The Wicked House of Caroline

Two pairs of blue eyes looked at the lizard swallowing a piece of fresh venison that was given to him by the rokhs. Like any other lizard, he couldn’t really chew. He had to tilt his head back to swallow the piece of meat whole. Sitting cross-legged beside him on a flat rock, Beks had finished cutting the venison leg portion set aside for Sunny into manageable pieces to swallow, as if it were as natural as cutting a steak.

“Your family....” Laz said, his eyes still on the orange and brown lizard that stowed away. “Really knows how to keep you prepared.”

Beks let out a small hum and began to clean up. Some of the venison was grilled in a low fire for them to eat, but the majority of the deer had been split between the two rokhs further in the large cliffside cafe.

“We’ll finish eating and try to rest. When the sunsets, we will wait an hour before taking off.” It was to ensure it was dark enough and all the faint rays of light had disappeared.

After surveying the Redstone Fortress, Laz and Lucian had used their biha to adjust their sight. Shadow and light biha were closely related, though had different appearances and feelings. Light biha provided light. Shadow biha absorbed it.

In terms of seeing the dark, both users with enough skill could adjust their vision to have better clarity in the dark. They confirmed that the tower Beks wanted to use as a distraction had been corded off, as it was visibly sinking.

The ramparts leading up to it had cracked and the portions connected to that watchtower in the northern corner had broken off along with the watchtower. The gap between the two ramparts was perhaps a pace wide, but the broken portion was lower than the main walls. It didn’t look stable, so they didn’t blame the fortress staff for closing it off.

However, the rest of the fortress had patrols. They could only see the guards around the ramparts and watchtowers, but didn’t know how many were inside. There weren’t many in the courtyards at night, either.

Just like tonight, they would have to use Laz’s shadow biha as they flew close to the fortress in order to avoid being highlighted by the rows of torches on the ramparts. If the rokhs flew too low, the faint light could reflect off some of their feathers, illuminating and then revealing them. The rokhs were affiliated with shadow biha, so they could melt into the darkness, but if they flew too close, a slight outline of them could be seen.

Laz’s shadow biha would absorb the light so that their shapes couldn’t be made out. The shadow biha would absorb the light from the torches, and also from the fire pillar Thad and Sunny would create. It would make the fire appear to be coming from the infinite abyss, which Beks thought would be terrifying enough to stun those in the fortress for a bit.

“You should start with fireballs first,” Laz told Sunny as Sunny tossed back another mouthful of meat. “Spray them down at random, slowly in the beginning just to get everyone’s attention.”

“Don’t overuse your biha too early,” Lucian said. “Aim your fire in the courtyard and wait until there is a commotion.”

“When they start rushing around the fire, we’ll climb into the watchtower.”

“Will that be enough time?” Thad asked as he sat next to his sister.

“Try to pace yourself to last as long as you can until the rokhs hear the cease whistle,” Beks said. Gerard had given her a modified whistle she could use for giving the rokhs instructions. “After you hear the cease whistle, circle above until they hear the return whistle.”

Thad nodded obediently.

For the rest of the day, Beks tried to get as much rest as possible in preparation for their mission. Her sleep was light and came late. Her mind kept flashing with the layout of the fortress, where the three areas where prisoners were, and how they had to act quickly to find and extract Marquis von Glasser.

When she woke up at sunset, she frowned that she didn’t get enough sleep.

Laz prepared their meal and after packing all their supplies back into the baskets, they waited for the sun to completely set before counting down the hours.

In this flight, Thad was alone in Cloud’s basket with Sunny while Beks rode with the twins. There was just enough room for Marquis von Glasser once they found him.

The cliffside where they were hiding wasn’t far from the fortress, but well before they arrived, Laz used shadow biha to coat the rokhs with energy. Beks had filled everyone’s biha before they left in preparation.

The fortress was up ahead and they approached from above by circling over the fortress. Laz extended his biha as wide as it would go, almost covering the entire fortress in a shadow that made visibility from the outside difficult; more so in the dark. He wiped the sweat off his brow with his handless arm before Beks filled his biha once more.

She was surprised to find that while he used a lot of biha to create that bubble to shield them from any eyes watching from the outside, Laz still had a little left over.

Wisp veered to the left to begin circling over the covered watchtower while Cloud took Thad and Sunny towards the center.

Beks held her breath as she waited, looking into a dark area surrounded by glowing porticos on the ground floor.

A small fireball came down from the sky. The further she was from Cloud, the less she could see him. The small fireball fizzled out before it hit the ground, but it was followed by another, larger one. This one disappeared as soon as it hit the ground. From where she was watching, the second one seemed to have attracted the attention of the pair of guards in the watchtower.

They moved from the side looking outside the fortress to the side looking into the courtyard.

