The Subterris Office of Trainees stood tall behind them. Its shadow stretched across the road in the twilight, daring Ezra to recall his abysmal performance only days earlier. Yet that was not his focus now. The hotel across the street drew Ezra’s attention as he checked again that the ground was, in fact, solid. He’d lost count of how many times Wilfred had used his skill, but it was enough that the man seemed exhausted.

  Wilfred tried his best not to show it, yet the sweat dripping from his brow told Ezra otherwise. Taking another deep breath, Ezra finally found his footing while Milo was already marching through the hotel’s doors. The interior was more gaudy than the outside had indicated.

  Paintings in gilded frames hung on polished walls that led to a waiting area with several armchairs and a couch. Beyond that, an area for a restaurant hummed with less than a dozen people who paid no attention to them entering. Yet adjacent to the lobby, a clerk's desk wrapped around a single attendant who gazed at the ragtag group of sky-seekers who had stumbled through the door. Her slight confusion quickly turned to a painfully professional smile that Ezra supposed was meant to be welcoming.

  Unfazed, Milo continued his steady gait right up to the edge of the desk. “Hello, we’re here to visit Hana Bai Lou. I believe she’s staying here.”

  Fixing her smile, the clerk blinked at Milo’s request as Wilfred slouched down on a couch with a grunt. “I am sorry, sir, but Hana is not seeing guests at this moment. In order to maintain her privacy, I will not be able to direct you toward her. If you would like to leave a message for her, one of our staff can deliver it. I’m sure she would be happy to hear words of encouragement from another fan.”

  “I think you’re misunderstanding,” Milo chuckled and leaned on the desk. “We’re not fans of Hana; we’re friends of hers. We know her personally, and I’m sure if she got the chance to see us, she would confirm the same. I know it’s a big ask, but I’m sure she would be happy to see us.”

  The woman’s smile faltered, and she sighed like an impatient parent. “Your story is as likely as anyone else's who has said the same today. Of which fourteen have. If you have no other business, please leave before I have to involve security.”

  Milo hesitated for a second and took his weight off the desk. “There’s no need to do that.”

  Wilfred arched an eyebrow and was about to rise from the couch, but Ezra placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

  “You could message her pocket.” Milo stopped, realizing the woman in front of him likely wasn’t a sky-seeker, and therefore, it was possible she wouldn’t have a pocket. “You must have some way to contact her. Just tell her our names. Ezra and Milo. She’ll know who we are. We need to see her as soon as possible.”

  The clerk’s nails struck the desk with increasing ferocity. “I am sorry, sir, but we are under no obligation to be on your timetable.” She scribbled Ezra and Milo’s names onto a piece of paper and thrust it in front of Milo. “If this is the message you wish to deliver, I can have it done by tomorrow morning.”

  “We don’t have till tomorrow morning. If you are going to believe any of the fourteen people who have asked about her, trust us. We meet during a seeker test in deep burrow.” Milo scrambled to follow his train of thought before the woman decided to cut him off. “I bet that's not something many people know. A Voyager’s daughter taking a test in Deepburrow of all places is unheard of, but she really did. We had to capture a bird that…”

  “That is enough.” Her cold stare froze Milo’s words on his tongue. “I will ask you one more time. Leave.”

  For once, words wouldn’t come to Milo as Ezra watched him go stiff. Yet, as he considered their next course of action, a woman with black hair past her shoulders briskly walked into the restaurant. “Milo, it’s her,” Ezra said, pointing in Hana’s direction.

  Upon hearing Ezra’s words, the confidence to act came rushing back to Milo as he dashed into the restaurant, much to the dismay of the hotel attendant. “Hana, it’s me from the seeker and Morltin tests. Remember.”

  “I am so sorry, Miss. Bai Lou.” The clerk quickly followed up. “On behalf of Light-vis hotel, I sincerely apologize for not upholding your privacy. I can escort this young man out immediately.”

  “It’s fine. I know him,” Hana said with a placid expression as she fixed a puzzled gaze on Milo and muttered something under her breath. The hotel clerk backed off, wide-eyed, as Hana waved her away. “You seemed stressed. Is something the matter?”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “You could say that,” Milo said as Wilfred and Ezra approached from behind. “But I can’t talk about it out here. If we could go somewhere more private, that would be great.”

  She nodded and then yawned as she grabbed a mug from a stack on a counter. “We can go up to my room. Just give me a minute.”

