《Lost in the Wind》


 Chapter 0 - Prelude

    ¡°A kite without strings is not free. It is merely lost, in the wind.¡± ¨C Quote.


    It was five in the morning.


    Darkness, empowered by winter and thickened by fog, still shrouded over Lichenwatch, clinging on before the inevitable sunrise. The city was asleep, but for a few bakeries, which had dutifully started their ovens in preparation for the day, and occasionally, the over-enthusiastic blacksmith, tinkering, over a half-heated forge.


    The Arcarte Academy library was similarly silent, but for a single, female student, hard at work. The tall cavernous halls of the library echoed quietly with the student¡¯s scribbling, pausing only, to allow for the turning of a page. One could tell that she had been studying for quite some while, as the candle beside her was already half-consumed.


    Snap.


    Suddenly the peaceful rhythm of pencil and page was broken.


    The student groaned and slumped back into her chair. It had only been a few hours since she¡¯d begun, but her pencil had snapped thrice already. Frustrated, she rolled her eyes and stared wistfully upon the rows of writing she had been working on, until a faint draft floated from between the shelves and gently flipped her notebook, page by page, to a close. She sighed. Written on the cover was her name in ink, ¡®Alyssha¡¯.


    Pushing back a lock of hair that had fallen astray, she leaned down and rustled through her knapsack.


    ¡°Where are you, oh-dear knife¡­¡± She hummed to herself. ¡°Mhmm¡­ ¡°


    Suddenly, a pain-ridden gasp echoed across the halls.


    Whisking her hand from the depth of her bag, she lifted and inspected her finger. As suspected, a thin but steady stream of blood was now leaking from its tip.


    ¡°Ah¡­ crap.¡± She grumbled, sticking the injured finger in her mouth while she reached with her other hand to finally retrieve the sharpening knife. This time making sure not to be pricked in the process.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    As she began carefully sharpening her pencil, she heard the library door, creaking with age as it opened and closed, with a firm, weighty thud. She paused curiously and glanced back at the entrance. A figure shrouded in darkness stood in the unlit doorway.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the library beautifully serene at times like this?¡± said the man, approaching her slowly with hands behind his back.


    Or at least it seemed to be a man, as far as Alyssha could tell.


    ¡°Yes,¡± She replied calmly, ¡°Rather lovely¡­ though more so when you¡¯re alone.¡±


    The man laughed, coming in part, out from the shadow, and into the candlelight.


    ¡°Rather unfriendly, aren¡¯t we?¡± He commented.


    ¡°Oh definitely,¡± Alyssha responded smartly, ¡°And who wouldn¡¯t be, being visited by a stranger, in the dark before dawn?¡±


    Mockingly defeated, the man raised his hands in surrender.


    ¡°Ah! I can now see the error in my deeds!¡±, he nodded, a bemused look on his face, ¡°But for the fact that this is a public library, is it not?¡±


    Alyssha paused, then nodded, agreeing begrudgingly.


    The man smiled, having put the dispute to rest, and sat down to face her. Alyssha exhaled nervously as she put her pencil and knife to rest and turned to face him. She took note that for the first time, the man¡¯s face was now visible, in the light.


    She immediately noticed the scar which ran diagonally across the man¡¯s face. A wound which had long healed, but left a mark forever, for all to see. It covered most of his forehead, barely missing his eyes as it travelled down his face, ending at the corner of his mouth. It looked to be nothing short of a sword which had caused him such injury, or perhaps the result of some aggressive magic. Though his age seemed to be in the thirties, his eyes, a startling shade of green, still held an aura of youth and energy. Though the man should have seemed threatening, his presence was calm and undoubtedly peaceful.


    ¡°Who¡­ are you again?¡± Alyssha asked, in fear, yet also, in wonder.


    The man shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not very important who I am.¡± He said, "But for now, you can call me Mislo.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Alyssha nodded, ¡°Mislo It is.¡±


    ¡°And what business does Mislo have with a young apprentress such as myself?¡±


    Mislo chuckled at her antiques.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± He tilted his head, ¡°I must admit, there is not much business directly with you per say¡­¡±


    Alyssha frowned.