Beks tugged on a ribbon connected to Wisp’s leg and the rokh brought their basket closer to the tower until it brushed against the side. At once, the twins jumped into the tower and rushed towards the two guards who were distracted by the sporadic balls of fire that were coming down like snowflakes.

Beks tugged the ribbon once more to signal to Wisp that she could retreat. When she turned around, the two guards were on the ground, unconscious. Laz and Lucian were stripping them of their outer uniform.

“We need one more,” Laz said. “For now, Beks, hide against us. My shadow biha will cover you. You should be fine in the torch light.”

She nodded, though hoped they’d be able to get a disguise for her. As soon as the twins had pulled the loose uniforms on, they made their way to the gap in the floor that would lead them into the watchtower’s narrow spiral staircase.

Beks moved between Laz and Lucian along the dark, dusty stairwell. There was one fire sconce at each full turn, always on the same side, but as a result, a literal half side of the staircase was completely dark and one had to use their hand against the wall to guide them. The solid stone walls and the uneven, worn steps led lower and lower. According to Beks’ memorized layout, the watch towers didn’t go all the way to the underground foundational layer of the fortress.

“Exit on the ground floor and make a right,” Beks whispered.

Laz looked ahead, but nodded. “Lucian.” He tilted his head to his left, indicated that Lucian should move. Beks found herself partially blocked on one side by the twins, but with a stone wall on her right side.

At the ground level, they noticed the urgency of the guards, most of whom were rushing to the opening of the interior corridor to the main courtyard. Shouts of fire filled the air and to not stand out, the trio quickened their step, appearing as if they were in a rush to spread the news.

They appeared to have something to do and with the stolen uniforms on the twins, they appeared to belong. In the confusion, no one gave them a second look.

“Last door to your right,” Beks said, just loud enough for the two in front of her to hear.

Lucian moved forward to check the door made of iron bars that led to another set of spiral stairs. After giving it a push and not getting any give, his hands moved to the lock to quickly pick it. Laz stood in front the lock and Beks, blocking Lucian’s picking.

As soon as the door was open, Beks slipped in.

According to the layout of the Redstone Fortress, the ground had first been dug up and a maze of supply rooms, storehouses, and prisoner cells were built in the foundation pit. The fortress had then been built over it.

The cells furthest away were small cells meant for particularly dangerous prisoners kept individually. Beks guessed that the Marquis would be kept there.

The cool, dull air of the lower level began to grow stagnant the deeper they went. A pungent odor that seemed to be a mix of body odor, excrement, and rotting food penetrated another door made of iron bars and wood panels.

Lucian managed to unlock both locks keeping them sealed and when he opened the door, Beks covered her nose and mouth. The initial stench overwhelmed her, but they pressed forward.

“The individual cells are on the left, through that door. These cells further down the hall are shared,” Laz said as he craned his neck ahead. “How many cells are there behind the door?”

“Eight,” Beks replied. “Do you see any torches inside?”

Lucian peered through the narrow bars that separated the hall with the shared prison cells and the individual ones. It was darker than night inside. He shook his head. “I’ll use light biha. We need at least some light to see.”

A click was heard and the creak of the door filled the corridor. Laz and Lucian went inside and Beks waited by the door. The inner cells weren’t lined with iron bars like the ones in the previous corridor. There were small iron bar doors, but raised to waist height. A person would need to climb up a wooden step stool that had been pushed to the corner to get into their cell.

The door itself wasn’t tall enough to accommodate a full-sized, standing adult. A person would need to bend down and shuffle through on their side to fit. The door was narrow. Escape through the door would almost be like squeezing out of a hole.

“Marquis?” A glow from Lucian’s hand illuminated the dark corridor. Beks kept an eye on the outer hall, but looked over her shoulder.

“Marquis, are you here?” The twins went to each door, peering in and holding Lucian’s hand close to try to shine light inside. With each cell, they frowned before moving forward.

Four cells on the left, then for cells on the right.

The two frowned more so and turned to look at Beks.

“There’s no one here,” Laz said. “All the cells are empty.”

Beks frowned as well. Maybe that was for the best. These cells, in pitch darkness and sound muffled by the stone walls, could drive anyone insane.

“Let’s check the group cells,” she said. The two nodded and followed her out. Beks shut the door and followed along the wide corridor. Each side was almost entirely made up with iron bars and metal plates.

The large rooms could be seen and only the torches hanging on the stone support columns every few paces provided light.

“Marquis?” Lucian called out again as they walked through, peering into the cells but making sure to stay far enough away that no one could grab them through the bars.

Beks was quiet and squinted, trying to see if she could make out any familiar face. However, the prisoners inside were few. Four men in what looked to be stained, filth-coated royal guard uniforms.

