The door creaked open and a large man in a dark cape entered the colonel's office. His bloodshot eyes made a cursory glance about the room as if expecting to see someone else inside.
"Can I help you, Ryker?" Jay asked impatiently.
The large man landed his cold gaze on the colonel, his lips pressed into a thin line.
Unlike the Guardian, Jay could see the man's face even shrouded in the shadow of his hood and met it with an indifferent stare of his own.
"Is something wrong, inspector?" The colonel had not even stood to welcome the man into his office.
The tension between them was so thick that the air itself was heavy. Ryker inhaled deeply through his nose.
"Nothing is wrong. It's just…I heard you had a guest with you. I was hoping to greet him personally." Ryker's low hiss made Jay's skin crawl, but he hid this fact from his face.
Jay's fingers tapped the table impatiently. "Oh, the Guardian? You just missed him I'm afraid. I can give him your well wishes next time he pops in unexpectedly, though who knows when that will be. If that is all…" Jay motioned for the door and went back to his paperwork, dismissing the inspector with a light grunt.
Rather than heed the implied order, Ryker scraped the second chair, which Silver had recently vacated, across the dirt floor and seated himself comfortably in it.
Ryker unlatched his cloak and pushed it backwards onto the chair, revealing a long shock of dark hair.
The inspector tugged lightly at the sleeves of his tunic, quickly hiding the serpentine tattoos along his muscular arms. He cleared his throat loudly to recapture the colonel's attention. "Coming to speak to the mysterious Guardian was not the only reason I came."
The colonel looked over the top of his page, which he has clearly not been reading. "You don't say…"
"You asked me to return today to inquire after Sir Kent." Ryker tried to remind the officer.
"I don't remember doing any such thing." Jay squinted back down at his paper and scribbled something on the top.
"You must have forgotten. You were very exhausted when you returned. I have asked the men with your for a full report but they all directed me back to you. It's almost like you are trying to hide something from me." Ryker let his words hang in the air for a moment before Jay laughed.
The colonel allowed his paper to float back to his desk as he put his hand on the table, amused. "And here I was thinking I was the only one who felt that way."
Ryker folded his hands, the sudden change in the colonel's demeanor unnerving him slightly. "Do you care to explain what happened with Sir Kent?"
Jay turned over the question. "Do you? Surely while I was gone you did your own inquiries into the escape. It was what any self-respecting investigator would do."
"Of course I looked into it." Ryker's folded hands suddenly balled into fists. "Are you accusing me of something?"
Jay lifted his fingers lightly from the desk to quell the man's anger. "I am only accusing you of the same thing which you accused me, hiding something. Unless you wish to be forthright with your findings, in which case I will take back my statement."
"I don't have to tell you anything," Ryker reminded him. "My findings are none of your concern. I am an agent of the king sent by Commander Borit himself."
"I am well aware of your standing. But this is my Fort. If you are withholding information and putting my men in jeopardy, that is my concern. How am I supposed to keep the fort secure if you are unwilling to let me know where we went wrong?"
With a scowl, Ryker considered his question. The colonel had put him on the defensive. If he did not at least give some information, the conversation would stall.
"Very well." The large man dug into his cape and pulled out a small collection of papers stitched together with twine like a book.
When Jay tried to covertly peek over the edge of the pages, Ryker quickly tilted the book towards him. All the colonel got a glimpse of was a few odd symbols but no words.
The inspector flipped through a half dozen pages before landing on one that suited him. He pushed back his long, stringy black hair from his face as he studied his notes.
"I found an abandoned lockpick in the corner of the prison. You must not have caught the entire gang and one of them broke out the others with his …or her…skills."
"How very open-minded of you, though I don't think Lakyle uses women in their military." Jay was becoming used to the man's slippery nature. He usually gave vague answers and avoided anything that could be disproven.
Ryker continued with his assertion. "It could have been a servant or even a slave. I have no idea on the matter except it must have been someone very small."
"And do you have any idea how she...or he... could have gotten into the camp?" Jay raised one eyebrow. "Did this 'small' person overpower my guards?"
"There was no need. They came over the wall. I found a rope. I can produce it if you want to examine it." While the investigator seemed to be cooperating, really he could produce any rope from the camp and claim it was the rope used for the wall. Jay would need more than that to prove anything was amiss.
"And the horses? How did this person from Lakyle free the horses and get the men out of my fort.
"A kitchen lackey gave the stable hands drugged food and drink. Perhaps he or she was the traitor. No one will own up to giving them the food and no one in the stable is willing to say for sure who brought it." Ryker smiled smugly as he saw Jay's face change slightly. Obviously the drugging was news to him.
When the colonel had left to chase Kent, he had seen no one around the stable at all. The stable keeper claimed he had been called away, but mentioned nothing about any of his boys being drugged. The young men had likewise claimed ignorance or that they were doing other tasks. Something there didn't add up.
"I hope to see the full report soon. I will be happy to add my own for you to send on to Commander Borit. I would be most anxious to hear his thoughts on how we can improve our security." Jay nodded in a seemingly friendly manner. "If that is all, I will get back to my work. I will be running afternoon training in less than an hour, and I am swamped with things to do before then."
For the second time, Ryker did not take the hint. "You are very forgetful today, Colonel Jay. It is good you have me here to remind you why I came. I still need to know about Sir Kent and his men."
"There isn't much to tell. We apprehended them in a cove in the disputed area between Lakyle and Birle, and we transported the prisoners to a more secure location so they could not repeat their escape." Jay shrugged.
"Were any of them harmed?" Ryker pulled out a piece of writing stone and marked in his book.
"A few. But that was because they resisted being apprehended." Jay did not mention who caused the injury or actually apprehended them.
"I see. I am glad all of your men seem healthy after such a harrowing battle." Ryker nodded. "And where exactly did you transport the prisoners?"
The question sounded innocent enough, but Jay could see there was a purpose behind the words. "As I said, it was a more secure location. The king himself has been called upon to deal with the issue."
Gritting his teeth Ryker tried not to show his annoyance. "Pray tell me which location so I may send my report there for the king's eyes as well."
"Just send your report to Borit, and I am sure the Commander will share it with his Majesty immediately." Jay countered.
"You are denying me crucial information then?" Ryker's voice became a low growl.
"I would never!" Jay met the man's gaze evenly.
"If you are keeping vital information from me then it will be putting the entire kingdom in peril. That would make you a traitor." Ryker puffed out his chest.
"Is that what I am?" Jay tilted his head, daring him to make an actual accusation.
"That is up to you." Ryker let the words hang in the air.
Jay stood abruptly from his desk. "It is always a pleasure to talk to you, but I must get to training." Despite his pleasant words, his eyes were dark and forbidding.
The investigator finally succumbed to the other man's words. He also stood and dipped his head. "This isn't over. We will talk again soon."
As soon as the inspector left the room, Jay felt a small draft of air blow past him. His report was back on his desk with one word at the top of the page.
'Viper.'