Chapter Fifteen
“Halt the presentation!” I said in a loud voice, and Ako Gray hesitated as his eyes shot to me.
The weapon puffed out of existence in his hand, but the conjurer flicked his wrist, and another took its place just as quickly.
“What is the meaning of this, Your Grace?” Viceroy asked with a worried frown. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I grinned. “I just really need Master Gray here to show me how he summons the smokey ghost swords.”
“What are you saying, Your Grace?” Ako’s honey eyes flicked between me and the royal mage. “You want to become my apprentice?”
“Basically.” I shrugged. “If that means you’ll show me how you summon your smoke things, then, yeah, sure.”
“Your Grace,” Viceroy said in a tentative voice. “We still have the rest of the presentations to get through, and it is already later than we planned to finish the banquet.”
“You got someplace to be, Vicey?” I arched an eyebrow and shot the royal mage a questioning look. “Seems to me like we’re here to party until the sun comes up, personally. Don’t be a buzzkill.”
“What is a buzzkill?” Viceroy’s confused look was priceless. “I do not wish to upset you, Your Grace.”
“Viceroy!” the king’s voice cut across the distance between us, and the royal mage’s head swiveled to the head table. “What’s the delay?”
“Gimme a minute, Your Majesty,” I called over to the king with a shit-eating grin on my face. “I’ll have your banquet up and running shortly.”
“Very well, Sir Sebastian,” King Frederick replied as he inclined his head. “I trust your judgement.”
“I know.” I winked at Viceroy. “It’s Vicey here who doubts me.”
“I will obey the king’s command,” the royal mage allowed as he bowed his head. Then he nodded to Ako Gray and made his way back over to his chair without another word.
I’d have to work some of my god magic on the royal mage to get him to like and trust me, but there would be plenty of time for that later. For now, my focus could return to what I really wanted, which was to learn how to summon ghost swords.
“Alright, what do you say?” I asked as I fixed Ako Gray in my gaze. “Will you teach me?”
“It seems as though the king himself would insist,” Ako pointed out as his honey eyes returned to my face. “Who are you?”
I pulled myself up a little straighter and puffed out my chest. “I am Sir Sebastian, the Archduke, God of Time, and Dragon Slayer, but you can call me Bash.”
“Phew, that’s a mouthful,” Ako quipped, and even though he was unaware this was not the first time he’d said the same thing, it made me smirk. “Bash it is.”
“And you’re Ako.” My grin widened. “From the Heretim Tribe across the sea.”
“I am.” Ako nodded, and his lips twitched into a smile. “Are you the one who killed the dragon that terrorized the city a while back?”
“I sure am,” I answered. “You heard about that, huh?”
“I’ve only been in Sorreyal for a short while, but the tale has spread to the boundaries of the realm and beyond.” Ako grinned, and the motion revealed the two sharp fang-like teeth on either side of his mouth. “You’re famous, Bash.”
“Thanks,” I chuckled.
“Get on with the show!” one of the gathered nobles called out.
“Should we find someplace quiet to work?” Ako asked as his gaze took in the crowded room. “It will take some time…”
“I don’t know if you heard me say I’m the God of Time, but that’s not an issue for me.” I clapped a hand down on his shoulder. “Here is fine.”
“Very well, Sir Bash,” Ako said, and he flourished his hand.
I almost thought he was mocking me for a moment, but it was hard to tell, so I decided to let it go in favor of learning his spells.
“I heard you say raz,” I informed the shapeshifter in an eager tone. “But I couldn’t catch the hand movements you performed.”
“The hand motions alone took me years to perfect,” Ako explained. “I will do my best to show you, but I do not have high hopes. As my apprentice, you will be expected to work long hours under my supervision. Are you prepared for that?”
“No, no, don’t worry about all that,” I insisted. “Just show me how to do the spell, and besides, you won’t remember anything anyway.”
“I have a sharp memory, Sir Bash,” Ako informed me in a proud tone. “I do not easily forget.”
“I believe you,” I replied. “But come on, show me how to do it. I’m ready to get started.”
“Hold out your hands,” Ako commanded, and I did as he instructed. The shapeshifter inspected my palms, eyed my knuckles, and felt the texture of my wrist. Satisfied, he gave me a nod and released me from his grip. “You’ll do fine.”
Then he held out his hands, and I marveled at how strange they appeared. A thick pelt ran down his arms and ended on the backs of his hands, and his nails were long and pointed like claws. The palms of his hands were covered in thick pads, and I imagined he had an extra strong sense of touch.
Hell, if Ako was a shapeshifter, there was no telling what kind of senses he had. He could have night vision like the Khajit in The Elder Scrolls games, or be able to see colors I couldn’t see. My curiosity was running wild, and I reminded myself to calm down so I didn’t scare the shapeshifter away. The last thing I needed was this cool wizard guy to be too scared of me to teach me how to summon the ghost swords.