She frowned. “Lucian, light up this cell.” A few paces ahead of her, Lucian turned back and held up his hand, casting light into the cell. The huddled four against the back wall shrank back at the sudden light. They covered their heads and refused to look at them.

“Are those royal guards?” Lucian asked as his head jerked back. “What are they doing here?”

“Beks, the other cells are empty,” Laz returned to them with a tight-lipped frown. “It doesn’t look like anyone has been in any of those cells for months. There isn’t any evidence of recent food and the smell isn’t as strong. No one else has been here for some time.”

Beks was still looking at the royal guard. If the Marquis wasn’t in the most secure prison cell, then she was sure he was in one of the shared ones. If he wasn’t, there was only one other area, which was along the northern side of the fortress, on the ground floor.

“Across the fortress, there is one more room like this that looks out into the main courtyard. It should’ve been used to hold prisoners in transport through the Redstone Fortress.” On one hand, the holding cell on the ground floor had light and fresh air. On the other, it was exposed to the elements of the region, including dry heat and dust storms. It was unlikely that they’d put the Marquis there, but it was the only place left. “Let’s go.”

Lucian lowered his hand and they made their way back to the spiral staircase. As they approached the opening to the ground floor, the muffled yelling grew louder and clearer. Lucian pulled the door back to let Laz and Beks through.

There was more light out than when they entered.

Beks made a sharp turn to make her way to the northern side when she almost stumbled to a stop. Her head snapped towards the main courtyard as her mouth parted and she stared at the source of the light.

She hadn’t seen what was in the darkened courtyard when they rushed in, but apparently, there were wooden wagons parked in the center. Wagons that still held some highly flammable material because they were all on fire.

Dozens of guards were running around, shouting for more water to try to pull out the flames before it spread to the courtyard storage areas. Just as Beks heard that, flames began to grow on a shed with a wooden roof on the side, causing people to scream in panic that it was too late.

Beks grimaced as the heat of the fire hit her skin.

“How much fire did you tell him to use?” Laz asked as he stood behind her and looked into the courtyard with a dumbfounded face.

“Perhaps it wasn’t the fire, but the amount of kindling available....” Beks replied. The last they saw; the fire was coming down in modest balls.

“You did tell your brother you needed a distraction,” Lucian said. He motioned a hand towards the flaming wooden wagons. “This is a distraction.”

Beks let out a heavy breath. “Forget it, let’s hurry up and find the Marquis. We’ll need to go around the entire courtyard, so stay together.”

They resumed the same pattern to try to keep Beks shielded from view as they half jogged through the porticos surrounding the main courtyard. As they neared the section of the fortress that had been blocked off to keep people away from the sinking tower, they reached the cells.

With the light coming from them, they could see clearly into the large cell separated from the portico by a wall of iron bars.

Beks stood to the side and her eyes crinkled up.

“It’s empty.”

Laz stopped behind her. He frowned and continued forward to make sure there was no one crouched in the corner, but he shook his head.

“What is going on....”

Lucian remained tense beside Beks. “Do you think they....”

She took a sharp breath. The Marquis wasn’t the kind of man to commit suicide at such a disgrace of being imprisoned. If anything, he would bide his time and wait until he could escape or be released.

He couldn’t have escaped. The fortress was difficult to get in and out of. The only way in without falling to one’s death down the cliffs was through the land bridge, and there were three gatehouses to stop him before he reached the mainland.

“But there is nowhere else they would take him. According to my sources, no one has left the fortress in months. Food is delivered to the first of the gatehouses. Marquis on Glasser should be here!”

Laz gave her a sympathetic look. “Beks....”

If the Marquis wasn’t there and he didn’t escape, that left one other option.

Dread filled her at once. Beks’ chest tightened and she grasped at it. It wasn’t that she was very close to Marquis von Glasser, but she was very close to Lady Eleanor. Lady Eleanor and her father were close. She would be devastated if they lost the Marquis.

Furthermore, Lady Eleanor was pregnant.

Beks’ heart dropped even more. “How can I tell her that her father is gone?” How could she break the news that Lady Eleanor’s baby wouldn’t have the only grandfather they thought they would.

“Beks....” Lucian raised his hand to put it on her shoulder, but stopped. His hand hovered as he looked past her.

“She doesn’t need this news right now....” Beks muttered, shaking her head. How would the rest of the von Glassers react?

“Lady Rebecca?” She vaguely heard her name, but didn’t respond, still trying to figure out how she’d tell the von Glasser family.

Beks frowned. “I can still hear the Marquis’ voice.” Perhaps he was trying to reassure her in another world that she had to carry the news.

“Lady Rebecca!”

Her head snapped up. She saw both Laz and Lucian looking behind her and she whirled around. Her eyes went wide as she saw an equally stunned tall, gray-haired man with a beard in regular, but clean clothing.

