Sven peered through the bars of their shared cell. “I think we're finally alone. You can talk freely now, so you got to tell me: What in the Deep is going on? I went along with whatever game you played, and some of the things you said even make sense. The noble family explains how you managed to get proper training as a mage, even though that seems incredibly risky to me. But I don't believe for a second that the king has summoned you to be his healer. If there is even a sliver of truth to the story you told me, it makes no sense at all. And besides, you just aren't the type to be summoned. But most of all: why did you let yourself be captured? I know that you did something to stop the guards from skewering me like a shish kebab, and I've seen what you else you can do, so don't try to tell me that there was nothing you could have done.

Lucia thought for a second, examining the jagged walls of their cell. Of course, the guards had not bought her story, but they had at least done them the courtesy of throwing them in the same cell. And letting her seal the letter they'd send to the king. Hopefully. She had often considered throwing the signet ring away altogether but never found the energy to do so. Now it gave her at least some chance of being recognized. And maybe a long-term solution to her current predicament.

The mage cell was usually the deepest room of a dungeon, cut into the bedrock to be as far away from any potential source of echo as possible. Lucia had to admit that the builders of this cell had done a good job, as far as that was possible at least. There were no cracks in the stone of the walls, no mushrooms or plants nearby to use, and engraved iron bars to interfere with the control of the echo outside of the cell. But for once, Lucia shared the position of the Inquisition: you cannot hold a mage, only convince, coerce, or kill them. The Inquisition excelled in all three areas.

Her thoughts returned to Sven, who was pacing up and down the tiny room. It was probably time to answer him. “Fair. I will be as honest as possible to you. I am in fact Lucia Threewater, a noble from Angrien. I assume you're not up to date with the feuds of Angrien's nobility, so let's just say the House Threewater has fallen from grace. I was not summoned by King Gustav, but I'm pretty sure I can heal whatever ails him. Someone at court should recognize my name and seal, so that should give me the chance I need to prove my healing abilities to him or whoever he sends to investigate.”

Lucia sighed as she continued. “And yes, I could have fought the guards this morning, but what good would it be? I'd be hunted again, and that is getting boring quickly. Plus, this cell is much preferable to the immediate execution that would await me down south.”

Sven looked a bit deflated now but was still pacing up and down the cell. “They even took the sword. Baal will crack their minds like his breakfast eggs and then be off to the Source knows where. It will be such a hassle to find him, once we're out again.“

“Yes, that's a good point, but you don't need to worry about it. The sword should be safe, wherever they put the belongings of their prisoners. I made sure that Ball plays nice for the moment.”

“Alright, alright. But I still would have liked some action. It was fun fighting the demon with you, you know. The guards would have been even better. Just imagine it: me, biting the guards to death. You, killing them by making their heads explode into a fine red mist. It would have been perfect. And now that I think about it, we would've only been hunted if we'd left survivors. Or witnesses. After the guards, we#d have hunted down Ingrid. Then anybody you sense in the surroundings. Maybe torch the city, while we're at it. Oh yes, could have given me the sword. With Baal, I am unstoppable. Unkillable. He said we could tear this world down. I think I would like to see them burn. I see him dancing in the pale moonlight.” Sven's rambling devolved into an inaudible muttering.

Lucia took the time to extend her senses, looking for any hint of echo down here in the dungeon. It was a good exercise. Having been hunted all through the last month, she was forced to accept an uncomfortable truth: she was rusty. Her knowledge might be greater than it had ever been, but her execution was sorely lacking. Back in Angrien, none off her tricks had thrown the pursuers of her path for good and she'd been caught off guard two times now. It was time to change that.

Lucia focused on the dull gray shimmer of the rocks. The echo there was barely worth noting. Like everything in this world, the rock had been touched by the Source, but that was all the shimmering showed. Nothing usable there. Far above her, there was the soft brown pressure of the earth. Dense and compressed, but still better than rock. There were roots and mycelium. Tiny insects. If she turned her focus past the stone, she could see them. Little spots of life, of existence. It was too weak, too far away. She needed something more. And plants and mushrooms weren't her cup of tea anyway. She was no druid after all.

