High Inquisitor Corvus was about the same height as me. That was all I could tell about the man since he was covered from head to toe in a thick black robe that obscured his entire body. I couldn’t even tell what kind of build he had. The man even wore black gloves to cover his hands, and a featureless silver mask. It reminded me a lot of the mask that Master Tempest wore, back when I met him, except that it covered High Inquisitor Corvus’ entire face instead of just the upper half.
Without my divine sense, I had no way of seeing the inquisitor’s true face. This assumed that the inquisitor’s robes and mask weren’t enchanted to conceal his identity from prying eyes, or prying divine sense in this case. If I had to hide my identity from a society of wizards with a literal sixth sense, I would take precautions to deal with said sixth sense.
All in all, his outfit made it difficult to get a read on him. His body language, what little I could glean that was, gave nothing away.
The reason why inquisitors hid their appearance like this was two-fold. First, it kept their identities a secret. While the Inquisition was powerful, it had a lot of enemies, with Dark wizards being the most dangerous among them. Those kinds of people would have no problem going after an inquisitor’s loved ones. By keeping their identities a secret, the inquisitors protected those they care about. Two, the whole black robe and silver mask aesthetic was pretty intimidating. Inquisitors were figures to be feared, their appearance contributed to that.
High Inquisitor Corvus wasn’t alone. He was joined by his aide, Inquisitor Lewin. Like the high inquisitor, Inquisitor Lewin wore black robes from top to bottom, as well as a featureless silver mask. However, unlike High Inquisitor Corvus, it was easy to tell how Inquisitor Lewin felt. He all but radiated suspicion and hostility. I didn’t know why he felt that way, but it was clear that he did not like me or my parents. It was a rather refreshing change of pace to share the hate.
The five of us were in Father’s study, which hadn’t changed much since the last time I was here. It was still a large room filled with antique wooden furniture. Plush rugs covered the floor, and large bookshelves lined the walls. The wooden monster that was my father’s desk still occupied a third of the room. A map of the Solarian Empire hung on the wall behind it.
Since it was evening now, thick curtains covered the windows and magelamps bathed the room with their warm light. However, a new scent filled the room. Instead of tobacco, I smelled sandalwood. The scent came from a decorative ceramic oil diffuser that sat atop Father’s desk. It took on the shape of a dragon curled around the little bowl that held the oil. I assumed the diffuser was an enchanted item, since I didn’t see any flames. Without my divine sense, I couldn’t tell for sure.
Father sat behind the desk, flanked by Mother and I. High Inquisitor Corvus sat right in front of the desk, with Inquisitor Lewin standing behind him and to his left. Father wore his stern, stony mask. Mother outright glared at the inquisitors, keeping her arms crossed. I wore a mask of polite neutrality in order to hide my thoughts. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, my mind kept going to the enchanted oil diffuser. Maybe I should get one for Kaylee for her birthday. I made a mental note to ask Father about it.
“Lord Sturm,” High Inquisitor Corvus said. Despite the mask, his voice came out clean and clear. “I apologize for arriving at such a late hour, but when I heard that Lord Gabriel had returned to Sturm Manor, I decided it was better to be a bit rude than miss out on the chance to speak with him.”
A bit rude? It was past dinner time. Not only that, but he came here without notice. That was more than a bit rude, I’d say. High Inquisitor Corvus did all this because he thought…What exactly? Did he think that I would make a run for it?
“You’re right, High Inquisitor Corvus,” Father said, his voice as cold as Lady Calla’s magic. “It is late. So late, in fact, that I would have refused to receive you if my son hadn’t insisted on this. After spending many months apart, I had hoped to spend a quiet evening with my wife and my son.”
Inquisitor Lewin took a step forward.
“You dare speak to-…” he started to say, but High Inquisitor Corvus silenced him with a raised hand.
“While I appreciate your zeal, Lewin,” the high inquisitor said. “Lord Sturm is right to be cross with us. We did barge in here without invitation after all.”
At least he was aware of his rude behavior, which was something I supposed.
“Let me get the introductions out of the way,” Father said. He gestured to Mother first, and then me. “This is my wife, Lady Claire Sturm, and this is my son, Lord Gabriel Sturm.”
