Restraining the distaste that I was feeling at the moment, I silently waited for the blundering fool to find what he was looking for. In the sweltering heat of this little shack in the middle of nowhere, he had one little desk fan to move the hot air around. The windows were open but they did absolutely nothing.

"It's here somewhere." He muttered.

I'm sure it was. The office of the commanding officer for this posting was tiny, I've seen coffins bigger than this room. I suppose that he worked with what he could and there were clearly things more important than a flash office or air conditioning. Security was strong, far better than anything I've ever seen. Which considering they were constructing a large bridge to the other side of Rivarno Diablis, I'd say that it was warranted.

"There!" He exclaimed, lifting a brochure.

I took it and looked at this mystery spa that no one had ever heard of.

"Has anyone else been to this place?"

"Well, it's close enough if the troops want to go there for R and R but until Silas produced that pamphlet, I wasn't aware of it so I doubt the troops were either. In this camp, we have a gender imbalance. Ninety percent are male and to be brutally honest, they're not interested in getting a massage unless it comes with a happy ending. I doubt that something as classy as that place offers such things."

Yes, it did seem rather upmarket and lacking in prostitutes. I was never one to judge a book by its cover so I would not make assumptions about this place or where Silas might or might not be.

"Has anyone rung this place or gone to see if he is there?"

"My assistant rang when Silas did not return as scheduled. She was met with an interesting response."

I raised an eyebrow as I tucked the brochure into the inner pocket of my jacket.

"Oh?"

"Client confidentiality. Odd, don't you think?"

"Yep. I take it that no one went down there?"

"We cannot leave the base unguarded at the moment. All R and R has been canceled until further notice. I rang the leader's assistant and told him of this, I assume that is why you are here."

Or perhaps Oliver realized that this place was filled with incompetence. It wasn't a good thing considering they were the only line of defense against the creatures.

"Why?"

"Pardon?"

"Why can't anyone leave the base?"

"The final section of the bridge is about to go into place. We've held off until Silas returned but the time limits are almost at an end."

"So, you would continue without Silas if he didn't return?"

"Yes, though I would rather he was here. He has quite a rapport with the workers. They were getting the job done with little fuss."

With a heavy sigh, I wandered to the closest window. Outside it was lit up with massive floodlights, not a section of the base was spared from the harsh light. Like all army bases, it was set up to function of a night and during the day, it was down to the security staff that were either hidden from the sun or a hybrid that could venture into limited light.

"Tell me something, General. Do you fear foul play?"

Turning to the silent man, I saw a stunned face. He shrugged uneasily, not making this any easier.

"Well, you should," I said. "He is a part of the royal family, the very same family that has taken down several other royal families and consumed their provinces. He's an integral part of a team that is building a bridge to a land that anyone with half a brain would figure out is worth something."

"How so?" He stammered.

I turned and faced him directly rather than the half-hearted attempt from my position at the window.

"Because the king of province five has consumed every single province along the ridge. Why?" I said softly, leaning in closer. "If I as a civilian with no interest or concern asks that question then don't you think that those who do have interests in the bigger things would ask the question and many more?"

Before this mission, I didn't give two hoots as to what any leader did in this area provided that it didn't affect my family. Now, it was different. I had to find someone that could be dead as a result of the past. I wonder what the king will say if I return to them with the grim news that his warmongering cost his uncle his life.

"I'd like to see the sleeping accommodation please."

"Of course."

General Blyth gestured to the door, I followed him as he awkwardly moved through the narrow gap and into the stagnant air outside. The path to where Silas rested of a day wasn't that far. It was a two-level building with external stairs and breezeway to each of the rooms. Underneath were the mess hall and other necessary rooms.

Walking up the stairs, I looked out at the base and wondered if I'd find Silas alive or not. I always hoped for a positive outcome but I didn't always get them. The General opened the door, flicking on the light as he stepped aside.