  Hana seemed different than the previous times Ezra had seen her. For one thing, her hair was a bit messy, and secondly, she seemed way too casual about all of this. Her usual stern expression had faded from her face, and all he saw was an exhausted woman with little care for anything else.

  It wasn’t long before she returned with a mug of murky liquid and guided them upstairs to the fourth floor. They went at Hana’s pace, yet Wilfred was close behind, silently urging them to go quicker. Once they arrived at the room, Hana tapped her pocket against the door handle, and the lock clicked open. It opened into a room with windows spanning an entire wall leading out to a balcony. A velvet couch and two armchairs were arranged neatly in the center while arches to other parts of the hotel room opened on either side. The abundant natural light made half the objects in the room glimmer with a gaudy gleam and highlighted the intricacies of the other half.

  “Wow, I’ve never been in a place this fancy. You make climbing look like a luxury.” Milo said as he took in the room with childlike wonder.

  “My father makes climbing look like a luxury.” Hana set the mug down on a table between the chairs and slouched down in the one nearest to the window. “All of this is his money. Not mine.”

  “Well,” Milo continued. “Either way, it’s a nice room. Enjoy it while you can.” Milo sat on the arm of the couch while Ezra settled on the cushions. Wilfred remained standing, staring out at the cityscape that was beginning to light up the coming night. “I don’t want to waste your time, so I’ll just ask. Can we borrow the Abyss jumper on your team, or if he can’t do it, can he put us in contact with other Abyss Jumpers?”

  Taking a sip of the murky liquid, Hana took her time giving an answer. “Why?”

  “We need to get across the ring before tomorrow morning,” Wilfred interjected with a gruff tone. “Someone’s life depends on it.”

  “Sure, you can have him for the night or all of tomorrow. I don’t really care.” She took another drink, gazed out the window with a blank stare, and then pulled out her pocket. A blue screen materialized in front of her, and seconds later, words flashed across the screen before she closed it. “He should be here soon.”

  Silence filled the room with its oppressive weight, and Ezra shifted on the couch. “I don’t mean to be ungrateful, but why were you so willing to help? To be honest, you barely know us.”

  Hana brushed strands of hair aside and tightened her jaw, holding back any words from escaping her lips until, finally, she opened them. “Because I made the choice myself.” Leaning forward, she stared at the floor and then raised her eyes with more confidence. “Neither of you passed the Morltin test. I didn’t see either of your names on the leaderboard. Ezra and Milo, right?”

  They both nodded as Wilfred folded his arms. What does this have to do with anything? Ezra thought.

  “I never should have passed.” The dimples on Hana’s face grew as she frowned. “My father wouldn’t want me to tell anyone this, but I just can’t. I can’t keep living like this. My teammates were Polnolite seekers. You won’t find it on any official records, but my father somehow got the testing officials to let them enter. I found out last night. I saw the designs on their pockets. The disks were all purple.”

  “Then why take the test? Just tell him you don’t want to.” Milo said.

  “Milo.” Ezra winced at his friend’s bluntness. “It’s probably not that simple.” He looked towards Hana for confirmation.

  “I'm worried I’ll prove him right. It’s…”

  A shadowy figure stretched across the room, and they all looked towards the massive window. White robes billowed behind a man who landed with grace upon the gray-tiled balcony. “You messaged,” the man said promptly once he opened the door.

  “Yes, I need you to get these three across the ring before tomorrow morning.”

  “Why, so quickly?” The man passed a curious glance towards the three strangers in the room.

  “My father isn’t paying you to ask questions,” Hana said with a level stare that had so much force behind it that it could push any of them out of the room.

  The man held his ground and clasped his hands behind his back. “I’ll need to get two others if all three of them are going to cross.”

  “You can just take me,” Wilfred said.

  “Hold on,” Milo raised his voice and stepped in front of Wilfred. “That’s not what we agreed to.” Wilfred opened his mouth to respond, but Milo directed his attention towards the Abyss Jumper. “How quickly can you gather two people, and how long will it take to get across the ring?”

  “An hour to get people and likely two hours, maybe an hour and a half, to cross the abyss.” The man kept his expressionless face as he waited for a response.

  “See, we have plenty of time, and even if we’re not directly involved, you’ll want someone to watch your back,” Milo reassured Wilfred.

  Ezra nodded in agreement. “We’re not giving up on you or Marlaove.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Milo said. He approached the man robed in white and stuck out his hand. “Pleasure working with you.”

  The man rolled his eyes and shook Milo’s hand. A brief grin appeared on Hana’s face, and Ezra had a feeling that at least for now, she would be all right.