Chapter 38 Loyalty and Trust
Castien stood at the head of the room, his gaze rolling over the members of the Obsidian Order like a storm cloud.
The tension in the room was a cryptura breathing down his neck.
He knew what everyone was thinking: Who will be next?
For the only similarity between Heron and Kelda was that they were members of the Order.
Paranoia was liable to get the best of them all if Castien didn’t put a stop to it.
Finn entered at the back of the room, Percilean by his side. Castien breathed a little easier at the sight of his charge. Perci was known to lock himself in a lab or his chambers for days at a time. He’d forego classes, which Castien would scold him for more if not for his brilliance.
“Let’s begin,” Castien projected his voice across the room.
Those present halted their whispering conversations and faced forward.
The room they were meeting in was akin to an oversized parlor.
Members congregated around dark wood card tables, crowded onto tufted couches, and sprawled across plush rugs.
It was rare that the room went unused for a day.
Those in the Order often disappeared underground into the dimly lit room to socialize and make deals.
Discussions in this place weren’t small talk.
They were battles of wit and agreements that would shape the future of the Seven Havens.
“I am aware that many of you have concerns about the recent events at the academy,” Castien said to start.
“Let me first set your mind at ease by informing you we are not waiting on the headmaster’s investigation party to discover the villain who has killed two of our own.
I myself am conducting an investigation.
” Castien let his gaze settle on a few particularly concerned faces.
“I will not rest until this matter is put to bed. Whoever committed these heinous crimes will be exposed, then turned out into the Whispering Woods to face the demise they brought on their victims.”
Castien paused to let his words sink in.
He did not want to believe it possible, but the murderer could be in this very room with them.
Castien wanted to make it clear what he would do when he found them, and if it angered them enough to come after Castien himself, so be it. He would enjoy taking them down.
“Do you have any leads?” Malik asked. He sat in a chair that his large stature dwarfed. His expression was somber as always.
“There are some threads to be pulled,” Castien answered vaguely. “But I’m afraid that the details of my work must remain confidential to protect my efforts from being compromised.”
“Does that mean you think it could be one of us?” Alysia asked from her seat on a nearby couch.
“I am not ruling anyone out, and you shouldn’t either.” Castien stared down the room. “All of you took an oath of loyalty and secrecy when you became a member of the Obsidian Order. However, none of us should be so naive as to think oaths are never broken.”
Castien paused again, his words getting caught in his throat. Do yours grow heavier by the day? Wren’s musings about the nature of secrets stole his concentration. He worked to regain it.
“Question everything,” Castien continued after a moment. “But do not disrupt the sanctity of the Order with your paranoia.”
Murmurs broke out amongst the various groups sitting together. Finn watched Castien from where he leaned against the wall at the back of the room.
“How are we to conduct ourselves when we don’t know who we can trust?” Soren, a third-year student sitting beside Calypsia, asked.
Calypsia looked amused at his question, her hand on his knee.
“As you always have,” Castien gave his answer with the authority of his title.
“These circumstances change little about what goes on here. If any of you truly trust each other, you have made a grave mistake, and likely don’t belong here.
Be smart about your connections and agreements.
I am confident that most of you are capable of discernment. ”
Calypsia patted Soren’s knee in a consoling manner. He relaxed beneath her touch, and Castien wondered if the woman was part cryptura after all. She reminded him of one particular creature, a harpen, that pretended to be a wounded woman in the forest to lure men to their demise.
Castien waited for any other questions to be asked, then made his closing statement.
“To conclude this meeting of the Order, I want to remind you that secrecy is of the utmost importance. You may be pulled into interrogations over the coming days and weeks. Let nothing about this place slip from your mouth.”
He did not finish his command with a threat, but instead let each member form their own idea of the consequences.
“You are dismissed.”
Several members began leaving the room. They would stagger their departures and vary their locations as they always did in order to keep from alerting anyone of their whereabouts. Others stayed behind to engage in hushed discussions.
Finn sauntered up to Castien.
“Excellent speech, dear cousin. One could taste the wrath you exude,” Finn said wryly.
“They need to know where the Order stands on this matter,” Castien replied. “I need to speak with you about something in private. Do you have a moment?”
Finn’s brows raised. “It is unlike you to ask. Something must have shaken you.”
Castien’s mind flashed back to Wren pressed against the wall. Then her words written in the dead of night. How she had pierced his heart with her quill and how he had not yet been able to return her letter for fear of bleeding all over the page.
Instead of responding to his cousin, Castien walked through the parlor.
