After my conversation with Grandmother Sky, I returned to the restaurant to speak with my parents. We chatted for a bit, before we went our separate ways. However, not before Father told to co see him early in the morning. He had a surprise for . In fact, he had a surprise for my entire group and asked to bring everyone along.
I figured that this was related to Mother sohow, so I agreed before heading back to Grand Priest Darius' residence. When I arrived, I told everyone about Father's surprise and asked them to make so ti for it. Everyone agreed without much trouble, except for Priest Jai. He grumbled for a bit under his breath. We were all used to it by this point, so we ignored him.
The next morning, after breakfast, I herded everyone towards the hotel my parents were staying at. When we arrived, we found the two of them waiting for us, alongside Grandmother Sky. Three hired carriages sat next to them.
This was a little unusual. Vehicles and mounts were allowed in Templeton, since it wasn't on Mt. Sol itself, but people still preferred to travel on foot. At least in town. I suspected that our destination was sowhere outside of Templeton.
Everyone piled into the carriages, before we headed off. I shared one with Anna and my parents, while everyone else filled the other two carriages. This included Grandmother Sky and Caitlyn, Mother's bodyguard.
That led to realize that I hadn't seen Trent Jeffers, Father's bodyguard and Aleah Jeffers' husband.
Or was he?
Now that I thought it, maybe they weren't married at all. Maybe Trent Jeffers was Aleah Jeffers' subordinate. Or maybe they were married, but she was using him as a cover. I didn't know. Learning about Aleah Jeffers' true identity had flipped many things on their head.
When I asked Father about Trent Jeffers, he just gave a mysterious smile and didn't say anything. I tried a few more tis, but he remained silent. In the end, I gave up.
A little while later, my suspicions proved correct when the carriages left Templeton. Along the way, I asked Father and Mother about House Sturm and Clan Sturm. Before I left for Eastwatch, Father and Kaylee were busy dealing with the traitors within House Sturm.
These traitors were also connected to so kind of criminal organization that had infiltrated a number of Houses. We also suspected that this criminal organization had ties to the Order of the Infernal Star.
According to Father, matters within House Sturm were going well. They were taking their ti searching for the traitors, since they didn't want to alert any of them. The plan was to figure out who all the traitors were, before dealing with them all in one fell sweep.
Dealing with the criminal organization, on the other hand, was proving to be more difficult. Father was working with House Montgory, a historical rival of House Sturm, since they had also been affected. However, neither of them had gotten far. While they managed to identify and capture several low-ranking mbers of the criminal organization, they hadn't found any high-ranking mbers.
I suggested that Father work with the Inquisition on this. After all, if this criminal organization was tied to the Order of the Infernal Star, then dealing with them fell under the Inquisition's authority. Father nodded and said he'd think about it.
Things were going much better for Clan Sturm according to Mother. After settling down at Sturm Hill Hall, she focused on building the Clan's strength and influence. Things were improving at a slow but steady rate, though they started to move faster when Grandfather Gabriel and Grandmother Sky arrived to help.
After that, Anna discussed our upcoming marriage with Mother. Father and I contributed every now and again, but otherwise stayed out of it.
And so that was how the rest of the carriage ride went until we reached our destination, which turned out to be a vast plain several miles outside of Templeton.
After getting out of the carriage, I stretched for a bit before looking around. Nothing about the vast plain stood out to . It stretched out for miles, but that was it. A few clouds lingered in the sky, including a large one that covered the area around us in shadows.
"Where is the surprise, Father?" I asked, frowning. "Or has it not arrived yet?"
"Oh, it's here, Gabriel," Father said, wearing a playful smirk. "Let's see if you can figure out what it is."
My frown deepened, but I decided to play along with his ga. I gathered the others and asked them to search as well.
"What exactly are we searching for, Lord Gabriel?" Priest Jai asked .
I shrugged.
"Your guess is as good as mine," I said. "Just look for sothing that stands out."
He seed unhappy with this, but didn't say anything more. We looked around for the next several minutes. anwhile, the others stood off to the side, watching us. However, no one found anything, myself included.
Just as I started to get frustrated, my eyes fell on the large shadow that blanketed the area. For so reason, it kept catching my attention.
That's when it hit . The shadow hadn't moved at all since we ca here. It had remained still the entire ti. I looked up at the large cloud that cast it. This didn't make sense. Clouds never remained stationary. They drifted along with the wind. However, this one remained in place.
That's when it hit .
A slow smile stretched across my face and a thrill ran down my spine. I raced over to Father, unable to contain my excitent. The others noticed this and followed along as well.
