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"What could they have possibly been looking for?" Fen asked, staring around at the wreckage.
Kemes was in Asten's study, holding the small mechanical bird. There was only one bookshelf remaining unbroken. The rest had been thrown onto the floor and trampled. They had even broken every single one of his glass vials and beakers.
"I can't see any blood anywhere. Maybe they are holding him in the palace prisons?" Kashmet suggested.
"Or he's digesting in a fucking arena saber cat," Kemes muttered.
They all pulled weapons as the untouched bookshelf slid back, and a disheveled Asten stepped out.
"Khan. I thought I was really losing it when I felt your magic just now," he said, face breaking into a happy smile. His eyes flickered over to Kemes and the bird she was holding. "You got my message! Excellent."
Kemes's look of relief turned to anger, and she threw the bird at him. Asten yelped. "What was that for?"
"I thought you were dead!" she shouted.
"What made you think that?" Asten looked over at Fen with a frown. "Hello, don't think we've met."
Khan let out a huff of laughter and lowered the charm over her. "Good to know this glamor is strong enough to fool a Thothi."
Asten's face lit up, and he caught Fen in a hug. "Fen! I'm so happy you're alive too! I still had many questions to ask you."
"It is nice to see you alive as well, Asten. We were all worried about your safety after receiving your message," Fen replied, patting him on the back.
Kemes let out a growl of frustration and walked out of the room.
"Gods spare me," Kashmet muttered.
Asten frowned. "What's wrong with her?"
"I don't know how someone can be so smart and such an idiot," Kashmet replied with a shake of his head. He headed for the door. "I'll take her to check on Hafiza and the children and meet you back at Sargon's barge."
"Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Kash."
Asten stared after them and pushed his smudged glasses up on his loose dark hair. "Khan, I feel like I've done something wrong without realizing it."
"It's okay. Kemes was really worried that you had been hurt because your message ended the way it did. She just doesn't know how to show that properly," Khan explained.
"Oh." Asten's frown deepened. "But she doesn't like me, so why should she care?"
Khan took a calming breath. "Kemes shows her feelings for people differently from others. At the end of the message, you said guards were coming, and we assumed the worst."
"I was apprehended at the temple when I was making the bird. They weren't interested in it. That's how I managed to get it back here to set it loose."
"What happened here?" Fen asked, pointing at all the wreckage.
Asten smiled, his frown disappearing lightning quick. "Subterfuge. I thought if anyone came looking for me, it would throw them off the trail. Smart, don't you think?"
Khan pinched the bridge of his nose while Fen turned red from trying to stifle her laughter.
"Yes. It…it really worked, Asten. Very convincing. I didn't know you had built a secret room behind your bookcase."
"It's a new edition. Come and see," Asten waved them in as he stepped back through the hidden door.
Fen looked up at Khan, and a giggle burst out of her. "He's so, so clever."
Khan kissed her cheek. "Don't start. We will have to deal with Kemes pouting over this for weeks."
Inside, the hidden space was crammed with all of Asten's rare books and personal journals. He had a bed in one corner and a desk in the other.
