Chapter 203 He Will Come Back
Coban’s POV
The moment Kevan finished talking, the room didn’t erupt into discussion. It went quiet. Not the peaceful kind of quiet either. The kind that sits heavy in the air when everyone in the room understands the same thing at the exact same time.
Clarence wasn’t cornered. He wasn’t wounded. He was gone. And men like him didn’t vanish unless they had somewhere very specific to go.
I moved around the desk slowly, resting one hand against the polished wood while I watched the room.
Kevan leaned back in his chair like he’d just finished telling a story at dinner. Mark stood near the wall with his arms crossed, expression thoughtful rather than frustrated.
Darien had his weight against the back of another chair, while Lucian stared out the window toward the training grounds.
Everyone thinking. Everyone calculating.
Behind them, Cassian let out a loud, triumphant squeal.
I turned just in time to see the small wooden block Atlas had been reaching for shoot straight across the rug like it had been flicked by an invisible hand. Kael dove for it. Missed. Rolled over onto his stomach and started crawling after it like his entire life depended on it. Atlas clapped happily. Cassian bounced where he sat, golden sparks flickering faintly around his small hands.
Kevan watched them for a second and slowly rubbed his face. “Alright,” he muttered. “That’s still weird.”
Lucian snorted. “You’ve seen them do that before.”
“Yeah,” Kevan said. “Still weird.”
Trixie reached down and steadied Kael before he could face-plant into the leg of the table. Her movements were calm and effortless.
But I knew her well enough to recognize when her mind was somewhere else. Already working.
Caden finally broke the silence. “He’s going to regroup.”
Mark nodded immediately. “No question.”
Darien straightened slightly. “And he won’t sit still for long.”
That was the part people misunderstood about men like Clarence. They assumed hiding meant weakness. It didn’t. Hiding meant planning.
Atlas suddenly slapped the rug with both hands and laughed when the toy block lifted again, wobbling in the air like it couldn’t decide where it wanted to land. Cassian lunged forward, determined to grab it. The block shot sideways again.
Kevan leaned forward in his chair. “Are they doing that on purpose now?”
Lucian glanced over. “Oh absolutely.”
Kevan looked back at me. “Well damn, that’s comforting.”
I ignored him and looked toward Mark. “Status across the region?”
Mark pushed away from the wall slightly. “Scouts are already moving through the outer territories. No unusual movement yet, but if Clarence linked up with anyone overnight we’ll hear about it.”
Caden nodded once. “And the warriors we took from the compound?”
“Locked down,” Mark said. “Separated. No communication between them.”
Kevan lifted a finger lazily. “One of them already tried to bluff his way into a deal.”
Lucian raised an eyebrow. “And?”
Kevan grinned. “I told him I wasn’t the negotiating type.”
Darien chuckled quietly. “Which means you scared him half to death.”
“Probably.” He shook his head and laughed.
Cassian suddenly crawled straight into Kevan’s boot. Kevan looked down slowly. The small boy grabbed the laces and gave them an experimental tug.
Kevan froze. “Uh…”
Atlas crawled over immediately, clearly deciding whatever Cassian had found was interesting.
Two babies now pulling at Kevan’s boots. Golden light flickered again between them. Kevan looked up at me with wide eyes.
“Coban.”
I crossed my arms. “Handle it.”
He stared at me. “You’re serious?”
Trixie didn’t even look up from Kael. “They like you.”
Kevan groaned. “That’s worse.”
Atlas suddenly let go of the boot and clapped again. Kevan’s knife slid two inches across the floor on its own. He looked down. Then back at the twins. "Nope.”
Lucian laughed under his breath. “You’re being evaluated.”
“By babies,” Kevan said.
Darien leaned forward slightly. "You should feel honored.”
Kevan leaned back in the chair as far as he could without falling over while Cassian attempted to climb his leg. "This is a hostile situation.”
Caden ignored the circus happening behind us.
“Clarence has distance,” he said calmly. “But distance means movement. Movement leaves traces.”
Mark nodded. “We’ll find them.” Eventually. Clarence might be careful, but no one vanished forever.
The palace intercom clicked softly from the wall.
A guard’s voice came through. “King Coban?”
I walked over and pressed the button. "Go ahead.”
“Additional scouts just checked in from the southern ridges. No confirmed sightings yet, but they’re expanding the search perimeter.”
“Keep them moving,” I said.
“Yes sir.”
The line clicked off. I turned back around.
Kevan was now holding Cassian under the arms like he’d been handed a live grenade. The boy stared at him happily. Atlas sat on the rug watching the entire situation like it was entertainment. Kael crawled over and joined the audience.
Kevan looked deeply uncomfortable. “I don’t think he likes my vibe,” he said.
Cassian smacked him in the chin.
Lucian burst out laughing. “Looks like he does.”
Kevan sighed. “This is humiliating.”
Trixie finally stood and walked over, taking Cassian easily from Kevan’s arms. The moment she did, Kevan relaxed like someone had just disarmed a bomb.
“Thank you.” He said in relief as his shoulders relaxed slightly now.
Caden looked at me again. “Clarence will surface.”
“Yes,” I said with certainty. Because men like him always did. The question wasn’t if. It was when. And when that moment came. We wouldn’t miss it.
Behind us Atlas suddenly laughed again as the wooden block lifted into the air one more time.
Kevan glanced over. “Alright,” he muttered.
“I officially blame those two for whatever chaos comes next.”