Chapter 98

Chapter 98 Dark Abyss

ASHER

Kane studied me with an amused smile. His appearance was as immaculate as ever, and he looked well-rested. I envied him. Up until last night, I hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks. My mind had been too vexed by the viper situation to truly let myself relax, and my b*dy ached too much from my escalating illness.

My head began to pound as if to remind me of the disease. Luckily, Kane didn’t seem to notice my turmoil.

“You seem to be growingly busy these days, dear brother,” he remarked with a sly grin, and then he pouted for emphasis. “I miss playing chess with you.”

“I have been busy,” I agreed, and I let out a small sigh. “How can I help you, Kane?”

“Wow,” he said as his eyes trailed over me. “This definitely isn’t the welcome | expected. You seem to have lost your sense of humor.”

“Too much on my mind these days,” I murmured.

Kane pulled up a chair and sat opposite of me. His lithe frame was lion-like, and his violet eyes danced with amusement. He was like some kind of wild cat, set to pounce at any moment, and just as sneaky.

I knew this wasn’t a friendly visit.

He wanted something.

“My mother is quite freaked out,” Kane noted as he leaned back in his seat and examined his nails. “She heard that you caught and imprisoned one of her private guards yesterday.”

Margaret was freaked out?

The idea of my stepmother in panic was hilarious. She’d always been calm and collected, even when my father had died. She hadn’t shed a single tear, at least not in the anywhere where she could be seen.

Kane chuckled. “So, who was this guard exactly? And why was he apprehended?”

“The man was an imposter,” I explained. “He isn’t truly a guard, from what intel has been gathered. His presence has something to do with the vipers that were found days ago.”

I half-expected some sort of reaction from Kane, but he didn’t look surprised in the least, which told me already knew everything.

“What brings you here, Kane?” I asked again, only this time, my tone was far more serious. Something was off and I needed to get to the bottom of it right away.

“Asher, my mother isn’t behind this,” he said.

“And how do you know that?” I asked without missing a beat.

“Because she isn’t a fool,” he replied.

“No, she isn’t,” I agreed. “But that doesn’t clear her of suspicion. You know that, right?”

Kane fell silent, probably for the first time in his life. He nodded his head lightly and glanced at the other side of the room.

He knew his mother better than I did. Margaret wasn’t necessarily the one behind this, but she was still suspicious.

“Why would she accept a guard with an ambiguous background?” I asked aloud before I could stop myself. “Did she know who could have arranged the man for this position?”

The room remained silent until Kane looked back at me.

“She wouldn’t tell me,” he admitted. “I already tried. You know her, Asher. She never tells me anything like that.”

This time, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Of course, she wouldn’t admit it,” I muttered under my breath. “I’m completely unsurprised.”

“She’s a proud woman,” Kane said. “And a private one. She speaks with me often but holds her personal information at a distance. She’s always been like that. Always worried about her appearance to others.”

“True,” I replied. I was moments away from dismissing my brother when he shifted his chair closer to the desk.

“I’m not a spy, Asher,” he said. “And I won’t pretend to be. But I’m not against you. You know that. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that my mother isn’t planning some kind of conspiracy. I promise you, I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“Thank you,” I remarked, though I wasn’t sure how much he could really accomplish. I trusted my brother, but I didn’t trust my stepmother.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. This was a troubled situation.

I didn’t know what Margaret was up to, but I had this feeling in my gut that she was up to something. She’d always been conniving and wicked, and I didn’t trust her even a little. She was always gone at opportune moments and all too present for others.

The banquet for the diplomats of Yurene, for example. My stepmother had made herself scarce and the night had ended in disaster. I found it odd that Margaret, a woman who normally thrived at events in high society, had been absent, and then just hours later, there was a viper attack.

Where had my stepmother been?

The imposter was one of her personal guards. Had she dismissed him for the

night? Why wasn’t he guarding her?

And then there was the situation in Ca ssandra’s room. Margaret had brought her guards to try to arrest the healer on Adalyn’s behalf. Had the imposter been one of the men who had laid his hands on her? Why had she decided to take justice into her own hands? Sure, she and Adalyn had a close relationship, but what game was she playing at?

What was going on behind the scenes?

“You seem tired, brother,” Kane announced, and I opened my eyes. “I don’t want to keep you any longer. I think it would be a good idea for you to get some rest. I know everything has been overwhelming, especially considering that the imposter held Adalyn hostage. I’m sure you’re shaken up by the whole matter.”

I nodded, though the last part wasn’t exactly true. It felt wrong to admit, but I knew that Adalyn was in good hands, so I wasn’t all that worried about her.

Truth be told, the only person in all of Merliscire that I cared about was Ca ssandra Keller. My biggest priority was her safety.

Suddenly, Kane spotted the medallion on my desk and picked it up. He brought it closer to his face to examine it and then he frowned.

“Asher, is this the crest of the Dark Abyss Pack?” he asked. “Why do you have

this?”

I sat there in shock for a second and then leaned forward.

“What?” I breathed. “What are you talking about, Kane?”

“This crest,” Kane continued, and he held it up closer to the light. “I once saw an image of a similar pattern in a book. I can’t recall all of the information exactly, but from what I remember, I think this is a sign of the Dark Abyss Pack.”

“Dark Abyss?” I repeated back, and my eyebrows knitted together as I searched my mind. “I’ve never heard of them.”

“You wouldn’t have,” Kane replied, and he pa*sed the medallion back over to me. “They were a small Pack, brother. So small, in fact, that no one ever paid much attention to them. And after a war with Yurene, they were nearly wiped out.”

My heart dropped in my chest and my eyes widened at my brother.

“Yurene?” I asked.

Kane nodded gravely. “Yes, brother. Yurene.”