Unleashed (The Gate Chronicles Book 3)

Chapter 10: Strange Notes

Kane woke with the sun streaming through the window of their dorm. It was rare for the sun to shine so bright on East Base. For a few moments, he basked in it, but the pleasant feeling he had rapidly disappeared when he noticed that Ryder’s bed was unmade and rumpled. She wasn’t there, and she never left her bed unmade when she got up.

Kane got out of bed and walked over to her bed with a frown. A piece of paper was lying on the floor beside her bed. He leaned down and picked it up. Ryder’s elegant, scrawling hand covered the paper.

Kane,

I can’t explain everything to you. There are some things that I’m not permitted to say. But I need to warn you… He is planning something. I don’t know what yet. But a storm is coming. You need to get…

The note cut off in a hurry, and Kane’s foreboding deepened. His friend was in some sort of trouble, but he wasn’t sure what. She’d been acting weird ever since the anomaly, but this didn’t seem to be related, so he wondered if maybe she’d been confronted by something or someone at another time. None of this made any sense, but he needed to let Ansgar in on it.

He hesitated. Ansgar was going to laugh him off, and he hated Ansgar. The other man had always disliked Kane for some unstated reason, and Kane didn’t like him any better since Ansgar never had anything nice to say to him. He was either all business or all insults.

Still, Ansgar was the head at East Base, and if there was something bad coming, Ansgar needed to know. Donnovan should be informed too, more than likely.

With a sigh, Kane shoved the note into the pocket of his bed clothes and headed off to find Ansgar.

***

Ansgar was in his office when Kane burst in. “Sir, there’s something urgent that I need to tell you.”

“What do you want, Vysgoth?” Ansgar looked up from his holograph, annoyance clear in his features.

“Forget for a minute that you hate me, because this has to do with Ryder. I think we both care enough about her to put our differences aside for the moment, don’t you?” Kane spat.

Ansgar’s irritation morphed into worry. “What do you know?”

“Here.” Kane yanked the crumpled note from Ryder out of his pocket and tossed it on Ansgar’s desk.

“What is this? A piece of paper?” Ansgar raised an eyebrow. “Now I know you’re nuts.”

“Will you please just open it? I found it on the floor by Ryder’s bed. She was gone and the bed wasn’t made. Sound a bit strange to you?”

Grudgingly, Ansgar nodded and opened the note. He scanned the contents of the paper quickly. As he did so, his frown became deeper. “What is she going on about?” He sighed. “You know what happened last night, Vysgoth?”

Kane shook his head. “Enlighten me.”

“The reason Ryder wasn’t in her bed was because she was doing this.” He pulled up a video feed on his display and flipped on the holograph that Kane could see.

Kane watched the video in disbelief. “Ryder wouldn’t ever do something like that.”

“Yet she did… I’m sorry, Kane…” Ansgar’s voice softened. “I think she’s finally cracked. She put herself under so much stress, and I’m afraid she’s finally lost it. We’ve got her under observation.”

“C-can I see her?” Kane stared at the paused video. “I-I just need t-to see her… Please.” He struggled to hold back tears. His friend would never do this. He knew she wouldn’t.

Ansgar nodded. “But no one goes inside the room. I won’t risk a repeat of this.”

Kane nodded, his eyes distant and filmed over with tears. “Where is she?”

“The empty storeroom next to the dungeon master’s old quarters.” Ansgar sighed. “Thank you for informing me of the note, Vysgoth. I’ll inform General Donnovan.”

Kane glared at Ansgar. “Just like that. You’re just going to assume that she’s gone insane? No consideration of other possibilities at all.”

Ansgar rolled his eyes. “And what else do you think it could be, Vysgoth? She just murdered ten people in cold blood.”

“That wasn’t her.” Kane spat. “You and I both know it wasn’t. Look at how she ‘killed’ them. She doesn’t have any affinity for fire, Ansgar. She can’t use it because she’s mostly sea nymph and siren. Mixed with nightmare and human. You know that those types can’t use fire. It goes against their water heritage.”

“Well, there are always exceptions. How else do you explain this?”

“There are lots of ways. Possession…”

Ansgar laughed. “Ryder’s too strong. Anyway, possession is a long lost art. That hasn’t happened in centuries. You’re crazy too if you think that’s what this is.” He shook his head. “Go visit her if you want. But no more crazy ideas, Vysgoth.”

Kane bowed his head and nodded in submission. He backed out of the office and walked towards his destination with fists clenched and jaw tight. How could Ansgar dismiss his suggestions just because they were unusual? This whole situation with Ryder was unusual too. She couldn’t use fire. Kane knew that with utter certainty.

But what would a mere techi like him know about this stuff?

***

Kane stepped into the corridor and turned to the right. He stopped in front of the door to the dungeon master’s old quarters. Ryder was sitting on a chair in the center of the room with her head in her hands.

“Ry?” Kane took a hold of the bars on the small window in the door.

Whoever had been dungeon master when this was built, it was little wonder none of the current dungeon masters wanted to stay here. It felt more like a prison cell than a living space.

Ryder looked up at him with tear-stained eyes. Her mascara was running, and her eyes were puffy from crying. She pushed away the chair and ran to the door. Her tears dropped down her cheeks and onto his hands. “You have to believe me. I didn’t do it…”

Kane stared at her. “I… I do. But it was you on that video tape, Ry. What happened?”

“I…I don’t know.” She stammered, her tears coming faster.

“You’re sure? I mean, you’ve never controlled fire before. How could you do it now?” Kane took her hand.

She yanked it away and backed up. “D-don’t touch me. I-I killed a…all th-those people, Kane. Y-you can’t be near m-me…” She wept as she turned away from him. “I-I don’t w-want to hurt y-you too…” Ryder took deep breaths, and Kane watched as she tried to calm herself.

“You don’t have to run away, Ryder. I’m your friend, and even if no one else can believe that you didn’t do this, I do… I know you. And you wouldn’t do this.” Kane reached out through the bars.

“Hey… Kid, that’s enough.” One of the guards who had been standing in the shadows stepped forward and pulled him back. “You can’t do that. General’s orders. She’s dangerous and unstable.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “Sorry, kid…”

Kane nodded and bit his lip. “Yeah, sorry… I’ll get going, I guess.” He glanced back at Ryder.

She had turned to face the doorway, and she closed her eyes as she saw him leaving. A tear sparkled on her cheek in the dim light from the corridor. Sometimes, silence was the loudest cry for help.