Loremaster - A Progression Fantasy Adventure, page 67
Morgana’s expression curdled, and for a moment, Rowan feared that he had gone too far. That he was about to forcefully dissolve the partnership that had blossomed only a minute earlier. But then Morgana turned away.
“Fine,” she spat. “But I need to be there when you tell her.”
“That’s fine with me.”
Any more conversation would have to wait, for it was at that moment that footsteps could be heard resounding off the walls ahead of them. An instant later, Professor Dahlren burst into view, her robes flapping in her wake as she ran, her feet covering enormous amounts of ground with every stride. Her face was warlike, set in a hard mask, and the instant she appeared, her eyes narrowed in on them. With another step, she was before them, her hands glowing a pale green as she began to cast healing spells on Rowan.
“It’s just you two?” Dahlren asked, wasting no time with pleasantries. “Where’s the fourth?”
Wordlessly, Rowan pointed back the way they’d came.
Dahlren’s mouth twitched. “Dead?”
“Yes. There was a climber—”
“A climber?” Dahlren cut him off. “There can’t be a climber. These dungeons are cut off from the outside world and carefully monitored. We’d know if a climber got in.”
“Well, there was an Aracocytus in the boss room,” Rowan snapped, too tired and wounded to play nice any longer. “It attacked us, and Reinne Westmarch died as a result. We barely escaped with our lives. Their bodies are both still back there if you want to check.”
“Wait here.” With that, Professor Dahlren departed, her long strides carrying her down the hallway and out of sight in mere moments. Unsure of what to do next, Rowan and Morgana shared a glance. The professor had told them to wait, and so that was what they did, staying put as they awaited her return. They did not have long to wait.
Less than two minutes after her departure, Dahlren returned, now carrying the corpse of Reinne in her arms. Her face was no longer set in the hard mask she normally wore, but instead showed signs of confusion. Whatever she had seen, it had had an effect on her.
With a wave of her hand, Professor Dahlren conjured two waterskins, which dropped down into the hands of Rowan and Morgana.
“Drink,” she ordered them. “You’re going to be doing a lot of talking when we get back above ground.”
Obediently, they drank, following the professor as she led them out of the dungeon. The hallway where they had left Droon was the same as before, only the enormous pile of rocks had been blown apart, the rocks now tiny pebbles and dust that littered the sides of the corridor. Beyond them, Droon stood against the wall, his leg bound in bandages, but otherwise looking mostly unharmed.
“You’re back!” he exclaimed as they approached. Then his face fell. “Reinne’s hurt?”
Rowan and Morgana shared a look, but thankfully, Professor Dahlren was there to break the news.
“Regrettably, Miss Westmarch passed away in battle against a powerful enemy. The fact that the rest of your party is alive is incredible.”
Droon’s face broke, tears welling in his eyes. “No…” he whispered.
Dahlren shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
Breaking down, Droon began to sob, his shoulders heaving slightly as he fell in line behind them. All Rowan could do to comfort him was to place a hand upon his shoulder, which Droon barely acknowledged as he cried.
Rowan did not need Kanna’s insight to tell that his friend was most likely blaming himself for Reinne’s death, and unfortunately, there was no way he could set the record straight either. All he could do was comfort him passively and hope that, in time, grief might fade.
Though it saddened Rowan to see his friend so stricken with grief and guilt, the positive side was that at least Droon did not spend any time quizzing him on what happened down below. They walked in silence, Dahlren leading as they passed through room after room.
At last they reached the main doors to the dungeon, open wide to allow them egress. Without fanfare, they stepped through them, leaving the dungeon that had caused them so much grief behind them.
Several professors were waiting as they exited, and the remaining students buzzed excitedly as they emerged from the dungeon. Kanna was among the crowd, and she caught Rowan’s eye as he scanned the crowd, shaking her head imperceptibly before turning back to her conversation partner, the headmistress Lira Kess.