The look of surprise on his face stood out from the panic of the guards rushing around him, shouting about getting more buckets, unbothered by the prisoner standing in front of them.

Beks crinkled her eyes, almost doubting what she was seeing.

“Marquis von Glasser?”

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The old man tossed his head back and laughed as Beks sat on a wooden chair on the second-floor office of the fortress commander. She rubbed her forehead, somewhat annoyed that all her estimates were wrong, though it was because she had lacked some important information to properly assess the situation.

Marquis von Glasser wasn’t a prisoner at all.

At least, he was only a prisoner when he arrived. Once the gates of the Redstone Fortress closed, the shackles on his wrists and ankles were unlocked.

“The fortress commander is my protege,” Marquis von Glasser said with a proud smile. “It seems that the Fourth Prince and his party overlooked this.”

“It seems like it,” Laz replied as he leaned against the wall. “Though I’m not surprised you have such a successful protege.”

The Marquis beamed. “I thought it was a trick at first. It was too good to be true that I was being sent here, but sure enough. Commander Slayer was waiting for me.”

“That explains the royal guards in the prison,” Lucian said. “They were the guards who escorted you here, weren’t they?”

The Marquis let out a small snort. “They knew that they were to guard me the entire time and report my situation periodically. We’ve been sending the reports on our own.”

“Does your family know?” Beks asked as she lifted her gaze.

The Marquis let out a heavy sigh. “We have no way to contact the estate, I’m afraid.” His eyes crinkled up. “My lady, do you have news?” His voice had tightened up.

Beks took a deep breath and released it. “The von Glasser estate is surrounded by a portion of one of the battalions loyal to the Fourth Prince. That battalion was split up to monitor the estates of several noble families who opposed Luther. Yours in particular has a heavy guard, as you are loyal to Brother Laurence.”

“He is to be my son-in-law,” the Marquis said, matter of fact. “And out of the four, he’s the most capable as ruler.” He paused and glanced at the twins. “No offense.”

“None taken.”

“We feel the same,” Lucian said as he and Laz shrugged it off.

“Marquis, your being imprisoned is being used as a way to control your family,” Beks said.

The man frowned more so. “I guessed as much. To my family, I am a hostage, but to me, so are they. If either of us try to contact our officers to gather our army, the other could be in danger. I’m safe here, but my family is outnumbered and will be in danger. Not to mention all our servants.”

“Only four servants are allowed in or out of the estate for supplies. When they return, they are thoroughly checked for any secret messages. They are also followed when they are out. We haven’t been able to contact Lord Douglas, either. Urapearls have been confiscated.” Beks replied.

The Marquis looked towards her and cocked his head to the side. “You have a very good network of information, my lady.”

Beks gave him a nod. “It was an inheritance.”

The corner of his lips curled up. “I think it went to the right person.” He looked out towards the window. The flames were still going, but the attack had ceased, as Beks blew the whistle for Thad and Sunny to withdraw. “With this attack, it’s considered chaotic enough that I can escape and contact my officers; however, the attack is also outstanding enough that it will draw attention.”

“We just need enough time to get to the von Glasser March,” Laz said.

The Marquis squinted. “I don’t think we’ll arrive in time. Messenger hawks will spread the news before we reach the march.”

Beks glanced out the window. She could still see the night sky past the flames. “It’s still night. We can make it by morning if we leave soon.”

The Marquis turned to her, perplexed. “My lady, it will take at least two days to ride to the edge of our march.”

Laz cracked a small smile. “Who said anything about riding?”

“We flew here,” Beks said.

The Marquis looked even more confused. “Flew?”

“Marquis, how much of the initial attack outside did you see?” Laz asked. “Where did you think the fire came from? The sky?”

Marquis von Glasser stared at Laz with a dull expression. “Yes, Your Highness. The fire literally came from the sky. They appeared in the darkness above the fortress before they came down.”

“It didn’t come from the sky, it came at the direction of my brother,” Beks replied.

The Marquis’ brows shot up. “Lord Deo is here?”

“No, my younger brother. Thad is a wind biha user and he was in charge of arranging a distraction along with my sister’s baby fire drake. That’s why when you found us, I whistled as a signal for them to stop and retreat.”

“They’re not far from here,” Lucian said. “They can pick us up within moments.” He looked towards the Marquis. “How soon can you be ready?”

The Marquis looked taken aback. “So soon?”

“Now is your chance to escape,” Beks said. “As for coming after you, all your people need to do is report that the fire reached your cell. No one could reach you in time and you suffocated.”

The man looked at Beks with wide eyes. “You want me to fake my death?”

“Not only will they not look for you, but your family will be infuriated and nothing else will hold them back. They will be willing to take the risk to organizing the family army,” Laz said.

