The tension between Aric and me simmered quietly as we made our way through the city streets, heading toward the perimeter where the wards were anchored. I still felt the lingering thrill of having learned teleportation, but Aric had been right—it didn’t make me invincible. I needed to keep my head down and focus, especially if someone was tampering with the city’s defenses.

We reached the outer edge of the city just as the suns dipped lower in the sky, casting a warm, orange glow over the rooftops. Beyond the city walls, the landscape stretched out into the horizon—rolling hills and dense forests, but nothing that seemed particularly dangerous from a distance. It was hard to imagine a hulking, winged fallen slipping past the defenses unnoticed, but that’s what had happened.

“The wards should be just ahead,” Aric said, his voice cutting through the quiet. “We’ll check each one for signs of tampering.”

I nodded, though I had no idea what I was supposed to be looking for. From what I gathered, the wards were a series of magical barriers set up around the city to detect anything crossing its borders, especially dangerous creatures like fallen.

As we walked along the perimeter, I noticed a faint shimmer in the air. It was subtle, like heat rising from a hot road, but it flickered at regular intervals, following a pattern around the city walls.

“That’s the ward?” I asked, pointing at the shimmering air.

Aric nodded. “One of them. They form a continuous barrier around the city, woven together by the ward-keepers. They’re designed to detect any non-native magic that crosses the boundary—like a fallen.”

I squinted at the shimmer, trying to make sense of how it worked. “And if someone tampered with it, we’d be able to see it, right?”

“Not necessarily,” Aric replied, stepping closer to the barrier. “If someone disabled it without destroying it, they could leave no visible trace. That’s why we need to check each one carefully.”

He extended his hand toward the ward, and as his fingers brushed against the shimmering air, a pulse of light rippled outward, like a stone dropped into water. He muttered something under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the magic.

I watched as the light continued to pulse, but nothing seemed to change. No flickers of darkness, no strange distortions—just the steady hum of magic.

Aric stepped back, his brow furrowed. “This one’s intact. Let’s check the others.”

We moved on to the next ward, then the next, repeating the same process each time. Aric’s hand would hover over the shimmering air, a pulse of light would ripple outward, and he’d watch intently for any sign of disruption.

But no matter how many wards we checked, everything seemed to be working perfectly.

“Nothing,” Aric muttered after the fifth ward. “They’re all functioning as they should.”

I glanced at the horizon, where the red sun was already halfway below the treeline. “So... if the wards are fine, how did that fallen get in?”

Aric’s expression darkened. “I don’t know. The wards should have caught it long before it reached the city center.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“You don’t think they were deactivated and then turned back on, do you?” I asked, though the idea seemed far-fetched.

Aric shook his head. “It’s unlikely. Deactivating and reactivating wards of this scale requires extensive preparation. It would take hours, and someone would have noticed.”

I let out a sigh, raking a hand through my hair. “So we’re back to square one.”

“It seems that way,” Aric said, his tone grim. “But something isn’t right. A fallen that strong couldn’t have just slipped through unnoticed.”

We stood there for a moment, the silence heavy between us. The city was quiet now, the distant sounds of cleanup barely reaching us from the marketplace. The attack had shaken everyone, and yet here we were, with no solid answers.

“Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place,” I offered. “If the wards weren’t tampered with, maybe the problem isn’t with the city’s defenses. Maybe it’s something—or someone—else.”

Aric’s jaw tightened. “So you agree that there’s likely someone inside the city working with the fallen?”

I shrugged. “It’s possible, isn’t it?”

“I still want to look into that possibility,” he said finally. “But for now, we’ve done all we can here.”

I glanced at the sky, where the last rays of sunlight were fading fast.

“It’s getting late,” I said. “We should head back.”

Aric nodded, his expression still tight with frustration. “Let’s go.”

We started back toward the city, the tension between us less sharp now but still present. I could tell Aric wasn’t happy with how things had turned out—he’d been expecting to find something, anything, that could explain how the fallen had gotten in. Instead, we were left with more questions and no answers.

As we made our way through the narrow streets, the city felt quieter than usual. The aftermath of the attack still lingered in the air—people were subdued, their faces tight with worry. I caught glimpses of soldiers patrolling, their armor glinting in the fading light, and I could hear snippets of conversation about what had happened, about the fallen, about how close the city had come to disaster.

By the time we reached the castle, the sky was bathed in deep purples and blues. Torches flickered along the walls, casting long shadows across the stone steps as we approached the gates.

“Do you think the king will be disappointed?” I asked, breaking the silence.

Aric’s expression didn’t change. “The king expects results, but he also knows when something is beyond our control. He’ll want a report, but we’ll need to keep investigating. The attack wasn’t random—there’s something larger at play here.”

I nodded, though the idea of some grand conspiracy didn’t exactly fill me with confidence. Whoever—or whatever—was behind this, they clearly had the means to bypass the kingdom’s most powerful defenses. That wasn’t exactly reassuring.

As we passed through the castle gates, the guards gave us a nod, their faces still drawn with tension. The weight of the day hung heavy on my shoulders as we made our way inside, the halls of the castle eerily quiet.

Aric stopped outside my room, his expression still grim. “Get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll give a report to the king, and then continue looking into this. There’s more going on here than we understand, and we can’t afford to miss anything.”

I nodded. “Got it. And... by the way…I don’t think I’ve properly thanked you for how many times you’ve saved my life over the past few days, so… thanks.”

Aric’s gaze softened just slightly, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he gave a curt nod and turned on his heel, heading down the hallway toward his own quarters.

I let out a breath, feeling the exhaustion finally hit me. Today had been a lot—too much, really. Between the attack, learning magic, and now the looming threat of sabotage or something worse, I felt like my brain was ready to shut down.

I stepped into my room and flopped down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. My thoughts swirled, a jumble of questions without answers. The city was safe for now, but for how long? And what would we do when the next fallen came—or when whoever was behind all this decided to make their next move?

One thing was clear: whatever was coming, we weren’t ready for it.