“A pleasure to meet you both,” High Inquisitor Corvus said, before focusing on me. “You are a difficult man to reach, Lord Gabriel. I have wanted to speak with you for some time now.”
I gave him a polite smile that in no way reflected my real feelings.
“I was up north, recovering after last year’s…incident,” I said, before frowning in confusion. “But I must ask, High Inquisitor Corvus, why the urgency? I just returned from the Icefall Region. Surely you could have waited a day or two before coming over.”
High Inquisitor Corvus shook his head.
“I couldn’t take that risk,” he said.
Mother scoffed.
“What risk?” she said. “Did you think my son would run away if he knew you were coming?”
Inquisitor Lewin clenched his fists at Mother’s words, but another gesture from High Inquisitor Corvus stopped him.
“No,” the high inquisitor said. “In fact, the reason why I came here so soon was because I have reason to believe that your son’s life is in danger.”
A beat of silence followed his words.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“And why didn’t you mention this earlier, high inquisitor?” Father growled. “You’ve visited me several times now, and not once did you say anything about my son’s life being in danger.”
High Inquisitor Corvus spread his hands out in a placating gesture.
“I couldn’t risk letting the wrong people know about it,” he said. “While I know that you and your daughter wouldn’t say anything, you never know who might be listening in. Instead, I thought it best to keep silent until your son arrived.”
Father’s eyes narrowed at the high inquisitor. Right, I think it was best to move things alone and get to the point.
“Why do you think my life is in danger?” I asked, before throwing some bait out. “Is it because of what happened last year between Lady Annabelle Thorne and myself?”
High Inquisitor Corvus’ gaze sharpened. I couldn’t see it, but I felt it. His eyes seemed to pierce right through me, despite the mask he wore.
“It is related to that, yes,” he said. “Tell me, Lord Gabriel. Have you heard about what has been going on in Sunheart over the past year or so?”
I pretended to examine my fingernails.
“You mean the rumors about the heirs of several Houses being affected by Dark magic, causing them to act irrationally and go mad?” I asked. “Yes, I have heard.” I flashed the high inquisitor a wide smile. “I have my sources.”
“You mean your great grandfather, Gabriel Leone,” High Inquisitor Corvus said. “Or Scarlet Blazing Lion, if we wish to use his cultivator name.”
The tension in the room went up another notch.
“A few of our people noticed a Lunarian cultivator snooping around Sunheart,” the high inquisitor said. I could hear the smile in his words. “I’ve dealt with Scarlet Blazing Lion before, so I recognized the description of him. Since he wasn’t meddling in our affairs, we left him alone.”
“I guess we’re just throwing everything out into the open then,” I muttered to myself.
“I thought it best to do so” the high inquisitor said, responding to my words even though they weren’t directed at him. “It leaves less room for potential misunderstandings.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but Father held up a hand to silence me.
“Given your words,” Father said, bringing the conversation back on track. “I assume you believe Gabriel was affected by Dark magic just like the other heirs?”
High Inquisitor Corvus nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “The Dark magic spell used to affect the other heirs amplified their negative emotions: jealousy, anger, hatred, and so on. The magic fed these emotions, until the victim was driven into a murderous rage and tried to kill the cause of their emotions. In Lord Gabriel’s case, this was Lady Annabelle Thorne. While I would need to examine him to know for sure, Lord Gabriel’s actions last year fit the pattern.” He nodded to Father. “You witnessed the effects of the spell first hand, Lord Sturm, when Lord Miles Thorne confronted your son in Icefall City several months ago.”
I stood straighter when he mentioned Lord Miles.
“You are well informed, High Inquisitor Corvus,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
“We have to be thorough when dealing with Dark magic like this,” he said. “When we realized that you might have been the first victim, we dispatched our people to investigate the situation. We dug into your activities in the months leading up to the duel with Lady Annabelle, as well your activities in the months afterward.”
The thought that the Inquisition had been interested in me for months now just made me feel even more uneasy.
“You said that my son’s life may be in danger,” Mother said. “What did you mean by that?”
At this, High Inquisitor Corvus paused.
“What the rumors don’t say is that, except for a few exceptions, everyone who was affected by this Dark magic spell has died,” he said. “They perished a few weeks after they went on their rampage.”