He nodded at a few people as he passed, then slipped out the door into the familiar passageway that he would take to his study.
Finn and Castien walked in silence. Their shadows flickered as they passed beneath sconces that lit their way.
Once inside the High Inquisitor’s study, Castien rounded his desk, but did not sit down. He did not share his every thought with Finn, but it was unlike him to conceal this much. Even now, he was only going to give him part of the truth.
“Wren knows about the door through the Wall,” Castien announced without preamble.
Finn sat down slowly. “She told you about it?”
“No, I caught her last night. Though she wouldn’t answer any of my questions, I believe she’s conducting her own investigation, with the help of her brother’s journal.” Castien’s gaze fell to his notes. “That’s the only explanation as to why she knew about the Wall.”
“Perhaps there’s not much to help her in Heron’s journal. One would think that if Heron documented all of the Order’s secrets, she would already have figured us out.”
“Maybe she has,” Castien noted. “She could simply be waiting to use what she knows.”
“Why not just tell the headmaster? Expose us and take the whole organization down?” Finn questioned.
“She’s intelligent. If she thinks we played a role in her brother’s death, then she’s not going to do anything without evidence.”
Finn leaned back in the chair, resting his hands over his abdomen.
“Intelligent? That’s high praise coming from you.”
Castien shook his head. “Don’t start in on this. We don’t have time for your nonsense.”
“Do you think that’s why she went to the Wall? To find evidence?” Finn asked instead of continuing on the path he was headed down.
Heaving a sigh, Castien sat down. He was exhausted.
After his encounter with Wren, he didn’t sleep well.
And then her letter arrived this morning.
It rattled him. All morning his Gift felt more erratic than usual.
He couldn’t settle down. This investigation and everything to do with Wren Kalyxi was draining him.
“I don’t know. She said she wasn’t going to leave the grounds. It’s as if she simply wanted to see if she could find it.”
“Perhaps that was it,” Finn said with a shrug. “Her brother might have written about this secret exit, and she wanted to see if he was right.”
But why? What would doing so accomplish for her? How much does she know? Castien pinched the bridge of his nose. His head throbbed.
“Regardless, we need to keep an eye on her,” Castien said wearily. “She cannot get any closer than she is now.”
“Have you considered simply telling her everything?” Finn suggested. “Tell her that her brother was in the Order and we are hunting his killer down too.”
Castien looked across the desk at Finn. His expression was genuine.
“She doesn’t trust anyone,” Castien told him, recalling Wren’s admission in her letter. “She is unlikely to believe me. I can’t tell her about the Order and risk her exposing all of us.”
Finn nodded. “Understood. Then we will remain close enough to watch her and far enough that she doesn’t learn anything more.” His gaze gleamed in the lamplight. “I’m certain that won’t be too hard for you.”
“Finn,” Castien warned.
His cousin held up his palms. “Don’t be angry with me. It is your own doing. I have heard that your butler stops by Wren’s chambers quite often these days. All I will say is you should be careful of appearances, cousin; they can have dangerous consequences.”
Castien clenched his jaw. Finn was right, and Castien hated it. He had become too forward with Wren. The thought of pulling back felt like cutting off a limb. Even his Gift seemed to rebel at the thought, writing reasons to continue their letters in the air. Castien blinked them away.
“I will be careful. Thank you for the warning,” Castien said tightly.
Finn pushed up out of the chair. “I will continue to gather what information I can. Let me know any other ways I can be of service.”
Castien dipped his chin in acknowledgement, turning his attention to his desk, though he wasn’t really reading the papers in front of him.
He was thinking of Wren, wondering how she might be feeling after the night before.
Castien hadn’t shown up to breakfast, so he had no way of knowing for himself.
“I’ll see you in dueling class, correct?” Finn asked as he stood with the door open.
“Yes, you will.”
“I may ask Bernadair to procure a suit of armor for me. The longer this investigation continues, the more violent you become.”
“Given your propensity to toy with my last nerve, I think it would be wise of you,” Castien said in a dry tone.
Finn chuckled as he shut the door behind him.
Alone once more, Castien scrubbed his face with his hands.
He would see Wren again soon, in dueling class.
Would she pretend she hadn’t written her soul upon another page for him?
He hoped she would. Finn said he heard that Heathford was visiting Wren’s chambers.
That meant word was spreading. Wren’s very presence elicited attention, and Castien’s position was no different.
The two of them did not need more eyes watching them.
Since the idea of parting with their letter exchanges physically pained him, Castien would craft a new way of contacting her. A method that no one but them would know about. Another secret, but this time one they would share.