“Do what I do,” Ako instructed, and he held his hands out where I could see them clearly. Then he ran through a series of intricate movements, and I did my best to catch up, but I could already tell it would take me a few lifetimes to get it down.
We stood there in the middle of the audience chamber with all the nobles watching us until the servants began to clear away some of the empty dishes from the tables. Several of the nobility got up and left, and they shot annoyed looks in my direction as they made their departure, but I let them go since I knew I was going to reset many times before I was finished with this section of the party.
During my final run through, I would make sure all the nobles were not only happy with me but impressed with my powers, but I had all the time in the world to get all my ducks in a row.
“Good,” Ako observed in an absent voice as he focused on the movements of my fingers. “Here, hook your first finger a little more to the left when you do the transition.”
“It kind of looks like I’m making a sword shape with my fingers,” I mused as I started over and tried again.
“Basically,” Ako allowed with a small nod.
“Can I make different kinds of swords?” I wondered. “Like, differently shaped?”
“Yes,” the cat-wizard replied, “but different shapes require different hand motions. Let us just stick to the basics for now.”
“Where did you learn this from?” I asked.
“I found an ancient book on one of my journeys through some old catacombs,” Ako explained. “I had to study it for three years before I felt confident enough to even attempt it, though, so I haven’t been using the spell for very long.”
“You’re really talented,” I complimented.
“No, no, you’re still getting it wrong,” Ako sighed, and he repositioned my fingers for the tenth time. “And thank you.”
More nobles began to filter out of the hall, and my entourage eyed me with thinly-veiled confusion from my table. The cat-wizard and I had been working on the finger positions for hours, and I still hadn’t attempted to cast the spell. For his part, Ako was a patient teacher, and besides the quiet sighs he released under his breath, he showed no signs of tiring.
I kept trying until the king himself rose from his table with a tired sigh, and he waved me over to him. I knew what he was going to say, so instead of obeying his summons, I merely reset back to my save point to go all over again.
Chime.
I was back at the second half of the banquet, just before the shaman from the Wild Lands showed off his dancing vines.
I practiced my spell work while I waited for Ako to make his appearance, and I did manage to learn a few of the things shown by the priest from the Zaborial Isles who could summon the hawk. The language barrier proved really difficult with the green-haired magic users as well, so I once again roped Viceroy into translating.
The royal mage did not remember his time spent translating for Gruff the shaman, but I wasn’t surprised when he also knew how to speak the green-haired wizards’ language.
I wasn’t nearly as interested in the water or air wielders since I was eager to return to my lessons with Ako, but I knew I would regret it later if I didn’t take the time to pick up some of their tricks. Then the cat-man took center stage, and he ran through the same introduction as he had the first time.
I trotted over to him with a friendly smile on my face, and I ran through the dialogue tree that ended with him agreeing to teach me his skill.
“You already know the motions?” Ako asked as his honey eyes widened in surprise. “How did you learn?”
“You taught me,” I replied in a vague tone.
“If you say so,” Ako snorted, and then he repositioned one of my fingers ever so slightly. “Very good, but it looks like your pinky finger keeps dropping too low. If the motions are not perfect, then the sword will not form.”
“I suppose shaping a cloud of smoke into a weapon is a little complicated,” I allowed. “Just tell me what to do differently, and I’ll do my best.”
“The speed at which you are learning is astounding,” Ako observed as he shook his head.
“I’ve done it a few times before,” I explained with a shrug.
We continued on the same as before, but Ako’s criticisms grew fewer and farther in between. By the time the servants began to clear away dishes and the nobles started to leave, I had performed the hand motions a couple of times without him correcting me at all.
Next, I wanted to focus on the power word, so I reset back to my save point to start all over again.
Chime.
I was getting closer to my final run through, so I wanted to take advantage of every single respawn as much as possible. I spent most of my time during this attempt getting the knack of the water spouts and air tunnels cast by the Zaborial Isle priests, so by the time I reached Ako’s turn, I was already a little worn out. I decided I’d learned all I could from the previous performers, so I reset back to my save point. Then I settled in to relax and watch the islanders perform their magical feats.
Elissa, Eva, and Mahini watched the performers closely, and I couldn’t wait to show them that I could do all the same things, but I didn’t want to use up all my energy before I reached the ghost-sword-wielding cat-man’s performance slot.
I had all the time in the world to dazzle my ladies with my magical prowess, so I set my focus back on my immediate goals.
I was already making my way to the center of the room when Ako took the stage, and I greeted him with a firm handshake before he’d even started his introduction. Then I made a new save point so I didn’t have to go through the entire previous part of the banquet all over again since I’d already gone through everything prior perfectly.