    ¡°Then- ¡°


    ¡°-It¡¯s about your brother Alyssha.¡± He finished, his face donning a slightly crooked smile.


    ¡°I wish to know a little bit more about him.¡±


    Ps.Author BBB here! Hope you guys enjoyed this teaser. I haven''t written in a while. Uni amongst other things... :( But it''s given me time to think about whole new fantastic stories! And to my other readers, don''t worry!!! I''ll be back onto ''Unlucky in Love'' as well, so sit tight and wait for two stories to unfold! Thought admittedly it might be a bit slow...


    Thanks for reading guys! And as always, have a great day. Or night. :P

 Chapter 1 - Infiltrator

    Milos looked over to the pile of documents on his desk and sighed. Just this morning, he had cleared two thousand pages of government documentation off that dastardly desk, but now, not four hours later, it was already full again. Truly, it was at times like these he wondered why he had decided to become a government official.


    Steeling himself for the work ahead, Milos took a sip of tea and scouted through the first few pages of the top folder.


    ¡°Densckalle officials meeting with Euralis on trade routes uninvolved with Atlas...¡± Milos murmured, ¡°Huh.¡±


    Seems like there¡¯s finally something interesting to analyze.


    Putting down his cup, he sat up and placed the folder on his reading pile. As he flicked on the light to start reading, someone, presumably his secretary, suddenly knocked at his door.


    ¡°Mr. Agasti, Sir, may I come in?¡± came a female voice.


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Milos nodded, unlocking the double-doors with a snap of his fingers, ¡°Come on in.¡±


    Alliah, the elven secretary, stepped in on her three-inch high heels.


    ¡°Sir.¡± She greeted.


    ¡°Alliah.¡± Milos acknowledged.


    ¡°So, what seems to be the problem?¡± he asked.


    Alliah nodded, then retrieved a parcel of documents from beyond the door and placed them on Milos¡¯ desk.


    ¡°These,¡± Alliah pointed, ¡°have been marked for high-priority investigation by the King¡¯s court.¡±


    ¡°They would like it analyzed by weeks end.¡± She said, ¡°Alongside a prisoner in Foreign Keep.¡±


    Milos frowned, then lifted the parcel into the lamp light. The parcel was heavy. He could already tell that it was going to be a ridiculous amount of work.


    ¡°By special order of the King¡¯s court?¡± He commented, poking at the parcel with a pen, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Alliah shrugged, putting her hands in the air, ¡°It¡¯s what the head told me. So, I wouldn¡¯t risk it if I were you.¡±


    Milos frowned.


    ¡°Risk what?¡±


    ¡°Risk being late as usual.¡± Alliah replied, then stepped out, closing the door behind her.


    ¡°Late as usual?¡± Milos snorted as she left, ¡°And what would she know about being on time.¡±


    Sitting alone at the desk once more, Milos poked at the parcel again, not wanting to start. On top of the package, he noticed, was a menacing seal. It was the lion¡¯s head stamp of the Rivelion empire, no less, a royal one, indicated by the golden ring. It wasn¡¯t very often that the royal family bothered to smack their seal on a package, so what Alliah had said was probably quite true. The king¡¯s court would most likely not tolerate any delays on this one.


    His heart sinking a little, Milos opened the paper bindings with a pen-knife and reached inside for the first folder. Once again, he was met with the glowing red eyes of the Rivelion lion. Beside it was a sentence in large red text saying, ¡®For the High Guardian¡¯s Eyes Only¡¯.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Sticking his thumb into the wax lion¡¯s mouth, he watched as the eyes of the lion slowly transitioned from glaring red to a forest green, then opened the folder.


    As he flipped to the first page, he instantly noticed the words ¡®spy¡¯ and ¡®undercover¡¯.


    Milos smirked.


    ¡°My day just keeps getting more and more interesting.¡± He whispered beneath his breath.


    First, he was going topay a visit to foreign keep.


    . -.-- . / --- -. / - .... . / .- - .-.. .- ...


    Milos stepped down into the interrogation chamber. The steel cell was open roofed, and through it the winter¡¯s wrath stung at his skin, even though he had been covered in layers of thick rams-wool.


