reif gave a poorly feigned chuckle. "You're right."

It wasn't hard for Lev to tell that something was off. Even though Reif was standing right there, his mind was clearly still wandering. "Is everything all right?" Lev asked. "You seem distant."

"Hm?" Reif's reaction to Lev's question felt delayed, which only concerned Lev even more. "Oh, I'm only worried about Telk. His fever had returned, so I reduced it a bit more and waited for him to fall asleep before coming here, but what if he needs to be checked on again?"

Something about what Reif said didn't seem quite right. The answer he gave didn't explain his rapid shift in mood following Lev's previous comment and his words lacked the same certainty that they usually had. Once again, Lev got the sense Reif wasn't telling him everything; however, he did his best to ignore the unwelcome feeling in the pit of his stomach.