“Hey, Ako,” I said in a friendly tone like I’d just spent hours upon hours learning from him, because I had. “Let’s keep practicing the spell, okay?”
“What do you mean?” Ako asked as he narrowed his honey-colored eyes at me. “Who are you, and how do you already know my name?”
I went through my introduction, and I was ready when Viceroy interrupted us, but a short while later, Ako and I were deep in the thrall of spellwork.
It was hours later when he finally announced I was ready to try to power word, and I resisted the urge to whoop for joy. I was getting tired of doing the same thing over and over again, and I was ready to see the results of all my hard work.
“The word is--”
“Raz,” I finished for him with a shit-eating grin.
“How did you know that?” Ako shook his head in awe.
“I’m the God of Time,” I explained. “So I learn things very quickly.”
“I’m not sure how that correlates, but alright.” Ako gave me a broad smile. “You make for an apt pupil, I have to admit. I hadn’t even said the word out loud before.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet, my friend,” I laughed, and I clapped him on the shoulder.
“I would like to see more of your god powers,” the cat-man mused. “But first, let us continue on with the lesson. You already know more than what I expected from a novice, so this shouldn’t take as long as I thought.”
“Good.” I nodded. “But don’t worry about time. If we run short, I can always reset.”
“I do not understand.” He shook his head again, but then he flashed me a cheeky grin. “You’re a weird one, aren’t you? I kind of like it.”
“Thanks, I think?” I chuckled. “You’re not too shabby yourself, cat-guy.”
“We’d make quite a pair in a battle, eh?” Ako laughed. “Especially after you master the Razmadan.”
“Is that what the ghost-sword things are called?” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought to ask if there was a specific term for them or not, but I’d gotten comfortable just calling them ghost-swords.
“Yes.” Ako nodded. “It’s an ancient secret from a desert tribe, and it took me half my lifetime to acquire the spell and master the movements. I learned a few other things along the way, but the Razmadans are my pride and joy.”
“Well, I’m honored you agreed to teach me.” My eyebrows rose in surprise as I considered the full weight of his words. I was learning a skill that had taken someone decades, but I supposed by the time I had it down decades could have passed in a single night.
Then we moved on to the correct pronunciation of the power word, but I kept wanting to emphasize the “z” sound, and I heard disgruntled murmurs from the watching nobility as the evening stretched on into the wee hours of the morning. Many had already begun to filter out of the audience chamber again, so I decided to wrap up this run through and try another time.
Chime.
I practiced over and over again until I was begging Ako to let me try the full spell, and the cat-man eyed me shrewdly.
“Where did you learn all that you already know?” Ako questioned with narrowed honey-colored eyes.
“From you,” I explained in a patient tone. “Just in a different lifetime. It’s a god thing. Don’t think too hard on it, okay? Suffice it to say, you’ve already been teaching me, and I just need your help finishing up the spell.”
“It would take years to learn what you’ve already learned,” Ako continued, and his voice was full of doubt. “How have you managed to do this?”
“I’m the God of Time.” I shrugged. “But I’m anxious to finish our lesson. We’re almost there. Can I summon the Razmadan now?”
“You even know their ancient name.” Ako’s eyes widened, and his cat-ears flickered atop his head.
“I have learned much from you, my friend,” I explained in a mysterious voice. “You are a good teacher.”
“If you say so, Sir Bash,” Ako replied, and his smile revealed his fangs once more. He proceeded to show me the finger movements I was already very familiar with, and then he murmured the power word in a clear voice. “Raz.”
The plumes of smoke erupted from the palm of his hand, and I noticed a frown of concentration crease his brow as the cloud stretched itself into the shape of a sword within his grasp.
“That’s so fucking cool,” I said as I eyed the sword appreciatively. “Now let me try.”
“It is your turn, Sir Bash,” Ako agreed with a nod, and he observed me closely as I repeated the same hand gesture he had used.
“Raz!” I said with less emphasis on the “z” sound and more umph added to the “r.” My hand itched like I’d been pricked by a thousand needles, and while the sensation would have been nice at an acupuncturist’s shop, it was uncomfortable bordering on painful.
“Good job!” Ako congratulated me like I’d already summoned one of the swords, and his own danced in his grip as his tail flicked back and forth behind him.
“Nothing happened.” I frowned. “What did I do wrong?”
“Are you kidding me?” Ako’s eyes widened. “You said the word perfectly on the first try. Your fingers’ movements were almost identical to mine. It was a wonderful first attempt.”
My head began to throb with the familiar ache that often accompanied magic use, but I shook my head to dispel the pain. I wasn’t at my breaking point yet, and I wanted to make this run through count. I could take a little headache if it meant I got to summon some awesome looking ghost-swords.
