(Kelan)
Kelan Benedict couldn't get on the elevator fast enough. What the hell was Katie doing alive? His man had never failed! Fuck! He had not failed this time! He had confirmed the job as complete! As soon as the doors closed, he pulled out his phone and pulled up the photo sent to him. There was the tell-tale blue car next to some other black car. Katie was in the passage seat of the other car, with that same pink scarf she had just be wearing in the office! It made no sense!
Had she somehow gotten the upper hand? Kelan chuckled darkly to himself. He knew firsthand Katie wasn't that capable. Still, there she was... except- Kelan zoomed in as close as the image could get before blurring beyond recognition. Atop the pink scarf flowed light BROWN hair! Katie had blonde! SHIT!
SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! If that had not been Katie in the car who else?! He reached his car and drove to the temple, calling his contact, but no answer. "Pick up DAMN IT!"
"Please leave a message for --- BEEP"
"CONFIRM, You Moron! We have problems!" Kelan slammed his phone into the passage seat as he skidded around a corner, driving at irate speeds across the icy roads. Zadok would know, that slimy weasel seemed to have little eyes and ears everywhere if his father was to be believed. How else would he have gained his position if he didn't know everyone's little secrets?
Kelan spun into a parking space, cutting off another driver and slammed his door in his rush to get up the stairs. He ran up the long flight of stairs towards the temple entrance. This blasted place was such a weird mix of modern commodity and ancient architecture, it confused Kelan why anyone believed it held any true power. The base of the mountain had been transformed into a modern mix of shopping stalls, and tourist attractions where people could buy all sorts of charms and random dragon statues. He knew his own family supplied some of this trash and made a generous profit off those desperate enough to insist on having a carving of Abraxas for their home, even if it was modern mass production.
He waved to an attendant he had become familiar with and shook hands; a small wad of dragon cash quietly being exchanged to ensure he was on the next lift to the top of the mountain. The attendant rushed him to the front of the line, and he was ushered into a private trolly car that soon began its way up the mountain. He knew the monks had to have their own method of getting up to and down from the temple, but he was not yet permitted to use such a route. He watched as the city dropped away as the trolly car moved up the mountain on its cables. The view calmed him. Miles of pristine snowcapped mountains stretched out in every direction. Down and to the south east, Velyki was a sprawling city of light in the mountain valley. From this height, he could understand the draw for Zadok. It was like looking down on your own little kingdom. Here, no one could touch you, living among the clouds, like the dragon gods of old.
The trolly car came to a stop on a stone landing and a monk in long brown robes opened the door with a bow. Kelan pushed past him without a backward glance and stormed up the wide stone steps to the ancient temple. Here at the top of the mountain, the ornate monastery looked like it was carved of black onyx right into the side of the mountain. It was a castle in its own right, with guards walking patrols along high walls. It would be an insane feat to get any force up the side of the mountain, but Kelan supposed there were enough priceless treasures here that any thief might be interested in testing their skills to acquire.
When he crossed through the main doors, his hand slid along the onyx wall, and he noticed something that seemed odd to him. The onyx he had always assumed had been carved into place looked odd, perhaps even melted here. He pushed the though aside for now and rushed to Prima Zadok office. He was surprised to find that Zadok didn't have any guards outside his office.
Arrogant ass. He likely thinks he is so feared around here that no one would dare bother him.
Kelan didn't bother with knocking and shoved the door open to find Zadok on a sofa with a girl trapped between him and the arm of the sofa.
"Zadok we need to talk. Your playing can wait."
Prima Zadok wiped his head around at the intrusion, "How dare you interrupt me like that!"
"We need to talk. There were... complications."
Zadok frowned but waved reluctantly at the girl who skittered out of the room, not wasting a second in her retreat. Zadok made his way over to his large oak desk and sad down, gesturing for Kelan to join him. "And what is of such urgency that you feel only the Prima of Abraxas can solve your problems?"
"Cut the crap. You and I both know you sit there because you and my father made a deal. It was his backing that convinced the other monks. That and a rather generous donation to the temple of course."
Zadok narrowed his eyes, "What do you want, Kelan? Remember, the reason I am in this position is ALSO because I know things about those around me. Even you. Don't test me."
"Fine." Kelan hesitated for a brief second, "there may have been a mistake. Someone disappeared."
Zadok sighed. "I was wondering where the temple girl went. I figured you had collected her. She was to be a plaything, not something for you to run off and destroy. I had plans for her. If you made her disappear, as you say, there will need to be reparations to the temple and her family for the loss. I will have to tell them she was reassigned to Pinon Province or something."
"Temple girl? Alina? Zadok I never came for her. I got busy that weekend. I am talking about the secretary at Dragon Corporation. Kate or Karren."
"Katie? She is the one you took to the hot springs, right? You had asked to use my private guest house there. What about her?"
"Things got a bit rough. She was going to resign from Dragon Corporation, but it seems someone talked her out of that."
"What do you want me to do about that? Kerrigan is the one who deals with the Dragon Corporation personnel." Zadok said.
Kelan rubbed his temples, "I dealt with it, or thought I had." He waved his hand in Zadok's direction, "You creep on the staff there often enough, who all has light brown hair?"
"What? What kind of question is that?"
Kelan sighed and handed Zadok his phone with the photo.
"What is this? Miss Lokir off doing something naughty at night? Tell me Kelan, is this photo genuine? Do you know who she was meeting or what it was about? Oh, this is good! I can spin this well to dethrone her."
Kelan stared at Zadok's gleeful expression with dawning horror. "Miss Lokir? You are sure?"
"Yes, man! I practically had to raise the little bitch ever since Rania dumped that little orphan here. I have been hoping she would mess up so I would have an excuse to kick her to the curb." Zadok exclaimed with triumph, still staring at the photo.
Kelan asked slowly, "If she was an orphan, why could you not act sooner?"
Prima Zadok glanced up with a glare, "Are you really that dense or did your father tell you nothing? It's all in the name boy! Lokir? Regardless, the line of Marquess Atholl ended near the end of the Serret War."
"Atholl?" Kelan had heard the name long ago, but it wasn't registering a connection with Kerrigan. His father had a long-standing feud with a house Atholl of Lokir some twenty years ago but that ended with conclusion of the Serret war, when Kelan was still a boy. The land that was the dukedom of Lokir was now known as Targu Province. As far as he knew, his father had utterly crushed the opposing family to the point there was little mention of them since. Only elderly Duke Atholl was left to rule the whole province with no heirs to replace him. Likely his father had ensured there were none of the Duke's family left alive if he knew his methods. As for Lokir, Kelan was under the impression bastards and orphans took on the name of the province they were found in.
"Ask your father if you are so ill-informed." Zadok snapped. "Now, why are you showing me this photo? Do you have evidence of her misdeeds that I can exploit?"