"Is that what I think it is?" I asked, a little out of breath.
Father grinned at , his excitent mirroring my own.
"Yes, it is," he said.
The others looked between us in confusion.
"What are you two talking about?" Cally asked in a surly voice.
I gestured towards Father. He nodded, before he reached up with one hand and shot a bolt of lightning into the sky, followed by a peal of thunder. Monts later, the large cloud dispersed revealing a massive airship hovering in the sky above. The sight of it took my breath away.
Like ships that sailed on water, airships ca in various different types, from little skiffs to enormous battleships. The airship in the sky above us was one of the largest: a carrier. Similar to aircraft carriers on Earth, these ones were designed to carry and launch smaller airships.
Rather than thin and sleek, like most airships designed for combat, this one was thick and broad. It bristled with magical weaponry. In many ways, it was akin to a floating fortress. Despite this, the carrier was a beautiful masterpiece of polished wood and gleaming tal.
Best of all, it had a dragon motif. Four claws protruded from the sides and a dragon figurehead jutted from the bow. It was gorgeous, deadly, and ready to dominate the skies.
I fell in love with it at first sight. I would've gauged the others' reactions, but I was too busy staring at the carrier to pay much attention to them.
"Now that is an impressive looking airship," Anna said, letting out an appreciative whistle. "How were you able to get your hands on sothing like this, Father-in-law?"
"House Sturm builds airships," Father explained. "It's one of our main sources of inco, though we dabble in other areas as well. Consider this my contribution to your cause."
I trembled in place, unable to contain my excitent.
"I love it!" I shouted, before I rushed over and gave Father a hug.
This caught him off guard, though he returned the hug a mont later. After a few seconds, we pulled apart and pretended it never happened.
"Friends and companions," I said, a wide smile on my face. "This is our new headquarters."
Almost as one, my companions turned and stared at with shocked expressions on their faces.
"An airship?" Cally asked, dumbfounded. "Not just any kind of airship, but a carrier? That's our headquarters?"
I nodded.
"I wanted sothing mobile, defensible, and most importantly of all, far away from the grand priests. If we stayed close to them, they would keep trying to ddle in our affairs. Using a carrier fulfills all of these requirents. Thus, I wrote to my parents for help." I paused. "That said, I hadn't expected to receive one so soon. I thought it would take months, at the very least."
I gave Father a questioning look.
"This carrier cos from House Sturm's private armada," he explained. "We were already in the midst of building another one, so gifting this one to your group was no hardship."
My parents were amazing, which just made feel guiltier for being such a neglectful son.
"I'll admit, I underestimated you, Lord Gabriel," Priest Jai said, looking impressed. "I never expected House Sturm to have such deep reserves."
"We are one of the oldest Houses in the Solarian Empire for a reason," I pointed out.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Priest Jai conceded the point.
"Can we go inside?" Lord Dominic said. "I want to explore the interior."
Like , he practically vibrated with excitent. Seeing such a marvel of artificing up close must've been a dream co true for soone like him.
"Of course," Father said. "Why do you think I brought you all out here?"
With that, he sent another lightning bolt into the sky. That must've been so kind of prearranged signal, because the airship started to descend. As it drew closer, I realized just how massive it was. It lood over us, almost blotting out the sun.
However, despite its size, the airship landed with ease and finesse. Whoever was piloting it was very skilled. To my delight, the tal claws lowered to act as landing gear.
After the carrier landed, an entrance at the side opened and a gangplank lowered. We all headed towards it. At the sa ti, a group of people erged from the carrier and descended the gangplank. When I saw them, I froze in place.
Walking at the head of the group was Aleah Jeffers.
As soon as I saw Aleah Jeffers, several thoughts ran through my mind at once, accompanied by a myriad of differing emotions. Shock, sorrow, despair, and rage. So much rage. The urge to rush over and kill Aleah Jeffers was so strong that I choked on it.
The only one who noticed my reaction was Anna. Everyone else was too busy admiring the carrier. Anna grasped my hand, pulling out of my thoughts and grounding in the present.
"Are you alright, Gabriel?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
"The woman leading that group is Aleah Jeffers," I said in a shaky voice.
I didn't know if this was from fear or fury.
"Ah, I see," Anna said in a dangerous tone.
I looked into her eyes and saw a murderous glint.
"I never expected to run into her so soon," I said. "Seeing her caught off guard." I gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Anna glanced at Aleah Jeffers, whose group had t up with the others, before looking back at .
