Lavender & Fire

42. A Glimpse of the Queen's Past

Kahal had to get away. He thought he had always done well to handle all the pressures of his position in stride. Constantly being surrounded by people, constantly being asked questions, constantly being in the spotlight. But after eight days of no sign of Rahn, he felt his emotions bubbling up inside of him more and more. Yes, he was gaining a much better understanding of the heightened emotions his youngest brother had displayed countless times since meeting his small, alien Life Partner.

The guards were looking for Rahn, of course. Kahal had decided it was safe to do so. Even if she had decided to resume her undercover identity to finish this case on her own, it would only be natural for the guards to be looking for Lana, disappearing mere days after escaping. So no matter the circumstances of her disappearance, he felt it safe to involve the guards.

But they were also stretched thin with the clean up from the raid nine days ago. There were so many people to interview, so many to interrogate. So much evidence to comb through. So much follow up to do. Not to mention all of his other duties. But he knew deep within him that this wasn't over. And that Rahn had known that too. And that was why she was missing. He knew it. He needed more time to get out and look for her himself. More than the time that he had been able to acquire.

Now here he was roaming the streets right after dusk, unsure of what exactly he was looking for. Anything at this point. And if nothing stuck out to him, he would go and take another look at the facilities that some of the guards were still coming through. Anger surge threw him at the thought of how a secret underground facility could be built right under their noses. An operation like that would have had to have taken many years.

He combed through the streets and markets, where he had seen Rahn frequent before, and was just about to turn towards the underground facility, when a familiar figure caught his eye. He ducked into the shadows under the awning of a closed shop as he watched the male purchase a loaf of bread from a bakery, just as they were about to close.

The male turned and began to walk down the street, and Kahal was able to see his face. "Got you." He said to himself as he quietly followed the male. When the male came to a dwelling and used a key to let himself in, Kahal double checked that no one else was around to witness anything, and then quickly snuck up to the dwelling, looking in through any uncovered windows to determine if anyone else was within.

After just a few minutes, Kahal jumped into the shadows against the side of the house as the back door cracked open. He watched for several minutes, expecting someone to come out, but nothing happened. Finally the male's head popped out the door and he looked out at the darkness and softly called out "If you're out there, Dom, come in before you're spotted. We need to have a chat." Then he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

Shock ran through Kahal from his feet to his bald head. Dom? Was this a trap? Or did Rahn have a hand at this? He waited just a moment, weighing his options. But eventually he decided he couldn't miss his one opportunity to find Rahn.

Once inside, he found the male sitting at a small table, his arms crossed comfortably on top of it. Kahal closed and locked the door behind him, keeping his eyes on the male. Kahal felt a strong urge to tackle the male and demand answers. But instead he took a moment to take a calming breath. Relax, Kahal. He told himself. You need to keep a calm, cool, collected mind. Rushing in full of anger and anxiety will not help Rahn. Showing how eager he was to find her would likely not help him either. He'd be showing a weakness they could hold against him, and Rahn could get hurt in the process. After his pep talk he felt more like himself and he calmly walked further into the dwelling. But instead of sitting at the table, he leaned his back against the wall, making sure no one could sneak up behind him.