    ¡°Is the man ready?¡± Milos asked the warden and sat down at the interrogator¡¯s desk, ¡°Mr. Chrysler Blaire?¡±


    The warden nodded, then placed a plate of oven-warmed fruits on the table as he sat down beside him.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Milos smiled, popping a grape into his mouth, ¡°Mr. Blaire, from what little files I¡¯ve read, it seems you¡¯re from the country of Atlas, right?¡±


    The prisoner, naked and shaking from the cold, nodded from beyond the metal gate.


    Milos nodded back.


    ¡°And you were caught doing¡­?¡± He gestured in question.


    ¡°Espionage. Sir.¡± The warden replied in the prisoner¡¯s stead, ¡°He¡¯s an infiltrator.¡±


    Milos frowned.


    ¡°Did I ask you?¡± said Milos shaking his head irritably.


    ¡°No, sir.¡± The warden apologized.


    ¡°Right.¡± Milos puffed.


    Turning back to the prisoner, he picked a strawberry from the platter and bit deep into its fleshy meat.


    ¡°So. Espionage. Very interesting.¡± He mumbled through the fruit in his mouth, ¡°Who sent you then?¡±


    ¡°Surely not Atlas. A merchant nation wouldn¡¯t take such preposterous risks.¡± Milos continued, ¡°So Densckalle maybe?¡±


    ¡°Or Euralis? Or both! Since those two seem to be getting along quite well.¡± He asked in rapid-fire.


    The prisoner didn¡¯t respond. His eyes faded in and out of focus as the winter winds attacked his skin.


    Milos sighed.


    ¡°Warden. Hot water.¡± He murmured.


    As commanded, the warden quickly retrieved a bucket of hot water and placed it beside the gate. Milos stood up swiftly and splashed the quivering man. The heat contrasting with the deathly chill of winter burned at the mans skin, making him scream in agony, but restoring his consciousness.


    ¡°Which. Country. Sent. You.¡± Milos asked again, emphasizing each word with a pause.


    The prisoner stared into Milos¡¯ eyes and didn¡¯t respond. Perhaps he didn¡¯t know the answer, or simply, refused out of loyalty and spite.


    Sighing again, Milos gestured to the warden.


    ¡°Turn on the cold shower.¡±


    The warden nodded and stood up to man the water valve. As the first drops of freezing liquid hit the man¡¯s nude back, the prisoner looked up in agony and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Wait.¡± He whispered, then the shower opened, and he screamed.


    ¡°WAIT! WAIT! PLEASE WAIT!¡±


    Milos motioned for the warden to stop.


    ¡°Yes, my dear friend?¡± He said, kneeling to face the tortured man.


    The prisoner puffed with efforted breaths and lay down on the icy floor.


    ¡°Zekstra.¡± He finally answered, ¡°I was sent by Zekstra.¡±


    Milos nodded, then returned to his seat.


    ¡°And your codename?¡± He asked, tilting his head.


    The prisoner suddenly perked up.


    ¡°My codename?¡± He asked back.


    Milos frowned.


    ¡°Yes. Your codename.¡±


    The prisoner sat up and grinned.


    ¡°Oh, I was the three-headed guardian of the gate!¡± He smirked, leaning into the frozen beams which separated him from the interrogators.


    ¡°The fabled, uncatchable, Cerberus¡­¡± The prisoner giggled, slurring his pronunciation of each word in the sentence.


    Milos smiled.


    ¡°Cerberus¡­ I see.¡± He nodded, then stood up, ¡°Very funny.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± The prisoner frowned, ¡°You¡¯ve just caught the biggest spy in Rivelion.¡±


    Milos glanced back at the man, then turned and walked slowly to the shower valve.


    ¡°Warden. Send this man to the blocks when you¡¯re done.¡± He said quietly.


    The prisoner froze.


    ¡°Wait what!?¡± He shouted, confused, ¡°But there¡¯s so much I can tell you, I know so much! Why!?¡±


    The warden, also confused looked onto Milos.


    ¡°Sir, if he is in fact Cerberus, should we not investigate further?¡±


    Milos looked back at the warden and laughed.


    ¡°If you think so warden, then go ahead. Listen to what he says.¡±


    The warden, slightly nervous, nodded.