The nobility began to grumble with impatience as the two of us conferred with each other over my first attempt, so I flashed them a sympathetic smile.
“This will only take a short while more, I promise,” I assured the restless audience, and while a few complained, the murmurs of discontent quieted.
I returned my focus to Ako, and the two of us went over the process for what seemed like the hundredth time already, and when my head felt like it was going to split in two, I reset back to my save point to try again.
Chime.
I still couldn’t get the smoke to erupt into existence, but the pain in my palm abated slowly with each attempt.
Chime.
The tiniest curl of smoke rose from the center of my hand, and Ako’s eyes were as big as saucers.
“You’ve never done this before, you say?” The cat-man sounded unconvinced.
Chime.
I focused my willpower until it felt like my head was going to shatter into a million pieces, and I managed to get the plume to stretch into a long cylinder.
Chime.
Chime.
Chime.
I worked my ass off for too many respawns to keep track of, and each time I got a little bit better. Ako seemed just as excited as me whenever I made a little bit of progress, and his awed reactions grew more extreme the more I learned. The spell had truly taken him half his life to perfect, but fortunately for me I had my godly advantages to quickly learn all the magic in this medieval fantasy world.
Chime.
I reset for what I knew would be my final lesson, and I approached Ako with a casual wave.
“Hey, Ako,” I greeted with a friendly smile. “Before you show everyone what you can do, will you please help me perfect my own Razmadan?”
“You know the ancient spell?” Ako’s jaw fell open, which revealed the two fangs among his shiny white teeth.
“I’ve been practicing it,” I explained, “but I need a little bit more help.”
“Show me.” Ako nodded decisively.
“Hold on,” I said, and I turned to greet the royal mage just as Viceroy crossed the distance to us. “Hey, Vicey, give me just a moment. This won’t take long.”
“This is highly irregular, Your Grace,” Viceroy countered with a shake of his head.
“Go on, ask the king,” I instructed in a patient tone. “He’ll tell you to let me do what I want, and then we can get on with my lesson.”
Viceroy shot King Frederick a questioning glance, and the king inclined his head in acquiescence. Then the royal mage turned to consider me through narrowed eyes. “Very well, Your Grace. Carry on.”
Once the royal mage had returned to his place at the king’s table, Ako and I continued on with my lesson on how to conjure the ghost-swords. I managed to manipulate the plume of smoke into a crude-looking saber, and the shapeshifter eyed me appreciatively.
“Who even are you?” he asked in a voice full of awe.
“You like to call me Sir Bash,” I informed him with a shit-eating grin.
“Your Razmadan is strong,” the shapeshifter observed. “There is not much I can teach you. The blade will grow stronger with practice, but that will take some time. Be patient, Sir Bash.”
“Yes, sir, Master Gray.” I gave the shapeshifter a low bow. “Thank you for all the time you have given me tonight. I’m going to reset now, so you will not remember me, but I just wanted you to know I consider you a friend.”
“You honor me, Sir Bash.” Ako shook his head. “But your words confuse me. You’re a weird one, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “But you like it.”
“Time will tell,” Ako replied in a vague tone, but his honey-colored eyes danced with amusement.
I was grinning from ear to ear as I reset back to my save point with a wave of my will.
Chime.
Ako Gray took the stage for both the first and final time, and he bowed low to all the tables full of nobles before he began his display of magical skill.
I kicked back and watched him with a proud smile on my face while the audience oohed and aahed over his abilities.
Ako could not only summon a ghost sword for each hand, but he could toss them around the room and have them snuff out of existence right before they would have landed. The cat-wizard juggled the smokey swords, caught one in his mouth, and the other behind his back, and in between feats of bravery, the shapeshifter performed acrobatic feats. He flipped off tables like he was doing parkour, and he shouted apologies at the nobles sitting there as the dishes rattled.
Ako’s performance was captivating, and everyone in the room had their eyes locked on the shapeshifter.
After the shapeshifter showed off his acrobatics and Razmadan, other wizards and mages took the stage. My particular favorites were light manipulators who cast the room into darkness only to have the candles’ flames dance around the room like fairy lights. Startled gasps filled the room followed by an enthusiastic round of applause, and once the room was fully illuminated again, the mages bowed to the nobles.
I added my own applause to the group as I considered learning from the light-manipulators, but the power word and hand gestures looked simple enough, plus I’d already learned ten lifetimes worth of spells at this banquet, so I let time continue unhindered.
Then the royal mage returned to the center of the room for a final time.
“Thank you to all the mages, wizards, shamans, and priests who have traveled across the world to be here tonight,” Viceroy intoned loud enough for all to hear. “This concludes the presentations for this evening. I hope you all enjoyed the display.”
