Back in the attic of the Eldridge Estate, Kai stood over his desk, a book open before him. The pages were filled with English script, the only written language he knew from his old world, and one he was certain no one in this realm could read. He tapped his fingers against the desk before drawing a thin barrier sigil across the top of the book. Then, cautiously, he opened a small glass jar and scooped out a tiny sar of the anti-magic paste he had purchased from the alchemist.
With careful precision, he applied the paste to the sigil. The mont the viscous substance touched the ink, the faint light of the sigil faded and the barrier shattered like brittle glass, the glow of its power vanishing into the air.
Kai exhaled a long breath of relief. "Good. It works."
With the test complete, he tucked the jar back into a warded box and made his way through the estate. He paused outside Naia’s door and gave a light knock before pushing it open. She was seated cross-legged on the floor, a soft book of fire spells hovering in the air before her, illuminated by a hovering orb of fla.
"Hey," Kai said, leaning on the fra. "How’s the fire magic coming?"
Naia looked up, a small grin forming. "It’s always training this, training that, with you!"
"Well, I am your tutor," Kai said, walking in.
She stood and closed the book, then walked over and shut the door behind him. "I agreed to you being my tutor because I thought we could get closer. I want to know more about you, Kai."
He stiffened slightly. "Naia... It’s Luke while I’m here."
She stepped forward, almost defiantly. "Ever since you told your real na, you’ve been Kai. You’ll always be Kai to ."
"Fine, fine. But please, at least around the staff and your father, stick with Luke. I don’t need trouble. I can tell you whatever you want to know, just not tonight. I’ve got sothing important to do."
Naia crossed her arms. "Then tomorrow, I’m going to keep you talking all day until your throat goes raw."
He smiled slightly. "Looking forward to it."
She gave a small laugh. "Also, I set the neighbour’s fence on fire. Accidentally. Turns out magical fire can lt magically-reinforced steel. Who knew?"
Kai narrowed his eyes. ’Magical steel shouldn’t lt like that... Unless her gravity magic’s amplifying the fla’s pressure?’
"Well, now you know. Be more careful."
"I will," she said. "So, tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow."
With their exchange done, Kai left the estate under the rising veil of night. He cloaked himself in his Umbral Mantle and ghosted across the rooftops toward the palace. The guards were predictable, walking their sa circuits as always. The ti he spent mapping their routes and the floorplan of the palace made his infiltration trivial.
He slipped into Kleo’s room and tapped her gently on the forehead. She stirred but did not startle.
He was about to lower his Umbral Mantle when Kleo shook her head.
’Keep it up," she whispered.
She’d been waiting.
"You ready?" he asked quietly.
Kleo pushed back her blanket, already dressed in shadow-colored clothing, a sword belted to her side. "Are you? How about the paste? Do you have it? Have you tested it?"
"It works. I need you to wait in the courtyard you usually train in. I can sneak in, but I can’t hide you. If we get caught, I know you’d rather I get away so I can save Firra."
Kleo nodded solemnly. "I trust you. Bring her back to ."
He vanished into the halls, retracing the sa route he took weeks ago. When he reached the great anti-magic archway, he exchanged his dampening gloves for regular ones, slathered them with the paste, and began saring it onto the etched runes and sigils carved deep into the stone.
A faint hiss escaped the structure as the anti-magic enchantnts began to degrade.
When he was done, he activated his Umbral Mantle and stepped through.
Nothing disrupted.
His mana flowed normally. His connection to his shadow space and undead army remained untouched. The paste worked.
Further down the hall, two knights sat at attention, watching either side of the massive doors that led to the King’s private chambers. Kai studied their line of sight, then began to form two barriers, using illusion magic to bend the light and create the image of an undisturbed hallway. Each knight would see only the opposite wall, unaware of what was happening between them.
Then, Kai slipped forward and quietly opened the massive doors.
What he found made his blood run cold.