“And as soon as we can contact them, we can confirm that you are alive and well,” Lucian added to put the Marquis’ mind at ease.

The man lowered his eyes and took a deep breath. He seemed to know that he needed to make an immediate decision.

“You are certain you can fly us to the march?” he asked, glancing at Beks.

“I can promise that we’ll reach the edges of the march by dawn.”

The Marquis narrowed his eyes. HIs lips pulled into a line and he nodded. “Let me get my things and inform the fortress commander of the order to confirm my death.”

Beks released a relieved breath and gave him a nod. She rose to her feet and Laz and Lucian stood with her. “Meet us at the top of the tower with the covering. We will leave as soon as you arrive.”

“All right. It will be a few minutes. I don’t have much to bring with me,” he said in a firm voice. They opened the door and he had the two guards flanking the door escort them to the tower. He immediately asked where the fortress commander was and to be taken to him.

The watchtower with the roof wasn’t far from the office, but they still had to go down to the ground floor to reach the entrance of the tower. When they got there, two guards dressed in boots and their base layers were trying to explain to another guard why they were dressed like that.

“We were hit from behind and when we woke up, our uniforms were gone!”

Beks glanced at the two men on either side of her. Laz let out a low breath. “We’ll take care of it.”

He and Lucian moved forward and cut off the ranting guard. Beks stood the side and waited for them, watching the guards go from confused, to angry, to frustrated. One began to demand that the uniforms be returned, so the twins peeled them off.

They were still wearing dark clothes beneath.

“Our apologies, we were under orders that required us to take your uniforms,” Laz said in a low, authoritative voice she’d hear him use with the Wild Dogs.

The guards snatched their things back and the twins returned to her. “Now that the uniforms are returned, we should try to figure out what to do about the fire,” Lucian said. “Can Sunny extinguish it?”

Beks shook her head once. “I don’t believe so.” Perhaps if Sunny were an adult fire drake with more control, he would be able to snuff out his own fire, like her father could, but he was still young, so Beks doubted he had enough control.

They climbed up the stairs to the tower. By Beks’ estimation, they had been in the fortress for roughly an hour. The process of checking the cells didn’t take long. The fortress wasn’t massive, either.

Upon reaching the top, the guards with them told the two new guards at the tower to step down. Beks walked towards the side of the tower, looked into the courtyard, and frowned. The fire was still burning through the wagons and the goods they still held. Several smaller structures had their roofs catch on fire. One had already collapsed in.

Beks took a deep breath. She wasn’t worried that the fortress would go up in flames, as it was made of stone, but there were supplies that could be burned and a lot of water would be wasted. She took out the metal whistle that Gerard had given her and let out a whistle to summon the rokhs back.

As she craned her neck and watched the guards struggling to put out the fire, a voice shouted from the other side. “Sister! Did you find him?”

The two guards with Beks and the twins gasped as they whirled around to look for the source of the voice, instinctively raising their weapons in defense. Beks raised her hand.

“Thad! Hold!” She ordered her brother to stop, knowing that Thad would try to attack with wind biha. A faint gust hinted that she was right. She turned around and looked out towards the side of the watchtower that looked outside the fortress. .

She could see a very faint shadow of her brother standing on the basket.

“Where is that voice coming from?” one the guards asked.

Laz raised his hand and the shadow biha wrapped around Thad to protect him dissipated, revealing the boy’s handsome face against the fire raging in the courtyard below. Beks ignored the guards stunned looks as she walked towards the edge.

“We found Marquis von Glasser. He’s fine. His protege is the Fortress Commander, so he wasn’t so much imprisoned as he was hiding out here.”

Thad drew his head back and lowered his arm. “Oh...then can he leave with us?”

“Yes, we’re still going with your plan so he won’t be followed, but Thad.” Beks stepped to the side and motioned towards the fire. “Can you use your wind biha to blow out the fire?”

Thad’s face contorted with uncertainty. “I can try. If it’s not fast enough, it’ll just spread the fire.”

“Just give it a try. The fortress has a well, but they can’t use up all the water to put out the fire,” she told him.

Thad climbed on the edge of the basket and jumped off, landing inside the watchtower. One of the guards leaned out to see where the basket led to before gasping. He waved for his partner to look.

Beks and Thad ignored them as they walked to the other side. Sunny was still draped over Thad’s shoulder and Beks picked him up. She carried the lizard like a baby being burped against her shoulder.

“What do you think?” Laz asked. “Can you put it out?”

“There isn’t much fuel left. I may be able to. I just need to make the process faster so it doesn’t have a chance to catch and burn,” Thad said. “The fire pillar requires a lot of control in that the wind isn’t as fast as you think. It’s moving slowly. If I try to use the wind biha that is stronger and faster than the fire, it will put it out. It took a while for me to learn this from my master. If the wind overwhelms them, then the flames will be blown out.”