“Thanks, Vicey!” I shouted over the sound of obligatory applause. “You did great, buddy!”
The royal mage shot me a confused look before he returned to his place at the head table. He may not remember how much he’d helped and hindered me during the course of the banquet, but I felt like I’d grown a lot closer to Viceroy that night. I certainly trusted him more than I had when the evening began.
The nobles in the room began to stand from their chairs, and everyone milled about and talked amongst themselves. A restless energy swept through the room, and I had a feeling the party was over.
King Frederick approached my table, and the crowd of people parted to let his majesty past. “Sir Sebastian, how did you enjoy tonight’s presentations?”
“It was amazing,” I complimented. “I learned a lot, so thank you for arranging to have all these wizards here during the summit. It really made my life a lot easier.”
“I had a reason for that.” The king raised one eyebrow as he gave me an appraising look. “Do you remember me talking about appointing a new court wizard to the Arginold holdings?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “Who did you pick?”
“Well, that is what I would like to discuss with you.” The king smiled. “I would like it if you interviewed the wizards applying for the position to help me narrow down the choices.”
“I can do that.” I tapped a finger against my chin thoughtfully. “Can I also interview the other court wizards who were here, too? I have a feeling they know who is trying to kill us.”
“You believe it to be an inside job?” King Frederick frowned.
“I have some ideas,” I allowed in a mysterious tone. “But please, let me follow my instincts and do some investigating before I point fingers.”
“That is wise,” the king replied, and then he turned to the rest of my entourage. “Lords and ladies, please enjoy your evening.”
Everyone bowed their heads to his majesty before he turned to head back to his table.
“You think one of the wizards is trying to kill the king?” Mahini asked as soon as the king was out of earshot.
“Who could it be?” Eva questioned.
“Bash knows already, I’m sure of it.” My wife’s grin was full of pride. “My husband always knows everything.”
It was hard to explain the limitations of my abilities to the women who believed I was capable of anything, so I merely smiled and didn’t respond.
Mahini frowned thoughtfully, and she continued to cast me sideways glances as we watched the other nobles start to filter out of the room.
I supposed that meant the party was over, and I was grateful since the magic lessons had drained my mental energy. I was beyond ready to crawl into bed, so I turned to my entourage and cleared my throat.
“I think it’s time to head back to our rooms,” I informed my followers. “Get some rest, I know it’s been a long day.”
Everyone stood and began to file toward the door, and I followed my women as our group made our way back to our wing of the palace. Conversation was minimal, so I knew everyone was tired, and we all filed into our rooms with muttered goodnights cast over shoulders.
My three ladies climbed into bed with me, and I sighed contentedly as I pulled them into my arms. “This is the life.”
The next day, I ate a hearty breakfast, and then I began the interview process with the wizards, mages, shamans, and priests who’d presented their skills at the banquet. Since I’d seen their abilities already, the interview consisted of questions about their ethics and morals more so than about their level of power.
When Ako strolled into the room shortly before mid-day, I couldn’t help the broad smile that stretched across my face. The cat-man was just all around likeable. We laughed and joked for the better part of an hour, and then I realized I hadn’t asked him any of the questions I’d written down.
It didn’t even matter to me, though, since I simply enjoyed the time I’d spent with him, so in the end I instructed him to come back later for a second interview.
After I’d questioned all the unfamiliar people, I began to interview the Sorreyal mages. I talked to Kane first, but the older man had a lot to say on the topic of morals. I listened while he lectured to me about doing the right thing, and he gave me a few example stories to go along with his morality lesson.
Burnyolf was next, but the enchanter seemed confused by the entire process. He ached to return to Castle Bullard to resume his work, and he talked about the finer details of his craft for a while before I dismissed him.
I didn’t spend very much time with Viceroy, either, but I did have a few questions for the royal mage about the other wizards. He didn’t know much about the majority of the foreigners who’d presented their magic to the summit of nobility, but he’d studied languages from around the world for decades, so I spammed a few respawns until I got the gist of a couple different tongues.
By the time the interview with the royal mage was over, I felt confident about my ability to travel anywhere around the world and communicate about basic things like where the bathroom was and how much things cost. Satisfied with the result of my time with him, I let Viceroy go, but I had him send in the next person on his way out.
Then Zorya walked in, and she carried the same crate of vials and bottles that she’d brought to the banquet, but I already knew a few of the potions she held inside the box. The invisibility potion intrigued me the most, so I spent the majority of my first interview run through with her trying to convince her to sell it to me. The alchemist insisted the potion was priceless, so I’d just have to use other means of acquiring some.
