A strange silence rested in the grand room. It was a silence to make visitors uncomfortable when they stood alone next to the gold-plated bust of the High Councilor. The sorcerer had most likely done it himself, a perfected image of his haughty face. Adeem held no illusions—the High Councilor was vain enough to have enhanced the features he treasured and shaved off the ones he didn't like. The man also had enough skills to allow the bust to spy on those who passed by. It was not a good idea to loiter in its proximity, but the secretary had asked him to oblige in no uncertain terms.

It was an official meeting. He'd been called to the Archive by invitation, and that alone made him wary. That, and the smug grin on the secretary's face when he'd arrived. He checked the time on his phone. It was ten minutes past their appointment, but that was hardly enough delay to become overly agitated.

He eyed the bust again, resisting the urge to make a face at it. He'd never met the High Councilor in person, but he'd heard more than enough stories over the centuries. The man was hailed to be the savior of them all on account of his leadership during the battle of ten. Adeem knew it hadn't been down to one man alone. The entire council had taken part, along with his dear parents. He wondered how it must feel for Kyung to walk by the man's shrine every day. Not pleasant, most likely. It raised even more questions about why Kyung had accepted to work for those who had effectively stolen his freedom. A weird flash of pity washed over him until he was able to come to this senses. The dragon needed no pity.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor outside. Every stone wall seemed to sing around him, announcing whoever it was who wanted to join. Kyung appeared beneath the open archway. Formally dressed in nothing but black, the dragon couldn't have looked more imposing. The High Councilor clearly shared the penchant for vanity with some of his underlings.

Kyung made no effort to acknowledge him with more than a bored stare.

"You called," he said, hating that he was the one to initiate conversation.

"My office." Kyung disappeared from view, giving him no other option than to leave the grand room and follow the dragon.

He shouldn't have been surprised by the lack of greeting, nor the display of difference in rank, but it didn't exactly improve his mood. Tracing the dragon's steps, he ascended the stairs and entered a much smaller room stripped of paintings and statues. It held a desk, a chair that was a tad less pompous than Denker's and more bookcases than he bothered to count. At least there were a couple of comfortable chairs for visitors, which at least made the office nicer than the one he'd visited a week ago.

The windows revealed the silhouette of Gamla Stan, and perhaps that was enough to make up for the lack of decorative enhancements.

"Sit." Kyung gestured at one of the chairs.

The chair was comfortable enough, but he immediately wanted to rise and get back to his apartment, or better yet, get out of the country. It had been a few intense days of reviewing his options, but he hadn't reached any sort of conclusion that he was comfortable with. It made him almost as twitchy as Nev, and the perceptive vampire had begun to notice.

"I called you here officially." Kyung placed his elbows on the table, leaning forward. "There are already talks around town that we met at your apartment, which means our cover is partially blown. I'm formally hiring you. It's the only way."

"I didn't tell anyone."

"No, I can't imagine you would. Someone must have seen us." Kyung's rigid pose broke into one of mild annoyance. "Now we just need to come up with a plausible reason to why I'm hiring you."

"I think it was the Nighters."

The dragon tapped his fingers together. "Sounds reasonable. But how do you know?"

"I spoke with Denker last week. They had me watched. For all I know they're still watching me."

"Why?"

Here it goes. "They asked me to spy on you." It was the only logical way to move forward. If push came to shove, he could take out the Nighters, but he feared he might not be able to defeat Kyung. Yes, he placed himself in a position where he had to work for the dragon, but for some reason his gut told him to do just that. Perhaps it was the invisible leash.

"Interesting." Kyung leaned back and finally broke the intense eye contact. The dragon's insistent gaze returned just as quickly as it had wavered. "What else did they tell you?"

"I won't say another word until you've assured me that Nev stays out of this."

"You're very protective of him. I wonder how that is. A demon with the ability to care about others."

"Maybe I'm not like other demons." He regretted the words immediately.

"No, you're not. I've met plenty of demons, but not a single one like you."

He wanted to throw something at the smug bastard but there was nothing in sight that would do enough damage, only piles of paper and a lone pen. He hadn't signed up for questioning. In fact, he hadn't signed up for anything at all, yet here he was, wrapped up in tension that threatened to unhinge him completely. But the dragon's gaze held him in place. He had no way out, no way to leave.