What followed next was a blur to Rowan. After being rushed to the healers, who inspected his wounds and cast spell after spell on his wounded body, he was then interrogated by no less than three professors. However, his story remained the same, and with no reason not to accept it, they did not press him for more.
More questioning followed, the interrogation continuing until at last they were told to seek rest, the professors allowing them to return to their dorm to sleep for the night. Although Rowan had thought he might twist and turn, sleep came quickly, his thoughts un-muddled as he slipped into the realm of dreams.
It was not until noon on the next day that Rowan was able to find time to see Kanna. She was in her office when he arrived, and appeared to have been waiting for him, her fingers steepled as he opened the door.
“Rowan,” she called out pleasantly. “I’ve been expecting you.”
“Master,” Rowan replied politely as he closed the door almost shut behind him.
“How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” Rowan admitted.
It was true. Though getting to sleep had not proved too much of a challenge, actually staying asleep had. Twice he had woken up in a cold sweat, convinced another of Tianna’s minions had come to finish what Reinne had started. That had not been the case, but constant paranoia did not allow for a fitful rest, and his sleep had been compromised as a result.
“How about you, master?”
“Also tired,” Kanna admitted. “We were up until the early hours of the morning scouring the dungeon for hints as to what went down. It involved a lot of spellcasting and a lot of mana.”
“Did you find anything?”
“We did,” Kanna replied, her gray eyes seeming to pierce Rowan. “But I thought I’d ask you for your side of the story first. What do you think of everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours?”
“Honestly?” Rowan asked. “I guess I’m just a little surprised by the reactions of everyone. I thought deaths were a normal thing at Faebrook.”
“They are,” Kanna replied. “Two others also died in yesterday’s exams, one first year and one third year. But it’s the circumstances around this event that make it special. The magical monitoring was interfered with and then a climber made its way into a dungeon that should by all rights be cut off from the outside world. Even stranger yet, it made its way in during the time between the resetting of the dungeon and your party’s arrival, resulting in the death of a student. The death of Miss Westmarch is a tragedy of course, but one that she and her family were prepared for when she entered this academy. It’s how she died that makes this case so important to solve. And I feel that you’re about to help me figure that out, aren’t you, Rowan?”
Rowan took a deep breath. This was it. It was time to make a gamble. He trusted Kanna. She had taken a chance on him when he had entered the academy, and had spent the entire year doing her best to ensure that he could succeed. Although she could be a little hands-off at times, she had always done her best when he was involved.
A mentor, a friend, and also the closest thing he had to a confidant. The only person at the academy to know of his past, and the only one in the world to know his desired future. That was Kanna. If he couldn’t trust her, who could he trust?
“Just to make sure,” Rowan began cautiously. “Everything I tell you here is in confidence, right?”
“Nothing will leave this room,” Kanna swore solemnly. “Or to borrow from your lingo: I’m no snitch.”
The euphemism rolled off her tongue easily, and Rowan snorted at the lowbrow slang being used by his sophisticated master. Kanna smiled at his reaction. Then she dropped a bombshell.
“I guess since I said that, I should invite our eavesdropper in. Miss Lunythe?” she called out. “You may enter if you wish.”
For a moment, there was silence. Then the door creaked open, admitting the form of Morgana, who met Kanna’s eyes with a level gaze, apparently unfazed to have been caught eavesdropping.
“Professor Soreth,” she greeted.
“Miss Lunythe,” Kanna responded, appearing equally unsurprised at their new arrival’s presence. “So glad that you could join us.”
Rowan watched as his master invited her in. If Kanna was surprised to see that Morgana had tailed him, then she didn’t show it. With a wave of her hand, Kanna conjured another chair next to Rowan, which landed with a soft thud on the carpeted floor. Taking the offered seat, Morgana sat there, back ramrod straight and posture perfect as she turned to look at Rowan.
