Chapter 35: Amulet I

Leo stared down at the pendant. He activated [Judgement], but neither the passive nor the active effect came up with anything. He frowned. It was undoubtedly important in some way, otherwise Irving wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to hide it, but how?

The former [Thief] dusted the gem off over the pot and replaced the false bottom, then dropped the pendant into his pocket. “Let’s clean this place up,” he muttered. He kept one eye on the window. The Hounds didn’t seem to have moved.

Spade nodded and carefully stuck the tree back into the pot, packing down the dirt again for good measure.

Leo, meanwhile, gathered the scattered dirt and moved it back. He worked quickly, the weight of the pendant heavy against him. He was acutely aware of how easy it would be for them to get caught.

Despite his fears, the two managed to get the area looking the same as before without any Hounds moving or Irving’s bedroom door opening. Leo activated [Fade into Background] again, carefully creeping back to their bedroom with Spade close behind.

The door clicked shut, and after taking another moment to double check that no one had heard them, Leo exhaled in relief. They’d drawn the curtains over the window, and in the safety of the shadows, he pulled out the pendant again.

“You know what that is?”

Leo shook his head, squinting down at the gem again. There was undoubtedly some sort of magic within it, but he couldn’t tell if it was System or fae in origin.

He said as much to Spade, who hummed thoughtfully.

“Well, I recommend sleeping for now. It’s already quite late, and I doubt you’d want to do anything before the healer returns.”

Leo pursed his lips, but agreed albeit reluctantly. His eyelids were drooping, and he’d need a clearer head to figure this out.

Plus, while he was interested in trying to put the pendant near the water to see what happened, the last thing they needed was to do something so risky when they’d just gotten their hands on the pendant.

Patience, Leo told himself. No needless risks.

He placed the pendant back in his pocket and rolled over, his whole body dripping with the exhaustion of the day. The image of the village boy bleeding out on the ground kept mixing with the memory of the gaping hole in Fergus’s chest in his mind. He closed his eyes.

“Night,” he muttered.

He was asleep before he could hear whether Spade responded or not.

—

Leo woke up to a few different things in the morning. The first was the pendant still solid in his pocket where he’d rolled onto it while sleeping. He gripped it with a hand, and it was smooth and cool between his fingers.

The second was a string of notifications flashing across his vision.

[You have leveled up! 300 points awarded]

[Progress towards next level: 9%]

Leo blinked. Level 21? Just how much had Allan been using [Mend] last evening?

Speaking of which, when Leo forced himself up, he found himself facing the [Healer] in question.

On the outside, Allan didn’t look especially tired, but Leo knew from experience that Allan was one of those people who always looked at least somewhat put together. He could go without sleeping a whole night and only have minor eye circles.

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As Leo rubbed at his own eyes, he realized the curtains had been pulled open and that the sun was high in the sky. He shot to his feet.

“What time is it?” he asked urgently.

“Noon,” came Spade’s plain response. The [Executioner] lounged on one of the chairs across the room. Leo turned to Allan.

“When did you get back?”

The man blinked. “Uh, maybe an hour ago?”

An hour ago. That wasn’t too bad, but he was still mad at himself for wasting time. Leo’s eyes shifted to the lakeside, where Hounds could be seen moving the last few boats to the shore. There were much less than the day before, he noted.

“How’s the boy?” He was almost hesitant to ask, but equal parts desperate for an answer.

“He’s okay,” Allan assured. “The doctor said he’d probably make a full recovery.”

Leo released a long breath.

“That’s good,” he muttered. “That’s good.”

The [Healer] watched him closely, those dark eyes studying him keenly. “You found something yesterday?”

Leo nodded and pulled the necklace out, careful to make sure it was out of view from the window. The Hounds were all too far away anyway, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Vision enhancement skills were a thing.

“Irving was hiding it in a pot. It seems like it’s magical, but I can’t tell what it does.” He frowned. “I want to try holding it near the lake, see if that does anything.”

The problem would be getting back to the lake; he wasn’t sure he could pull the same prayer excuse a second time, especially not after yesterday. The Hounds and even the villagers would all be on edge.

Allan squinted at the pendant, examining that strange, swirling movement within the gemstone.

“…Why don’t we just ask Irving?”

Leo stared at him. “You want us to tell him we stole it?”

Spade made a noise that sounded like a snort, and Leo tossed a scowl in her direction that she met with a simple shrug of her shoulders.

“We already have it,” Allan pointed out. He cocked his head. “It’s not like he could do anything to us. We’d just surround him, and if he doesn’t answer, well…”

His voice trailed, and Leo gave the man a long, scrutinizing look. He lowered the pendant.

“You’re saying we should threaten him for information. After we just saw Fergus try that.” They couldn’t see the street from this room’s window, but he suspected there was still a stain where his dead body had lain. He wondered vaguely what the Hounds had done with his body, if they would’ve bothered with a burial or not.

“It’s different, we actually have the pendant,” Allan pointed out. “It’ll be much more effective, and we’re already in the house so we can keep it quiet.” He cocked his head. “It’s the simplest solution.”

“I agree with the healer,” Spade remarked. She raised a scarred eyebrow. “It’s certainly less risky than attempting to sneak to the lake again.”

Leo was reminded that in addition to executions, Spade had also done a lot of torture jobs and floggings. He peered down at the pendant again, frowning.

He wasn’t really against it; it did indeed seem like the route most likely to yield results, and he was fairly certain Irving would give up the information before they actually had to do anything. Or at least he hoped he did.

Leo looked up. It was probably hypocritical for him to be wary at how easily Allan had made the suggestion. He himself mentally agreed that it was the best plan.

Still, he wasn’t entirely sure what to think when he took in Allan’s completely relaxed expression—as if he hadn’t just alluded to torturing an old man. Leo pursed his lips. When they lived in the slums, Allan was supposed to be the nicer one between them. Then again, a small voice reminded him, Remember the alley?

“Fine.” Leo’s fingers closed tightly around the pendant, obscuring it from view. “Let’s go.”

When he opened the door, the hallway was empty. Irving’s door was shut, but he didn’t hear any noises either. He turned, stepping over to the living room with Allan and Spade’s footsteps echoing behind him.

Leo immediately noticed how bright it was. Light filtered through the front windows, turning the wooden floor golden where it hit. But where the space would usually shift into darkness, the brightness continued all the way through to the back of the room, where the curtains facing the lake were drawn for the first time that Leo had seen.

Sitting at the table, which appeared so much larger in direct sunlight, was Irving.

The [Fisherman] sat gazing out at the distant lake. He didn’t respond when the three of them stepped up to the table, and it wasn’t until their footsteps stopped that he finally turned.

“Good afternoon,” he said calmly.

Leo nodded, a bit taken aback by his demeanor. He’d expected the man to still be a bit rattled from the previous day; this odd serenity was unexpected. He glanced back and noted that Allan was frowning as well, though Spade remained as unreadable as always.

“Did you rest well?” Irving continued in that same even voice. He held a cup of tea in his hands, a line of steam still rising from the surface.

“I’ll admit I was happy to see you sleep in today. Going to bed so late isn’t healthy.”