Several seconds of silence followed his words. The thought that some unknown enemy tried to kill me using Dark magic filled me with both fear, and anger. How dare they? How dare they use me as a pawn in their schemes? When I found these cowards hiding in the shadows, too afraid to confront me in the open, I would make them pay.
“While Lord Gabriel seems to be fine,” High Inquisitor Corvus continued. “There is the possibility that he might still be affected by the Dark magic spell. I couldn’t let him die. Not only is he a scion of one of the oldest Houses in the Solarian Empire, but he is a valuable lead.”
Well, didn’t that make me feel all warm and fuzzy.
“How did the other heirs die?” I asked.
“If we know about the threat beforehand, we can do something about it,” Father said.
“Tell us,” Mother said in an urgent tone. “So that we can protect our son.”
Guilt filled me, even though this situation wasn’t my fault. I almost died a few days ago, and now Mother had to deal with another threat to my life. Perhaps I should get her a present as well, when I went shopping for one for Kaylee.
“The danger is internal,” High Inquisitor Corvus said. “Neither of you can help Gabriel deal with it, not directly at least.”
“What do you mean by that?” Mother asked, her voice as sharp as a whip.
High Inquisitor Corvus gestured to me.
“From what we can tell,” he said. “The Dark magic spell mimics the effects of an inner demon, which is why those affected end up going mad, though the spell doesn’t actually create one. Wizards can’t form inner demons, so they are unprepared to deal with them.” He paused. “However, the spell has a secondary effect, which we only discovered after the other heirs started dying.”
Suddenly, the high inquisitor looked tired. His posture didn’t change, but I felt weariness coming from him. For a man covering his entire body in black robes, High Inquisitor Corvus was good at projecting his emotions. I couldn’t tell if this was an act on his part or not.
“After the heirs went mad, their Houses brought them to the Grand Temple to purge them of the Dark magic,” he continued. “Afterwards, the heirs returned home, thinking they were safe. Weeks later, they started dying in their sleep. When this happened, we took a deeper look and realized that the Dark magic spell marked those affected. This mark was like a beacon, attracting spirits and demons of the mind. Purging the spell didn’t erase the mark, which remained dormant for a few weeks before activating.”
Spirits and demons of the mind were like inner demons. However, unlike inner demons, they weren’t born from the darkness of a cultivator’s heart. In fact, no one knew where they came from. Unlike other kinds of spirits and demons, which were still a part of the physical world despite their spiritual nature, mental spirits and demons were entirely ephemeral in nature.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
They were difficult to sense, let alone defend against, especially for wizards. Cultivators had a better chance, since they had experience dealing with inner demons, but it was still dangerous for them as well. Thankfully, mental spirits and mental demons were quite rare. It was entirely possible for decades, maybe even centuries, to pass before someone encountered one.
The only reason why I knew about them was because I took an elective class on the various kinds of spirits that existed in Lumina, back when I attended the Solarian Imperial Academy. The lessons about the rarer kinds of spirits were my favorite.
When High Inquisitor Corvus mentioned that the Dark magic spell marked the other heirs, implying that I might have been marked as well, Mother’s gaze snapped to me. I crossed my arms and gave the high inquisitor a flat look.
“Even if I had been affected by the same Dark magic spell that affected the others,” I said. “I doubt that I’m marked. If I ever had been, the Lightning spell that Lady Annabelle used to shatter my Circles likely erased the mark as well. Otherwise I would have been attacked by a mental spirit or demon already.”
If I had been attacked, I would have fared better than most wizards or cultivators, since I was a reincarnated Immortal. Dealing with a mental spirit or demon was a matter of willpower and mental strength. Unlike inner demons, mental spirits and demons weren’t born from the darkness of a cultivator’s heart, and thus weren’t specifically created to destroy the cultivator that spawned them.
Not only that, but since I shared a mental link with Aurora, my familiar would be able to help me if a mental spirit or demon attacked me. Hell, since she was a spirit herself, she would be able to consume one and grow more powerful.
Still, they weren’t to be underestimated, especially the more powerful ones. From what I remembered, there were some that could sense their target’s weaknesses and use those weaknesses against them. In that regard, they were just as dangerous as inner demons.
“As I said earlier,” High Inquisitor Corvus said. “A few of the heirs survived. These survivors could be divided into two groups. The first group consisted of those who, for one reason or another, remained at the Grand Temple after their treatment. When they were attacked, the priests nearby were able to sense the marks when they activated and erased them.”