I used several respawns attempting to distract her while I lifted the potion from the crate, but she caught me almost immediately every single time. She might be a little brusque, but she certainly paid close attention to her work, so I decided to try again later and in the meantime redirected my attention to the reason I’d brought her there in the first place.
Treason.
“So, Zorya,” I began as I narrowed my eyes at the lady wizard during a new run through. “How long have you worked for the Duchess of Mistvale?”
“I first came to Mistvale Keep about a decade ago,” the alchemist informed me in a casual tone. “Clara was more than happy to welcome me into her household as she’d recently lost her previous court wizard, Clovis.”
“Would you consider yourself loyal to the crown?” I asked.
“What do you mean, Your Grace?” Zorya raised an eyebrow and eyed me for a long moment. “Of course, I am. Are you?”
“Absolutely.” I grinned, and then I decided to be a little truthful to see if it would cause Zorya to react. “His majesty has tasked me with sniffing out possible treason. There are whispers that Arginold and Racine were into some plot against the king or something like that.”
“One as great as yourself should not stoop to listening to idle gossip,” Zorya warned.
I frowned. “You don’t sound surprised to hear there is a plot against the king.”
“Isn’t there always plots against those who hold power?” Zorya shrugged. “If you have no other questions, Your Grace, I need to return to my experiments. Some of the ingredients are time sensitive.”
I wasn’t entirely satisfied with her response, but I had no proof she was involved in any treason, so I had to let her leave eventually.
“Thank you for your time, Zorya,” I said, and then I remembered the invisibility potion and supposed there was no harm in trying again. “Hey, would you sell me one of your potions?”
“Perhaps.” Zorya paused on her way to the entrance. “Which one?”
“The invisibility potion you showed to the summit of nobility,” I explained. “I would be willing to pay a lot of gold for it.”
Paired with my ability to reset back to a save point, the potion would make me a sleuthing champion. I could sneak in anywhere and get information, then reset, and I’d still have the potion. It was like a loophole where I could have a never-ending supply like with my griffon feather boots, although eventually the durability on my shoes would wear down completely, but then I could always travel to the griffon’s nest for more.
“The invisibility potion is priceless,” Zorya countered. “There is no amount of money that would make it worth parting with it.”
“I understand all that,” I said, and I opened my hands in a placating gesture. “Give me a number, any number, and we’ll see what I can do.”
“You are the Archduke of Sorreyal,” Zorya exclaimed with widened eyes. “You could afford it. I, however, only have so many ingredients to make the potion, and they are very challenging to harvest.”
“You won’t even try to haggle?” I arched one eyebrow as I gave her a questioning look.
“No, Your Grace,” Zorya said with a shake of her head.
I shrugged. It was worth a shot.
Chime.
I was still determined to get my hands on the bottle of invisibility potion I could see among the vials in Zorya’s crate, so I returned to my attempt at stealing it instead. It took me almost a hundred respawns before I was able to lift the bottle without the alchemist’s head whipping around, but that was only because I’d prolonged the interview for hours, and she ended up needing to use the bathroom.
When I was satisfied with the potion-bottle shaped bulge in my pants pocket, I brushed my hands together and waited for Zorya to return to the room I’d claimed for the interviews. I sat behind a heavy wooden desk, so I wasn’t worried about the alchemist seeing the bottle in my pants, but I had a million jokes running through my head anyway. The brusque lady wizard was definitely not my type, and possibly a traitor, too, so I clamped down on the montage of happy to see you jokes in my brain.
I wrapped up the interview with the alchemist, and I asked her to show in the next wizard. Zorya picked up her crate, bowed her head, and left the room without another word, but I didn’t have to wait very long for the next magic user.
Dumas strode into the room like he owned the place, and he glared down his nose at me when his pale-green eyes landed on where I sat waiting for him.
“Your Grace,” he murmured as he inclined his head ever so slightly.
“Dumbass, er, I mean, Master Dumas,” I said with a devilish smirk, and I dared him to fight me with my eyes.
I was the Archduke, though, so the court wizard from Edinburg manor wasn’t about to scold me for calling him a name. There were benefits to being among the upper class, but I promised myself I wouldn’t let it go to my head. Still, it was fun to fuck with Dumas, and after the performance he gave at the banquet, I felt like he deserved it.
The letter to Racine from Dumas that I’d found while I was in Arginold castle sprang to my mind, and I refocused on the task at hand.
“Do you know why you’re here?” I asked the necromancer in a casual tone as I gestured to the empty seat on the other side of the desk from me.
“No, Your Grace,” Dumas replied in a respectful tone, but he ignored my suggestion that he sit down. “Why am I here?”
“Well, I have long suspected that there is some treason going on in Sorreyal,” I explained in a mysterious tone. “I have reason to believe at least one of the wizards present at the summit is partially responsible for multiple attacks on my life.”
