Page 62 of Bearing Secrets
“Very well. If that’s all you have to say, traitor, then you’re of no use.”
Kirell clamped onto Kedd’s skull with both hands and twisted violently.
The upper half of Kedd’s body went limp as well. Kirell turned to the side and vomited before standing above the corpse of a man he’d called his friend for decades.
There was noise at the door and it burst down a moment later as Klaue and one of his guards came charging in. “What the hell happened in here?”
“Clean it up,” Kirell ordered, pointing at the body. “No funeral rites for the traitor.”
Klaue just stared at him in astonishment. His eyes flicked back and forth several times, as if wondering just what he should be doing.
“The footage is in the security room. I doubt the drive I brought with me survived the fight. Krave saw it too.” Kirell paused on his way out the door, resting a hand on Klaue’s shoulder. “You should know that I harbored doubts about you. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
Klaue nodded once, then left the room, wandering aimlessly through the corridors, unsure of what to do now.
Kedd had been one of his best friends. He was quiet and reserved, yes. Nor did they often hang out, but they’d known each other since their early teens and gone through the rituals and tests of becoming fully-fledged members of House Ursa together. So many shared experiences.
It hurt Kirell deep to realize that all this time, his friend hadn’t been loyal, that he’d been interested in another cause. If Kirell couldn’t spot that coming, how was he supposed to figure out who the real traitor was? How could he know the truth about anyone, if he’d been blindsided by his own friend?
A black depression began to settle over him, a raincloud that would follow him perpetually. Kirell knew, a part of his mind that still worked was aware he couldn’t let it continue like this. Too many others were counting on him to keep it together. But how? He needed someone to turn to, and right now, he wasn’t willing to trust anyone. Even Kellas, hisbestfriend, wasn’t someone he could go to. There was nobody.
No. There’s someone. One person you can be assured of as loyal.
In a numbed state of shock, he pulled out his phone, sending the only message he could think of, to the only person he could trust. The last person he’d expect to come to his aid.
28
The double-buzz of her phone finally stirred Natalia from the nap she’d taken after Loren had left for work. Glancing at the clock on the locked screen, her eyes shot open. It was nearly noon. She had slept in for almost four more hours!
Sitting up, she looked at the screen again, unlocking it to check the message. Unsurprisingly, it was from Kirell.
Probably starting to get antsy that he hasn’t heard from me.
Her brow furrowed as she read the message. It wasn’t what she’d expected.
Hey, can you call me? Please? I need someone to talk to,it said.
It was off. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but something was wrong, and for some reason she didn’t think it was about her. While she was gone, something must have happened. Her fingers hit the dial button before she even realized what they were doing.
“Hi.” Kirell picked up quickly, but there was no energy in his voice. Something was very wrong.
“Kirell? It’s Natalia. What’s going on?” She was concerned now. His voice never sounded as dull or lifeless as it did now, over the phone.
“It’s Kedd. I…” Kirell fell silent for several seconds before continuing. “I had to kill him, Nat. He was a traitor.”
The words hit her hard. She didn’t know the man very well personally, but she was aware he’d meant a lot to Kirell, that he considered him a friend. To find out he was a traitor was one thing, but to have to kill him as well? No wonder Kirell was distraught.
“Oh Kirell,” she said. “I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. What can I do? How can I help?”
The fact she was supposed to be mad at him no longer seemed relevant. This was serious. So serious, in fact, that he’d reached out to her for help, and not to anyone there.
“I don’t know,” he said quietly, forcing her to strain to hear him through the phone’s speaker. “I just don’t know anything anymore.”
“Come on, it’ll be okay. We’ll get you through this. I’m going to come back to the house, okay? I’ll be there soon, I just need to get ready. Can you promise me you won’t do anything until I get there?”
“I’m going to shower,” he whispered. “I need to wash the blood off me.”
Natalia’s heart was breaking as she listened to the pain audible in Kirell’s voice. She wanted nothing more than to be at his side, telling him it would be okay, trying to help ease his hurting.
