The Lieutenant's weathered face was skeptical as he looked at Aveline. “I don't think you can help me.”

“We can,” Aveline said. “You want to wake up all the people of this city before starvation and dehydration kills them. The way to do that is to give them a whiff of Reverie's bane.”

“What is Reverie's Bane?” Lyam asked.

“It's a drug infused with life dust that turns to vapor when you burn it. Its smoke can cure the effects of slumber dust,” Nicolas said and jabbed at Aveline. “But that woman is acting as if it's something one can just cook if they wanted.”

“It can't be cooked?” Lyam scratched his head.

“It can,” Aveline said, grinning. “The recipe is quite simple actually.”

“It's not the process itself that's difficult.” Nicolas glared at her. “It's obtaining the key ingredient.”

Lyam perked a bit at the obvious tension in the lieutenant’s voice. “May I ask…what the key ingredient is?”

“You can't make Reverie's Bane without a dust bloom flower,” Aveline said.

“Yes, and to wake up a thousand sleeping people at once, we will need around a hundred dust blooms!” Nicolas scoffed. “Count De Croy would rather let a thousand people die before sacrificing that many flowers to save their lives.”

“Does the Count even have that many dust blooms in the first place?” Lyam asked.

Nicolas nodded with a sigh. And then his face turned into a disgusted grimace. “Yes. Every count in Brismont has to maintain a field of at least three hundred dust blooms. These are meant to be consumed by those that have freshly passed the test to become a wielder.”

“It doesn't matter,” Aveline said. “You need the flowers to wake up these people. We can bring you the flowers.”

Nicolas narrowed his eyes. “I don't think you are doing this as an act of charity.”

Aveline grinned. “Of course not. If we bring you the flowers, you'll have to pretend that you never met us. And never talk about this day with anyone.”

Nicolas scoffed. “You really think I'd let myself break the law like the both of you?”

“What I think is you'll be really happy when everyone wakes up and sings and dances on Triumphant Day. But if you don't help us and all the people starve to death in their sleep…then you'll keep blaming yourself.” Aveline shrugged. “You'll keep thinking of the offer we gave you and how you should've taken it.”

The old enforcer narrowed his eyes at the woman. “I think you are way out of your depth, girl. And it seems like you've never heard of Damien and Gabriel De Croy.”

“Who are they?” Lyam asked.

“Prodigies in the world of dust wielding. Damien is one of the only three Psychokinetic wielders in Brismont. And Gabriel…we rather not talk about him.”

Lyam raised both his eyebrows. “Why not?”

“Because we don't know what he is capable of. But I'll say that he was the Crown's trump card in the Great Cleansing. And he was just fourteen back then,” Nicolas said and then turned back to Aveline. “It’s no exaggeration to say that you are signing your death warrant by suggesting to steal from Count De Croy.”

“But we were going to get executed anyway,” Aveline said. “So why not die trying to save a city? That'd be an honorable death, if there ever was one.” The woman grinned.

The lieutenant scoffed and shook his head. “I’ve been an enforcer for fifteen years. You really think I'll take a criminal's word on anything?”

Aveline stopped grinning but the amusement still hadn't left her eyes. “Let me show you something.” She dug into her satchel and pulled out a crimson ruby, almost identical to the one in her amulet. With a piece of chalk she drew two pairs of circles with a few metres between each pair. She joined two circles in each pair with a single line and placed the second crimson ruby in one of those circles. Then she placed the ruby from her amulet in another circle and stood inside the second circle of that pair. She balled both her hands in fists, her tattoos glowed and a red mist engulfed her.

She was teleported to the second circle of the second pair from her initial position. Even the ruby from her amulet was teleported along with the circle she had placed it in.

The enforcer just watched her little magic show, patient yet curious. Aveline finally turned to him. “This is called a two point teleportation. The two rubies are connected. The first teleportation circuit will always deliver me to the second one.” She picked the second ruby off the ground and tossed it at the enforcer.

The man caught it deftly, his face still skeptical. “This still doesn't prove anything,” he said. “For all I know there might be a third ruby somewhere else and you might just teleport there and run off.”

