Chapter 21: The Loose Thread
Kai didn't tell Akshay immediately.
Not because he distrusted the king.
Because he didn't have enough.
A suspicious signature wasn't proof.
It was a possibility.
And possibilities got people killed when handled poorly.
Especially in politics.
So instead, he went looking for Andre.
Which turned out to be surprisingly easy.
The man was exactly where Kai expected.
Eating.
"How do you always find food?"
Kai asked.
Andre looked offended.
"I worked hard for this."
"You stole it."
"I worked hard stealing it."
Kai rubbed his forehead.
"Come with me."
Andre swallowed.
"Crime?"
"No."
Andre's enthusiasm vanished instantly.
"Then why would I come?"
Kai explained what he'd found in the archives.
The missing shipments.
The altered reports.
The officer's signature.
Andre listened.
Surprisingly seriously.
When Kai finished, Andre stood up.
"Now that's crime."
"That's not what—"
"Let's go."
Kai gave up.
Some battles weren't worth fighting.
The two spent most of the afternoon watching the officer.
His name was Captain Harlow.
Average height.
Brown hair.
Forgettable face.
The kind of person nobody remembered.
Which somehow made him more suspicious.
Several times they almost lost him in the crowd.
The captain followed a normal routine.
Patrol.
Meetings.
Reports.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing criminal.
Nothing useful.
By sunset, even Andre looked bored.
"I think you're wrong."
Kai frowned.
"Maybe."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Captain Harlow changed direction.
Instead of heading toward military housing—
He moved toward the lower districts.
Kai immediately straightened.
"There."
Andre grinned.
"I knew crime would happen."
The captain continued through increasingly empty streets.
Past merchants.
Past workshops.
Past taverns.
Toward the older sections of the city.
Eventually he entered a narrow alley.
Kai and Andre followed carefully.
Staying hidden.
Keeping their distance.
The alley ended at an abandoned storage building.
The captain knocked three times.
Pause.
Twice.
Pause.
Once.
The door opened.
Someone let him inside.
Then the door shut.
Andre looked at Kai.
Kai looked at Andre.
Both reached the same conclusion.
"That's suspicious."
"Very."
They quietly approached.
The building looked abandoned from the outside.
But faint light escaped through cracks in the walls.
Voices echoed within.
Kai carefully peeked through a gap.
Several figures stood around a table.
All wore dark robes.
Cultists.
At least six of them.
Captain Harlow stood among them.
The officer removed something from his coat.
Documents.
Maps.
Information.
Military information.
Kai felt his stomach drop.
A traitor.
An actual traitor.
Not a theory.
Not a suspicion.
A traitor.
One of the cultists began speaking.
"The preparations continue."
Another nodded.
"The city remains blind."
Harlow crossed his arms.
"What about the king?"
The cultist laughed.
"His fall approaches."
Kai froze.
The king.
This wasn't sabotage anymore.
They were planning something bigger.
Much bigger.
Andre slowly cracked his knuckles.
"We should smash them."
Kai actually agreed.
For once.
They had enough.
The captain.
The cultists.
The evidence.
This could expose everything.
Kai pushed open the door.
The room instantly went silent.
Every head turned.
Andre smiled.
"Evening, criminals."
The cultists reacted immediately.
Weapons appeared.
Spells formed.
Chaos erupted.
Kai charged forward.
Andre launched himself directly at Harlow.
The captain's eyes widened.
Too late.
Andre's punch connected.
The officer crashed through the table.
Wood exploded.
Maps scattered everywhere.
The fight lasted less than a minute.
The cultists were prepared.
Just not prepared for Andre.
Several lay unconscious.
Others fled.
Kai managed to disable two more.
Victory seemed certain.
Then a single crossbow bolt flew through the window.
Nobody saw where it came from.
Nobody heard the shooter.
The bolt struck Captain Harlow directly in the throat.
The room froze.
The officer stumbled backward.
Blood poured down his uniform.
His eyes widened.
Shock.
Fear.
Regret.
Then he collapsed.
Dead.
Silence filled the building.
Even Andre stopped joking.
The crossbow bolt hadn't come from inside.
Someone outside had killed him.
Someone making sure he never spoke.
Kai rushed to the window.
The street outside was empty.
No shooter.
No witnesses.
Nothing.
Only darkness.
Andre looked down at the dead captain.
"That's bad."
Kai nodded.
For the first time, he understood exactly what they were facing.
Not fanatics.
Not random cultists.
An organization.
One willing to kill its own people to protect its secrets.
And if they were willing to silence a captain—
Then someone much higher up was giving the orders.