It did not matter, tough. It was just a warm-up, so far. Lucia looked out of the cell into the darkness, but she did not need light to see. Sure, the iron bars were annoying, but more like a fly, buzzing around in your field of vision. She swatted their aura aside, just like she would with a fly. Her vision followed the tunnel, the gaps in the stone all around them. She saw the other cells. Voids in the gray shimmer, separated by buzzing white beams. She stretched her awareness further and further, her senses alert, while she thought about the tentative agreement she and Baal had reached this morning

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The knight sheathed his sword and stepped towards Lucia, stretching out his hand. “Alright Ms. 'Threewater'. Unlike your 'bodyguard', you seem amicable enough, so we will honor your request. But only as long as you and your friend stay peaceful.” He gave Sven a warning glance. “Please give me your sword and your bag, then we will escort you to the garrison. We'll keep you there until an examiner arrives.” He gave her a patronizing smile. “Or until we hear from the king, of course.”

Lucia had expected that, but that did not make it less of a problem. She had managed to insulate herself from Baal's more adverse effects back in her mansion in Threewater, but she had no way of protecting others. Mostly, because back then, she could not conceive of a situation, where she'd need to. Well, there was one way to make sure that Baal did not run wild. But that involved a lot of talking. Ugh.

Lucia reached for the sword on her back. The instant she touched the white hilt of the sword, the world around was replaced by endless black. Before her, a creature with twisted horns and eyes even darker than the void surrounding them stepped from the shadows. The being, whose existence alone was a mockery to all of creation, smiled as it appraised Lucia.

You want to talk with me? How delightful.

“Yeah, and if you've as much awareness as I think you have, you should know what this is about. I have to give the sword away for now and It would be very irritating if you decide to invade some more minds and run away.”

Curious. Have you considered not giving the sword away? It seems to me there is little these humans can do to force you.

“Maybe that's not true for an infernal, but here in the physical world, there are things called consequences. And I do not want to deal with more of them right now.”

I admit, there are things about this world I did not understand when I awoke. Much has changed. But Sven was kind enough to grant me his knowledge of this time, however limited it may be. A favor you have neglected to grant. Nonetheless, I understand much more now. I understand your memories. You did not seem like someone interested in consequences to me.

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“You know, we humans can change. A tiny bit, at least.”

Oh yes, and isn't that marvelous? Change. Baal spoke the word as if tasting it in his mouth.

“I haven't all day, so let's get down to business. I propose the following deal: from now on, I will help you somewhat to get back into the Deep, but I will mostly just not actively oppose it. In return, you will behave like a good non-magical sword and simply leave everyone touching the sword in peace, until I get it back. What do you say?

Agreed.

Lucia paused for a moment. “That is... great? I did not expect it to be that easy, to be honest. Are you sure that you'll hold up your end of the deal?”

Let's just see this as an investment on my part. I have become quite the admirer of your work and I think that working together lies in our mutual interest.

The real world flashed back into existence around Lucia and the knight snatched the sword from Lucia's hands. Less than a second had passed, since the beginning of her conversation with Baal. Lucia watched the knight for any sign of possession by a mad infernal, but he seemed normal. Of course, Baal could simply wait until Lucia and the sword were separated before beginning to possess people, but Lucia was somewhat confident in their deal, strange as it had been. According to Aurelius, among the Infernals, only Mephistopheles was known to break a deal. Betrayal was kind of his signature move. The other two known Infernals were rather straightforward in their malevolence. She hoped that the same held true for Baal. Well, no need to worry about it. What is done, is done.

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Lucia's attention returned to the cell. Or rather to the spot on the first level on the opposite end of the dungeon where she sensed a small creature. Small, yes, but much bigger and more full of life than the bugs in the soil. A rat. She focused on the tiny critter, strained against the tons of earth and rock between them. Lucia calmed her breathing and touched the mind of the rat. It was very difficult, almost impossible even, to control the mind of a living creature. By the time a living thing had something that could be reasonably called a brain, it was far too drenched in the protecting life force to invade. But a rat wasn't complicated and you did not need full control of it to dictate its behavior. Project the smell of food, the fear of a predator and you have the rat walking right towards you. Just like the piper had taught her all those years ago.

Luckily, Lucia had memorized the layout of the dungeon as she'd explored it with her senses. She sent the rat scuttling towards their part of the dungeon and after a couple of minutes, it squeezed through the bars into their cell and right into Lucia's outstretched hands. She dropped the squeaking critter into one of the many pockets on her robe and allowed herself a moment of rest. Then she focused her senses back towards the spot, where she'd found it. Where there's one rat, there are a hundred. She wasn't done by a long shot.

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King Gustav the Great, Third of his Name and Sovereign over the Northlands and the Fæl Islands sat on his cushioned chair in his private study and was about to finish his midday meal when the Court Chancellor entered the room. The old woman looked at the remnants of the extensive meal with dismay. Stepping out of the doorway, she motioned the servants to enter, meeting the sheepish look of the king with a stern expression. She was probably the only person alive, that could do that without consequence. Walked to the corner of the room, leaning on her cane until the servants had cleaned the table and the king's clothes of all traces of the sumptuous lunch. Then she sat down in front of Gustav and dropped the documents she had been carrying onto the freshly cleaned table.