“Just give it a try,” Beks said. She put her hand on his shoulder to refill his biha and her brows shot up. She expected with the amount of wind biha he was using to make sure Sunny’s fire got to where it needed to go, he would’ve nearly depleted his biha well, but he’d used less than a quarter. Has his well grown? Or perhaps all that precision practice has made usage efficient.... Whatever the reason, this was an improvement and Thad was one step closer to mastery. She was excited and proud at the thought.

“Can you give me some room?” Thad asked. “And Sunny, no fire.”

Beks felt the lizard shuffle against her. She stroked his back. “You did a good job, Sunny. I’m also very proud of you.” The lizard rubbed his head against Beks’.

“Don’t be nervous, Thad. Just start off with the smallest fire,” Laz told them. “Work your way up.”

Thad nodded and held out his arms. Beks could feel the biha condense around his hands. He moved his arms forward and the wind between his hands began to move faster and faster.

Thad sent the wind out of his hands and into the courtyard.

The flames shot up as soon as they touched the wind, and behind her, the two guards took a step back and yelled. Beks narrowed her eyes, keeping her eyes on the flames as the bulk of the wind seemed to encircle the nearest flames, on top of a storage shed’s wooden roof. The flames twisted from side to side, becoming more and more violent until they began to wane and flicker.

“Just a little more,” Beks said.

Thad narrowed his eyes and a moment later, the flame was snuffed out. “Good job!” Laz patted his shoulder as Lucian praised him. Even the two guards behind them quietly spoke words awe.

“You’re not done yet,” Beks said, refilling his biha well once more. Her brother nodded and focused on another fire across the courtyard. As it went now and he moved to another flame, gradually getting closer to the one in the center, Marquis von Glasser climbed up the stairs and emerged on top.

He walked to the twins and craned his neck to watch Thad put out he fires that were ravaging the courtyard. Below, cheers were sounding as the relieved and exhausted guards put down the buckets.

“Is he your brother?” the Marquis asked as he looked at Thad up and down with a satisfied nod.

“Yes, he is Thaddeus of Caroline, the second son of our parents,” Beks replied. “Thad, this is Marquis von Glasser, Lady Eleanor’s father.”

“My lord.” Thad took a step back to give the older man a respectful bow. “I am relieved you are safe.”

“Thank you, young man,” the Marquis said with a smile. “And I’m impressed with your ability. I should know to expect such skill from a Caroline.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Thad replied as he stood up. “And congratulations.”

The man tossed his head back and laughed before slapping Thad’s back with joy. “It feels good to be a step closer to freedom.”

“Oh, I meant congratulations on being a grandfather again,” Thad replied.

The Marquis froze. “Grandfather again?”

Beks’ brows shot up. “Oh, that’s right. I haven’t told you, yet,” she said. “Congratulations, Marquis von Glasser. Lady Eleanor is pregnant. You will be a grandfather again soon.”

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“Arrange for them in the southwestern gate for now,” Marquis von Glasser told a man in a suit who wore a serious look on his face. “Don’t worry about the other three companies. We have already spoken to Bauer and Leitner. They should be preparing to send their companies to the by now, if not already on their way.”

“What about Tischler?” the man asked.

“We will meet with Baroness Tischler next, Count Werner,” the Marquis replied. The other man nodded. He stood up straight and saluted to Marquis von Glasser.

“I will send word at once and the Werner Company will be at the southwestern gate by month’s end in full!” Count Werner replied.

Beks remained seated and drank her tea. Month’s end was a week away. She lowered her cup. “Do not send them all at once. Make sure they go in small groups so as not to gather attention and reveal that we are amassing forces.”

Count Werner turned to her and bowed his head. “Of course, my lady! We will be careful!”

She reached into the worn satchel at her side and took out a piece of paper she’d prepared. “These are some shops along the route that will be able to provide food. Tell your group leaders to ask for the Dawn Company manager. When they arrive, tell them that ‘the lady with the white snake promised us a meal’. They will understand and will feed your soldiers a basic meal, so they do not have to carry much with them as they travel.

“Weapons will be prepared when they reach the rendezvous point. They need not bring their own in case they are stopped,” Beks told them.

The Count bowed his head and held up his hands to accept the paper as if it were a blessing. “Thank you, my lady. This will quicken the travel time.”

Beks nodded. She had given the same instructions to the other two officers they’d already met with. Count Werner and Baroness Tischler’s estates were being watched, but not to the same extent as the von Glassers. Just a few eyes watching from the outside, but otherwise, they were considered helpless since their stock of weapons had been confiscated, their armies withdrawn, and the training grounds and barracks burned down.