    ¡°But, I¡¯ll be damned if the ¡®Cerberus¡¯ was this easy to catch.¡±


    . -.-- . / --- -. / - .... . / .- - .-.. .- ...


    As Milos stepped out into the courtyard above the foreign keep, he couldn¡¯t help but shiver away the cold that had seeped deep into his bones. The surface felt like spring compared to the chilled depth of the interrogation room and he sighed comfortably as his body finally warmed under his trusty ram-wool coat. Finally, when he eventually recuperated in full, he hummed a lively tune as he walked slowly, away, from the hideous screams echoing beneath his feet.

 Chapter 2 - Cerberus

    ¡°There¡¯s another call from the senate Milos.¡± Alliah reported from her post beyond the doors.


    ¡°Going to answer this one?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm¡­?¡± Milos grumbled, half awake.


    Alliah sighed and walked up to the slumbering guardian and shoved the Vonehzel, a two-way, long distance communication device, into his palms.


    ¡°A call. From the senate.¡± She whispered into his ears, inciting a few goosebumps.


    ¡°Umm¡­ yeah... fine.¡± Milos murmured, then blinked as he awoke.


    He sat up, slowly, stretching as he rose from the chair. When he looked down onto the table, he found a crinkled pile of unfamiliar papers beneath his arms had rested. Presumably they had been crinkled through arduous work, but it also occurred to Milos that it was possible that they had been damaged by his sleeping upon them. Looking closer, the files were detailed after the prisoner claiming to be Cerberus. Milos frowned, he could¡¯ve sworn he¡¯d put those documents away.


    ¡°The call? Milos?¡± Alliah knocked on the door frame as she re-entered the room.


    Milos tilted his head in confusion.


    ¡°The call?¡±


    He looked slowly, down towards the Vonehzel in his hands then sighed in realization.


    Right. The call.


    ¡°Yes, this is High Guardian Milos Agasti speaking.¡± He yawned into the receiver.


    ¡°Milos! How dare you sleep on the job, I thought I had ordered this to be done within a week! And it¡¯s been five days without a single report!¡± Came a pestering voice through the speaker.


    It was Elonzel Pale, the headmaster of the Rivelion Intelligence. A pesky, yet devilishly intelligent man. Though initially seemingly unconcerned with anything but promotions and looking good before the royalty, Elonzel was at heart, a Nationalist. Milos, though often annoyed at his antiques, respected the man for his steadfast and iron-gripped leadership of the agency.


    ¡°Sir, I promise there¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯m half-way through the analysis. I¡¯ll send a Sit-rep by the end of today, yes?¡± said Milos.


    But in reality, things were not okay. The files that had been handed down were a mess, the scribe that had written the report apparently had no comprehension of organization or order, and information which were supposedly related, were instead spread like wild fire across the forest of countless pages. It tired him just to look at the thing, let alone finish half of it. He had made it a quarter-ways at best, before he¡¯d put them away, and they¡¯d magically reappeared on his desk.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®yes?¡¯ me.¡± Replied Elonzel, sounding quite frustrated.


    ¡°Look. We understand that you didn¡¯t think the man was Cerberus¡­ and we agree. Cerberus isn¡¯t an easy man to catch. As you reported after the interrogation, it¡¯s most likely a cover up, a dead-slip for Cerberus. Meaning the country behind Cerberus is planning something big.¡±


    ¡°Yes, most likely.¡± Milos agreed.


    ¡°Good. Then you should also know that the man could be key to uncovering that something.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Milos kept quiet, letting his unimpressed-ness show only on his face.


    ¡°Milos, we get it. You think you¡¯ve seen this kind of scenario a hundred times before, you think you know the answer, but you need to stop.¡±


    ¡°Stop what?¡±


    ¡°Stop and listen to your head.¡±


    Milos paused.


    ¡°I am listening to my head.¡±


    He heard Elonzel sigh within the Vonehzel.


    ¡°I mean me, Milos. I¡¯m the head of your agency.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Milos cracked a smile, then saw Ms. Alliah giggling in the corner of the study, having obviously overheard the conversation. Covering the receiver, he winked mischievously at the secretary then beckoned her to exit the room. When the door finally closed behind her, Milos sighed, then continued the conversation.


