At least, they were pretty much gone now, off to do ‘something’, or so they had mumbled vaguely as they each left one by one.
Sighing, Cecil stared blankly at the TV. Animatedcharacters were dancing across the screen. Why they were watching a movie for kids, he didn’t know.
The door opened and Benji entered. The purple-haired man peered around the room, his face tightening when his gaze landed on Roth. But Benji seemed to brighten when he spotted Cecil.
Yay, he’dmade a friend,Cecil thought wryly. Benji walked over and sat in the chair next to him.
“Hey, Cecil!”
Cecil thought about responding, but was distracted by Sin entering the room.
The man smiled at him before addressing Roth. “Roth, may I speak with you?”
Roth walked over and Cecil was only able to hear something about someone not showing up before a spell stole their words.
“He did nae show up?” Roth asked.
“Unfortunately. I would say he has either gone into hiding or the people he was about to expose got to him first.”
“I’d imagine if they got tae him, we’ll be findin’ a body.”
“Most likely body parts. Which means we are out of leads again, and immortals will continue to go missing. Those in all stations of life; the young and the old. The only pattern is that there is no pattern,” Sin groused in frustration. “None of them are similar, but they all have disappeared without a trace. An immortal disappearing? Ithappens. As much as we try to help, to protect, it will continue to happen. But not like this. The amount we have lost over the past two months…”
“Nae, it is too many, too close, tae be normal,” Roth agreed.
He rubbed his brow. The weight of his failure loomed over him. He should have insisted on meeting sooner. He should have tracked the man down the minute they had spoken on the phone.
“It is possible this has been going on for years, Roth. That we have only now noticed because those of importance, those with families, have started to go missing. I keep wondering, how many have been lost simply because no one looked for them?”
“It is a sad fact of life, Sin. We do what we can, even if it seems to nae be enough. But this setback is nae yer fault. None of the other Zaytari bosses have found verra much either. We are gettin’ close, though, I am sure of it. We will make this right and protect Vadin from this threat.”
Sin winced. The information he had held to himself filled his mind. The dire meaning of what he knew, the greater threat of what was happening, was more than most were aware of. That had to change. There were too many lives at risk.
“It is worse than that, my friend. It is not only Vadin facing this threat. There have been disturbing reports from other kingdoms. Here, those on faraway continents, and even those under the vast ocean surrounding us. It is happening everywhere.”
Roth gasped. “Why did ye nae say anythin’?”
“King Adrian did not wish to create a panic. Too manypeople knowing risked it reaching the public’s ears. I do not question the king’s wisdom in doing so, but…”
“The people need tae know the severity of the situation. Panic or nae, it is better that people know and at least be prepared and ready tae protect themselves,” Roth said.
“I agree, which is why I plan to speak of it during my next meeting with the king.”
“Do ye think, perhaps, that Cecil’s mother’s disappearance is related tae the others? None of what we have learned about her points tae a woman who would abandon her bairn. There is more there, I am sure of it. There is somethin’ nae right with the father.”
“It is possible, and it has crossed my mind.”
“Does it crossing yer mind happen tae be why Ernest Baxter is nae in a jail cell at this very moment?”
Sin grinned. “Yes, well, alerting our prey that he is being hunted would not be beneficial to the investigation.”
Roth returned his grin with a toothy smile. “Nae, it wouldn't.”
“I see that he has finally left his room,” Sin mused before looking toward the two on the couch.
“Aye, found the lad wanderin’ the halls, lost.”
Sin’s brow wrinkled at how quiet it was. “Where is everyone?”