Feeling the gazes of both women on him, Rowan slowly launched into his story. Rather than start the day of the Dungeoneering exam, he instead chose to start several months earlier, when the party had been formed, talking about the relationships between the four party members as well as a brief recount of his own forays into nocturnal exploration that had happened at the time. Not enough to incriminate him, but just enough to let them know why much of his story happened well after curfew.
Apart from the occasional interjection, Morgana was more than happy to allow Rowan to tell the tale, only interjecting to fill in details that he skimmed and what had happened in the minute he was unconscious. At the end of the story, Rowan leaned back, letting out a breath he did not know he had been holding.
Told all at once, the entire thing sounded much more deadly than he had first assumed. Which was surprising since he had quite literally died down there. Without Darm’s bracelet, the arcanowhip, and the assistance of Morgana, he would never have made it out of the dungeon alive. Looking back, the fact that they had both survived was a miracle, and one they were unlikely to replicate no matter how many times they repeated the situation. He would have to get Darm some very nice tea when he ran into him again.
“The two of you alone took on an Aracocytus and lived?” Kanna had remained silent throughout the recounting, and only once Rowan fell silent did she talk. “I knew that there was an Aracocytus involved of course. I examined the body myself. But I assumed that you’d taken it on as a trio and Reinne’s death was the sacrifice necessary to beat such a monster as a team of first years. I did not expect to learn that you two defeated it on your own.”
“It was… tough,” said Morgana. “We would have died had we not worked together.”
“Yes,” Kanna remarked dryly. “I saw your injuries. Both of yours. It was a stroke of enormous luck that Rowan had a healing artefact on him. I must say, I was surprised to learn that you do not carry one, Miss Lunythe.”
“I have a shielding artefact,” Morgana replied. “Normally, it is a much more sturdy and useful item than a healing tool, as it allows me to remain capable of fighting while in use. Unfortunately, Reinne must have known of my defenses in advance. She was carrying a sword enchanted to pierce through barrier spells, and she broke my shield after only a few exchanges.”
“Indeed,” Kanna mused. “The weakness of healing artefacts is that they tend to activate only when the user is already severely wounded. Had Miss Westmarch known that Rowan still survived, she would have simply finished him off before moving on to you.”
Rowan shifted uncomfortably at this statement, but Kanna ignored her pupil’s discomfort.
“For her to be so well prepared though... The Caleighs must have been serious about killing you. Weapons enchanted to break barriers are not cheap, and to my knowledge, Miss Westmarch was not in possession of such a weapon prior to arriving at the academy. Given that she is the second daughter of a minor house, or was I suppose, and it is even more unlikely that it would have been given to her by her own family. Thus, it had to be an outside source, with the Caleighs being the most likely candidates. Do you agree with my analysis so far?”
“Yes.” Morgana nodded.
Rowan remained quiet, observing the conversation between nobles. Backstabbing and assassination were both areas he was familiar with. But the disputes between nobles were on another level entirely.
“Now, I’m sure that Tianna Caleigh and her backers expected this plan to work,” Kanna continued. “They enlisted a strong fighter to backstab you, equipped her with powerful artefacts, and even managed to interfere with the Faebrook Dungeoneering exam by sneaking a climber inside through methods unknown to us at this time. Your survival probably comes as a shock to them, and it will be a little while before they are able to make preparations for another attempt. An attempt which you will be ready for.”
“I will,” Morgana vowed. Her eyes danced with righteous fury, and Rowan thanked his lucky stars that it was not him that anger was directed towards.
“So the question becomes: what do you want to do next?” Kanna leaned forward, lacing her fingers as she stared intensely towards Morgana. “Normally, I’d stay out of student affairs such as this since I hate being involved in feuds between nobles. But whether by chance or by guile, you have involved my apprentice, and I will not stand for him to be targeted on my watch.”
Somehow, Morgana straightened up even further, a feat Rowan would not have thought possible given his knowledge of the human spine. Perhaps fae spines were different? Regardless, Morgana was fully engaged as she cast around for an answer, seemingly unperturbed by the knowledge that Rowan was Kanna’s apprentice. But then of course, he had informed her of this himself the day earlier.