    ¡°Sir, I understand, and fine, I¡¯ll investigate further into Chrysler Blaire aka ¡®Fake Cerbie¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What? Just that and no ¡®buts¡¯?¡± Elonzel replied, sounding suspicious.


    ¡°Of course there¡¯s ¡®buts¡¯.¡± Milos retorted.


    He chuckled quietly as he heard Elonzel¡¯s irritated grumbling echo over the phone.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± The Elonzel finally replied, ¡°And that ¡®but¡¯ is?¡±


    Milos shrugged.


    ¡°If I am to continue investigation into Chrysler Blaire, I want full ownership of the Cerberus case and all my other cases diverted to lower guardians.¡± He answered.


    There was a pause on the other end. Milos raised an eye brow. Of all the people in the agency, he was the most qualified for an Espionage case of that size, thus his responsibility of investigating the captured suspect. There should be no reason for reconsideration. And aside from his pride, he also wished to rid himself of all his other plebeian cases which, on a daily basis, drained him of his will to live. So it seemed to him, like a simple win win.


    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not that simple Milos.¡± Came Elonzel¡¯s voice eventually.


    ¡°The Cerberus case is the most sensitive case Rivelion Intelligence has ever had to crack. You know this well, being the highest guardian we have. And¡­ you also know that taking on an E.C as a standalone is almost always the gateway to a dragon¡¯s vault of troubles.¡±


    Milos frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve cracked plenty of E.Cs of my own accord.¡± He retorted, ¡°And without any issue.¡±


    The speaker stayed silent for a moment.


    Milos frowned again. Then it clicked, he understood what Elonzel had truly meant.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He asked, smile turning sour as he spoke, ¡°You suspect me?¡±


    Silence once more, then eventually Elonzel¡¯s voice popped up, sounding slightly apologetic, yet undeniably stern.


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re Cerberus. I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Milos smirked, his voice wavering slightly, ¡°But I can see the logic behind the suspicion.¡±


    He heard Elonzel sigh then pick up the Vonehzel on his end. Perhaps to speak more privately.


    ¡°Yes, Milos. Cerberus is the most effect saboteur the Rivelion Intelligence has ever witnessed.¡±


    ¡°With you sitting at the highest level of document analysis and field activity in the R.I.A, you are in the most lucrative position for a spy from any nation. Your position allows for all of what has been done to be possible. And truth be told, Rivelion would be crippled, if you are in fact, Cerberus. You understand me? Stop sulking like an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Sure. And so I guess, by giving ¡®Cerberus¡¯, the Cerberus case, it would be equivalent to giving pardon to your murderer, right?¡± Milos replied.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Came the answer.


    In that instant, Milos felt betrayed. Sure as steel, he now regretted making the offer. He could¡¯ve lived without the knowledge that his nation did not hesitate in it¡¯s suspicion. But eventually he steeled himself and smiled with a cruel twisted humor.


    ¡°You honestly think I¡¯m Cerberus? The one who destroyed my own operation on the Atlas information post and killed six of my best men!?¡± He rebutted, laughing in frustration, ¡°The one who almost destroyed a northern office with the information leak on sixteen deep cover agents spread across Zekstra and Euralis?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it personally Milos.¡± Elonzel¡¯s voice crackled across the speaker, sounding calm as it echoed in the dimly lit room, ¡°As of now, there is not one person in Rivelion who is not a suspect. So the investigation must be spread across the organization for safety.¡±


    Milos placed the phone down dejectedly.


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡±


    The conversation paused yet again, an awkward silence emanating from the Vonehzel. Milos flicked off his light and slumped back into his reclining chair. He let the darkness and quietness of the room wash over him, calming him, as he waited finally for the call to end.


    But the speaker sparked once more.


    ¡°I trust you Milos.¡±


    Milos smiled tiredly and nodded, but didn¡¯t bother to respond.


    ¡°I can set you up with an additional task force in pursuit of Cerberus.¡± Elonzel offered.


    Milos exhaled shakily, then shook his head and put the Vonehzel on his desk.


    No. Thank you. Was what he thought as he slowly exited the room.