Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Desmond was shocked at Lucius's level of efficiency in the interviews he demanded to be set up. Within the first few hours, they had already reviewed the documents of all present staff and analyzed their personal and work histories.

He also broke them down into manageable groups to be interviewed in sections, with small breaks in between to discuss the results of the interviews they had just completed.

Desmond's head was spinning from the influx of information and the speed at which Lucius was processing it. He had taken the man for a bit of a muscle-head, but it seemed he had great information-gathering and processing abilities. Jade was able to keep up as well, which was no surprise to him since she was the brainiac between the twins.

By the time they had completed the first five interviews, Desmond decided he would simply be there as moral support. He did not add anything of value to the conversation and was unneeded for the intimidation factor. Lucius had both of those things covered, leaving Desmond feeling like he was simply taking up extra space.

At the first break, he said as much to the other two. Jade tried comforting by reminding him that he was just as important as everyone else in the group. Lucius decided to smirk instead and say, "I'd rather have an extra piece than one less."

While it sounded like a compliment at first, the man's smile indicated it was simply a back-handed one. Desmond smiled back and playfully pushed Lucius in the shoulder with his fist. "You're a bastard, you know that?"

"Ha, technically, that is correct." Lucius laughed.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

They both broke down into a childish laughing fit for a few moments, giving them both a reprieve. Lucius really needed every moment he could get to relax. Desmond could see the weight of Kalliope still missing weighing on him. While the man took his words at one of the villages seriously, there was still a part of him that could not let go of the guilt.

It was wrong of Desmond to think he could eliminate it with a simple conversation, but he still felt for Lucius. He was a long way from his wife and unborn child. Whilst away, he had someone else dear to him taken.

"Desmond…" Lucius whispered, "Thanks. I appreciate what you are doing. I don't… trust people. At least not easily, but I wanted to let you know that I did take what you said outside that village to heart. I also remember hearing you and Jade talk about me back in Varris."

Lucius awkwardly rubbed his neck before continuing, "Anyway, you make a really good… friend… I guess."

"Same to you, man. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to finally obtain a place for Jade. It is the most I've ever had and you did not even ask for anything. So yeah, you make a good friend, Lucius." Desmond admitted while raising a hand.

Lucius smiled, took it on his own, and squeezed it tightly before giving a gentle shake and letting go. They started to return to the meeting room before Lucius stopped suddenly, making Desmond smack into his back.

"What…"

Desmond stopped himself from talking when he saw that Lucius was sniffing the air. His eyes settled on the group of disgruntled people crowding the exit. They had ordered every level of the facility to be locked down with Orllan's help, so no one could actually leave without their permission.

However, Desmond figured that was not what had attracted Lucius's attention. He followed his friend over to the crowd. Jade and Orllan also noticed his behavior and joined them from a short distance behind.

"That panicked-looking one. Get his attention, don't make him think I suspect him. He smells familiar, and that's not a good thing. Just follow my lead." Lucius whispered to him.

Desmond complied, kindly greeted the man, and did his best to calm him down. He had a tag on his coat that said 'Silas'. So Desmond committed it to memory. Lucius took the opportunity to approach the door guards and allowed everyone to leave, giving approval for the lockdown to end.

Desmond maintained his façade of comfort and confidence, but internally he was extremely confused. He did not understand why Lucius would simply let everyone go, including the person he seemed to be suspecting as being involved.

He watched as Silis disappeared into the crowd and tried to maintain a calm demeanor. Unfortunately, Silis was a complete novice at this and began to overcompensate and instead of blending in, he appeared to be someone trying too hard to not be noticed.

The man's antics could only make Desmond shake his head while he looked over to Orllan and Jade who were as equally confused as he was about Lucius's plan.

The man in question approached them and instructed them to wait for a while and return to the conference room. With nothing else to do but follow Lucius's strange whims, they followed him back into the room. Where he sorted through the pile of documents. He pulled one out with Silis' name on it and began reading.

"As I thought, his mother is dead." Lucius informed them. "I overheard his conversation with you, so clearly he is hiding something. Also, he smelled familiar. I can't quite place it, but he has something in his possession that he got from someone I've met before."

"That's not good." Desmond muttered.

"No, it's not." Jade agreed. "You meet some pretty dangerous people. If they are involved in something that has the interest of not only the Wisteria Concord but also someone like Lady Tenia… Well that's a problem."

"Who is it?" Desmond asked. "Who is it that you smelled on him?"

"If I remembered, I would tell you. Also, something is off about it. I don't know quite what, but something about the smell is not right." Lucius explained. "Either way, we are following him. We are following him when we get word that he has left the building. Headmaster Orllan, please stay here."

"As you say."

A few moments later, one of the guards entered the room and informed them that Silis had left the premises. He was seen heading toward an inn not far from the facility. Without a word, he and Lucius left the lower level and shortly after, the building itself. There was no doubt in Desmond's mind now that this Silis person was the culprit.

The real question was who was the person that he was working with, that Lucius seemed to know?