Soldiers could practice anywhere, but she supposed it was a mental blow to see one’s training facilities go up in flames. Bek took a sip of her tea. She was sure it was that way for the paladins.

“All right, Lady Beks, we have a few more hours before dawn,” the Marquis said as he craned his neck and looked out the nearest windows. “We should fly to the Tischler Estate.”

Beks nodded and lowered her cup. She prepared to stand when a knock came from the door. The twins were outside feeding the rokhs, as with their flying from one estate to the next, they couldn’t hunt.

In the last two noble houses before the Werner Estate, they took the chance to rest during the day before setting off at night. The flights were short, but they had to be careful and use shadow biha to secure their landing well within the estate. Then it was a task to sneak Marquis von Glasser in, as no one was expecting him.

Once Marquis von Glasser was identified, it was just a matter of informing them.

They had once more estate to go to and then they were going to rest for the day and attempt to land in the heart of the von Glasser estate the next night. The von Glasser estate was the furthest away from their origin point and on the northwestern border, closest to Kadmium.

It was a unanimous decision to first meet with the officers and prepare the army working east to west. Also, the von Glasser Estate had the most eyes watching it, so they wanted to delay the greatest possibility of being caught.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Count Werner.”

The stern look man gave her a shake of his head. “Our vow is to support the rightful head of Kadmus, my lady. This is our duty.”

He headed to open the door for them when a knock sounded. He frowned and opened the door. An out of breath servant nearly fell through the door. He smelled of the outdoors, or rather, earthy with the faint musk of animals, as if he worked on a farm.

“My lord! We have news from the von Glasser Estate!” he said, nearly shoving a small piece of coiled up paper to him.

Counter Werner drew his head back and took the scroll. He unraveled it and took a sharp breath. He looked towards Marquis von Glasser and handed him the scroll.

The older man frowned at once and took it from his hand. His eyes skimmed the scroll and his eyes went wide. He snapped his head back. “Where did you get this news?”

“The Fourth Prince’s men aren’t the only ones watching the von Glasser Estate in case of change, my lord,” Counter Werner said. “All four of us are also paying close attention and awaiting any cue.”

“Is this a cue?” Beks asked.

Marquis von Glasser handed her the scroll.

By the time her party reached Count Werner’s estate, they had been away from the Redstone Fortress for four days. Four days was enough for news to spread that Marquis von Glasser had suffocated in a sudden fire that spread through the fortress. The von Glassers must’ve heard or were told the news.

Why else would the large family seemingly lose their minds and attack the battalion encircling their estate?

Beks lifted her head up. “Are they mad? I know you have a large family, Marquis, but even so, they’d be outnumbered against several hundred soldiers.”

“They wouldn’t all be on guard at the same time, so they must’ve attacked those that were present,” Marquis von Glasser said with a contemplative look. “What color is the ink?”

Beks looked down. She furrowed her brows. “It’s green.” It was a dark ink, but the color was still clear.

“Green means that there were multiple points of attack. They likely managed to involve allies in the surrounding towns and villages.”

If it were other places, those would mainly be farmers, but for the von Glassers, those townspeople and villagers were reserve soldiers and a line of defense against invasion. It’s just that with the thought that the Marquis was a hostage, no one dared to make a move.

Beks raised her brows. “I expected them to act once they heard that you ‘died’ in a fire, but I didn’t think they’d act so quickly.”

“I can only imagine how they got the news,” Count Werner said with a frown. “After all, as long as they believed his lordship was a hostage at Redstone, they would be under control.”

“Don’t ignore our network of information. The servants likely found out while they were outside and informed my sons,” Marquis von Glasser said.

“Yes, but now that they’ve acted, we have to move quickly to contact them. Their weapons were also confiscated,” Beks said.

“They’ll find weapons,” the Marquis told her.

“Where?” Did they have a secret storehouse?

Both Count Werner and the Marquis looked at her. “From the royal guards.”

Beks blinked. “That’s convenient.”

“Lady Beks, we should go now. As soon as we finish informing Baroness Tischler, we can head north to try to get to my sons.”

“Understood. In the meantime, Counter Werner, can you send messenger hawks to the von Glasser Estate to tell them to wait for instruction, as you’ve received information?” Beks asked. “We will be there by tomorrow night.”

“Can’t you get there soon?” Counter Werner asked.

Beks shook her head. “The rokhs and the baskets are too eye-catching during the day. It’ll draw too much attention and we do not need any more.”

Count Werner hesitated, but nodded. “I will send a message immediately, my lady.”

“Lady Beks! To the rokhs!” The Marquis marched out of the room. They headed towards the center garden, where the rokhs were.

“Sister, are you ready?” Thad jumped up from where he was seated.

Beks nodded and touched his head. “Let’s go. We need to get to the Tischler Estate before dawn.”

