Geneva hasn’t returned by morning.

If it were anyone else, truly anyone, I might bother being concerned. Hells, I would be worried for Kierra, despite how capable she is. Had she failed to return from the same errand, I’d be out there searching for her after nightfall, at the latest.

As it is, my succubus is a highly intelligent, conniving, devious, master physical caster with zero moral and more experience than all the veterans in his city combined. Of all the people in my house, I feel she needs my help the least. Or worse, that my help would compromise her. The only way I can imagine the hunters outwitting her is if she is forced to put herself in a compromising position to message me or reveal herself.

So, I ignore her absence and bide my time, trusting she will bring back something worthwhile.

It’s not hard, as there are plenty of things to distract me. Namely, the visitors we receive during breakfast. Yulia’s escorts, a contingent of lady knights from the Stars, finally arrive. They were meant to be the pampered, by Victory’s standards, snow bunny’s guards while she traveled outside of her home’s stout walls. However, I was too eager to travel at their speed. As the knight were completely confident in our ability to keep their charge safe, they saw no problem in allowing us to go ahead, leaving them to follow at a pace that wouldn’t kill them.

The knights bring with them interesting tales. Like the way they were welcomed to the city. Quest also has walls, cute at best when compared to those of Victory, but no one mentions them when they speak of the city. The reason? Its three gates, in every direction except the north, are always open. The City of Magic and Adventure’s traffic flows as freely and swiftly as the waters of a rushing river.

They don’t even bother searching visitors or wagons. Only a madman would attack the city filled to bursting with powerful casters and would then see themselves swiftly taken care of.

Yet, despite the lax nature of the city, the Stars were stopped at the western gate and asked to step aside. Suspicious, and perhaps insulting, but knowing our intentions to negotiate with the city, they complied. They remained compliant even as hunters arrived and interrogated them about everything from their childhoods to their undergarments. The bastards actually tried to make the women strip to “prove they weren’t smuggling in dangerous materials”.

To me, it sounds like a blatant attempt to goad the Stars into a fight. It very nearly worked. The knights of the north aren’t known for their patience.

Thankfully, before swords could be drawn, another group of hunters arrived and forced the first group to walk away. They then helpfully directed the lady knights to the Teppin estate, which is fortunate as the Stars were headed for the Grand Hall, having been unaware of my being ousted.

But that’s the least interesting story the Stars have.

They were so confident in our ability to protect Yulia that they decided to wait for their sisters-in-arms to return from the campaigns, intending to help with the initial chaos returning armies brought with them before reinforcing us in Quest. They can personally confirm the rumors that the spring storms came early, causing more casualties than the north has seen in many years and forcing all the armies to turn around.

They set off the day after Zach, Alana’s older brother and the duke’s eldest surviving son, returned with the bulk of the Moons’ and Stars’ forces, doing what they could to assist their fellows before making themselves scarce.

That means they managed to escape the Fort before whatever terrible event devastated the fort and is emboldening the hunters happened. However, they aren’t nearly as ignorant about it as we are. A messenger hawk found them on the road, sent by the Northern Devil himself, detailing the tragedy in its entirety and giving them strict instructions to keep Yulia in Quest until summer.

Amazingly, the descension of a Lord of the Peaks still isn’t the most interesting story, though it is certainly the most incredible. No, that would be what the Stars encountered on the road to the city.

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“I never thought I would be served breakfast by a lord. We live in strange times.”

The most interesting development by far is the presence of the true saint, Alana’s almost betrothed, and one only three light casters in the north, Lancecain. Days of travel have done nothing to diminish his naturally given good looks, his full blonde hair artful despite its disarray and his strong chin managing to make his unkempt stubble look good. In an interesting twist, the man with the face of a hero is playing the role of the damsel.

“You can’t see anything?” I ask, waving my hand at him from across the dining table. His cloudy gaze fails to track, or even react, to the wild gesture or any of the others I’ve done since he explained his injury.

