I Raised A Black Dragon

Kyle woke up at dawn and checked Noah’s temperature, although he swore complaints in his mind. Fortunately, the medicine she took last night worked; her forehead only felt slightly warm.

He turned around, clicking his tongue. He took his revolver out of the holster, checked the bullets and the silencer, and placed it back again. It was a habit he always did before starting an operation. 

Suddenly, a soft voice came from behind. 

“Mr. Uncle, where are you going?” Muell asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.

“To the captain’s office. Tell Noah when she wakes up. Take care of yourself.”

First, he was going to send a radio message to the Battuanu branch, and then investigate regarding Lenia Valtalere. He doubted if it was merely a coincidence that they bumped into her on the ship. Kyle shut the door quietly behind his back.

The captain’s room, fourth floor…

Soon, his footsteps, as light as a feather, disappeared from the hallway. And about ten minutes after he left, new footsteps resounded from the other end of the corridor. The stranger stepped on the long carpet in the hall of the first-class rooms. 

Until a couple of hours ago, the corridor remained eerily still, teetering with the waves. The slow, faint footsteps stopped at one place. Then, the stranger poked their shoe to the floor, and something slipped out of the carpet. It was a dark, shiny black bead.

“…Found it.” 

With a little murmur, the stranger crouched and picked up the bead, the Largo’s eyeball slipping into their pocket. 

Before long, the footsteps disappeared and the corridor sat still again, as if nothing had happened. 

*

Noah awoke to the darkness and fumbled for the lamp. As she turned the switch on, the room glowed a soft yellow light. Muell was sound asleep next to her. Apparently, she couldn’t remember when she fell asleep.

“Sir Leonard?” She called out to the investigator with a hoarse voice, still half-asleep.

The room fell quiet. There was no answer from him. 

Where did he go? She struggled to lift herself from the bed and trudged towards the bathroom, but Kyle was nowhere to be seen. Only then when she returned to the bed did she remember what he had said.

“First of all, I’ll have to go to the captain’s office and send a radio message to the Battuanu security forces, so that we can seek a special warrant for Lenia Valtalere from the Bureau of Investigation of Tezeba and arrest her as soon as the ship arrives at the port.”

“Oh, right. It seemed like he went to the captain’s office…” She mumbled. She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized she had slept for nearly ten hours. Noah was feeling better, perhaps because she had slept well. Then, she decided to return to her peaceful slumber until the butler returned.

The first-class rooms were at par with most hotels, as what Adrian had claimed. On the table on one side of the room, there were wine and glasses, even a menu to order room service. What only differed was the view: the current scenery outside the window of their room was not acres of green land and houses, but a vast blue sea.

Noah approached the round window. There was nothing outside that could be seen. It was dreadfully dark and still, other than the occasional shallow waves in the black sea. 

However, as she tilted her head upward, she beheld the dark sky twinkling with millions of stars. It was a similar view when they were on the train to Battuanu. The stars appeared to be the only indicator that separated the heavens from the sea.

She waited for Kyle, admiring the skies while she softly patted Muell’ head.

But even after a few hours, when the darkness that enveloped the heavens slowly faded away  and the sun’s golden glow began to light the skies, Kyle did not return. 

Soon, Noah fell asleep again, and woke up to the sun’s blinding rays.