Jahree moved silently through the darkened halls, his footfalls muffled against the stone floor. He checked each room as he passed, eyes flickering over every shadow, every flicker of light. He avoided the servants’ rooms—they were not part of his patrol. To-night, his route was erratic; he deliberately changed his path, ensuring no consistent inter-vals between his visits. That way, no one could predict his movements. Lanni joined him, as was her habit, after distributing the mid-shift snack. Her presence was steady, but her gaze was sharp as she tracked his movements. “No pattern tonight,” she commented in a low voice, her tone mildly curious. Jahree gave her a small, grim smile. “I was taught to watch for patterns back when I learned to be a thief,” he explained quietly. “Guards with predictable routines were easy prey.” Lanni nodded, making a mental note to pass this information to the prince-general. Her eyes, however, were already scanning the surroundings, her instincts sharp. “Is there a light on in the sitting room?” Jahree stopped mid-step, squinting into the distance. “It looks like it.” His hand moved instinctively to the hilt of his sword. The fire should have died by now. He was about to caution Lanni to stay back, but when he turned, he found her holding a sword she had conjured from magic. Her gaze was focused, her stance battle-ready. A soldier’s instinct. Jahree was silently grateful for her backup, knowing they might need it. They moved toward the sitting room, senses on high alert. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting long, eerie shadows on the walls, but the room was empty. They swept it with their eyes, searching for any sign of an intruder, but there was nothing. No misplaced furniture, no trace of life. Jahree exhaled, though his grip on his sword remained tight. “Maybe someone added too many logs,” he suggested, though even to his ears, it sounded weak. “Maybe it just hasn’t burned out yet.” Lanni’s frown deepened. “Maybe,” she said softly, but there was doubt in her voice. “Shouldn’t we have noticed it sooner?” She raised her hand, casting a small spell to douse the flames. “No sense in burning unnecessary wood.” They returned to their patrol, though the lingering unease clung to them both. Jahree, in an effort to dispel the tension, asked her to continue the story she had been telling him earlier about the Tamerians. He usually had little interest in history, but when Lanni spoke of the wars she had lived through, it was hard not to listen. Even though he had fled his homeland, never intending to return, the Tamerians were still his people. As Lanni recounted the betrayals and battles of the past, Jahree found himself drawn in, almost forgetting the firelight that had unnerved them both. Almost. But then, he saw it again. That same light flickering in the sitting room. His stom-ach tightened. Jahree stopped mid-stride, the story forgotten. His sword was drawn in an instant. “The light is back.” His voice was a low hiss, eyes darting toward the source. Lanni summoned her sword again, but Jahree looked at her with concern. “Do you have a real blade?” he asked, his voice a little more tense now. “Not on me,” Lanni admitted. “Why?” He touched her magical sword, which dissolved into thin air. “What if whoever is doing this is like me? Unreadable.” Lanni raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue. “Lightning works,” she said with a small, dangerous smile as she conjured her blade again. “And I’m good at that.” They entered the sitting room once more. The fire burned, casting eerie shadows, but the room was empty again. No sign of anyone. This time, though, Lanni’s brow fur-rowed as she whispered a spell under her breath. “Jahree, step outside.” He raised an eyebrow but did as she asked, slipping silently back into the hallway. He knew she was testing something. They had trained for moments like these, moments of subtle danger. He waited, straining to hear anything—any whisper, any footstep out of place. Jahree felt a brush of air at his ear, a faint presence. He glanced at Lanni as she emerged from the room, her expression hard to read. We’ll come back quickly, he signed in case anyone was listening. He was glad the squad all had to learn sign language for Zan. He wondered where Lanni had picked it up. Of course, she spoke several languages. This was just another. Agreed. Let’s stop by my room so I can get my cloak. Are you cold? No. They stopped at her room, and she went in. Jahree stayed at the door. She’d never allowed him in. This was the first time she’d even left the door open. He could see why. His first impression was that the room was cluttered, but he realized there was just order in it all. It was just the sheer volume that gave it that impression. She had enough weapons to outfit the squad and the immortals at least twice. There was a myriad of magical items, enough to send Lady Barta into convulsions. And there were books. Everywhere there were books. There were titles in languages Jahree had never seen. “I should probably get a place in town,” Lanni said when she saw him looking. “Somehow, I don’t think that would suit you.” Or at least not her purpose there. She grabbed a sword and her cloak. It was dragon skin with a silver star as the clasp. As she left the room, he noticed a silk lining. “Is that a healer’s cloak?” He asked. Lanni nodded. “My dad had it made for me when I was little, in case I was a healer too.” She stopped when they reached the sitting room again, and the light was there. “We’ll talk later.” She raised the hood of her cloak, and Jahree felt his vision being pulled. He looked away. “What is that cloak supposed to do?” “You can still see me?” “Yeah. I can’t focus well, but I see you.” “It has an obscurity spell on it. It’s supposed to make your eyes slip past me so you don’t realize I’m here.” “Wouldn’t an invisibility spell work better?” “Yeah, but they’re harder to cast and maintain. It’s nearly impossible to create a charm with one.” “How about now?” Jahree looked towards the sound of her voice but didn’t see her. The hallway seemed utterly empty. “Are you still there? It worked.” “Good” Jahree turned his head towards her voice. He felt the pulling again slightly, but he didn’t see her. “I’ll stay in the sitting room while you continue your rounds. Then I’ll see what’s going on.” Jahree opened the door and entered. He left the door open so Lanni could come in. As with the other times, he didn’t see anything else amiss. He put out the fire and con-tinued on alone. The tension in the air was thick as Jahree continued his rounds. His every sense was heightened, and the silence of the halls felt oppressive. There was no sign of the mys-terious light or flicker of firelight from behind the door. He made another pass, eyes scan-ning each corner, waiting for the flicker to return. And then, as he approached the sitting room again, he felt a strange pull on his vi-sion, something tugging at the edges of his mind. He reached out into the seemingly emp-ty hallway. His fingers grasped the soft fabric, and he yanked it off. Lanni appeared out of thin air, her hood in his hand, her cloak’s spell broken. She blinked in surprise but quickly smirked. “Could you see me?” she asked, though her tone was more amused than alarmed. “No,” Jahree admitted, his voice low. “But I could feel the shift in my vision when I looked your way. I guessed—and hoped—I grabbed your hood and not…” His eyes involuntarily flicked downward to her chest, and he quickly looked away, but not before Lanni caught him. She grinned. “As if you’d mind grabbing somewhere else,” she teased, her voice light despite the tension. Jahree flushed, clearing his throat. “I’m on duty. What did you find?” Lanni’s smirk faded, her eyes growing serious. “No one is coming in,” she said, her voice hushed. “It’s being done from a distance, with magic. And it’s uncontrolled magic.” Jahree frowned. “Is it Shan? His magic gets wild sometimes.” “It could be, but it feels like it’s coming from inside the house.” “He spends a lot of time with Loka. He might be in with her.” “Loka is not sleeping with Shan. She hates being touched, even by unreadables. She never fully adjusted to her healing abilities. She wouldn’t have him with her.” Jahree’s heart pounded as they exchanged a glance. Something was wrong, and the air felt charged with unseen danger. Whatever it was, it wasn’t over yet. #fantasy, #magic, #dragons, #hiddenlands