The room was small and rather understated. A coffin to one side, a free-standing rack that had a few clothes still hanging and a wet room. Lifting the lid to the coffin, I saw nothing but the satin lining. Pulling a pen out of my pocket, I ran it along the folds where the sides met, searching for anything. Snagging something, I frowned and pulled back the cushioning to find a latch.

"Step back."

Blyth closed the door and moved into the corner, watching and waiting with a burning curiosity. I was always wary of latches found in coffins, they were the hidden access to things that were not meant to be found.

Or in this case, things that Silas didn't want to be caught with. The General blushed with an amused smile when he saw the contents of the drawer.

"Well," I hummed, pulling out the magazine. "We know that he intended to come back. After all, who in their right mind would leave sultry Sally behind?"

Blyth choked with laughter, the blush still burning hard. Searching the rest of the drawer, I found nothing that was interesting. That is unless I was a horny teenager, which I wasn't. After shutting the drawer of misbehavior, I searched the rest of the coffin and found nothing. The wet room wasn't much better.

With the realization that this room, the base or the people weren't offering any hints, I knew that my search had to move on. Before I did that, I needed to ensure that Blyth and I were on the same page. It wasn't beyond anyone to kill a person that was getting under their skin.

Walking over, I stopped in front of him.

"Do you know who I am, General?"

Warily he nodded.

"So, my reputation has preceded me?"

"It has." He murmured.

"And you know that I always find the person that I'm looking for, right?"

"Yes,"

The word was barely heard, a breathy whisper that said a lot to me.

"If I find out that you or anyone here has hidden something from me, regardless of how big or small it might be, I will make you pay dearly. Is there anything that you want to offer before I leave?"

The General stared for a moment and then relented with a sigh.

"If you don't have any success at the spa, try the brothels between there and here."

Sounds positively riveting.

"Known to enjoy life to the fullest?"

"All the troops want is a little time to forget the world we live in. For Silas and his team, it has always been more than that. Come with me, I want to show you something."

He opened the door, waiting for me to pass. When the door was locked again, the General walked back to the stairs and ascended to the next level. It was a covered breezeway with panels between the sections along the side that faced the gorge. On the other side, there was nothing but the posts that held the roof up.

"I assume that you know of what lies beyond those trees."

I looked at Blyth and wondered how I could say it.

"You could say that." I murmured.

Know? It wasn't the word I'd use. Seen, believed and still very stunned were far better terms to use when considering what I'd faced when meeting the queen's darker side.

"This was discovered to be the narrowest point in any of the sections along the ridge. It is why this place was chosen as the site for the bridge. When we first arrived, we set up the walls to protect the workers first. Night after night, day after day, we'd hear things being pelted against the walls. Send a camera up and rocks were thrown at it. The base grew and we became more fortified, resting easier of a day knowing that projectiles wouldn't land on our buildings. Silas arrived and told us that communicating with the creatures was possible but persistence and food rewards were necessary. This building was put up quickly so that he could show us how to train the creatures. He showed us, he guided us and he warned us."

Blyth pulled a pair of binoculars down from the panel, handing them to me. I lifted them and searched the other side of the gorge, seeing nothing but green plants.

"Silas said that becoming attached to the creatures was easily done, more so if we happened to see them on a regular basis. The mothers would come by with their children, sometimes we'd see that the creature has been wounded, sometimes they would look like they're starving. All the things that would tug at our hearts and make us want to help them. And of course, we would. Meat is shipped here constantly so that we always have something to throw over to them. The more they appear, the more they can learn. We started with basic gestures, teaching them and rewarding them for their efforts. The issue that we have with this situation is the other creature has figured out what we're doing and they don't like it. They punish any creature that associates with us."

He sighed heavily, looking disheartened as he leaned on the panel to look down at the workers below.

"Asking the men and women down there to try and communicate with the creatures was easy in the beginning, now they refuse to do it. Not because they don't want to talk to them or reward them but because they don't want them to suffer. When you find Silas, you will understand what I mean. He was up here the night of what I can only say is the worst attack we've ever seen. If Silas is alive then I pray that he is still sane but I doubt that he will be."