The air in the abandoned archive had grown heavy, as if the very walls absorbed the tension that hung between the two groups. Valen stood close to Anika, his expression calm but watchful, while Sasha lingered just behind Ryker, her sharp gaze flicking between the Rathores and Varmas.
Ryker broke the silence first, his voice low, edged with steel."You're not telling us everything."
Kabir Rathore straightened, his hands clasped loosely behind his back. "We've told you what we found—traces of Meera's life, faint threads in a tapestry already half-burned."
Ryker stepped closer, his presence dark and commanding, the air almost crackling around him. "No. You've told us enough to keep us interested, but not the truth you carry. You know where she is—or at least where she was last seen. Why hide it?"
Aditya Varma, calm and deliberate, closed the ledger in front of him with a quiet snap. "And what would you do if we told you everything here and now? Charge forward blindly, burning down every door that bars your way? That is how traps are sprung, Ryker."
Valen shifted uneasily, sensing his brother's rising temper. "Ryker—"
But Ryker ignored him, his eyes narrowing at Aditya. "Don't speak to me of traps. I've lived in them my whole life. If you know something about Meera, about our mother, you will say it. Now."
The demand echoed in the archive. Anika reached out, brushing Valen's wrist, as if to keep him steady, while Sasha placed a grounding hand on Ryker's arm. Her touch was firm, reminding him not to lose control.
Kabir finally stepped forward, meeting Ryker's glare head-on. His voice was even, but the weight behind it was unmistakable."You're not the only ones carrying her blood in your veins. Her choices touched more than just the Ahir line. If we withhold details, it is because the truth is not only dangerous—it is poisoned. Revealing it before the time is right could cost all of us."
Ryker's jaw clenched. "That sounds like an excuse."
Aditya's gaze sharpened, his intellect cutting like a blade. "It's not an excuse. It's strategy. Meera's last known ties were not to a safe haven, but to a war still smoldering. Do you really want to walk into it unprepared, dragging your allies with you?"
For a moment, silence fell again, broken only by the faint hum of the city beyond the archive walls.
Valen finally spoke, his voice quieter but carrying weight. "If you know more, and we are indeed her sons, then the truth is ours by bloodright. Don't stand between us and her memory."
Kabir's expression softened briefly—just enough to reveal that beneath the soldier's exterior was a man who understood loss. "We're not standing between you and her. We're trying to make sure you live long enough to reach her."
Ryker exhaled sharply, torn between fury and the faintest thread of understanding. Sasha's hand lingered on his arm, keeping him from pushing further.
Aditya placed the closed ledger back onto the table. "We'll show you what we know—but in stages. If you truly want Meera's truth, you'll need patience, and discipline."
Ryker's lips curved into something between a snarl and a grim smile. "Then pray you don't test my patience too far."
Valen met Kabir's gaze with something steadier. "We'll follow the trail. But if we find out you've buried the truth deliberately—there will be no second chances."
Kabir inclined his head, unshaken. "Fair enough. Then let's see how far you're willing to walk."
The uneasy truce hung between them, fragile but binding, as the archive closed in around secrets waiting to be unearthed.