She had been told to gather the documents and leave as fast as she could. Tightening the black mask on her face, she listened for footsteps. As silence replied, she leaped to the second floor balcony. She knew she was being observed; this was a test after all. She gently opened the glass door, stepping inside without a sound. She mosied over to the desk, eyeing the papers that were scattered across it. At a glance, nothing seemed too important. Opening drawers, she noticed a double wall at the bottom of one. Lifting it revealed a bunch of rolled up documents with wax seals bearing the mark of the royal court. Bingo. She quickly put most of them in her bag, eyeing the last one with a curious gaze. Giving in, she unrolled it, reading through quickly. It was a report for a patrol in the Al-Qayum desert; a thing strange to be reported with a royal sigil. Reading through, her blood was brought to boil by the mention of the extermination of elf insurgents. They had been wiped out without a trace. One of them mentioned the name Kalianore as a last breath, which worried the guards. At the mention of the name, Keela got a pounding migraine. Images swirled in her head, making a string of incoherent meaningless thoughts. Did she know this Kalianore? Continuing to skim through, she learned that Kalianore was supposed to save the elves from extermination. Confused but enlightened, she pocketed the rest of the documents and bolted out the same opened door, closing it carefully and hopping the railing of the balcony. Landing on the ground, she kept low and dashed between alleyways to keep out of sight of the patrols wandering about with lanterns. Making her way to the dead drop, she eyed the opened document and kept it on herself, putting the rest where they were meant to go. She then silently made her way home, keeping out of sight.

The next morning, as Bertaut came down the stairs to the basement, he eyed the document laying next to her as she did dragon flags against the center wooden column. She gestured an invitation to read it and kept to her training, focusing as sweat pearled down her back and forehead. Bertaut quickly went through the document, starting to pace nervously around the room, biting on the nail of his thumb. As she got to her required number of repetitions, she settled down, getting up and wiping off some sweat with a towel.

“Something wrong?” she asked, seeing him nervous; an unusual sight.

“This is bad. This was specifically not supposed to happen”, he replied, scratching his temple.

“What?”

“Systematic extermination. It wasn’t supposed to happen. Why did they go through with it?”

“You mean this was under the wraps? Because I did find it in a drawer under a double bottom.”

“This was clearly intended to be hidden. They sent out small teams and they’re basically hunting.”

“The sentence was already harsh, wasn’t it? I don’t recall.”

“Economic embargo, border enforcement, immigration control, revocation of status; it was pretty harsh.”

“But extermination had always been on the table?”

“Indeed. In fear of it, they exiled their own princess, in hopes that one day she would come back and save them if all else failed.”

“And where is she now?”

“No one knows. Her name is -- well probably was at this point -- Kalianore.”

Keela’s head nearly split in half as the word was uttered, images swirling in and out her head. A clear image stayed for a few seconds. It was the edge of the Al-Qayum desert, a little oasis giving into a forest clearing. A waterfall fell onto rocks, a figure approaching the rocks on the side. Feeling the rock, the figure looked for a nook at waist level. As the figure dug their fingers in, Keela felt the rock in response. The waterfall suddenly split in half, revealing a small door before the vision suddenly cut off. Snapping out of it, Keela nearly fell over, getting caught at the last second by Bertaut. The fog over her senses gradually faded, letting her get a bearing on where she was again. Bertaut had narrowly caught her by the small of her back, her fall surprising him as well. Getting back up, she pulled a chair and sat down, holding the bridge of her nose.

“What happened?” asked Bertaut, eyeing her cautiously, wary as if she would fall again.

“Can you help me pinpoint a location with just a few context clues?” she said, ignoring his question.

“I could try.”

Describing the image, avoiding the secret door part, she told him the vision in as much detail as she could cram into speech. His brow furrowed, Bertaut pulled a map out of a drawer of the desk. It showed the Al-Qayum desert in great detail, along with its surroundings. Handing it up on the wall, he grabbed a few small daggers, pinning them in a few locations with a decisiveness and emotion that was unbecoming of him. Looking at his expressiveness some more, Keela noticed that he had softened his expression and showed more emotion around her. She smiled, remembering how he used to behave.

“I can think of at least four or five locations off the top of my head”, he said, taking a step back from the map.

His collar was unbuttoned, his sleeves rolled up to the elbow. An equally surprising look on him. Keela cocked an eyebrow, bemused at the sight.

“That’s still many to check. Especially without a guide”, said Keela, stretching.

She had gained a substantial amount of muscle, her body now toned, distinct lines running along the edges of her now defined muscles. She was also more flexible, rigorous training to thank for it.

“If you need a guide I can help”, said Bertaut, pensively scratching his chin.

“I’d rather keep it low, not drag another stranger into this”, replied Keela, coming back to a cross legged position.

“No, I mean me.”

Pausing for a second, she looked at him with an incredulous gaze.

“Is that a joke or…?” she asked, tilting her head.

“No, I know the area there like the back of my hand”, he replied, matching the tilt, almost mocking her.

“Why do you know that?”

Bertaut paused, his expression turning somber, the emotionless look returning to his cold blue eyes.

“I… used to command a battalion stationed out there”, he said, looking away, crossing his arms.

Keela froze, realizing the weight of his words. Shaking off the feeling, she got up and strutted up to him, a strange kind of anger welling up inside her.

“Is this whole thing a redemption for you? Are you helping me to save yourself?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“Keela, I--”, he started, averting her gaze.

“LOOK AT ME” she screamed, grabbing his shoulder, turning him towards her.

He turned to face her. She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Is it?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

“Keela, I swear to you. I swear on all I hold dear, including you; it isn’t”, he said firmly, looking her dead in the eyes.

Wiping off the tears, she sat back down. Taking in a deep breath, she shook herself back in control. Smiling, she went back up and started detailing how they could go about the trip. She had completely gone over what had just happened; but for a reason. Right then and there, staring into his eyes, she saw what he thought. If that man could bring himself to lie in that moment, it wasn’t now that she would know the truth.