I frowned and wondered where he was going with this.
“The second group consisted of those who retired to the countryside after their treatment. As long as they stayed away from Sunheart, their marks remained dormant. We figured this out when one of them returned. Her mark activated the first night she fell asleep in Sunheart. Thankfully, we kept an eye on her when she returned, and we were able to reach her in time to save her life.”
Oh, so that’s where he was going with this. He thought that I still had a mark.
“So you’re saying that Gabriel might still have one of these marks?” Father asked, his words mirroring my thoughts.
“I believe so, yes,” High Inquisitor Corvus said. “Do you see now why we arrived when we had, despite the late hour? If your son is marked, then his mark will activate when he falls asleep tonight. While we’re some distance away from Sunheart, Sturm Manor is close enough that Lord Gabriel’s life might be in danger.”
Mother slammed her hands on Father’s desk. A crack rang as the desk wobbled, before one of its legs collapsed. Inquisitor Lewin stepped in front of High Inquisitor Corvus, ready to shield him with his body. The high inquisitor didn’t react to Mother’s display. Brave man.
“Claire!” Father said, sounding both alarmed and pained by the damage to his desk.
He was lucky that she held back, otherwise she would have shattered the entire thing.
“Why didn’t you say anything before tonight?” Mother demanded. “If you knew about a potential threat to my son’s life, why didn’t you warn us before we returned to Sturm Manor? Discretion is one thing, but your silence put my son’s life in danger!”
“The reason why we remained silent is that we don’t want those responsible to catch wind that we know about the marks,” High Inquisitor Corvus said. “While we have been careful, one stray remark is all it takes. Not only that, but you wouldn’t have been able to do anything. It’s near impossible for anyone to detect the mark before it activates. We’ve tried. I’ve tried. You can sense how powerful I am. If I couldn't sense the marks then Scarlet Blazing Lion wouldn’t have been able to either.”
Damn it. Without my divine sense, I couldn’t tell how powerful High Inquisitor Corvus and his aide were. Given his words, and my parents’ expressions, then High Inquisitor was on par with Grandfather Gabe. That meant that this man was at least a Fifth Circle wizard, or the Holy magic equivalent. If he was also a cultivator, then he was likely in the Golden Core stage as well.
However, there was something I found suspicious about his words.
“That’s not the only reason why you waited until we returned to Sturm Manor to tell us about this mark, is it?” I asked. “You called me a valuable lead earlier.” I narrowed my eyes at High Inquisitor Corvus. “You intend to use me to catch the people responsible for all this, don’t you?”
“Correct,” High Inquisitor Corvus said without an ounce of shame. Well, at least he was honest about it.
The temperature in the room soared as Mother radiated heat. Father put a hand on her arm.
“Claire, calm down,” he said in an even voice. “Losing our tempers won’t help anyone, least of all Gabriel. Make no mistake, I’m angry as well. However, we can’t afford to make enemies out of the Inquisition, especially since we need them to help Gabriel.”
Mother didn’t respond to him right away, and continued to glare at High Inquisitor Corvus. However, after a while, she gave the barest of nods.
“Fine,” she spat out.
The temperature in the room returned to normal. Throughout all of this, Inquisitor Lewin continued to stand between us and High Inquisitor Corvus.
“Why do you need me?” I asked, hoping to move the conversation along before Mother lost her temper again. “What about the other heirs?”
High Inquisitor Corvus shook his head.
“The mark disappeared from those who died,” he said. “As for the ones who were treated at the Grand Temple, the priests there had to erase their marks in order to save their lives. It was the same for us when it came to the first heir who returned from the countryside. Since we were caught unawares, we hadn’t made the necessary preparations. In order to save her life, we had to erase her mark before we could study it or trace it back to its creators.”
“What about the other heirs who retreated to the countryside?” Father asked. “Have you contacted them?”
High Inquisitor Corvus nodded.
