Continued from S3-4-2: The Boon of Teshwan. “Please, my lord! I can’t be seen here, but I must speak with you!” Nykira stood outside the door of his room, her face hidden in the shadows of her dark cloak’s hood, as she nervously looked back and forth down the dark hallway, fearing that someone would discover her. Syn partially opened the door to see who was there, but she quickly slipped her slender form past him, barely giving him time to recognize her. He had noticed her in the common room; it would have been hard not to. She was a rare beauty, even among the notably handsome Ilmiorans. “I am Nykira Ardonni,” she began, as she slipped off her dark, hooded cloak and revealed her gorgeous features to the dim light, after he had secured the door, “and I’ve come on behalf of the Siletah of Oberlorn.” “I do not recognize that title,” Syn replied with a sly smile, as his admiring gaze drank in her stunning beauty. “But I offer my thanks to whom ever sent you.” Nykira smiled at his complement. Most men looked at her as a prize to be had, but she seldom returned their interest. However, she could not deny the alien allure about him that set her heart racing… Especially knowing what she had been sent here to do. “He’s the anointed provider of sweetmeats,” she explained. “The leader of our cult of Teshwan… and he sent me to entice you to join us in worship tomorrow night.” “A cult of Chaos… Here!” Syn was seldom surprised by anything, but he would never have suspected this; not in so seemly Lawful a city as Oberlorn, where banking and money lending was the prime business. But then, his people had learned that the quickest way to insight rebellion was to oppress the creativity and dreams of humans, and the weight of Law upon this city was nothing short of oppressive. “We worship in secret,” she confessed, smiling at his surprise. “Right under the noses of those pompous dolts of Law and all who blindly follow them… Including our own families.” Her voice had carried more bitterness then she realized she felt; surprising herself. A fact that he did not fail to notice. “If you’re willing,” she continued in a softer, more seductive tone. “I’ll meet you in the alley behind the inn an hour before midnight tomorrow and take you to our hidden temple.” “I see,” Syn replied as he seemed to ponder her invitation, “and just how does this Siletah of yours expect you to entice me?” He openly eyed the slender, yet shapely, figure concealed beneath her dress, while a sly smile grew upon his lips. “He left that to my imagination,” she replied with a coy smile, glancing toward his bed and then back to meet his stare with a capricious gleam in her eye, “and I have quite a fertile imagination!” To be continued on S3-4-4: The Price of Blood. The third installment in the fourth book of my Strombringer characters' adventures. Thanks for looking... Hope you enjoy! Comments and suggestions always welcome and appreciated!