The Last Pureblood Erde

29. Threat of exposure (✔)

"What happened?" Derrian asked in a raspy voice.

"Had you been running?" said Alfred, eyeing him from head to toe.

Derrian breathed loudly. "Does that matter right now?"

"So, you did run. Or fly, from the look of it," Alfred nodded, solemnly. 

"What happened?" Derrian repeated his question, going down the stairs, Alfred at his trail.

"For someone who's panting, elevator was a much better option."

Derrian stopped and turned around, facing Alfred. "For someone, who doesn't want to answer the damn question, you could have simply said a damn no in the first place."

Alfred shrugged, offhandedly. He had it in him - ignoring the question asked, going on and on about something completely off the topic. Derrian scowled and kept going. He opened his mouth to ask how many people were called but stopped for the better of it.

As the door to the conference room opened, his eyes met those of Wenson. Then, Moito and Rodrigo's figures made an appearance. He took his designated seat and looked around the table.

"That's it? Where's the rest of the council?"

"For a matter like this one, Derrian, the entire council need not be called. Besides, it would be better if it stayed between a handful of people," Wenson replied.

"But, what is the matter, sir?" Moito asked.

"The matter is." Wenson's gaze fell upon the neatly organized file in his land. "This, gentlemen." He looked back at the group. "Men being reported missing."

"Is that a thing to be discussed at this hour?" Rodrigo said.

Came to replies simultaneously; one from Moito, "There is no wrong hour to discuss about your people."

The other came from Wenson, "A matter as deep as this is a thing that needs to be discussed at this hour."

Derrian repeated the question for the third time, "What happened?" The words danced around, begging to be answered, tired of being put to use again and again.

"A man reported two of his colleagues missing when they left together. What the man claims to be the scenario is that they all were out among the humans," Wenson stopped reading and looked at the men. "They work in External Affairs department," and the reading continued. "He was called in early and they, as usual, boarded the bus. They lost touch, however, somewhere around midnight. Nobody has heard anything from them ever since."

Nobody uttered a word, swallowing in the words, carefully chewing their meaning and sense.

"There's more," Derrian said, fondling with a pen.

Moito arched an eyebrow at Wenson who answered with a nod.

"The man wants a fast action - anything, an inquiry being set up, perhaps. He has threatened to expose the council to the public," Alfred spoke.

"Expose the council? We aren't something they don't know about." Derrian gave an incredulous look.

"The man believes there is a connection, insists that there has to be - between this sudden disappearance and the killing of two men in the forest."

"That was a long time back," Rodrigo said.

"Death's leftovers don't get wiped over overnight," Derrian muttered.

"What about the rest?" Moito asked. "The rest of the group that was injured - didn't they have anything to say?"

The question was directed at Alfred who cleared his throat, clasped his hands and stared at them as if they were the most precious artifact in entire Arathos.