“I’ll create a tailwind,” Thad said. The rokhs flapped their massive wings and rose into the sky, earning the impressed expressions of Count Werner and his aides. Beks and the others climbed into the baskets and before long, she could feel the wind pushing them forward. She kept one hand on her brother’s shoulder to keep his biha well filled.

Ahead of them, Laz and Lucian rode with the Marquis, who gave them instructions on where to go.

The Tischler Estate was smaller than the counts. At best, it was a large manor house surrounded by an old, but ivy-covered stone wall. In the dark, it was difficult for anyone to notice them landing in the back gardens.

There were plenty of lights coming from the windows of the house. Beks narrowed her eyes. It was well before dawn. Even if it were the servants who were awake and preparing for the day, it wouldn’t have been that well-lit. After all, candles were expensive.

“Something wrong?” She hadn’t climbed out of the basket and Laz stopped beside it.

“I think they have a guest,” she said. “Marquis von Glasser, approach carefully.”

“Do you want us to come with you?” Lucian asked. She shook her head.

“No, stay here with Thad and the rokhs,” Beks said. She paused and lowered her arm into the basket from outside of it. “Sunny. You come with me.”

The lizard flickered his tongue after he climbed on to her arm and situated himself on her left shoulder. She and Marquis von Glasser moved across the garden, staying off the main paths and remaining close to the decorate hedges to avoid being seen.

As they approached the back of the manor, the Marquis pointed to a set of double doors that lead out to a stone terrace. They crouched down, avoiding being seen through the windows as they approached the doors.

Beks peered from an angle to see if she could identify who was talking within.

On an overstuffed sofa, a middle-aged woman with a stern expression was seated. Along with her was a young man who resembled her, like her son. This baron family was considered rural nobility, and they rarely came to the capital, so Beks didn’t know of them personally.

A few paces from them, someone was talking. It was a man’s voice, and while Beks couldn’t make out the words, she could make out the tone. It was urgent, and he sounded as if he were trying to convince the Baroness.

Beks saw the woman shake her head and reply in a stern voice, clearly refusing the man.

“Why not?” The man’s yell was loud enough to come through the glass doors, and behind her, Marquis von Glasser stood up.

“Open the door!”

Beks’ heart jumped to her throat as the Marquis yelled. He stood in front of one of the doors, completely visible from the inside, and raised his hand to knock so hard, the door shook. Beks shut her eyes and sighed.

Inside the room, the woman had jumped to her feet, her eyes wide. The man who was trying to convince her turned around.

“My lord!”

“Father!”

Beks rose to her feet and tugged at her tunic to make sure it was straight.

“Stephen! Open this door immediately!” The Marquis continued to yell and finally, the young man beside Baroness Tischler shook himself out of his stupor and rushed towards the door. He must’ve been nervous at seeing their superior as he fumbled with the lock for a bit before finally pulling the door open.

“Father, what are you doing here-”

“What are you doing here, Stephen?” The Marquis cut off his son. Beks entered behind him and got a good look at the man’s face. Now she had a better look, she recognized him as Stephen von Glasser, Lady Eleanor’s older brother, who was the youngest of four brothers.

“I came to give the order to prepare the Tischler company!” Stephen almost stammered. He froze and suddenly, his eyes began to water. “Father, you’re alive!”

The Marquis reached out and smacked his son’s head. “Of course, I’m alive! Lady Rebecca came all the way to the Redstone Fortress for me!”

“Lady Rebecca?” The Baroness turned towards Beks, appearing not to recognize the name.

“Lady Rebecca, why are you here? How....” Stephen seemed to be overwhelmed with information. “I...we heard you were given a marking and exiled!”

“My exile was short-lived,” Beks replied in a cool voice. She looked towards Baroness Tischler and bowed her head. “A belated introduction, but a pleasure to meet you, Baroness Tischler. My name is Rebecca of Caroline.”

“Caroline!” Baroness Tischler’s son gasped. “Of the Wicked House of Caroline?”

“The Wicked House?” Beks turned her head towards him and sent him an intense, demanding look. “What do you mean the Wicked House?”

He shrank back and swallowed. “There...there was an official statement from Kadmium. The Carolines were exiled and so their peerage and title-”

“An official statement? Are you saying that the Fourth Prince issued a statement slandering my family?” Why did Nexus not tell her?

“The news was quelled at once, my lady,” the Baroness said with a respectful bow. “But any official news still refers to the Carolines as such.”

The corner of Beks’ eye twitched as her hands clenched into fist. “Luther, you worthless turnip....” she hissed under her breath. “You can slander me all you want, but my family?”

“My lady, are you all right?” Stephen asked with some caution.

Beks grit her teeth. “I will be,” she said in a low voice. “Once I punch Luther dun Kadmus in the face.”