Provost Weaver waited a full minute before speaking. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself? Did you really think that the Provost wouldn’t have access to your entire status?”

“I thought—”

Ghost: Don’t admit to anything.

Alistair: What am I supposed to do then? She literally knows what’s going on now. And don’t tell me something stupid like summon Lionel and I will deal with the Provost.

Ghost: I would if you did.

Alistair: Violence isn’t always a solution. She’s an Invoker.

Ghost: Let me talk to her.

Alistair: Are you insane?

He looked back up at the Provost, who was expecting an answer.

Ghost: If you can’t do it, I will. And no, I’m not insane. I’m probably the sanest person you know.

Alistair: Oh, fuck off…

Ghost: I am!

Alistair grumbled under his breath and fixed his eyes on the Provost. “I sought it out. Lysander’s card. I sought it out.”

“You sought it out? How did you even know about it?”

Alistair almost told her that he heard the news at Kanda’s Uncle’s mansion. But that would put attention onto Kanda, and it would put Alistair a lot closer to the scene of the crime. He was there when Lysander was murdered. He watched Goran do it, the big man popping his head like it was a soft fruit.

He definitely didn’t want that.

“I’m an orphan,” Alistair said, going with a modified version of the lie he told Juno and Zola. “I spent time at orphanages, but before that, I had a master who was a member of the Unknown Souls. He, um, took me under his wing when my parents were killed.”

He gave the Provost a moment to process this answer. “How is that possible?” she asked. “I have all your orphanage records and you’ve been at them successfully for a number of years now.”

“You seriously think I can’t have something like that changed?” Alistair quickly changed his tone, realizing it sounded too much like Ghost. “Not me, I mean him, my former master. He had his ways. So when he gave me up for adoption, he also made sure there was a papertrail.”

“So you are telling me that you learned how the illegal card market operates through him?”

“I did. Among other things. I’m not proud of any of it, but once I heard Lysander died, I figured I would take a look the next time I was in Solaria. I got lucky. Someone had it, they knew my master and I paid literally nothing for it. Practically free. As a favor to my former master.”

“Who was named?”

“Who?”

“Your former master.”

Alistair’s mind raced to figure out an assassin-y name. He quickly gave up. “You wouldn’t know him.”

“Not necessarily. What was his name?”

“He went by the name, um,” he blinked a few times. “Sildo Vega. Codename: Wraith,” he said, recalling the nickname Juno had once come up with.

Ghost: Wraith is fine. But Sildo Vega? You named a fake version of me after Hilda, and after rhyming her name with dildo—

“Sildo Vega. Sildo Vega.” Provost Weaver leaned back and communicated with someone. “Was he from the Dracolich Empire, this former master of yours?”

“I… I don’t know. He never said. He wasn’t a nice man. There are other words I could call him, but he wasn’t nice.”

“Yet he was your master.”

“He taught me things, yes.”

“Well, Sildo is a name common to the western cliffs of the Dracolich Empire, which is why I asked.”

Ghost: No fucking way. How is this working? Ha! Keep up the lie and we’re home free!

“I guess, ugh, yeah,” Alistair said with an unsteady smile. “I guess that’s where he’s from. He never said.”

Provost Weaver went for a different line of question. “How do you keep ending up in my office, Alistair? Starting with the foam incident at the Quill and Tankard, it seems like you are always somewhere near the most current calamity.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I don’t know, but trust me, I don’t want to be here. Not that you aren’t nice or anything, Provost. I would just rather not have attention on me. I’m not a big fan of attention.”

“You nearly killed another student.”

“Laertes has been pestering me and bullying me since the start of the semester. I took it too far. I realize that. And I’m willing to accept any punishment you may have for me.”

“You are, are you?” The Provost considered this while Ghost continued to offer Alistair suggestions on what he should say while simultaneously telling him that he was willing and able to help out.

Alistair’s eyes twitched and the Provost looked at him. “That was odd,” she said.

He cleared his throat. “What?”

“Both of your eyes looked gold for a moment, but they have returned to their normal colors. Well, at least one of them is a normal color.”

“Sorry, ma’am. Just so much pressure. I should probably rest.”

“You should, I agree, but I have this itching feeling that you won’t. I’m not ready to decide your punishment yet, Alistair. I would like to consult with some friends of mine before I do. Be on the lookout for a message from me, and don’t forget to return the book. Your days of doing whatever you want without consequence, however beneficial they can be for experiential learning, are coming to a close.” She folded her hands together. “Please, see yourself out. We will be in contact next week.”

****

Alistair filled Kanda in on what had happened earlier that day as they made their way to the Rune Railpath. They both wore their overcoats and had bags with them that made it look like they were going to be doing some serious studying.