"I've never met a dragon, so I have nothing to compare you with."

"We're not that many." There was an undertone of sadness in Kyung's tone, but it disappeared so quickly that it may not have been there at all. "This gives us an edge, of course. If they believe you to be cooperative, it's far more likely that they'll give you what we both want."

And he took all the risks. The dragon had to be happy about that arrangement. He clutched the chair's armrests, willing the rest of his body to hide any sign of tension. "So, what about Nev?"

"The vampire seems harmless enough, but I believe it will be up to you to keep him out of trouble. There's only so much I can do."

That wasn't very helpful at all, but he shouldn't have expected more from a man who had used Nev as leverage for his cooperation. "What do you know of the Nighters?" he asked.

"Ah, we're back at the trust issue. Very well. I can tell you some of what I know." Kyung gave him a thin smile. "Denker is an interesting character. He's had his claws in a number of unsuccessful rebellions, but he's been smart enough to have others take the blame. I believe the Guardian in Berlin was on his trail a few years ago. Denker relocated to Stockholm and surrounded himself with people of similar minds. Clearly, he's not to be underestimated."

He thought about Denker's attitude and ill-fitted clothes. The man wasn't easy to forget, but perhaps Kyung had a point—he'd never once thought the man was capable of avoiding arrest for years.

Kyung slid a paper across the desk, placing it right in front of him. He began to read and frowned when he realized it was a personal letter from the Guardian in Berlin to Kyung.

"She has some pretty interesting things to say about him," Kyung said, even though the sentiment was clear enough in the letter.

"Denker told me as much last week. They want the council gone, and they want to seize control of human institutions as well."

"I have to ask, of course," Kyung seemed amused, "do you share this sentiment?"

"No. I want the council gone, but it would be foolish to meddle in human affairs. They can fend for themselves."

"Even when they seem to fail? It's not like we'd go unaffected if they decide to launch a few nuclear missiles."

This was a minefield. A nasty one at that. He had a feeling that any response could get him in trouble. This was the exact reason he stayed far away from politics. "What would you do?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

"I'm a dragon. It's in my nature to lead. The old stories tell me that I was a power hungry beast without a conscience. Wouldn't you assume I want to control the world? Make it my own?"

It felt like he was about to snap the armrests. "All I know of dragons are old stories and what little I know about you, which is to say, nothing."

Kyung's expression went from mild surprise back to the unaffected mask he'd worn since they'd met downstairs. "Are you saying you're giving me the benefit of doubt? That's quite a change from not trusting me at all."

"I want the council gone. That's it. Why complicate matters?"

"Indeed. We do share that one simple goal." Kyung chuckled softly as if the statement alone was something to laugh about, or perhaps it was the absurd situation. Taking down the council would be messy, if not impossible. Simple was not the term he would use.

A few moments of silence passed, and he took the time to study the room in more detail. He read a few book titles but found nothing that appeared out of place. The Archive was never especially warm with its wide stone walls and high ceilings, but the room struck him as more homey than he'd expected. The dragon had somehow added a few personal touches that still revealed nothing about who he was. No bust in honor of himself. 

His thoughts return to the grand room downstairs and the golden likeness of the High Councilor. "I'm surprised we're talking about this here."

Kyung chuckled again. "And where exactly are we?"

He swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. It couldn't be. Carefully he pulled up his phone and stared at the time. According to the display, he couldn't have been in the room for more than two minutes. "What the hell."

"I'm afraid you'll have to get used to this," Kyung answered, clearly satisfied that he'd been able to fool his visitor. "But don't worry. You are, in fact, sitting in that very chair."

"Get out of my head." It all made a bit more sense. His core should have reacted to the tension and anger if they'd been out in the open. It was exactly like last time, only, the dragon had recreated his office instead of letting them stand by the sea.

"Ah, but that's not how it works. I'm a prisoner here, you're the one who can leave. We're inside my mind after all."

A slight stirring in the air, the sounds of passing cars. It all came back in a rush, subtly but clear enough to make him wonder how he had overseen the glitch in the first place. He should have known, and it bothered him that he hadn't.

It was yet another reminder that he had a lot left to learn if he wanted to get out of this man's clutches.

Kyung's smile widened before it disappeared. The man knew exactly what he was thinking, and that wasn't comforting at all.

A/N I think this might be the first time ever I update on a Monday :D