Alois felt like he was the only one left not doing something. Cassandra was working hard to take this opportunity to catch the spy so Autumn would have a safe place to return to. Caleb and Maximus were negotiating with Marcus and Merk to form a rescue squad. Wayde was keeping Carson busy so he didn’t notice what they were up to.
He needed to do something, but the problem was the main thing he was tempted to do was confront Osmond. Just as he was about to give in and interrogate his mentor, Alois felt his jabber jewel activate.
“Alois, I need you to do something while I am gone,” Maximus told him.
Finally, a task. “What do you need?” Alois asked.
“This incident is far deeper than it appears. Dyment is in danger and if we do nothing it will continue to suffer,” Maximus explained, “The only way we can stop this is to find proof. You are the only one among us who can get it. Not only are you the apprentice of the man they believe to be on their side, but you can always use that stealth magic if it comes to it.”
“Proof of what?” Alois asked. If he was going to do it, he needed to know what he was looking for.
“Of Carson’s misdeeds,” he answered, “Anything serious enough to remove him from his position as steward.”
“Anything, huh. I’ll see what I can dig up,” Alois promised.
He didn’t waste a moment, using his stealth magic to break into Carson’s office while Wayde had him distracted. The office was neatly organized, a perfect example of what an office should be.
Alois leafed through any documents that looked even the slightest bit important, but they all had to do with the base management of Dyment. He supposed that made sense. Only a fool would leave evidence of treason in a place anyone could go. Just in case he was missing some sort of secret message, Alois looked through everything again.
“Get out of there,” Wayde suddenly warned, “Carson is heading to his office now.”
“Thanks,” Alois replied as he quickly returned everything to the state he had found it.
His next target was Carson’s bedroom. It would be like that weasel of a man to keep important secrets close. The room was just as pristine as the office, and if there had not been a bed Alois might have mistaken it for one. The room had a desk against one wall, with the others lined with bookshelves. The books that lined those shelves were all blank bound leather, each appearing to be handwritten.
They were all journals, at least a hundred of them. Most of them were sealed with privacy magic to prevent others from reading the contents. All of those looked important, but Alois cound;t chance trying to break the enchantment and getting caught. Instead he skimmed through those he could read.
Rather than Carson’s personal journals, they seemed to be records of every conversation he had ever had. As Alois thought this, the pen on the desk moved on its own and began to scribble down the gist of his latest conversation with Wayde. Was this some sort of recording enchantment? It wasn’t sealed yet, so if Alois could take this and get Carson to confess, that just might work. Perhaps he should bring up this Simon that he seemed to be in constant contact with.
Alois left the bedroom with the book and pen and stashed them somewhere safe. At the very least it was worth a try. Now all he needed to do was figure out how to convince a traitor he was on their side and definitely not fishing for information. Perhaps he should pretend he already knew what the plan was? No. That was a bad idea. Pretending to know something you didn’t was like asking to get caught.
He thought of a new plan as he approached Carson’s office. The only problem with this plan was that he would have to betray, or pretend to, Maximus to gain Carson’s trust. Luckily the steward was alone when Alois arrived.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Alois greeted.
“Did you need something?” Carson replied with a smile. He had always shown favoritism to Alois, and now that he knew why he felt even more disgusted than before.
Alois carefully looked around and shut the door before casting a privacy barrier. He needed to choose his words carefully to avoid arousing suspicion without actually admitting to anything himself.
“I heard you are a key part of the operation,” he began.
Carson’s demeanor immediately sharpened and his eyes narrowed. “What do you have to do with the operation?” he demanded.
“Nothing. That’s the problem,” Alois told him, “Osmond never lets me in on anything but I am tired of being stuck on the sidelines. If you let me join in this, I am sure I can be useful. Maximus and the rest trust me and tell me all their plans.”
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“Such as?” he prodded, not budging an inch.
“Maximus has been negotiating with Merk,” Alois revealed, “I won’t say anything else until you prove to me whose side you are on.”
“Just as slippery as your mentor,” he commented, “Very well. I am one of the originals. The forerunners of Gaia’s invasion from the inside. This is a very important moment for the future of the continent and we cannot afford to let anything go wrong.”
“I had no idea this operation was so important,” Alois said with genuine surprise.
“Of course you didn’t. This is a top secret mission only the best of Gaia’s operatives can participate in.” he scolded, “I can’t give you the details but I do know a way you can help.”