“Nothing at all, I’m afraid.” A hand carefully moves about his plate until his fingers find his remaining sausage and he bites into it with relish. The lady knights have presumably heard the story many times and pay him no mind, scarfing down their own food.

“And you don’t know what blinded you?”

“Mm. I know something jumped me while I was talking a walk. I remember signaling for help and fighting.” He shrugs. “I must have suffered a blow to the head.”

“…and after suffering a blow this blow to the head and being blinded, you set off on a weeks-long journey to Quest in hopes we could cure you.” I know Victorians can be callous but what kind of healer would allow that?

He responds as if he can read my mind. “After the Lord of the Peaks appeared, the healers were exhausted saving lives. Even if curing my ailment was within their abilities, they wouldn’t have the power to spare for a while and the process would take even longer. While a pure affinity, should Miss Kierra be inclined to help, could fix my problem easily.”

“So, you set out many days after the Stars but managed to catch up with them before they reached the city?”

“Two men on a mission and a decent steed are much faster than a small procession of knights taking their time to enjoy the scenery.” One of the lady knights looks up to make a rude gesture that he can’t see, grunts in annoyance when she realizes as much, and then returns to her food.

“You took one horse for two people?”

“I can hardly ride on my own and there weren’t many to spare after the devastation.”

“And your friend decided to leave you once he spotted the Stars’ camp? Didn’t even stop to say hello?”

“He was eager to return to Victory and help with the recovery efforts.”

He’s lying. I don’t need my incredible senses to pick on it either. His story is completely ridiculous. It’s a testament to his reputation that the Stars accepted him into their group with such flimsy excuses, though I suppose it’d be too cruel to leave a blind comrade on the side of the road, no matter how suspect.

I guess Lancecain’s saintly demeanor doesn’t extend to honesty. Or he has a very good reason for lying to our faces.

As little as I know him, I’m inclined to believe the second option but hope it’s the first. He’s too perfect for comfort. A flaw or really good scandal would make him much more tolerable.

“…your conclusion is right. If she’s inclined, Kierra can fix you up better and faster than anyone else.”

The question is, should I hold him down and have Fen ferret out his secrets. It makes me nervous when the walking embodiment of goodwill is hiding things. Or maybe the city is making me paranoid.

“I don’t have much, but I understand the enormity of what I ask and would be willing to pay off my debt to you in whatever manner you wish.”

Did he just proposition me? No, I’m reading too much into a sincere promise. Damn that elf and her ridiculous suggestions, putting strange thoughts in my head. I know how attractive I am but to men, I’m repulsive on an instinctual level. My pheromones aggravate them and, in large doses, can drive them to maddening wrath. That animal part of their brain should always be screaming for them to keep their distance, something that suits me fine.

“I’ll keep it in mind.” If he continues the path of slaying titans, he’ll certainly earn plenty of gold. Not that I need his money. I’ll help the man for free, only because it feels like I’ll invite bad luck into my life if I don’t hep a saint in need.

“At least let me help with your duties here. A show of numbers for the hunters, show them the north will always stand by its promises.”

“Spoken like a true Victorian.” I wonder what he would think about my impending ambush on the Swords? Would he understand the cruel practicality behind it? Or would he denounce me as a coward and a tyrant?

Either way sounds like a hassle. Better to leave him to watch over Yulia. Who apparently will be with us for an entire season. Fun.

“Is Khan around? I wondered if I could say hello.”

That’d be difficult seeing as he’s still trapped in a magical sleep. Hasn’t been a good time to wake Alana’s possibly traitorous brother. “Sorry, but no. It’s best for his treatment that we keep him isolated.”

“Ah, yes. How is that going?”

“…it’s going. Mental conditions are complicated.”

“Indeed. It’s a miracle if there’s any progress at all.”

“He’s in good hands.”

“None better.” Lancecain flashes a bright smile before focusing on what remains of his breakfast. All the while, his heart pounds like a galloping horse.

Suspicious.