The Black Necromancer-Book 4

Chapter 26

                Reading the exasperated expressions on their faces: the crinkled brows on Troy’s face and the anxiety shining in Dahlia’s eyes, reminded her of something that she had to tell them.

                “You need to learn how to make a poker face,” she told Troy. “Every time you feel something, you show it on your face. You need to look emotionless, to do nothing, so that people can’t tell if you’re lying.”

                Troy raised a sceptical eyebrow. “I don’t-”

                “You’re doing it now,” Kayla scolded. “That raising eyebrow thing. That proves that you doubt me.” She almost smiled at the frustrated expression on Troy’s face. “You have to work at it. It’ll come… eventually.”

                Romulus smirked at their discomfort but it was his turn to cringe when Kayla turned to frown at him.

                “You too,” she scolded. “It’s more important for Troy and Dahlia, but everyone should learn how to control their expressions.”

                “What is today?” Troy grumbled. “The learn-how-to-become-a-doctor-in-one-day and control-your-expression day?”

                Kayla rolled her eyes. “Just do it. It’ll save your life someday.”

                “Are you a diviner now?” Dahlia tried to joke, but the exhaustion in her voice was evident. Arulan caught it too. He grimaced, glancing at the old grandfather clock in the corner of his room. It was past six o’clock in the morning now and Kayla, Troy and Dahlia hadn’t slept all night.

                “Get some rest,” Arulan told them, standing up. “We can go through the rest of this when you’ve all had some rest. The girls can take my chamber; Troy, Romulus, the couches are available to both of you.”

                Dahlia stifled a yawn behind her hand. The shadows under her eyes were more prominent than the time that she and Troy had been sleeping half their nights for almost six months.

                “What about the Day of Funerals?” Kayla asked. “We can’t sleep through that.”

                “You’re right,” Arulan told her. “But it’s starting at ten so you can get maybe four hours of sleep if you hurry.”

                Kayla ran her fingers over the artefacts on the table. They had stayed up for nearly an hour, talking, but they still hadn’t figured anything out about who the spy was. On the bright side, they had managed to clear some things up for Troy and Dahlia. At least that was something.

                “What about the artefacts?” Kayla asked, feeling a little protective over them. “Can I… keep them?” she felt rather exposed, asking such a thing and she knew that her voice was rather vulnerable.

                Arulan cast an experienced eye over the artefacts on the table. He sighed, examining the magical items that Kayla owned. He grimaced, rubbing his fingers over his head and through his beard. She prayed inwardly, hoping against hope that he would let her keep them.

                “Alright,” he said, sighing. “I’ll let you keep them… for a while, anyway. If we need them for the war against Varmer, I’ll ask you and I expect you to oblige.”

                Kayla gritted her teeth. She knew that she was being suspected of being the spy, but the trust that Arulan put in her that she wouldn’t use the artefacts against them was strangely touching. Her hands were shaking as she reached for the magical items and swept them into the velvet bag. She paused when her hands reached the pendants, her fingers trailing over the jewellery.