Rowan shook his head, too much had happened in the last twelve hours for him to keep track of it all. Even after having slept a night, he was still processing the events that had transpired.
“I intend to make them pay,” said Morgana. “I will not let this incident slip quietly into the night.”
Kanna nodded. “And do you have any idea of how you’re going to go about this?”
Morgana bit her lip. An uncharacteristically uncertain expression on her face. “Not yet. I’ve thought of a lot of different ways to go about getting my revenge. But I haven’t settled on anything. There are just too many variables to account for.”
“Revenge is messy,” Kanna agreed. Suddenly, she turned towards Rowan. “What would you do?”
“Me?” Rowan asked, bemused by the sudden turn of events.
“Yes, you,” Kanna stated. “If it was you they’d been targeting, not Miss Lunythe here, what would you do to ensure it didn’t happen again?”
Rowan froze for a moment, brain moving quickly as he attempted to make sense of Kanna’s hypothetical. “I would tell everyone what happened,” he said at last. “Not the full truth, but the parts that make it obvious that I’m the victim. With any luck, that would get public sentiment on my side and prevent them from blaming me for Reinne’s death. I also wouldn’t directly accuse Tianna, but I’d make it obvious that she was involved. Then I’d go after the Westmarch family for their daughter’s crime. That way, neither group could attack me again without suspicion falling upon them, and I’d have time to prepare for any further attempts on my life.”
“Not bad,” Kanna praised, causing Rowan to preen. “If this was an exam, I’d give you sixty points.”
That deflated Rowan, and he stared sadly at his master who had already turned back towards Morgana.
“If I’m being honest, Rowan’s idea isn’t bad. A little naive when it comes to noble relations, but not terrible. What do you think of it?”
Morgana shook her head. “It’s not enough. I want revenge, not just protection. Both the Caleighs and the Westmarchs need to be ruined so badly that they’ll never even dare to dream of trying to attack me again.”
Kanna nodded. “Right. Publicizing this incident would allow you to extract compensation from the Westmarchs, and prevent them from demanding a blood price in return. However, without any concrete evidence tying Reinne’s actions to the Caleighs, you’ll be unable to go after Tianna or her family. You would have to settle for merely ruining the Westmarchs. And they’re just bit players in this whole thing. Not to mention that it sounds like these actions were those of Miss Westmarch alone. Destroying her family might be a little overzealous of you.”
Morgana’s mouth was set in a firm line. “Without their backers, the Westmarchs will go down anyways. They’re leeches, and with no one to latch onto, they’ll die. In order for this to end, I need to take down the Caleighs, or at the very least make myself such an unviable target that they’re forced to give up.”
“And will that make you happy?” Kanna asked.
“No,” Morgana swore quietly. “They’ve come after me, hurt me, nearly taken my life. They have to pay in kind.”
Kanna shrugged. “I don’t expect I’ll be able to convince you otherwise. But let me give you a few words of advice. In the aftermath of this event, the Caleighs will not be able to touch you in the North for some time. Not without making it clear that they have a hand in all this. That gives you time to grow stronger. I would suggest you make the most of that.”
With a look of understanding, Morgana rose. Giving Kanna a short bow, she spared Rowan a glance before leaving. For his part, Rowan stayed sitting. Kanna’s smile as she turned back towards him told him that this had been the correct choice.
“So,” Kanna began. “What do you think of what’s happened?”
“I wish I was uninvolved,” Rowan said honestly. “The Lunythes, the Caleighs, the Westmarchs. They’re all noble families that I’d have happily stayed far away from.”
“And yet now your fate is entwined with theirs.”
Rowan sighed. “All I wanted was a quiet school life. To emerge in four years as a seasoned adventurer, ready to make a name for myself and leave my mark on the world. Why did I have to get entangled in all this?”
