CHAPTER EIGHT: AFTER THE WORDS
1048 Words
The scout at last said something. There was total silence in the hall. But Kieran spoke up.
"Speak." The scout swallowed hard, before delivering his message.
“Lucan says: ‘Tell Kieran this exact message.’”
Pause. “‘Ana Ciaron is in Greenwood.’”
That was my name. Clear and distinct.
Unmistakable. The scout went on.
“‘I know that she is there.’” Silence descended immediately. And then came the last message.
“‘Do not confuse silence with safety.’”
He finished speaking. No explanation was given. Not one more word.
Just that message. Kieran did not react right away. Not until another warrior walked into the hall.
The warrior rushed forward. “Alpha Kieran.” Kieran turned to him.
“Report.”
The warrior did not hesitate to speak.
“Movement has been detected at the eastern border.”
Pause… “We have found new tracks. More than one entrance point. Structured formation.”
There was a shift in the hall. Kieran spoke in a steady tone. "How close?"
"Close enough to be monitoring patrol cycles undetected." What? An elder exclaimed.
The tone shifted at that point. Kieran stepped slightly forward.
"Seal all eastern access routes immediately." "Double patrol shifts. No breaks."
Another command came shortly after.
"Lock permissions to internal corridors until further notice."
The warriors moved without any delay.
Not stopping. Not hesitating. Just executing.
Kieran then turned his attention back to the scout on the floor.
"This proves active monitoring pressures." Proving Lucan’s message to be true. He had indeed kept a close watch on Greenwood.
Ronan was still under healer’s care by the eastern part of the hall. He was still hurt and not moving.
He was just laying there on the healing mat.
Kieran turned his head towards Ronan
You're fully under Greenwood's protection now.
Then he turned to a guard close by.
"Make sure he stays in an enclosed recovery room." "Fully monitored."
One of the warriors answered immediately.
"It will be done." I moved forward towards
Alpha Kieran. "May I take him there?"
Kieran glanced at me quickly. Not shocked. Just evaluating. And then nodded.
"Allowed." The Healer signaled some guards to help Ronan up. Ronan was lifted slowly from the mat.
He made no attempt to resist. Too weak to move himself. The escort formed quickly.
Two healers. One guard. I followed along.
The corridor was quiet compared to the hall. No hurry or chaos.
A calm warrior was moving close to our escorting group.
He was not leading us, he just followed and watched carefully.
After some time, he opened his mouth.
"You aren’t affected by what was said there."
I gave him a side glance. "Am I supposed to?"He did not say anything right away.
That silence meant more than his words could ever convey.
Finally, he said: "That's because most of them already are." I held my tongue.
But he kept saying: "Fear spreads faster than command around here."
I answered: "Then maybe the commands are wrong."
This time, he looked at me intently.
Not casually.
Almost as though analyzing some pattern.
"No," he replied.
"Commands are not destabilizing."
"It’s their interpretation that messes things up."
I examined him. "Sounds like you’ve been through it before."
He did not deny it either. "Any structure is solid," he told me.
"But sometimes there is something that makes them reveal their real movements."
Silence followed for a moment. Then he added: "Lucan’s message didn’t cause any conflict."
"It just uncovered it." I remained silent.
He gazed down the corridor. "In Greenwood, any silence after a message is never silence."
"It's an adjustment." And then he simply left. Without any abruptness. Just like ending a watch. He went on without looking back.
Ronan was lowered gently onto the cot that had been prepared for him in the secure room.
His wounds were tended to immediately by the healer.
"Don't put any pressure on the right side," the healer murmured.
Ronan breathed out deeply. He was conscious. Almost. But his gaze darted towards me.
"Thanks Ana," he whispered. I nodded.
"You rest."
The guards left the room. It was secure now. The escort was done. And I walked alone down the corridor.
A little further down the path, a girl came into my view. Her appearance wasn't that of a fighter.
She wasn't armed. She wasn't guarded.
No, she seemed just like any other person in a place that seemed anything but.
"Hi," she greeted softly. I stopped. For a second, she wavered, then straightened herself up a bit.
"I'm Lysa." A short pause…
" I work in the supply wing." She said it swiftly.
"And I live in the southern residential section of Greenwood." I watched her silently.
She gave a hesitant smile. "I wanted to say something." I didn't reply.
"But people always talk around Greenwood." Another brief pause.
"And I don't think of you the same way they do.”
She moved just a little bit quickly.
"No, it’s not anything weird like that. It’s just… they make you seem scary."
She shook her head a little. "But you’re not." A slight hesitation. But then she became softer in her tone.
"If you ever just need someone to talk to… or even just someone who doesn’t see you like that… I’m there for you."
A momentary pause."Anyway… I won’t keep you." She smiled happily. "I guess… we can become friends." And then she walked off.
The hallway leading to my room was completely quiet. Too quiet. I walked a little more slowly now.
My room’s door was slightly open. I frowned. I knew I had locked it up.
I walked closer now.
Complete silence surrounded me.
No signs of movement or noise anywhere. Fear engulfed me.
Everything seemed normal but the door was slightly open already. This wasn’t right. I opened the door slowly.
Just before I entered the room, some force grabbed my wrist tightly. Another one put its hand on my mouth.
No noise escaped me. I remained silent struggling to be free from the beast
.
I was forced into the room. The door is closed right after I get in.
It was closed shut and I couldn’t see anyone in there with me. Before I knew it the intruder.
- Writer