Dumas’ eyebrows twitched upward, but he quickly controlled his expression and crossed his arms over his black robes. “What are you trying to say, Your Grace? Are you accusing me of treason?”
“Absolutely not,” I lied. “I merely thought someone as wise and as powerful as you might have some information that could point me in the right direction.”
“Interesting…” Dumas scratched his chin, and his eyes roved around the room. “Perhaps one could question you, Your Grace.”
I got the sense he was stalling, but I didn’t know why.
“What do you mean?” I frowned. “I’m the one looking for the traitor.”
“A perfect position for a traitor to be in,” Dumas observed with a sage nod. “You have risen through the ranks of power and prestige in a matter of months. It has taken others many years to get a fraction of the power you’ve acquired. It seems you are ambitious. Maybe your eyes are set upon the throne?”
In a way, he wasn’t wrong, since I had demanded the king give up his throne to me at one point, but I’d reset and went a different direction, and King Frederick had no memory of the encounter. Dumas didn’t know about any of that, though, and he was probably just assuming things based on what little he knew about me already. He was playing the same game I was, and I had to admit, he was a tough nut to crack.
“I have earned the king’s trust through my actions, not my words.” I shrugged. “What have you done to prove your loyalty to the throne?”
“My loyalty lies with Sorreyal first and foremost,” Dumas admitted in an ominous tone. “And I have done plenty to prove my loyalty to the realm.”
Maybe our definitions of loyalty were a little different, but I didn’t think cowering behind the king while his own experiment ran wild was a good place to start.
“Is that why you stood back while your undead was headed toward the king?” I leaned my elbows on the table and pressed my fingers together beneath my chin. “How exactly did that little mistake happen?”
“A lapse in oversight.” Dumas shrugged. “A servant of mine inspected the glass casket for signs of weakness. Next time, I will handle the task personally.”
“Do you know much about glass?” I asked in a condescending tone. “It tends to break. Why did you choose that particular kind of casket for your presentation?”
“Why, to show the nobles the effects of my spellwork, of course.” Dumas looked at me like I was an idiot. “How else were they to see the full scope of my abilities?”
“Why not put him in an iron cage or something he can’t break?” I suggested. “You’re seriously claiming it was an innocent mistake and not purposefully done?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Dumas said in a solemn tone. “I apologize for my lapse in control. It shouldn’t have happened.”
I was skeptical of the necromancer, but as with Zorya, I had nothing to back up my gut feelings, so I’d have to leave it be for now. I decided to follow him after the interview, and thanks to the invisibility potion I’d snagged, I could be a fly on the wall while he went about the rest of his day.
With that settled, I reset back to my save point before I asked Dumas a few more harmless questions, and then I released him from my presence with a dismissive wave of my hand. As the necromancer closed the door behind him, I pulled the potion vial out of my pocket, and I made a new save point before I took a good swallow from the potion. I didn’t want to chug it all in case I needed to use some again, but even though I didn’t know how long a small drink of the potion would work for, I could always reset if things went south.
My throat burned slightly, and I was amazed Eva hadn’t cried out in discomfort during the presentations. It was certainly an uncomfortable sensation, but I was quickly learning to expect that from magical experimentations. Everything with rewards also came with risks, after all.
I waited until I was sure my limbs were beginning to disappear from view, and when I glanced down and saw an empty chair instead of my lap, I knew I was ready. Then I slipped out the door, and I hurried my pace down the corridor as I caught up to Dumas. I ran into the necromancer at the entrance to my wing of the palace, and I let out a breath of relief when I spotted the back of his gray-black head of hair.
The necromancer swiveled his head around, and his pale-green gaze swept over the empty hallway behind him. I held my breath in an effort not to be detected, but a moment later, Dumas turned back around and continued on his way.
I stayed a little further behind him after that, since I didn’t want my breathing to give away my presence, but I wanted to stay close enough to keep the necromancer in my sights.
Dumas made his way through the palace to rooms on the far side of the building. I hadn’t spent very much time exploring this side since it was always full of other nobles, and I didn’t want to interfere with their personal belongings. It looked like I was about to get a chance to explore without any consequences, though, and excitement coursed through my veins.
I noticed the uniforms of the servants changed as we moved further away from my wing of the palace, and among the colors of the king were some people wearing brown and green tunics emblazoned with Edinburg’s crest on it, but I also noticed a few servants wearing purple and silver. They could only be the entourage of the Duchess of Mistvale, since the majority of the summit had already left Vallenwood.
To my surprise, I followed Dumas to the room where Zorya stood over a table littered with strange plants and fungi. The lady wizard jerked her chin in greeting to the necromancer, and I barely managed to slide inside the door before Dumas pushed it closed.
