Adrian's POV
Even though the hallway was quiet once again, Lyra's words stuck to me like spiderwebs. That's if it was even her for sure. At this point, I don't know for sure when a master mind-Jedi is my host.
But if I put aside my doubts and considered it for a minute, then I should be interested in knowing for sure what she was saying. I seriously doubted my door was chosen randomly for a conversation. Knowing her, she could be deliberately trying to mess with me. What on earth was she trying to say? And to whom was she speaking?
Instead of letting myself run mad, I decided to forgo sleep for a bit and just pace a bit. I paced the tiny space, the day's events revolving in my mind like a wheel without a braking mechanism. The feeling that the earth underneath me wasn't as solid as I'd anticipated was heightened by the sigils that had burnt into my palms, Seraphina's probing, and Lyra's cryptic remark.
---
Enverntaully I had to sleep to rest my head and be ready for the next day. And then morning came. I spent the morning observing the troops' training in the courtyard. The predictable clatter of swords and yelled commands was almost comforting. I required the diversion.
"Adrian."
Lyra was there when I turned around, her face as unreadable as ever. Despite her travel attire and her tight black cloak, she showed no signs of any of what she might have said from the previous evening.
I answered in a neutral tone, "Lyra. You get up early. I thought lady assasins were more of evening-and-the-night people."
"You are funny." She examined me closely. "I didn't think you were someone who enjoyed the morning sound of swords clashing.Seems I learn something new about you every single day. I feel honoured." And then she made a mock bow.
I leaned against a post and said, "I don't. But sometimes the closest thing to peace you can find here is watching other people fight."
The sound of her sweet laugh was sharper than warm. "Is that so? I know plenty of people who don't share your sentiments."
"How about you then? What do you think?"
"I think," she began. "That you are just pulling words out of your ass at this point. Tone it down a littel bit."
"Is that a warning or advice?"
She grinned. "Do with it as you please."
I took the time to examine her, attempting to determine the extent of my push. "Last night, you were in the library."
Her grin dimmed a little, but she didn't react much in any other way. "I was. Don't tell me your memory is failing again. We don't want Kael to decide you are not worth keeping alive- "
"As well as outside my door." I continued interupting her.
"Adrian, were you spying on me?"
"How would I do that?" I asked. "I was already asleep when someone happned to be discussing some very concerning stuff light outside my door. it's difficult to ignore someone discussing shadow puppets. Most especially when it was delibrately done. Like who exactly you weren't indirectly talking to me? I can only assume you were intentional about your actions."
Something flickered in her eyes, either surprise or displeasure or perhaps a little of both.
We looked at one another for a while, tension in the air between us. She let out a final sigh as her shoulders somewhat relaxed.
She said, although her tone didn't quite fit the words, "It wasn't about you.Anyway, not directly."
"So what should I know about? What did you mean?"
"It means you're not alone with secrets," she murmured, taking a step closer. "They are everywhere in Kael's castle."
"Who's they?"
She smirked again and answered, "It's too early to let you know, Adrian. I'll give you this, though: if you're smart, you won't ask questions anymore. At least, not casually and in the open like this."
I said, "It's too late for that."
She paused, looking into my eyes. She then took a step back and shook her head. "Adrian, you're engaging in pretty risky behaviours. Just be careful not to lose before you understand the stakes. You might think you know the rules, but you definitely don't."
---
Later that day, I decided to go and revisit the treasure cove of knowledge, the library. When I got back to the library, it was much quieter than normal, and I couldn't see the lone scholar from the night before. I walked over to the rear corner of the table, where Arcanum Sanguinis was still sitting.
I read the sentence that had captured my interest again then turned to the section about the Sanguine Veil. The whispers of bargains with unidentified creatures, the sect's sigils, and its obliterated history all suggested something more darker and older than what Seraphina had taught me.
I was startled out of my reverie by the sound of footsteps.
"Did you find anything intriguing?"
The speaker was none other than Seraphina. Someone must have told her where I was. I was guessing the guards did. In any case, her presence was welcome. She was standing a little distance away with her arms folded as I turned around. Even while her face remained mysterious, there was a piercing quality to her eyes that indicated she wasn't just here for sightseeing.
I closed the book and remarked, "Just doing some light reading."
She raised an eyebrow. "The reading for Arcanum Sanguinis isn't exactly light."
I retorted, "Neither is anything you've been teaching me.So, It is appropriate for what I am trying to brush up on."
A little smile curved her lips. "That's alright. I agree with you. Let's npot argue about such a little thing.With that said, what are you trying to find?"
I paused, considering my alternatives. It was like attempting to fool a wolf into believing you were a sheep when you lied to Seraphina. However, there was a danger involved in giving her the truth.
At last, I said, "Dreams. Unusual ones. Following the trial, they began. These dreams appear are my memories it seems."
Her fingers at her side twitched a little, but her face remained the same.
"After intense magic, dreams are common," she stated cautiously. "What the body experiences is processed by the mind. It is not something unique to you."
"These weren't merely dreams," I declared as I stood. " I am telling you they are not. They are my memories. There were also sigils, which I had never seen before, at least I don't remember them."
She took notice of that. Her eyes narrowed as she took a step closer. "Sigils?"
I showed her my hands and added, "When I woke up, they were burned into my palms." "They were there, but they're gone now."
She was silent for a long time, and I felt its weight.
"Are they familiar to you?" I enquired.
"Explain them," she urged, her tone more icy than ever.
I paused, then imitated what I remembered by tracing the pattern in the air. Even if her response was brief—a little flash of recognition that was soon covered up—it was sufficient.
With a harsh tone, she enquired, "Where did you see that?"
"In my dream," I uttered. "As well as on my hands."
Her gaze pierced me, looking for something. "That shouldn't have been visible to you."
"Why not?"
"Because it isn't yours," she stated. "And it means something very old and very dangerous is taking an interest if it's showing up to you now."
Even though the words made me shiver, I forced myself not to show it. "What sort of interest could something as ancient and powerful as what you are sugeesting have?"
She said, "The kind of interest you don't want. Believe me on that."
---
Later, when I got back to my quarters, I kept thinking about what Lyra had said earlier. She had told me I wasn't the only one with cards to keep close to my chest, I was not the only one with secrets.
I felt like I was hearing the same advice everywhere I looked: stop asking questions. However, I couldn't shake the notion that I couldn't ignore whatever was going on with me, or what these dreams and sigils represented. I wasn't one to leave things to chance if I could help it. I needed to understand what they all meant and how to use that knowldge to my advantage.
I sketched the sigil again in the darkness of my room, the design glimmering dimly.
I also questioned whose game I was playing and if I was the one pulling the strings or the puppet.