* * *
Aeria left the council chambers feeling a sense of resentment. She couldn’t believe that after the warning they received about the humans, that Velion hadn’t even mentioned it to the council. What was worse was that he specifically instructed her to keep it to herself. How could he be so sure about the human girls? It was odd enough that they were able to use the royal technology, but now their enemy was keeping tabs on them? Something didn’t feel right. And what was this business with Hadius returning? He hadn’t been seen in a long time and now, without warning, he decides to show up and lend a helping hand?
She shook her head as she made her way to her chambers. Her room in the palace lacked the luxury that her home on Olympa had, but it was comfortable enough. She didn’t particularly enjoy spending so much of her time on Tython, but with the new developments in the rebellion there wasn’t enough time to spare for travel. She didn’t like being away for so long, in fact she had noticed that the longer she was away from Olympa, the more the problems her governors usually caused. She could only imagine the issues she would need to unravel once she returned.
Sitting down on one of the couches, she let out a long sigh. They aren’t who you think they are, she repeated in her mind for the thousandth time. What a strange message to pass along. It wasn’t unreasonable for her father to dismiss it as a poor attempt at causing distraction, but what kind of fool would tell such a blatant lie? Surely this mysterious puppeteer would have realized that such an obvious ploy would be figured out almost immediately.
She knew there had to be more to it, but If it wasn’t a ploy, then how did the humans fit in with the massacre on Gaius 5? Or with the militants for that matter? If they had been confined to the palace since their arrival as everyone assumed, then there was no chance they could set something like this up. Besides, no one outside of the council knew anything about them or where they were staying. Of course the media had guessed at their identities and location, but unless someone on the council leaked their whereabouts there was no way for the militants to contact them.
That didn’t make things better either. If there was a leak on the council then one of them was a traitor, but to what end? All twelve of them were treated in the highest regard, and were given a fair amount of autonomy in their districts, so why betray the council? It was a death sentence for sure, so what benefit could there be?
She closed her eyes and tried to push the thoughts away, feeling a headache coming on. Maybe she was making too much of the warning, just as her father suggested. He was usually right about things like this, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
A chime at the door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in,” she called out, keeping her eyes closed, but no one entered. “I said come in!” she called out, a bit louder. Again no one entered the room. Opening her eyes, she looked over at the door and yelled, “Come in!” but nothing happened. Letting out a sigh of exasperation she got to her feet and walked over to the door.
As usual the door slid open, but no one was on the other side. Stepping out into the expansive hallway she looked around for any signs of a visitor, but like normal, the passage was empty. Frowning, she called out, “If this is some kind of joke, I am not amused!” Her words echoed down the hallway but nothing stirred. Deciding that the door must have malfunctioned she went back into her room, collapsing on the couch once again and closing her eyes.
No sooner had she gotten comfortable before the chime rang out again. Sitting up, she yelled “Come in!!” but no one did. Getting to her feet in irritation she marched over to the door. Again no one was there to greet her, nor was there any sign of a person in the corridor. Letting out a loud sigh, she turned to go call for maintenance, but was stopped when she noticed something at her feet. A small piece of folded paper was lying on the floor just outside the door. Looking around again, Aeria bent down to pick up the folded paper.
Unfolding it in her hand she found a note inside that read:
“They are meeting with their co-conspirators tonight. If you want to find out who they really are,
follow them.
-A friend”
Aeria reread the note several times before the words sunk in. So I was right! she thought to herself. The humans were more than they seemed after all!
She started walking back towards the council chamber, deciding the best course of action was to tell her father. He would want to know immediately. But as she made her way down the corridor, she slowed to a stop. Would he even believe the note? The way he seemed to adore the human girls had blinded his judgment once before, why would this be any different? No, she needed more than a vague note as evidence. If they were leaving that night, then she would follow them and find the truth of the matter. After all, she was Lord Aeria now that she had been given Hadius’s seat, which meant she didn’t have to answer to anyone.
A smiled passed over her face. She liked the sound of that; Lord Aeria, ruler of the lower kingdoms, accountable to none but feared by all. She would prove her worth once and for all by exposing the humans and their treachery.