“Ha, you don't need to look at me like that, Lisa. It's clear enough what you are thinking.”

Her steel blue eyes met the king as she answered. “You know that your habits will kill you eventually. And sooner rather than later, if the medics are to be believed. I try my best to calm the waves, but you've had no more public appearances for almost a year. Not during hearings, not during the festivals. It makes the commoners nervous. And I'm not even talking about the nobles, jumpy lot that they are. It's getting harder and harder to deny the rumors of your 'condition', though we are trying our best.”

“Pah, let the nobles think whatever they like. Not that that would change anything.” Gustav spat. ”They should thank me on their knees that I didn't take away all their lands after their pathetic excuse for a coup.” The king's voluminous face had taken on an unhealthy hue of red. He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. Then he strained to straighten himself in his chair. “Anyway, I don't want to talk about this anymore. What have you brought for me today.”

Lisa sighed but obliged. “You will be glad to hear, that there is as always little that needs your direct attention. Ludwig throws himself into the administrative work, much more than he realistically has to. But he seems to enjoy it.” Gustav smiled at the mention of his son. “The public hearing yesterday went as expected, but he's not as liked as you with the commoners. His verdicts tend to be on the harsher side and the people notice. I tried to talk with him about it, but he does not listen to me as you do.”

Gustav waved away the concerns. “Don't worry, I'll talk with him about it. Let's get the work over with.” He picked up the first item from the pile on his desk. In contrast to the rest of the pile, all official documents written on the fines adorned paper, it was a hastily written letter sent from the Southwatch guard. He scanned the text. Then grunted and threw it towards Lisa It flapped in the air and landed on her lap.

“So there's a fugitive mage at the border not only claiming to be some noble from Angrien but also that I invited her to come here. You have to respect the audacity.” Gustav sighed and his big form shuddered. “You perhaps know best of all that I don't like the fanatics of the Guild in the South, but I can't let them in anymore if I want to keep the peace. We've had this discussion already. Saving a couple of mages is just not worth the price the Guild would exact from us.” Gustav gestured to the letter Lisa had picked up again. “Besides, such a ridiculous cover story is not going to turn the scales in their favor.”

A soft smile formed on Lisa's wrinkled face. “I think there is more to this story than you realize.” She placed the letter on the desk again, putting the two halves of the wax seal back together. “This is the actual seal of House Threewater. That is the reason why I read the letter in the first place.”

“You know as well as I that seals can be forged. And the House Threewater doesn't even exist anymore.”

Now the Chancellor was almost grinning. A very unusual expression for the usually solemn woman. “You know that I was ward at House Threewater back before the madness of the Iron Statute and the Black War, right?”

Gustav gave her a confused look. “Yes, but that was... more than 60 years ago.”

Lisa nodded. “Luise, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Threewater, and a mage, Desrius Farseer, had a daughter, who was a mage as well. She was second in line for the dukedom and apparently a hotshot at the academy. That was until she ran away when I was about nine. They tried to suppress all rumors of what had happened, but Luise looked after me at the court, so I learned of everything that had happened. As far as I know, their daughter did not return before the Cloverbridge raid and after that... Now guess what her name was.”

Gustav looked at the letter again. “Lucia Threewater? Hmm, that is indeed interesting. The report speaks of a young woman, though.”

“Lucia was about twenty, when she ran away so she should be should be 80 if she is still alive. But being a mage runs in the family. The woman we're talking about could be her granddaughter. And to her claim of being a healer: Desrius was a healer as well as a seer, so it lines up.”

Gustav looked at the letter again, reading it more carefully. The look of quiet contemplation on his face made him almost look like a proper king. “I have no desire to stir up an old conflict in the South and if she asks for support fighting Angrien or anything similar, I will send her away.” Gustav took Lisa's withered old hand. “But I know you think what Angrien did to Threewater was wrong and I see no problem in helping out a fellow noble. We'll take her here and see what she says. And if she can actually heal me, all the more benefit.”

Lisa flashed a thankful smile and hurried out of the room. “We'll deal with the rest in a moment, let me quickly send a messenger.”

“But don't let anyone know who she is,” Gustav called after her. “If Augustus finds out, he'll be foaming with rage.” He chuckled at the thought. “I'd love to see that, though.”