“We already tried with them,” he said. “However, they were unable to withstand the mental spirits and demons that assaulted their minds. Before we could learn anything meaningful, we had to erase their marks in order to save their lives. After our last failure, we thought we had reached a dead end. Other than pursuing avenues, our only solution was to wait for another heir to be affected by the Dark magic spell.” He paused. “And then we remembered the duel between Lord Gabriel and Lady Annabelle last year. We hadn’t considered your son a potential victim, since the duel occurred months before the other incidents. However, his actions fit the pattern, so we looked into it.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“And you think that I can withstand the mental spirits and demons where the others could not?”
High Inquisitor Corvus nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “As I revealed earlier, I already know that you and the rest of your family are now cultivators. Since cultivators have more experience with inner demons, I believe that you’ll have a better chance at surviving.”
“Absolutely not,” Mother said right away. “You are not using my son as bait. Erase the mark and be done with it.”
Father nodded.
“I agree with my wife on this,” he said. “While I would cooperate with the Inquisition in most regards, I will not do so at the risk of my son’s life.”
High Inquisitor Corvus regarded my parents in silence for a few seconds, before looking at me.
“What say you, Lord Gabriel?” he asked. “Do you agree with your parents’ concerns?”
He spoke in a neutral tone, yet it still felt like he was challenging me; goading me into doing as he wanted. Asshole.
Still, I had to admit, I was tempted. I had never dealt with a mental spirit or demon before, in this life or any other. I’ve dealt with inner demons during my life as Immortal Celestial Thunder, but those were somewhat different. High Inquisitor Corvus’ story piqued my curiosity.
That said, after what I had just gone through, I wasn’t sure this was the best idea. I damaged my own mind in the fight with the undead magic beasts horde. Playing bait with a bunch of mental spirits and demons right now seemed like the height of stupidity.
However, I also wanted to catch the fuckers responsible for cursing me in the first place, assuming that I had been affected by a Dark magic spell last year. If so, that meant that someone targeted me and my family. I could not let this stand. What if they continued to target my family in order to further whatever scheme they were up to? The Inquisition was our best bet at catching them. Helping them helped us in the long run.
“While I agree with my parents that helping you is a risk,” I said. “It is a risk that I’m willing to take.”
“Gabriel!” Father said, his voice sharp.
Mother marched up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders.
“What do you think you are doing, young man?” she asked, shaking me. “Do you intend to throw yourself into danger every chance you get?”
Beneath her anger, I heard the fear and concern in my mother’s voice. While I understood where she was coming from, I couldn’t let that stop me from doing this.
“What if the ones responsible for all this target Kaylee?” I asked in a quiet voice.
My parents fell silent, stunned expressions on their faces. It seemed that they had been so concerned about me that it never occurred to them that my little sister could also become a victim.
“I’m no longer the heir to House Sturm,” I said. “Kaylee is. What if they target her next?” I glanced at High Inquisitor Corvus. “Have you figured how the other heirs and myself ended up getting cursed by this Dark magic spell?”
“While we don’t know the specifics,” High Inquisitor Corvus admitted. “We do know that each of the heirs, including yourself, were all cursed while attending the Solarian Imperial Academy. That is the one common element between all of you. We’re looking into it now.”
My lips curled up in a sneer. Of course. Children are the future of a House. Take them out, and the House dies. There is a reason why most Houses go with an heir and a spare. It was a matter of survival. Killing both ensured the House’s downfall. That didn’t make targeting children any less despicable.
I looked back at my parents.
“Kaylee is set to attend the Solarian Imperial Academy,” I said. “Unless you plan on stopping her, she will be at risk. She isn’t the only one either. Lady Calla will also be at risk. When we took her in as our ward, we agreed to take responsibility for her safety. The best way to keep both of them safe is to help the Inquisition find out who is responsible for all of this.”
Mother’s face twisted. She knew that I was right, and she hated it.
“We could always send them somewhere else,” Father said, though he sounded unsure about that.
“That will only generate resentment,” I said, shaking my head. “Besides, I would rather deal with the problem head on instead of running away from it.”
Mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After she composed herself, she opened her eyes again and looked right at me.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked.
I nodded.
“In that case, you have my support.”
We both turned to Father, who let out a sigh.
“Very well,” he said, before giving our guests a cross look. “It seems you’re getting your way, High Inquisitor Corvus.”
“Thank you,” the high inquisitor said, standing up. “I know that making this decision wasn’t easy, and I’m sorry, but it was necessary.”
