Flashback 14

“Are you there?” RuIng's voice rang in the darkness of his room. Sevir sat up and opened the lights.

RuIng’s face appeared in the crystal. There was ash on his brows, his face was rounder than usual, but his eyes were shallower, and nose was thinner from a side light. His cheekbones were smeared with something black, like soot.

“You look exhausted. Are you okay?” Past RuIng’s temple wasn’t his usual room.

RuIng nodded, tiredly, “I haven't talked to you in a while. Headmaster Wama is not here, so I thought…”

“You are still traveling? It’s been six months.”

“The problem was bigger than we thought. We went from village to village rounding criminals but not all are criminals but not all are innocent. Complicated things…”

“Are you safe?”

RuIng snickered, “that’s the last thing on my mind. I don’t want to talk about this. Tell me what is going on at your end?”