"Do you want to kill her?" she asked.
"Yes, but not right now," I said. "We're not powerful enough yet." I shook my head. "We can worry about her later. Let's catch up with the others."
Anna nodded. Hand in hand, the two of us rejoined the rest of the group. As we walked over, I studied Aleah Jeffers in greater detail. The last ti I saw her was shortly after the Incident, when I got into a fight with her nephew. Rather, when I bashed her nephew's face in with a rock.
Despite knowing the truth about her, she seed normal to . Slender and pale-skinned, with blond hair and blue eyes. She carried herself with assurance and confidence, as befitting the head of House Sturm's retainers.
On the surface, nothing suggested that she was the Wandering Witch that Grand Priest Darius told about. A part of wondered if I had been mistaken. What if Aleah Jeffers wasn't the Wandering Witch? What if she was innocent, or just a pawn?
Despite my doubts, I kept a close eye on her. Only ti would tell if she was the Wandering Witch or not.
Father stood before the group, discussing sothing with Aleah Jeffers. Soon, Anna and I drew close enough to overhear their conversation.
"-dare not accept your thanks, Lord Sturm," Aleah Jeffers said. "It is an honor and a privilege to serve House Sturm."
As Anna and I approached, everyone's eyes turned towards us.
"Lord Gabriel," Aleah Jeffers said with a bow. "It has been a while since we last t."
I nodded to her in return.
"Captain Aleah," I said in an even tone. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd be busy with your duties back at Sturm Manor."
"Gabriel, Aleah is no longer the head of House Sturm's retainers," Father explained. "Instead, she is now the captain of this carrier, the Vanguard of Vengeance. I tasked her with keeping an eye on you, to ensure your safety."
What.
"That isn't necessary," I said. "Captain Aleah served as the head of House Sturm's retainers for years. It would be a sha to remove her from the position for my sake. Besides, who could possibly replace her?"
Father gave a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry about that," he said. "Trent will serve as the head of House Sturm's retainers."
"Then who will serve as your bodyguard?"
"Let worry about that."
"Can we please go aboard now?" Lord Dominic asked in an impatient voice.
His excitent must've overridden his social anxiety.
"In a mont, Lord Dominic," I said, before turning back to Father. "I still have my doubts about bringing Captain Aleah on board."
My parents frowned and gave questioning looks. Cally gave a knowing look. As for the rest of my companions, they started to realize that there was sothing more going on, though they kept silent for now.
anwhile, the people standing behind Aleah Jeffers, the crew of the Vanguard of Vengeance I assud, bristled at my words.
"If you're worried about qualifications, don't be," Aleah Jeffers said. "I've served aboard plenty of airships, and commanded my fair share. You're in capable hands, Lord Gabriel."
I knew it was a bad idea to antagonize her, but I couldn't help myself. The re sight of her brought back mories of my childhood. Besides, even if she wasn't the Wandering Witch, she was still the one behind the Incident according to Kaylee. She earned my enmity for that alone.
"It's not your skills that I am questioning," I said, looking Aleah Jeffers right in the eyes.
The implication of my words was obvious.
"You-!" one of the crew started to say, but Aleah Jeffers silenced him by raising a hand.
"I understand that your trust in the Jeffers family has been tarnished after what happened between you and my nephew, Lord Gabriel," she said in a remorseful tone. "That is part of the reason why I accepted this assignnt. I wish to regain your trust."
I narrowed my eyes at her. Damn it. She got there. If I kept protesting, it would seem as if I was holding a petty grudge against her. She won this round.
"We'll discuss this later," I said. "For now, let us go aboard." I grinned. "Poor Lord Dominic looks like he's about to pass out from frustration."
My attempt at levity worked and almost everyone chuckled. The tension in the air eased, at least on the surface. The deeper issues remained, but everyone decided to put them aside for now.
Aleah Jeffers and her people gave us a tour of the Vanguard of Vengeance. The interior was as beautiful as the exterior. The carrier was a warship through and through, but it was also designed with grace and elegance in mind. It was a harmonious union of form and function.
While everyone was delighted by what they saw, Lord Dominic was ecstatic. He acted like a kid in a candy store, his eyes full of delight and wonder. However, I wasn't in the mood to appreciate the carrier's beauty. I was too distracted by Aleah Jeffers' presence.
During the entire tour, Anna and I remained at the rear of the group. To my surprise, Kiki separated herself from Lord Dominic and joined us. She gestured for us to put so distance between ourselves and the others. Curious, Anna and I obliged. We pulled far enough away to talk in private, as long as we kept our voices low, but remained close enough to keep the others in sight.
