A Trickle of Soulfyre

Chapter 20 - Imposter

Silence filled the room, as taut as Nash's nerves while he and everyone present waited for Anesse to return. Benje and Isarea sat close beside him, self-appointed protectors while those assigned to him kept their eyes on him from across the room.

Agent Kilg grinned whenever Nash met her gaze, and he couldn't resist returning her warm smile, as scared and shaken as he was. Agent G'vat simply looked at him with no expression in his dark stare. Nash wondered if he had always been so solemn or if the ECISI training had sucked the personality out of him.

The four guards stood with their backs to the wall, their expressions as stoic as Agent G'vat's.

To some, it might seem like overkill to have loyal friends, designated protectors, and palace guards in one room, but to Nash, it was his only safety. If all these people had been in his apartment when the assassins struck, they would've never gotten close enough to touch him, to scar him.

At the same time, this was no way to live. Nash prayed that Lyrani was making headway on her mission, and he also hoped the agents posted here would make progress so that they could eliminate the threat. Nash just wanted his life to return to normal, at least as normal as it could be after everything that had happened.

The door to Isarea's apartment clicked open. A few seconds later, two guards carrying a cauldron strode into the living room. Steam rose from it, bringing with it a nasty smell of wet mud and old boots. Nash swallowed a gag.

Behind the guards, Anesse entered with a silver tray carrying a ladle and sparkling glasses half-filled with a liquid that looked like sandy water.

They set the cauldron and tray down on the coffee table at the centre of the room. Agent G'vat studied the scene and each member of the group that had assembled as part of it with quick, subtle glances. Only when the senior agent nodded did Anesse speak.

She straightened, smoothing out her coat. "I will hand out the glasses. We will drink at the same time."

She had barely finished her sentence when Agent G'vat spoke. "What is the problem with that arrangement, Zidaye?"

The junior agent's eyes flicked to him even though his never strayed from where they rested on Anesse. The advisor tugged at the end of a blonde curl while she waited for Agent Kilg's answer.

"The separate glasses may have been contaminated or poisoned or the liquid in one glass may have been replaced with something else to mask a specific person's identity." Agent Kilg kept her gaze on Agent G'vat, awaiting his feedback.

"Very good." The senior agent nodded. His state didn't leave Anesse. "Advisor Lach, these glasses must be emptied and rinsed out, and then I would like them to be refilled from the cauldron in front of me."

Anesse nodded, her ears reddening at the tips. "I do apologise. It was not my intention to undermine in any way—"

"Don't worry about it." Agent G'vat waved her apology away. "You were trying to be prepared and organised, but there's a certain way we do things at ECISI." His face still blank, he continued his onslaught, oblivious to the flush now creeping into Anesse's cheeks. "What else was wrong with Advisor Lach's approach, Zidaye?"

The junior agent pressed her lips together and folded her arms over her chest. "I swear it's like we're back at the academy and you're taking me through drills, Joanas. I'm not a trainee anymore." She rolled her eyes.

"I know we're no longer at the academy." Agent G'vat finally looked away from Anesse, fixing his intense gaze on Agent Kilg instead.

The junior agent held it without flinching.