But Alistair knew the truth.

They were going to an assassin’s retreat, and before that took place, they would have to deal with Felix, do some summon fighting in the woods, and figure out a way to get as much information as they possibly could from the retreat. Ghost had already prepped Noctarii to do a ton of eavesdropping, and he had even stored the lich mask with Lionel just in case.

“You really fucked up,” Kanda finally said as they boarded one of the trains.

“I know. Something came over me.”

Ghost: Don’t blame me, for once. That fiery choke was all you.

Kanda didn’t say anything else as they were led by a conductor to a private room big enough for a family. Aside from a thick glass window that provided sweeping views, there were three yellow couches and a table beneath an actual chandelier. Alistair noted that there was a kitchenette and a washroom as well.

Alistair fired off a message to Ghost as the conductor finished telling Kanda what would be served for dinner.

Alistair: How long is this going to take?

Ghost: To Ruminara? It’ll be overnight. That’s why we’re leaving now. We get there in the morning, deal with Felix, and then go out with Juno and Zola once you set a portal.

Alistair: Overnight? No one told me that. I’m supposed to share this cabin with Kanda?

Ghost: Is something wrong with that? Get it together, Alistair.

“It’s weird how you do that, you know,” Kanda told him after the conductor left.

“Do what?”

“Just sort of glaze over, like you’re lost in your thoughts.”

“Sorry.”

“Did you hear any of that?” Kanda placed her bag on a chair. Once Alistair shook his head, she continued: “See? That’s what I mean. You get lost in your thoughts sometimes. You should work on that. Anyway. He said they’ll serve dinner in an hour and there will be an early morning breakfast prepared privately in our cabin.”

“We have our own chef?”

“For breakfast, yes. I really wish they’d just bring us something pre-made, but my Uncle is paying for this trip, and we might as well take him for everything he’s worth. Anyway. Just try to enjoy the trip and forget about what happened earlier. We all could use rest.”

****

Ghost watched Alistair eat a meal with Kanda, the boy a little less fidgety than normal, but clearly still reeling from all that had happened that day.

Ghost: Chew with your mouth shut.

He rolled his eyes at Alistair’s response.

As their meal progressed, the assassin continued to observe everything that happened in the room.

Their trip was about to get much more complicated. Aside from Caidan, who was likely stalking them, they would soon come face to face with Kang. The leader of the Unknown Souls wouldn’t be happy with what happened at his dinner party, how Alistair and Kanda had ruined all the fun.

Ghost was certain of it.

Even if Felix could smooth things out, Ghost knew it would be tense. Yet the retreat did present him with another opportunity, one that he had been waiting for. Goran would be there, and if given a chance, Ghost would deal with Scholarly Mountain now, rather than wait for another chance.

He could clue Alistair in later.

Ghost listened for an hour as Alistair and Kanda talked, none of their conversation striking him as important. He had grown to these boring spells inside the boy’s mind. During them, he would often drift off himself, thinking of some of his past exploits, and often of Senka.

Ghost never once questioned the fact that she needed to die. Senka had been there during the betrayal; she had sunk a poison dagger into him as an assurance that he would indeed die.

But he still wished it hadn’t been that way.

Later, Alistair got comfortable on one of the sofas, Kanda doing the same on the other as the rune railpath continued its trek to Ruminara.

Ghost didn’t always take Alistair’s body once the boy fell asleep. Yet there were times that he brought Alistair into his own mind and took the boy’s body. It didn’t seem to affect Alistair’s sleep, and doing this allowed Ghost to feel alive, even if there wasn’t much to do aside from exercise, prowl around, or simply pretend to be alive.

Ghost decided he would check the train to make sure they weren’t being tailed. He could also touch base with Noctarii, whom Alistair had released earlier.

Ghost waited for the boy to fall asleep. Once he was certain, he pulled Alistair into his own mind, where he placed him on the shoreline next to the dark water. He stepped through and took possession of Alistair’s body.

Ghost stayed motionless, giving Kanda more time to fall asleep.

He tensed once a presence in the room caught Ghost’s attention. He moved quickly to find Kanda hovering over him, the girl’s hand glowing with Resonant Mana.

“You’d better not miss,” he said, not bothering to go with his Alistair impression.

“Ah, there he is,” Kanda said, delight in her eyes. “That voice. Daisy?”

Ghost noticed a shift in the shadows as Daisy, Kanda’s abyssal summon, appeared all around him and pinned the assassin to the bed.

“Let me go!” Ghost shouted.

“No,” Kanda said as she peered at his face. “This has gone on long enough. You’re going to tell me exactly who you are.”