“I’m really glad we didn’t send Juno back to the academy without a face. Melissa would have freaking killed me,” Kanda said as they turned back in the direction of Felix’s mansion. Juno and Zola were now gone, the two promising to turn in the femur blade to get the quest reward.

“That would have been bad,” Alistair said.

“And Tarnis? You know, in my three years at the academy, I only had one encounter with him before I met the three of you,” she told him.”Now, it’s like every other weekend. He definitely has a hard-on for your little group.”

“I would hope not.”

Ghost: Definitely a hard-on.

Alistair: Did you really have to repeat that?

Ghost: It’s true. That fucker seems to come at you three every chance he gets.

“Are you speaking to Ghost?” Kanda asked.

“Yeah. He won’t shut up sometimes.”

“Let me—”

“What do you want?” Ghost asked as he took over Alistair’s body. “Sorry if that came off as harsh.”

Alistair: Everything you say comes off as harsh.

Kanda turned back to Ghost. She examined him slowly, as if she was seeing Alistair in a new light. “You almost blew your cover back there with that Wraith/Ghost bullshit, and you know it.”

“Juno is an idiot. He won’t suspect a thing.”

“A well-connected idiot,” Kanda reminded Ghost. “He’s a Stonewind. Never forget that.”

“And you’re a Bancroft.”

“In name only. What’s your point?”

“What’s yours?” he asked.

“My point is that these names mean something, and if Juno were to have a mishap, you could seriously jeopardize everything we’re trying to do. For Zola, it wouldn’t really matter—”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Zola is a strong candidate for a future battledeck mage and that’s a hill I’ll die on. You absolutely should want her to continue because she may be useful to you in the future. You aren’t thinking correctly, Kanda. You aren’t thinking of how these pieces fall and where they land.”

“And you—”

Alistair regained control of his body. “Are you two going to argue, or are we going to make a plan for what to do tomorrow? Because I have an idea.”

“What’s your idea?” Kanda swiveled to him, her face slightly red from annoyance with Ghost.

Alistair fired off a message to the assassin.

Alistair: I probably should have run my idea by you first.

Ghost: You should prescreen all your ideas.

Alistair: It’s about the Card of Rumors.

Ghost: Go on.

“Hey,” Kanda said as she lightly pressed her hand against Alistair’s shoulder. “I’m here now and I know about Ghost. Clue me in on what he’s saying. There shouldn’t be any secrets between us.”

“I’m just going to tell her—” Alistair started to say before Ghost could take over again.

“No, Alistair, we need to discuss—”

“Let me speak!” Alistair forcibly threw his arms out, causing Ziggy to hop off his shoulder.

Squish!

The slime landed on a tree and looked back at Alistair, concern in his big black eyes.

“It’s fine, Ziggy. Ghost, I’m serious, let me talk,” Alistair said.

Ghost: Fine.

“Look, Kanda,” Alistair said as he turned back to the older girl. He smoothed his hands over his overcoat. “I have another card that I haven’t told you about. I’ve only used it once. That’s what this is about. That’s what he does want me to talk to you about.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Go on.”

“I used it after we broke into Professor Lysander’s office to spread the rumor about what he was hoping to do with the new orphan program.”

“You used what exactly? Be clear, Alistair. Also, I always wondered how that information spread so quickly. I figured it was Juno. He has a big mouth after all.”

Ghost: He does.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Alistair continued: “The card I have is a forbidden one called The Card of Rumors. I get to start three rumors. I’ve started one, the rumor about Lysander that got him put on administrative leave. After the third rumor, the card goes to the person that I started the third rumor about.”

“Wow. Okay. And you found this card, how?”

“I found it in the Wraithen Archives. Calista Halor left it there.”

“Really?”

“Really. Because of Tarnis—because, of course, all of this somehow comes back to that asshole—we were forced to volunteer in the Archives.”

“I remember that. I remember being called by the Board as well and having to explain your actions with that dungeon core.”

“That’s when I found it, while cleaning out one of the rooms.”

Kanda started pacing, as Alistair had seen her do several times now. “Got it. And you’re proposing starting a rumor about Felix while all the assassins are there? Because that’s brilliant.”

“I, yeah, something like that. I hadn’t really thought that far ahead, but basically, I think that could be something. It could work,” Alistair said.

Ghost spoke: “This is way too easy. The rumor is that he’s looking to betray them all. Put everyone on edge.”

“But we’ll still be there,” Kanda said. “So that could prove troublesome for us.”

“We can escape through the portal.” Ghost motioned to the portal that was connected to Alistair’s room. “I thought we were going to leave it up anyway, for now.”

