Isabell was both bored and scared. She had crept down the stairs and onto the walk, then off the walkway and into the flowers. She was following the trail, but going slowly. Ever so slowly.

She had a scare on the first step. Moving too quickly, it felt as if she’d had been plunged into a rushing stream of hellfire! She was being burned alive; blood and pain everywhere!

Somehow, she’d managed to freeze in place, and it was just enough to save her. After a moment to collect herself, she continued on, resolving not to vary from the path ever again.

As slowly as she could, she checked her timepiece. An hour already, and she’d only covered two-thirds of the distance. Even more unsettling, the orange trail ahead of her had changed a few times. She guessed it was smarter than a simple trail marker. She had no idea how Tenthé’d managed to do that, but it was working. So far, she hadn’t revisited the burning hell. That was good.

Finally, she reached a corner of the property and stopped. The path continued up the wall, which was at least three paces high. She wasn’t sure how she could possibly make the climb and not trigger the horrors.

Her armor, as good as it was, didn’t have the ability to enhance her strength more than a little, so she couldn’t simply jump. The stone facing of the wall was rough; she might be able to climb up the corner, but if she slipped, then… Well, that would be bad.

After some thought, she had an idea. It wasn’t perfect, but it might work. Moving very slowly, she pulled out one of her swords. Very carefully, she propped it against the corner of the wall, hilt upward. She pushed the point into the lawn to make it reasonably stable. Having done what she could, she put one foot on top of the hilt, and using her hands on the walls, pushed herself up until she was standing on the sword. The top of the wall was tantalizingly close, only a pace above her.

The next part was a little iffier. She took out her second sword and reached up to hook the cross-guard on top of the wall. She probably could have jumped and pulled herself up, but the memory of the burning was too fresh. Thank goodness she was a swordsman. Upper body training was something she did every day.

Gripping the blade in both hands, she did the slowest pullup she’d ever done. Fortunately, the guard held even though this wasn’t a use it had been designed for. Once she was as high as she could get, she placed a hand on the top of one wall, then the other on the adjoining wall. From here, she pulled herself up. Slowly.

The god of fate must have smiled on her, because after somewhere between a few seconds and two lifetimes, she boosted herself up to sit on the wall with her legs dangling on the outside, a stupid smile pasted on her face while she worked the pain out of her arms. She’d made it; there was no more orange trail to follow.

To her amazement, people on the street were going about their business with no idea of what was happening beneath their feet. She jumped down and stood, planning her next move. If anyone noticed her, they didn’t say anything.

At that point, she made her escape.

Walking down the street, Isabell realized they had been correct; this was the part of town where the big families bought investment houses and the up-and-coming tried to inch their way into the upper ranks. Many of the houses stood empty, making this a perfect place to carry on business that might be less than respectable.

Now that she knew where she was, Isabell could get to her family’s main estate. She started jogging.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

After less than an hour, she arrived. She stopped at the side gate, then, as if everything was completely normal, she sent out her ID spell and waited for acknowledgement.

After being cleared, she entered the grounds and strode down the walkway to the servant’s door. Once inside, she made her way through the hallways and passages to the office of the Seneschal, and went in, stopping a respectable distance from the desk.

Madame Knight looked up briefly, then returned to her work. Once finished, she motioned for Isabell to come closer, then tilted her head, indicating she was ready to hear what Isabell had to say.

With no time to waste, Isabell stated, “Hello Bridget. It’s of utmost importance that I see Mama immediately!”

“She’s somewhat busy, but if you’re sure…?”

“Yes, and quickly. We have a crisis!”

Isabell’s recent elevation had significantly enhanced her standing in the family, so after a second of thought, Madame Knight responded, “Very well, follow me.”

Passing through a small nondescript door, they accessed a set of secondary passages which brought them to the back of the house where Isabell’s mother ruled.

While they walked, Madame Knight gave Isabell a questioning look.

Since she had done a favor by letting her see her mother so quickly, Isabell offered, “I have a friend… no, not that sort of friend. A real friend. He needed… well, I can’t say that; he wanted a few of us to help him with an investigation. During our, uh, research, we stumbled over something that could have significant consequences.”

“Does this concern the boy no-one can remember that you’ve been seen with?”

Isabell was surprised. She knew Madame Knight was capable, but even so, this level of detailed knowledge was a revelation.

“I can’t say anything until I’ve talked to Mama.”

With this, she had tacitly admitted that there was something to the question.

A few moments later, they entered her mother’s office and Madame Knight closed the door. Isabell debated for a moment, but then decided that it was permissible for the older lady to attend.

“Hello Isabell. What sort of mess have you gotten into now?”

Her mother was no nonsense. Isabell proceeded to give a complete report. It took a while, with both Mama and the Seneschal asking questions to clarify various details. All-in-all, it was nearly as draining an ordeal as the trip through the catacombs had been. The only detail she glossed over was the depth of Tenthé’s abilities. It always helped to keep something in reserve.

Once done, Isabell waited while her mother took notes.

“All right, my dear. As we suspected, this boy seems to be someone we need to investigate more thoroughly. Our sources have fed us some information, but obviously, he’s more than we thought.”

“What about the Horde? We have to alert the College and the other families! This could be very bad!”

“It might surprise you, but this event is not completely unknown to us. Your details have helped flesh out our suspicions. Follow me and you’ll see.”

She rose and approached one of the bookshelves. Isabell sensed an exchange of magical keys, then her mother pulled gently and the bookshelf swung out.

Interesting. She’d no idea this passage existed!

With the Seneschal trailing, Isabell followed her mother down a long flight of stairs into a large underground office. They continued to a second doorway, entering a large underground space that was both an armory and training room. One more secret Isabell hadn’t suspected.

The facilities showed signs of recent use, but currently there was no-one about.

The three of them crossed to yet another door. This one was quite robust, being fabricated from spell reinforced ironclad oak. Her mother opened it and went through. Isabell and the Seneschal followed into a much rougher passage hacked through the bedrock. It was lined with doors as heavily fortified as the first. Whatever, or possibly whoever, was kept here was very well secured.

Her mother stopped by one with even higher security; in addition to the magical keys, the Seneschal pulled out a physical one and used it. Her mother indicated Isabell precede her into the room.

She walked into a sparsely decorated chamber containing a bed, desk, chair, and a second door. Isabell turned just in time to see the door close and hear the lock engage.

She froze for a moment, her thoughts in turmoil. It was hard to believe, but not too difficult to figure out.

“Oh, Mama!” she exclaimed in disgust.