Zareth checked out the largest suite available in the city—large enough for all 6 of them to lounge around comfortably while they waited around for the local staff to finish booting up the teleportation array.
The room he had rented felt sterile in its luxury—high ceilings, pale marble floors, plush seating—but it couldn’t quite wash away the faint unease that clung to the group like damp clothes. Even the soft lighting and rich fabrics couldn’t mask how every single person sat just a bit too stiff, backs a bit too straight, eyes flickering more than they should, on guard for a sudden attack.
One would think that they’d immediately be lounging around and resting in the warm embrace of their home country—but, while they were happy to be home, they were just as tense now as they were in the South.
They were safe now. Above ground. Resting. Alive.
But this kind of peace after a storm was often its own kind of uneasy.
So used to frequent battles they still weren’t quite used to the idea of being ‘safe’
Kain lounged near the back of the room, Serena and Malzahir on either side of him, a drink untouched in his hand, his gaze flickering between Malzahir, next to him, and Zareth, on the other side of the room.
The older man stood near the window, speaking into a sleek black phone, his voice low and clipped as he wrapped up some final confirmation. Unfortunately, Kain was only able to pick up a few words.
“…yes. One outsider, accompanying the team…access… I’ll take responsibility.” A pause. “Yes…questioning…understood…He’s not to wander around…of, course.”
Zareth hung up and turned back toward the room. “It’s done,” he announced. “They’ll finish warming up the array in less than an hour. Then we’ll all leave.”
Silence answered him.
Kain narrowed his eyes. “They’re letting Malzahir into the Headquarters?”
“Temporarily…not quite,” Zareth nodded. “They will hold him somewhere else nearby since they want to ask him a few questions.”
Malzahir, who had just finished his meal sent to the room, and froze. His shoulders locked up like stone, lips twitching downward into a scowl. *”So I’m to be detained.”*
*”No,”* Zareth said, switching languages, to hopefully calm Malzahir down. *”You’ll be hosted as a guest. There’s a difference.”*
Kain frowned. *”That sounds like the same thing. We’re not technically allowed to bring outsiders in. Come on, Zareth, he was our ally for weeks, be honest with us about what he is in for…”*
*”I am being honest, Kain,”* Zareth replied, *”Obviously I don’t want anything to happen to him either. I’m telling you that this isn’t the first time, there are ways to grant provisional access to non-members for special investigations by the Dawnbringers. This is within the protocol.”*
Malzahir’s mouth flattened, and Kain also didn’t look comforted, *”And what will this ‘investigation’ entail?”*
Zareth met Kain’s gaze evenly before speaking directly to Malzahir. *”Questions. Answers. A sealed wing of the compound. Not a prison—but not open grounds either. If your story checks out, you leave. That’s all.”*
Neither Kain nor Malzahir looked remotely satisfied.
Zareth, noticing their tension, spread his hands in the universal gesture of peace. *”Look, I understand. You have reasons to be cautious. I would too. But you’ll be fine. Just cooperate, and this will be over before you know it.”*
Kain’s jaw clenched. He didn’t want to say what he was thinking—that he didn’t trust the Order not to find a reason to make things harder. That the idea of losing Malzahir—someone who had proven to be both useful, trustworthy and, to Kain’s own surprise, likable—rubbed him the wrong way.
Suddenly he felt a warmth covering his hand.
His eyes flicked downward in surprise, to identify what it was—Serena’s hand, lightly covering his own. Soft. Steady. Her fingers didn’t squeeze or tremble, just rested there as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
He blinked.
Then looked up, his expression uncertain.
Serena met his gaze, cool and calm. “It’s alright,” she said softly. “I think it’ll be okay.”
“…You think?” he echoed.
“I like Malzahir,” she said simply, as though that settled it. “I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t mean it. He’s not dangerous. Not to us—he doesn’t even have a contract. And I’m sure Zareth already filled him in on everything he did for us, his current status, and that his reason for entering the Empire is to repay you, his saviour.” She finished, emphasizing a logical backstory that Kain and Malzahir hadn’t yet even thought about coming up with.
Kain stared at her. It was always hard to read her—the kind of hard that made him more irritated than he wanted to admit—but her unshakable confidence immediately got rid of most of his anxiety.
She tilted her head a little, her hand still over his. “Besides, this has precedent. The Starchasers I was on a mission with once found someone from overseas hiding out in the Empire’s eastern forests. We brought them back. The Dawnbringers only wanted to check if they were spies. They cleared them and let them go.”
Malzahir listened quietly, saying nothing. His expression was unreadable.
“The Order will be suspicious,” Serena continued. “But if they find nothing suspicious, they’ll let him leave. No scars. No torture…Although you guys may need to be prepared to be followed for a period of time.”
Kain took a long breath and glanced sideways at Malzahir.
*”Did you understand?…You okay with this?”*
Malzahir’s eyes flicked to him. Then to Serena. Then to Zareth.
A long moment passed before he nodded.
*”…Fine,”* he muttered. *”It’s not as though I can refuse anyways…”*
The hour passed in uneasy quiet. No one really spoke, but the tension gradually unravelled. Serena withdrew her hand at some point—Kain hadn’t noticed when—but her words lingered.
When a soft chime rang out from the doorframe, Zareth stood.
“They’re ready,” he said.
They made their way to the building with the teleportation wing. While tense, Malzahir couldn’t help glancing around at everything like a curious child.
The staff on duty gave Zareth a respectful nod, typing something into the console next to one of multiple teleportation arrays.
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