Room 218, Thursday Afternoon

[glacial_queen]

There was a letter for Karla in the mail today. It bore the SaDiablo seal and was from Dhemlan, but just holding it filled Karla with foreboding. Even the feel of the fine linen paper under her fingers gave her a chill, like a cold, dead wind was blowing through her.

She shivered as she opened it, wishing with all her might that it was a bill for the kitchen or a written tirade from Mrs. Beale and Helene both.

Inside the envelope was a single sheet of the Hall's stationary, folded over a small scrap of onionskin.

Karla,

This arrived at the Hall overnight. Geoffrey reports that a similar note appeared at the keep. Jaenelle is certain they're authentic. Stay safe. Portalocity will contact you when we've ascertained the best time to bring you home.

DO NOT COME HOME UNTIL YOU ARE CALLED.

Saetan

The cold only got sharper as she picked up the scrap of paper. Almost from a distance, she realized that her hands with shaking. From nerves or from cold, she couldn't tell.

He is claiming she is dead. Arranging meeting with warlords. Come soon.

All the breath whooshed out of her lungs and the note fluttered to the floor. Mini-Morton scurried over to pick it up with a series of concerned beeps, but Karla barely noticed.

Anger and planning would come later. Right now, there was only shock and a kind of fuzzy blankness.

[Door and post open. Morton's note written by the fantastic glacial_warlord]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

"How good is he at using other weapons?" Karla asked, a hint of a smile around the corners of her mouth. "I feel I should know this before I take his word for it."

[momslilassassin]

Ben frowned as he thought about it. "He doesn't use other weapons if you don't count the StealthX as weapon," he said finally. "He doesn't need to."

[glacial_queen]

"Isn't the StealthX a flying ship?" Karla asked.

[momslilassassin]

"Yeah, it's like Tahiri's X-Wing but more updated. It's like what Jaina's flying."

He tried and failed not to pout about it.

[glacial_queen]

Ben's pouting, meet Karla's blank stare. Like she had any idea what Jaina or Tahiri flew.

"But it's a flying ship," she repeated. "How is it also a weapon? What--does he crash it into things?"

[momslilassassin]

"No," Ben said with a little laugh. "It comes with weapons."

[glacial_queen]

Karla continued to look dubious, mostly because she still defaulted to swords when thinking about weapons. "Like...really big lightsabers?" she hazarded.

[momslilassassin]

"Like really big blasters," Ben said. "And bombs."

[glacial_queen]

Karla shook her head. "I don't think I want to think about those. There are times when I'm really glad we don't have much beyond swords in Kaeleer."

[momslilassassin]

Ben smiled softly. "I think that's why Jedi still carry lightsabers," he said. "It's a call back to a more civilized time."

[glacial_queen]

"And because they look cool," Karla teased. "Can't forget that."

[momslilassassin]

His smile grew. "Of course not."

[glacial_queen]

"Thanks," she whispered, leaning in to give him a tight hug.

[momslilassassin]

"Any time," Ben replied, clinging tightly. "You never have to ask."