Aveline looked at him, still amused. “That would've been possible,” she said. “If I hadn't connected the second ruby to this circuit right here.” She pointed at the circles and lines she had drawn on the ground. “Now I'll have to teleport myself here first to go to the third teleportation point.”

Nicolas seemed ready to bring up another question but Aveline spoke again before he could begin.

“Also, the location of my house is embedded in a shape inside that ruby I gave you,” she said. “If you feel like we pulled a trick on you and fled, you'll still know how to find us. Just take it to a pardoned shapecrafter the Crown has held as a hostage from the Great Cleansing. They'll access the shape for you.” She smirked.

Nicolas wasn't amused by her last statement but he seemed to have run out of his doubts. “So we're bound to meet again,” he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else. He pocketed the ruby and looked at both of them. “I think it's a deal then.”

“Wonderful.” Aveline clapped her hands.

“But don't get ahead of yourself,” Nicolas said. “I still sent a pigeon to Diamond Veil, asking them to send someone to arrest you both. Their wielders are probably on their way.”

“You are not very patient, are you, old man?” Lyam said.

“I was doing my job!” Nicolas snapped. Then he heaved a sigh. The shift from anger to resignation was abrupt. The man took off his helm and ran a hand through his hair. “Just…make sure you come back with the dust blooms before tomorrow morning. If the Count's wielder's get here before you do–”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Then you hold them off,” Lyam said, “At least until tomorrow morning. That's the time you've given us to save your city.”

Nicolas set his jaw and nodded. “I'll try my best. Now let's get going. To get to Diamond Veil, you'll need horses. The avian dispatch office has a stable in the back.”

“I've never rode a horse before,” Lyam said.

“I have,” Aveline said. “We'll ride double.”

The Lieutenant saddled a warmblood for the two of them and led it out of the stable behind the office. Aveline climbed up on the steed. Nicolas helped Lyam get on the beast. The enforcer held onto the reins and looked at the boy. “There's something I wanted to tell you,” he said.

Lyam looked at him curiously. “Yes?”

“When you asked me if I met an old woman who came from Vermeil and I said no--well, I was lying.”

The boy paused before saying, “You…you met her?”

The enforcer nodded. “I did. She came here about a week ago and kept visiting to ask if there was any report of two kids who came to Eisdel alone. She was quite stubborn to take no for an answer. And even tried to bribe one of our constables to go looking for the children.” He produced two pieces of gold from his pocket. “I couldn't let my men take this to lead on the poor lady. But I don't know what I'm going to do with it now.” He sighed.

Lyam leaned closer, his face pale with concern. “Was she…still in the city when the shapecrafters attacked?”

“Fortunately, she had left the city the night before.”

“Do you know where she went?” Lyam asked.

“Of course, she made a big ruckus outside our office about the enforcers not doing our job and complaining about a dozen other things. Mostly, we just arrest anyone who does that but that woman had most of us spooked.”

The boy couldn't help but chuckle. That sounded like Mamie Alda alright.

Then Nicolas said, “In her burst of rage, she said she was headed for Diamond Veil. She was going to question Count De Croy himself about what is being done about the shapecrafter attacks.”

###

Damien De Croy was focusing again. The courtyard in his father's estate was big enough to house four elephants. He stood by an elm tree with his eyes trained on the castle walls. The Diamond Veil was a tall structure of stone walls and flying buttresses, surrounded by paraphets and ramparts. Soldiers watched down from towers and battlements, patrolling the castle ground or holding their stationary post.

Damien crossed his fingers and used [dust vignette]. It was similar to using [soul sight] but the former was more powerful. Where sight only gave him an idea of where someone was based on dust vibration, vignette gave him a much clearer picture of reality. If I'd used it that day in the woods, we would've found the child, he thought and then quickly pushed the thought away.

Vignette could indeed give him a picture of something far away, but that also meant that he couldn't reach as far as he could with [soul sight]. There was almost no way to save those children while an unanchored dust bloom was lying around in the wild, waiting to be taken. He took a deep breath and steadied his concentration.

Damien moved his eyes over the northern guard tower first. That was the farthest building from him. He tried to test himself.

