Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 42

Agadhi was the first to arrive. He glanced at them both—Olen seated behind his desk and Severance leaning against it—and then went to one of the two chairs placed against the wall and sat down. He didn't say a single word.

Somehow, that ramped up the tension by about a thousand times. Severance shifted until he was practically sitting on the desk. He gripped it tight with both hands. The silence felt like it would strangle him.

After Agadhi came Batin. He slipped into the room like a wraith, and it wasn't until he sat on the chair beside Agadhi that Severance noticed him. Batin was an unsettling man. One moment he'd blend into the shadows, and the next he'd be like a naked blade pressed to the throat.

Seated on the desk, Severance didn't move a muscle. He barely even breathed. He stared at the door, watching Agadhi and Batin within his peripheral vision. They didn't seem to be doing anything other than just relaxing in the chairs, but their presence still set him on edge.

Am I really going to do this?

He thought of Olen's warning. If he were smart, he'd log off right now before anything could happen. Then he thought of Rasin, of those warm dark eyes, the unfailing and sometimes brutal honesty of the man, and the way he rose, covered in blood, to fight once more.

Severance stayed silent.

He wondered if he'd throw up again when he logged off. Or maybe he'd end up stumbling like a drunk for a couple of days. That wasn't fun, but it wasn't anything too crazy. He could handle that. Surely it would be worth the major boost that Dhin had promised him. And the next time he ran into the Traders, or into Ervante, he might be able to do something useful.

Bian walked in, with Dhin at her heels. Bian was a striking woman that kept a stern visage, with her dark hair tied back and clothes that appeared rather dusty. A faint sheen of sweat glistened along her arms and face. Wherever Dhin had found her, she must have been working. Or sparring.

To Severance's surprise, Dhin wandered over to the desk and planted himself right beside him. It was a wordless show of support. Severance shared a grateful smile with him, one that Dhin readily returned.

"Thank you for coming," Olen said. He rose from his desk, then walked around to the front of it. This placed him near Dhin.

"Hn," Bian grunted. She gave Olen a cool stare. "This better be important."

"It is," Olen inclined his head. He gestured towards Severance and Dhin. "These two came to me with a proposal, and despite its danger, I have agreed."

"Oh?" Agadhi's voice revealed a hint of interest.

Bian, on the other hand, grew even more stern. "If Dhin's involved, then it's going to be trouble."

"Hey, come on," Dhin protested, but fell silent when Batin moved. The clansman merely lifted a long leg and crossed it over the other, while leaning ever so slightly forward. His gaze was like two burning stars.

"In the light of recent events," Olen continued after no one else elected to speak up, "we know that the Traders are making their move. They have made targets of many Outsiders, their intentions being either to recruit or eliminate potential threats. Severance is one such target, as you are aware. Ervante has already made contact. I think we can safely assume that they are aware of Severance's connection to us. Therefore—" here Olen gave an uncharacteristic sigh— "these two have approached me with the intention of increasing Severance's growth as quickly as possible."

"I see." Agadhi considered this. "Then your intention is for the three of us, who share similar Gifts, to bestow them upon Severance at once."

Startled, Severance couldn't help but give the Clan Head an awed stare. How did Agadhi figure that out so fast? Olen had barely said anything!