Nefarious

C157 - Failure

"Has Xylan ever come to you directly and asked you strange questions before?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Unfortunately, it happens so frequently that I've lost count. Being close to a man like Jace has its downsides, Xylan being one of them. He'll come to you with intentions of discovering some of Alex's secrets just as he comes to me for Jace's. The way he formulates his questions to people makes them think he's talking to them innocently. However, I know too much to fall for that trick of his. If you see him, turn away, avoid him as much as possible. In fact, I don't think you should go back to Alex on your own." "I don't trust Xylan, you've got nothing to worry about on that part. As for me, Alex's room isn't too far from here, I'll manage," I answered assuringly. Xavier shook his head, his brown eyes moving back and forth from me to some book on the commode. "You're thinking of the invasion, aren't you?" I exhaled. "No," he lied.

Leo interrupted the conversation, walking in as the perfect distraction for Xavier as if it was planned. His tail swirled up Xavier's leg, and his huge, dark eyes looked directly up at him. A small sigh escaped Xavier before he walked over to the door cautiously, barely making any noises when taking steps. He looked back at me briefly, tilting his head to the right, indicating that I should move further back. Gently, he placed his hand on top of the door handle, taking a deep breath before he opened the door hurriedly. The sight that met us surprised me, to say the least. Without hesitation, Xavier yanked the girl who stood right outside into his room.Blonde hair, glasses, freckles, an outfit consisting of different shades of mauve pink and grey, and some lipstick. This girl was holding up some image, or so it seemed. I was proven right once Xavier moved his thumb over her cheek, causing her fake freckles to disappear one by one. "Perhaps you should've gone with a pair of real glasses and dropped the freckles?" Xavier scoffed. "Wanted to try something new," she said, her lying voice sounding artificially confident. Xavier had taken a step back, but once she claimed that she was only attempting at renewing her style, he pulled her blonde wig right off. "You cannot fool me, Dakota," he snapped. She bit her lip, shaking her head at him before she brushed her fingers through her midnight blue hair. "How did you know I was here?" she asked. Xavier pointed to Leo in an instant, to which she cast a quick glance at the cat. "Ah, right, he recognises the scent," she scoffed to herself.

I wanted to say something to remind them that I was present as well, but I chose to keep shut. "You should never have come here! Why the hell are you here?" Xavier blurted out in frustration. "I was forced to spy on you, okay? It wasn't of free will!" she answered defensively. "You could've lied to him, Dakota! Told him you couldn't enter or that all information was kept from the public anyway." "I'm one of many, Xavier. Hayden knows very well that his spies get in one way or another. He's well aware of who's capable of getting in and who's not, it's out of our control. Hayden's not the leader people think he is, you know that. If he gives a command, you have to follow it." "And the reason you didn't come to me sooner is?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. She sighed loudly, turning her back to him as she brought her hand up to her face. "I tried finding a solution on my own. I can't go back now," she said, sounding considerably calmer. Her hand reached out, revealing a tiny recording device. "Built by one of his assistants who's a specialist in electronics. It records everything, and only she can stop it," Dakota said. "Is it live?" Xavier asked worriedly. "No, it's not. She is indeed a specialist, but she's also a supporter of Dane, not Hayden. Therefore, she sometimes 'hides' her skills and presents what's just about good enough for Hayden. He's not stupid though, so he expects the recordings to be there when I return," she answered. "Break it?" I suggested quietly. "It's too solid," Dakota argued. "Besides, if we break it and she returns, Hayden will automatically suspect her of disloyalty. The device was well hidden, and she's a good spy, she doesn't make mistakes like that," Xavier added. "Then how come you just got caught by Xavier?" I questioned. "Good point, V. Well, I got carried away by your conversation and allowed my judging ability to be poor for once. I've never made such a mistake before." V? She'd seen me before? I'd never even heard her name...

Xavier had asked whether Hayden had mentioned anything specific when sending Dakota here, and according to Dakota, he'd asked for information regarding Jace. "What's with everyone's sudden interest for Jace?" I questioned confusedly. "Huh? Isn't it obvious? Jace is Alex's greatest shot at succeeding in becoming your leader," Dakota answered. "Well, Jace helps a lot, yes, but he's not a magician," I argued. "You'd be surprised," Xavier snickered.

Dakota began informing Xavier of the current situation over at their castle, repeatedly going over how much of an impact Hayden had made on their people. "Hayden's being glorified now, Xavier. They want Hayden to become our leader, and he keeps feeding into that wish, making decisions which he knows will please people. Don't get me wrong, Dane has worked well with you guys, yes. However, he's forgotten that he also has to make an effort in making his own people like him. Hayden's like an open book to them, allowing everyone to take a peek at his supposedly perfect life as the upcoming leader. Dane, on the other hand, is nothing but Hayden's mysterious brother who has numerous rumours attached to his name, most rumours regarding his connections with this castle." "Dane will have plenty of time to captivate them now that Kai's coming here. Both Alex's and Jace's schedules will be packed from now, which means they won't have much time for Dane," Xavier said. "Okay, who's Kai?" I questioned, failing to keep my curiousness at bay.

Both Dakota and Xavier dodged my question, continuing their conversation as though neither had heard me. "How old is she?" Xavier asked. His question didn't have enough context for me to understand whom he was talking about, but apparently, Dakota knew. "She's fifteen." I was way past lost by now, not knowing who Kai was nor who the young girl, yet they didn't seem to mind at all. "That's... unfortunate," Xavier answered briefly.

Since Xavier and Dakota kept ignoring me, I finally got enough and headed for the door, which both took notice off, surprisingly enough. "Ah, wait, Xylan's likely close," Xavier blurted out, reaching for my arm rapidly. I swallowed oddly, nodding twice before moving away from the door.

"I should probably clarify what's going on to you," Xavier said calmly. I agreed by a simple nod, waiting patiently for him to enlighten me about their recent conversation. "The girl we were talking about was Hayden's and Dane's sister, Willow. I was curious as to why she wasn't partaking in the drama regarding the leader position. As she's only fifteen though, it became obvious. She's too young. Besides, most people there believe Hayden's born to be their leader. Hayden's siblings and cousins all gave up the idea of becoming a leader at a young age. The Evanstons are not as big of a family as the Caizars and Dizarys. Additionally, it's a lot of work reaching such a powerful position, and as I've heard, none of them seemed to be remotely interested," he informed. "They all gave up just like that? What about Dane? Why isn't he as talked about as Hayden?" I frowned. "Because Dane hasn't expressed his wish of becoming a leader as passionately as Hayden. If he wants to better his chances, he has to speak up and do something. If Xylan succeeds here instead of Alex though, Dane won't make it either," Dakota answered. My gaze wandered to Dakota swiftly as I hadn't expected her to suddenly join in on the whole explanation. "No one would risk letting Dane rule if we're going against Xylan Caizar. We all witnessed what Hayden did without reluctance. The successful invasion that both injured and weakened Alex severely, it gave hope to our people," she further said. "But Alex and Hayden aren't leaders yet. How come Hayden gave demands for the invasion to happen?" I questioned confusedly. "A type of test period, I guess you could call it. That goes for both Alex and Hayden. They're being tested as leaders so that people will get an idea of what it will be like when they rule," Xavier said. "Jeez, that must mean that the invasion is considered a failure for Alex," I sighed distressfully. "Yes, and that is where Kai comes in, Valerie."