Firra lay slumped against the floor, wrists chained, lips cracked from dehydration, her once-shining black hair now tangled and matted. A collar shimred faintly around her throat. A tether of mana connected it to the matching collar on the unconscious man lying in bed.
The magic flowed from Firra into him, keeping his body sustained. It wasn’t healing. It was siphoning. Feeding.
Kai dismissed the Umbral Mantle.
The man stirred, barely raising his head. His voice was a whisper. "Arion?"
’Why are you calling for the prince?’
From the bed, the man opened his eyes. "You’re not my son... Guards!"
But his voice was weak, and Kai’s barriers held firm outside. No one would hear him.
"Firra," Kai said. "I’m here to save you."
He knelt by her, his hands glowing with focused fla magic as he strengthened his skin. Then, with a carefully controlled surge of heat, he lted the collar. It sizzled, and with a dull pop, it cracked and fell.
Firra collapsed forward into his arms, sobbing silently. She didn’t need words.
Kai lifted her gently and stood.
He looked back at the man that he realised was, in fact, the King of Forne.
"You’ve been draining people just to keep yourself alive? You’re a coward. If you wanted to survive, at least find your own victims. Give them a chance."
The King said nothing. Either because he couldn’t, or wouldn’t.
Now not having sothing to drain mana or perhaps life essence from, his skin grew more pale by the minute.
Kai opened up his shadow space, and pulled one of his zombies out. One who resembled Firra the most, and relinquished his control over it. Therefore, it would look like she had died.
He turned, still carrying Firra, and opened the chamber doors. Neither of the knights stirred.
The hallway was still quiet.
The illusion barriers Kai had created held perfectly, shimring faintly with the enchantnts woven into their fras. The two knights on either end remained unaware of the breach, staring straight ahead like statues.
Firra stumbled beside him, her bare feet scuffing softly against the cold stone. She was weak, barely holding herself upright, and her eyes, once full of pride and fire, if Kleo’s stories were true, were vacant, glassy, lost sowhere between exhaustion and disbelief.
Kai wrapped an arm around her back and one around her legs and princess carried her out of the area.
"Don’t speak. I’ll get you out."
Firra didn’t respond, but her fingers clenched the sleeve of his coat. That was enough.
He retraced his steps down the hall. At each corner, Kai stuck to the shadows and kept a small film of shadow around them to hopefully keep them from view. It kept the guards from noticing the quiet procession moving through their domain.
It was a ga of practiced perfection. One misstep, one sound, and everything could collapse.
When they reached the small courtyard, Kleo stood waiting exactly where she was told, her eyes already brimming with tears. The mont she saw her sister, she ran forward.
"Firra!"
Firra lifted her head, blinked once, then twice, as though she couldn’t trust what she was seeing. But when Kleo fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her, she finally broke.
Kai eased her to the ground and smiled. He felt the mana and life essence inside her struggle, but it stayed even, not dropping for a mont.
Kai felt the barriers around the king’s bedroom weaken, and then break. They knew.
Sobs erupted from her chest. Hoarse and ragged, but real. Kleo clutched her tightly, whispering apologies, stroking her hair.
"Soone attacked the king! Find the intruder!"
’Attacked? Sure, I removed his life...’ Kai clutched at his chest. ’Life support... So, the king is dead? No way. Regicide? I killed the king of Iria? Fuck!’
Kai kept his eyes on the surrounding windows and towers. "Co on. Not here. We’re still in danger."
Kleo stood and nodded quickly, wiping her eyes. She moved beside Firra, taking her weight off Kai. The three of them began their slow exit, ducking through hidden halls and old servants’ passages that Kleo and Kai had found during their visits and work in the palace. Every few seconds, Kai checked for the pulse of the divine, but there was still no response.
Until they were free of the palace walls, he would stay away from using Necromancy, as maintaining more barriers and protecting both Firra and Kleo while keeping any attention from the divine from him would be too much to handle.
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