Alois decided now was a good time to take a risk. “You won’t tell Simon I intervened, will you?”
“Of course not,” Carson assured, “If you do your part and throw that little fae and his friends off the trail, I will see to it that his report to the empire only mentions you in a good light. I know what it is like to be filled with the eager impatience of youth.”
That was an overwhelming success of a plan. Just in case the book and its records fell through he had relayed everything over the jabber jewels. With any luck, Caleb would be able to do something with that.
==========
As Keane slowly came to consciousness he felt a sharp sting where he had been stabbed with the needle. The dust in the air settled like ash, drying his mouth and nose. It felt familiar in the most unpleasant of ways. His eyes snapped open to reveal a dim, celler-like room that wasn’t much of an improvement to having them closed.
There was just enough light for Keane to make out the form of Autumn sleeping beside him and the looming masked summon guarding the door. They appeared to have been placed on some sort of make-shift sleeping mat on the floor, with the only light seeping through the crack beneath the door.
Keane reached over to check Autumn’s condition and immediately noticed something felt wrong. Autumn’s temperature was far too high and his skin was damp with sweat. The room wasn’t chilly but it certainly wasn’t hot. Was it a reaction to the sleeping drug? Had he been poisoned? If things had progressed this far, time was of the essence. But what could he do? That summon was standing in the way.
“Hey, Autumn is sick,” Keane tried, but got no response. Right, there would be no negotiating with a puppet. He would need to take care of that, then.
He pushed himself to his feet and wobbled a bit as the nausea hit. Whatever drug had been used was absolutely awful. No wonder Autumn was having an adverse reaction. Keane needed to act fast before Frost or anyone else noticed he had awoken. It didn’t help that Autumn’s magic was unstable due to his condition.
Since the magic tools controlling the summon did not need to be preserved for any reason, Keane just obliterated their enchantments and hoped for the best. If the summon turned on them instead he would do his best to protect Autumn.
The mask cracked and fell off, glowing slightly and adding more light to the room. The light revealed that the summon was a man, perhaps in his late twenties, with metallic silver hair and grayish blue eyes. The man stood there in silence for a moment, staring at the mask that had controlled his actions until that point before he crushed it underfoot with a vengeance.
“I am assuming you didn’t release me for free. Let’s hear what you want,” he spoke.
“Please help Autumn,” Keane told him, “Whatever you injected him with has made him sick and he may be entering critical condition.”
The man frowned and stooped over Autumn, checking his condition. “What a rotten mess. That brute who controlled me should never had used me to administer poison without knowing what he was getting into,” he muttered darkly, “I can cure him, but what’s in it for me?”
Keane tried to quickly formulate what a man with such a dangerous aura to him would desire. It wasn’t freedom. Keane had already given him that. Telling him it was the price for releasing him was also bound to end badly. Everything was best if he stayed on their side so they didn’t have another enemy to worry about.
“Once we get out of here, I know some friends who can help send you back home,” Keane offered. A summon who had been unjustly trapped like this would naturally long to return. Or at least Keane hoped that was the case.
“A guarantee based on people I don’t know who aren’t here,” he scoffed.
“If Autumn wasn’t sick I could do it myself,” Keane snapped, “His magic power and my control combined would be enough, but even if you cure him it will take a while for his magic to properly stabilize.”
The man paused to consider his options then pulled out a vial and another needle, shoving Keane back when he tried to intervene. “Do you want me to cure him or not?”
With no choice but to watch as the questionable summon injected Autumn with the mysterious liquid, Keane clenched his fist. If only he had been more prepared for a situation like this. He should have been, but he had become too complacent in Tethia’s peaceful atmosphere despite the rumor and threat of war. The good news was, whatever the summon did seemed to work almost instantaneously. Autumn seemed to be breathing easier, at least.
“How long until he recovers?” Keane asked.
“It depends on his will,” the summon answered, “All I did was give him the antidote and a little boost. The rest is up to him.”
Keane was relieved as he bent down to check Autumn’s condition again. His temperature was already slowly dropping to a more normal heat, though his skin was still damp from the sweat before.
“Thank you,” he told the summon.
“Just hold up your end of the bargain,” he warned, “Now if you will excuse me, I have some business to see to. I suggest you don’t leave this room.”