"Do you need sothing, Kiki?" I asked.
"Is there so sort of conflict between you and Captain Aleah, Lord Gabriel?" she asked. "Don't misunderstand . I have no interest in prying into House Sturm's private affairs. However, I need to know if it's sothing that would affect Master Dominic."
I mulled it over for a mont, before deciding to tell her the truth. Keeping sothing like this a secret from Kiki seed like a bad idea, especially given her feelings towards Lord Dominic. At the very least, I wanted to avoid her anger by warning her ahead of ti.
"Aleah Jeffers may be the Wandering Witch," I said.
I studied Kiki to gauge her reaction. She was old, very old. If there was anyone among our group who would know of the Wandering Witch, it would be her.
My guess proved correct when Kiki stopped walking and froze in place. She seed shocked and… Afraid? Anna and I stopped walking as well.
A mont later, Kiki grabbed my shoulders and leaned in close, until our faces were an inch apart.
"Are you certain about this, Lord Gabriel?" she asked, both anger and fear in her voice.
Anna looked ready to pull Kiki off , but I gestured for her to stand down. She accepted with a reluctant expression on her face.
"I'm about seventy percent certain," I said, keeping my voice calm and even.
I gave her a brief rundown of the Incident and my conversation with Tempest. By this point, the others had wandered out of sight.
"Whether or not Aleah Jeffers is actually the Wandering Witch or not remains to be seen," I said. "Maybe she's just a pawn. However, according to my sister, she is the one behind my murder. That much is certain."
Kiki pulled back and took a deep breath. An odd reaction, considering she didn't need to breathe.
"If she was behind the magical ritual that severed your fate," Kiki said. "Then she is most certainly the Wandering Witch. She likes to be personally involved whenever she takes an interest in soone."
I found Kiki's reaction interesting. It was as if she had personal experience with the Wandering Witch.
"You know her, don't you?" Anna asked.
Kiki made a so-so gesture.
"I know of her," she said. "We never actually t. Rather, if we had, I never realized it. The Wandering Witch herself likes to keep a low profile." She snorted. "Ironic, considering she is rather famous within certain circles." She shook her head. "Regardless, I always made it a point to avoid the Wandering Witch, even at the height of my power."
I frowned.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"The Wandering Witch is dangerous," she said. "And she doesn't tolerate it when others interfere in her affairs." She paused. "However, she is also very forgiving when it cos to her… Well, people like you, Lord Gabriel. Her favorites."
I gave Kiki a flabbergasted look.
"You think I'm one of her favorites?" I said. "You heard what she did to !"
Kiki looked at . Her expression didn't change, but it felt as if she wore a pitying expression on her face.
"Yes," she said. "That's what she calls those she takes a personal interest in. As you might guess, this is not a good thing."
The more I heard about the Wandering Witch, the more confused I beca. What kind of strange and contradictory person was she?
"If it's any consolation," Kiki continued. "It ans you are in no danger from the Wandering Witch herself. Many of her previous favorites have acted against her, including several attempts on her life, and she never retaliated."
"Just how many favorites has she had?" I asked.
"About a dozen or so," Kiki said. "All of whom beca powerful figures in Lumina, and most of whom are still alive. From that perspective, her interest in you is a complint. It ans she thinks you have the potential to reach great heights."
I narrowed my eyes at Kiki.
"I'm not exactly thrilled by this," I said.
Kiki shrugged.
"I don't bla you," she said. "Why don't you try to kill the Wandering Witch? You'll fail, of course, but the attempt might make you feel better."
I stared at Kiki in bafflent.
"Is that so kind of joke?"
"No. I'm being serious. The Wandering Witch won't retaliate." Kiki paused. "Let rephrase that. She won't kill you. She might beat you bloody, but she won't kill you."
I opened my mouth to ask more, but Kiki held up a hand to forestall .
"I have said all that I am willing to on the subject," Kiki said. "Now, if you'll excuse , I need to return to Master Dominic's side."
With that, Kiki hurried off to catch up with the others. As she left, Anna and I glanced at one another.
"Well?" my fiancée asked, smirking at . "Shall we try to kill Aleah Jeffers?"
Maybe Kiki's words reassured , but I found myself less fearful and reluctant than before.
"Fuck it," I said. "Let's give it a try. Maybe it really will make feel better. However, let's wait for the right mont."
Anna grinned.
"That's the spirit."
With that, the two of us headed out to rejoin the others.
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