He caught the dust vibrations of his dad's foot soldiers, felt the tower floors pulsating with their movements. Their voices were just hollow babble as they chattered among themselves. Damien could also catch the vibrations of a crow above him. Its cawing sound overwhelmed his heightened senses. He focused on the guard tower more, narrowing the scope of his vignette only on humans inside the structure. He adjusted his senses to ignore everything except the humans. The trees, the birds, the flowers–they mean nothing, he told himself.

The silhouettes of the guards inside the tower became clearer. He could make out their bodies, hollow and outlined with dust but more than just a vibration now. They buzzed and wavered as they moved.

He narrowed his focus further. The shapes of dust people were more solid now. Damien could even hear them talk, but only barely, snatching at random words from their conversation. The walls of the tower made it difficult to form a clear picture. Hearing the distant sound along with that picture would be a feat even Gabriel would be proud of. Damien closed his eyes and just focused on the sounds, focused on the voices of the soldiers.

Initially, their words were just amorphous masses of information. He could barely perceive their shapes. He took a deeper breath, cancelling out all the other sounds and thoughts from his mind. His focus was now like a gentle stream in a forest, weaving its way through the rocks and other obstacles, finding its way through the stone walls of the guard tower before meeting with an ocean. He finally heard the words of the soldier.

“...Preparing for Triumphant day.”

"...thus the bustle..."

"...the count won't be attending…”

"...I heard..."

That made Damien pause. He opened his eyes. Father wasn't attending Triumphant day?

Damien left the garden and made his way up the stepping stones laid down on the lush green grass surrounding the castle. He rushed through the parapet walk and up to the lord's chambers in the keep.

His father stood in front of the tall mirror in his room, assisted by two servants as he tied up the laces of his silk doublet.

“Father, you are heading out?” Damien asked as he entered the room.

“Indeed.” The count nodded. “And I'm glad you arrived before I could send someone to bring you over.”

“May I ask where you are headed?”

“Goldhaven,” his father said. “To meet with the emperor.”

“But father, the Triumphant Day–”

“Will be celebrated. Just like it is celebrated every other year.”

“Without the count to preside over the Justice Ceremony?” Damien frowned.

The count adjusted the standing collars of his doublet. “In the absence of the Count, it's up to the Viscount to take care of such matters.”

Damien swallowed hard. “At least Gabriel will be alongside me, right?”

The count shook his head. “I'm afraid not. Gabriel is going with me to Goldhaven.”

“So, you are really leaving the city in my hands alone?” Damien said, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice.

“No, I'm leaving the entire county in your hands. It's going to be your responsibility to make sure you keep things running smoothly for at least another week till I return,” his father said. One of the two servants draped a velvet cape about his shoulders.

Damien felt a pit in his stomach. “Can't this be postponed somehow, father?”

The count looked at him as if his son had grown a second head. “I think I told you that it's the emperor who has summoned me. You want me to send a pigeon to the king of Brismont, requesting if he can postpone his urgent business?”

The young viscount flustered and looked down at his boots. “I apologize, father.”

“Don't,” the count said and lowered the coronet on his own head. “Soon, you'll be the one wearing this thing, son. You can't go around apologizing for every word you speak. Do you know why?”

Damien shook his head.

“Because when you bow your head with this piece of gold resting on it, you’ll end up breaking your neck from its weight.” The count looked in the mirror and straightened his back, raising his chin. “And more than anything you'll just be exposing a weak spot to the commoners. Trust me, son, that's not something you want to do.”

“I understand, father.”

“I'm glad.” The count took his gold headed cane and turned to walk out of the room. “Be a responsible viscount in my absence then.”

“There was one more thing I wanted to ask,” Damien said.

The count paused and looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”

“What is this…urgent business that the emperor has summoned you with such haste?”

The count sighed and pointed at the bundle of papers sitting atop his desk in the corner. “The city enforcers have sent in reports from around Rose County. Those damned shapecrafter attacks have gotten worse,” he said. “According to the reports, about a hundred children have been abducted from Rose County alone. It's about time we did something to find them.”