“I have just barely finished the potion you requested,” Zorya said in an exasperated tone. “The Archduke kept me longer than I anticipated.”
“Really?” Dumas tilted his head to the side, and he narrowed his pale-green eyes at the alchemist. “Maybe he found a crack in your mask.”
“I doubt it,” Zorya snorted.
I frowned. This was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to find out for myself.
What was this potion Zorya had made going to be used for?
“You said it was ready?” Dumas eyed the alchemist’s workspace pointedly. “I do not have a lot of time.”
“Here you are,” Zorya said, and she handed the necromancer a black vial. “One berserker elixir, as promised.”
My frown deepened. Had I heard her correctly? A berserker potion would have someone fighting with extra strength, but I didn’t understand how that was supposed to overthrow the king. Maybe the wizards had a champion they’d hired to assassinate Frederick and me. Questions ran through my head, but I wasn’t getting any answers just standing there.
“It’s about time,” Dumas scoffed. “We were supposed to spike his drink at the banquet.”
“I understand, but I had no idea I was going to be put on display until the last minute.” Zorya glared at the necromancer. “I had to prepare my samples first.”
“Fair enough,” Dumas sighed.
The necromancer slid the potion into a pocket of his robes, and he nodded his farewell to the alchemist without much friendliness in his expression. Zorya waved a dismissive hand, and then she returned her attention to her experiments.
I followed Dumas back out into the corridor, and then we made our way toward another area of the palace.
As we turned down a connecting hallway, we were suddenly surrounded by people dressed in Edinburg’s colors, and I had to be extra careful not to bump into anyone and give away my presence. The necromancer took me directly to the duke’s private living quarters, and I worked the muscle in my jaw as I dodged all the servants and guards wearing brown and green.
Edinburg certainly had a good-sized entourage, and I wondered if he even knew any of their names. The old man seemed like the typical noble as far as I could tell, but I wanted to be different.
I especially didn’t want to be anything like Edinburg.
“You’ve returned,” Edinburg observed when Dumas lowered himself into a bow.
“Yes, my lord,” Dumas murmured. “I retrieved the potion as well.”
“Good work.” Edinburg nodded. “We can finally continue on with our plans.”
“Are the others prepared?” The necromancer spoke in a soft voice, but I was close enough to hear him clearly.
“As ready as they can be,” the duke replied. “Did she make it to our specifications?”
“Berserker.” Dumas nodded.
“Once the berserker potion takes effect,” Edinburg said, “the king will rage out on the courtiers, and the people’s trust in him will falter.”
“No longer will he be the kindly king,” Dumas agreed with a wicked look in his eyes.
My suspicions had been confirmed. Edinburg and Dumas were trying to overthrow the king, and it was more than a simple assassination attempt by a spiteful enemy. They were trying to undermine Frederick’s reputation among the people before they killed him. The attack on Viceroy had weakened the throne, but his fate would be sealed if he went full berserker on a room full of courtiers.
I turned to leave since I’d learned all I needed to know, but I heard Dumas inhale sharply behind me.
“Is someone here?” the necromancer asked as he stared right through me, but then his pale-green eyes flickered with recognition, and his mouth fell open. “Y-Y-Your Grace!”
I glanced down and saw I was visible again.
“Guards!” Edinburg shouted at the top of his lungs, and I cursed under my breath as I pulled my feather sword free from its sheath. I was glad I’d decided to wear the blade to the interviews, but I’d grown to feel naked without it on my hip.
Four armed guardsmen trotted into the room with their swords drawn, so I stomped my foot to activate the fleetness ability of my griffon feather boots, and I quickly cut them down, but I knew more would come. If I wanted to let this timeline continue then I had two options: try to run, or fight my way out.
Images of the masses of green and brown clothed guards and servants that stood between me and freedom flashed through my mind, and I groaned. Either way, it was going to be a challenge, so I decided just to reset back to my save point instead.
However, before I could even think the complete thought that ripped me backward through time, Edinburg swung at me with an ancient looking dagger. The short blade was engraved with crests along the flat edge, and gold wire twirled around the hilt. It looked more ceremonial than functional, but it made a threatening swish through the air in front of my torso as I jumped backward.
I parried his next blow with my feather sword, and the dagger flew from the duke’s hand. My weapon moved instinctively, and the next thing I knew, it was buried to the hilt in the Duke of Edinburg’s abdomen.
The duke stared unblinkingly at me in confusion for a long moment while a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his lips to his chin, and I realized he was dead.
Fuck.
I’d killed the Duke of Edinburg before being able to prove he was trying to overthrow the king. My word meant little without proof, and now I just looked guilty of murder.
Fortunately, I was the God of Time, and I could always fix my mistakes with a simple respawn.
Chime.