By morning, Selene felt almost as restless as she had been the entire night.
Khael didn't return to his chamber and Selene couldn't eavesdrop, because the meeting with his mother had been in his court, not his inner-court which was just adjacent his chamber.
But one thing that Selene was grateful for was the fact that Khael didn't give her the chance to say what she overheard and eventually reveal the people having the conversation, otherwise she would have implicated an innocent warrior.
This said warrior, Akerman, did not like her and he never hid it, but that did not mean that he should pay for something that he didn't do.
The door swung open and Selene knew that it was King Khael even before she turned and saw him at the door.
"What did you overhear?" That was his first question.
There was nothing sweet and enticing about his demeanor, but there was nothing hostile about it either, and Selene understood that it was the weight of the responsibility on him.
This could have been the perfect time to tell Khael what she heard, but now, Selene did not seem confident anymore.
What if Lord Dain wasn't the one she also thought she saw and heard?
She was almost certain that it was the same warrior, yet, they bore different names, so what if her mind and eyes had played a rough trick on her. This was a completely different world that Selene still didn't clearly understand.
"Nothing," Selene answered.
Until she was certain, it would be risky to play with such a vital information that could arouse an internal war between the king and his noble man.
Khael didn't move an inch.
"I know you, Selene," Khael said, his voice thick and deep as he pronounced her name. "If it was nothing, you would not have mentioned it," he added. "So tell me what you overheard and who you heard it from," he requested.
"I can't…not now," Selene said.
Khael stayed quiet, but his eyes never left Selene.
Although he stood by the door and communicated from there, Selene could feel the power of his eyes on her.
No human possessed that level of intensity.
It was something dark and fiercely possessive.
"If you say so, then," Khael responded. "You asked to be let out, didn't you?" He asked.
Selene nodded without wasting time. "Yes, yes, I did," she said.
"You wanted to see your sister," he said.
He was a statement, but Selene took it as a question that needed an answer.
"Yes, I do," Selene responded.
"A day in the Obsidian Keep, no more, no less," he declared, much to Selene's delight. "Eyes will be on you, Selene, in case you have something up your sleeve. Once you have had your time, you will return here," he explained.
They were tight instructions that had underlying warnings to every tone and word.
King Khael turned and left without another word.
Since the news of the impending war, he had been roving around restlessly. A big part of Selene wondered what he was up to and what his plans were regarding the news he received from their high priestess.
She yearned to know what he was up to.
Selene waited longer than she had hoped to remain in the chamber for, until the door sprung open again and the warrior appeared at the door.
"Time to proceed to the Obsidian Keep," he ordered.
His voice was filled with so much hatred and disdain that it pierced deep into Selene's skin. As she walked over to him to lead her out of the walls of Khael's chambers, she stopped slightly.
"Zana," she whispered.
The words slipped out of her lips slowly but intentionally. She wanted to get a reaction from Akerman, because Selene had thought about it, and concluded that perhaps, the two names belonged to the same person.
He looked at Selene blankly.
"Are you hallucinating?" He asked her.
"Please, lead the way," Selene simply said.
He wasn't Zana, and she just confirmed it. What she just did was a strategic way to find out if that was also his name, but he didn't fall for it; she watched closely. Also, it didn't even seem like he was familiar with the name that she mentioned.
*******
Selene walked around the crowd in the Obsidian Keep, searching frantically for Lyra.
She had expected to see Lyra the moment Akerman led her there, but she didn't. It was not like the first time when she sighted Lyra in the crowd.
There were humans who had been taken captive, all gazing at Selene as she walked through their midst.
She even heard someone say, disdainfully, "She is the human whom the Xyiom king has taken delight upon," but Selene did not pay attention.
She was here to see Lyra, because she had been worried sick about her since they got separated.
Selene was still looking around when someone grabbed her wrist tightly, drawing her to him. It was a human just like the others, but his grip was firm and desperate, almost hurting Selene. She looked around to see if any of the warriors were watching, but they weren't.
"Selene," he whispered urgently.
Selene was surprised that he knew her name. His face was completely strange.
Rivenwood might not be as large and powerful as the Xyiom kingdom, but the population was much, so Selene didn't expect to know everyone, or for everyone to know her.
"You know me?" Selene asked, surprised and worried at the same time.
There was something about him that made Selene feel some form of danger.
"Yes, and I am from Malik," he responded.
Malik was a fierce and fearful human rebel who was famous among the humans. Selene had never met him, but she had heard a great deal about him.
She was shocked.
"My presence here was planned. I am only here just to pass this message across to you," he stated.
He talked very fast and Selene had to pay rapt attention to catch his every word. He made her remember how she had also gotten herself captured.
"Why would Malik send you to me?" Selene asked warily.
"He is planning a takeover from King Khael and freedom for all humans," he began to explain rapidly. "And he has brought you an offer," he stated.
Selene was shocked.
"What offer?" She asked.
"Help us kill the king, and you and your sister will be free," he stated.