The Gate Keeper ✔

Chapter Three

Silas was finalising the plans with his children, and organising parties to go with those leaving Skodur. King Leopold was talking quietly with his son, most like organising their own plans.

He wasn't even sure what his job was. All he had been told was to investigate the missing Key, but there were no leads. No one had seen who had taken it, so how could he find someone when he didn't know what they looked like?

It would be much easier if he could go to Ammos and investigate there. He could easily gather information by getting a look at the scene of the attack. He might be able to find something that would lead to the thief. But no, the Guild wanted to do it the way, which would mean weeks before anyone could get any information from any of the other cities.

Some days he hated working for the Guild, for a reason he really didn't understand. Yes, he did like helping the people of the realm, it was his duty as a healer. But he missed doing his freelance work, it had been better then.

That was what caught the Guild's attention in the first place, his freelance work. He would go around, fighting off bad guys, arresting thieves, healing the sick and wounded. He had been in a small town off to the east of Dreeva, where he had heard word of a gruesome murder. He had gone in to investigate and was hired by the victims mother. It had turned out that it had been an angry customer of their shop, and was also targeting the mother who had hired him. He'd gotten there too late. The woman had been stabbed, but the attacker had been arrested by the member of the Guild who had also been passing through the small town.

Nyal had rushed to heal the woman, which had gained the attention on the Guild member. It wasn't long after that that Silas found him and convinced him to join them. Nyal had thought he'd get more of a chance to help the people of Veridun.

He hadn't known before then that healing was a rare power. Silas had explained it all to him during that first meeting. They took him in for training and to determine the strength of his magic. Nyal remembered stunning them with this power. They hired him instantly, sending him off to towns around Skodur to help out. That's all he had down for three years.

He hadn't thought that he would be a part of something like this. And he knew it was only because of his strength, not importance. That was probably why he had been told to stay, it would be easier for Silas to keep an eye on him that way. The man didn't trust anyone aside from his family. That's probably why Nyal was never sent out any further than Skodur.

People began to leave the room. King Leopold and his son were the first to go, bidding everyone goodnight politely and they quietly shuffled out, Herbert baring he weight of his father against his shoulder. The boy would soon be king, now that Prince William had passed. They would have to make an address about it soon. Nyal could only imagine the uproar that would bring. How would they explain it without giving away the fact that the Key had been stolen?

Jeremiah left after that, telling Silas that he would leave in the morning, and that he would find a replacement for the weeks he would be gone. Silas's children were the next to go, the youngest muttering about how tired he was. The line rubbed Nyal's fur the wrong way. The kid was barely an adult, maybe ten years younger than Nyal, and yet he was being sent off to foreign lands to try and prevent the end of the realm. That was too much pressure for such a young man.

It was almost like Silas didn't care.

Nyal stood from his seat, bowing his head at Silas politely. He needed to sleep, he'd had a long day. He knew he needed to make a start on the Key and the Gate, but his mind was so tired that he didn't even know where to start.

"Belthorne," Silas said in a strong voice, "I'm not done with you yet. Sit." Nyal had been at the door, his hand grazing the ornate handle. He spun with a sigh, moving to sit back down in his seat.