“Yes, we could.” Kanda stopped pacing. “We would have to get back here, which could either work exactly as we intended, or be one hell of an escape, especially in the dark.”

“We can see in the dark. You have a fire kitsune. The escape part would be easy. The rumor that we start is the part that needs some thought,” Ghost said. “Also, and I can’t stress this enough: I want to be the one that kills Felix.”

“Heard. What if we started a rumor that didn’t take place here?” she asked. “Like, something that will cause trouble for my uncle in the future, once we are closing in?”

“Once I am closing in. You aren’t part of this.”

Her eyes sharpened as she focused on him. “Ghost, mark my words, I will be there when you kill my uncle. I might not be the one who does it, but I will be there, and there’s nothing you can do about that. Are we clear?”

“Heard,” he said, sarcastically repeating the way she had spoken earlier. “And a conflict to take shape later could very well be exactly what we need to truly mess with Felix and his operations. Maybe something like he plans to double cross everyone?”

Alistair: Wouldn’t that mean that people would do something now? If they knew they were going to be fucked over, what stops them from turning this little retreat into a bloodbath?

“Alistair has a point,” Ghost told Kanda. If we do something like that too early, it could put us at jeopardy. But, if we do it after we’ve killed Goran, if we do something like start a rumor that Felix secretly had him executed and he’s planning some power play—we’ll make it convincing—then everyone leaves, suspicious as hell of Felix and his intentions.”

“I like that. Alistair?”

“I like it too,” Alistair said to the older girl. “Goran first, then the rumor. And next weekend, the Dracolich Empire to do what needs to be done next.”

“That part I’m still not clear on. How will we get to where we need to go?”

“Before or after we cross the border?” Ghost asked her.

“After we cross the border. I know you said you have a way for us to get over.”

“Alistair and I have an idea on how that may work.”

This required further digging, Alistair switching to Spectral Text to do so.

Alistair: We do?

Ghost: The lich mask. We’ll need to speak to Zola, too. Don’t tell Kanda about the mask yet, just in case she is compromised. Remember, with Kanda, there’s always a slight chance she will one day doublecross us. I’ve said before she’ll be great at what she does because she is smart and ruthless, just like her dear Uncle Felix. I meant it.

“Well?” Kanda asked. “Are you going to tell me your plan?”

“Not yet, no.”

“Fine. Then let’s head back to the mansion and deal with the inevitable—” Kanda jumped backwards as a woman dropped from the trees.

Noctarii, who had been in the shadows as always, rushed forward to attack her when he was cast down. The fae hit the forest floor and stayed here, held in place by gravity.

Ghost: Lionel, now!

Alistair summoned Lionel and Ghost took back over. “My sword,” Ghost told Lionel as he eyed the woman that stood before them.

Alistair had never seen clothing quite like hers.

She was dressed like a dancer, her dark robes flowing past her wrists, her hair tied back, her face painted black with white speckles. Yet there was something beneath her robes that Alistair recognized as armor. As the woman moved to draw a sword with a bone hilt, he saw that the armor had been crafted by bone as well.

Lionel handed Ghost his sword. The assassin drew the blade quickly and with precision. “Caidan,” Ghost said.

The woman spoke, her accent strong:“Call off your summons or I will use Resonant Mana to strike down their cards.”

“Call it off,” Kanda said.

“What does she mean?” Ghost asked.

“She has a way to kill summons permanently.”

Ghost seemed to hesitate. What he was really doing, however, was sending a message to Alistair to tell him what to do next.

Ghost: Call your summons back. Be ready to hit her with Shimmer, and then use Aerial Burst to jump over her and I’ll deliver the finishing blow.

Alistair: What about Kanda?

Ghost: What about her? She knows not to get in my way.

Alistair touched his chest and his three summons returned. He relinquished control of his body to Ghost. “Happy?” the assassin asked Caidan.

“I am. You killed Senka.”

“It had to be done,” Ghost said.

It was a moment before Caidan spoke again: “She was my lover.”

“Same.”

Alistair: What!?

Kanda: What the hell!?

This comment also seemed to throw off the woman whom Ghost had once called a Dracolich witch. “She never mentioned that,” Caidan finally said.

“It was long ago.”

“She sent me a raven. She said you’d be the one to do it.”

“She was right.”

“She said you’d have a reason. And I could deliver judgment based on that reason.”

“How gracious of Senka,” Ghost said.

“What is the reason? Why would you kill the only woman I ever loved?” Caidan asked, pain in her voice.

“Because some people just need to die.”

She shot him a steely glare. “What kind of explanation is that?”

“The only one you’re going to get,” Ghost said, his sword remaining at the ready. “So what will it be? Will you join her? Or will you help me unleash relentless carnage on those who enabled her execution?”