To my surprise, he sounded like he meant it. That didn’t make me like him any better, but at least he knew he was asking much of us.
“I’ll help you,” I said. “However, I have two conditions.”
Both High Inquisitor Corvus and Inquisitor Lewin faced me. I snorted.
“What?” I said. “You didn’t think I was going to do this for free, did you? I’m an adventurer. If you want me to risk my life, then you better pay me for it.”
“How vulgar,” Inquisitor Lewin said.
Ah ha. I recognized that tone. A House scion. Interesting.
“What are your conditions?” High Inquisitor Corvus asked, ignoring his aide’s comment.
“First, I want one of Lord Tempest’s priests involved in this,” I said. “I’d prefer Grand Priest Darius, but if he isn’t available, then a priest of lesser status will do.”
“Such arrogance!” Inquisitor Lewin said. “Who do you think you are to make such demands? A grand priest’s time is too valuable to be wasted on the likes of you.”
I gave him a wide smile.
“Grand Priest Darius will make time for me,” I said.
Darius Ward was the Grand Priest for Master Tempest within the Church of the Sun, making him Master Tempest’s greatest servant in the mortal world. Since I was Tempest’s Chosen, he was obligated to aid me.
Wait a minute. Darius Ward. Was he related to Hadley Ward, my former roommate? If so, that was either a massive coincidence, or someone was pulling the strings of fate.
High Inquisitor Corvus must have realized that there was a reason for my confidence, because he studied me for several seconds before speaking up.
“I will do what I can,” he said. “What is your second condition?”
“I imagine that the Inquisition has collected a lot of information over the years,” I said. “Including various cultivation secrets and techniques. Am I correct?”
High Inquisitor Corvus nodded.
“It has,” he said. From the tone of his voice, he already knew where I was going with this.
“Does this include the means to combine Spirit Earth alchemy with Luminan alchemy?” I asked. “As well as combining cultivation formations with wizardry magic circles?”
“Spirit Earth?”
“That’s my term for the world cultivators came from,” I explained. “Others might call it the Land of the Golden Dragon.”
“Ah, in that case, yes, we have,” High Inquisitor Corvus said. “For both. Is that the price for your help in this regard?”
“Yes.”
I had reached another wall in my search to combine Spirit Earth alchemy with Luminan alchemy. While creating pills and then refining them with Luminan alchemy created powerful elixirs, I was still half a step away from fully combining both practices. I wanted to be able to recreate the pills Grandfather Gabe gave us, so our Clan didn’t fall behind the cultivator Clans and sects that had been around longer.
Instead of bashing my head against the wall, I figured I’d learn it from those who had already figured it out. Learning how to combine cultivation formations with wizardry magic circles was just icing on the cake.
“It will take some time to retrieve the knowledge from our archives,” High Inquisitor Corvus said. “I can have it delivered to you by tomorrow at the earliest.”
“After everything is already over,” I said in a flat voice.
“Don’t worry. Even if things don’t turn out the way we wish, and we have to erase the mark to save your life, I’ll still hold up my end of the bargain. It is the least I can do.”
“Thank you, High Inquisitor Corvus.”
The high inquisitor nodded.
“Now then, by your leave, I will be off,” he said. “We have preparations to make and messages to send. We will return in a few hours. Please don’t fall asleep before then.”
“I’ll see you out,” Father said.
With that, my father escorted our guests out of Sturm Manor while Mother and I remained in his study. The moment the others left, she pulled me into a tight hug.
“Stay alive,” she said. “I don’t care what you have to do, but stay alive.”
“I will, Mother,” I said, returning the hug. “And I’m sorry. I know this is difficult for you.”
She nodded.
“If it helps, dealing with a few mental spirits and demons isn’t that big of a deal for someone like me.”
Mother pulled away and glared at me.
“I almost wish you weren’t a reincarnation,” she said. “It gives you an overinflated sense of your capabilities. You take on dangers that you are in no way ready for.” She sighed. “Still, I said I would support you in this and I will. Just promise me that you’ll stay out of danger after this, at least for a little while.”
“I promise to try,” I said. “I can’t guarantee that danger won’t find me, but I won’t go looking for it on my own.”
Mother sighed again.
“I suppose that the best I’m going to get out of you.”
Yeah, I definitely needed to buy my mother a gift as well.