Chương 124: The Plan

After the joust, and after a few more minutes of Sage patching him up, Lord Ceonwin summoned me to his office. Other rounds still had to progress, but he had something in mind for me. With a groan, he dropped down at his desk. I could practically hear his joints creaking as he lowered himself into his chair.

"This is the second time you've saved my skin, now, Levi. I am in your debt."

"Will a higher Presence income satisfy said debt?" I asked with a grin, hoping to show I wasn't taking the debts too seriously.

"Yes, indeed it would," he said.

"I will have that arranged. Next week, you will find them in your weekly Labyrinth rewards." Without waiting for permission, I sat in a chair across the desk from Ceonwin.

"Sir. That was certainly an assassination attempt. You know it, I know it. There were explosives…"

"Yes, there's no avoiding the topic."

"Are orcs involved?" Ceonwin pressed his lips together.

"Possibly. Or, just like when they called you to the abandoned farm, whoever is on our side who can control the orcs is responsible. Rotfire bombs, spore triggers, the like. Orc magic."

"It's probably Lord Hinlaw," I said.

"He's not hiding it."

"Likely. Lord Hinlaw was close with the Subtle Men. He could be working with them to pull all of this off."

"And he's knowingly betraying us to the orcs." Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Ceonwin sighed.

"He thinks he can control them to his own personal benefit. But the Warlord is using him."

"The point is," I stressed, "they're not going to stop until you're dead. You're one of the best jousters out there. They know they can't beat you on the lists, so they're not even going to try."

"I will double the castle watch, and I will sweep everything I touch with my senses first," Lord Ceonwin said.

"The next match, now, is in two weeks. It will give them plenty of time to try something."

"Is there no way you can discredit Hinlaw and get him to surrender? Or just fight and kill him?"

"Not at the moment, and not without proof." Ceonwin drummed his fingers on the table.

"And not without angering the Warlord even more than he already is. But there is a spot of good news: he will likely have to slow down his attempts on my life, lest it be too suspicious."

"I hope you're right," I said.

"What is your plan, Levi?" he asked.

"I…I was considering abandoning it, sir."

"I don't believe that."

"Well, I'm not abandoning it anymore. The joust showed me that. I'm ready. And judging by my Presence income, I should hit Titanium by the time next week starts—well before the second bracket of the tournament ends. But it's probably best you don't know. I don't want you to get in trouble if it goes wrong. It'll be easier if the Subtle Men interrogate you."

"How considerate. What if you need help?"

"You've done amazingly so far," I said.

"If you'd keep helping me learn to joust, that would be much appreciated, though." ~ ~ ~ That evening, I waited until Byrnwold's company finished their performance, then hunted down Alis. As the wagons returned to their lot, ready to wait around the firepit, and the performers cleaned up the central plaza, I rushed around, searching for her in the crowd. When the wagons returned to their lot, I finally found her lugging a couple of water buckets back toward the camp from the stream.

"Sorry I wasn't out and about today," she replied when she saw me.

"Byrnwold had plenty of jobs for me today, and I was training hard…"

"No worries," I said.

"But I did see the joust!" she added excitedly.

"I wasn't supposed to. I did sort of sneak away to watch." Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Really?"

"I saw the explosion and everything." She led me behind the circle of wagons, then poured the water into a trough for the horses. Finally, she lowered her voice to a whisper and said, "And I saw you ride the third set." I froze, eyes wide. Holding a finger to her lips, Alis whispered, "Don't worry. It is a secret. I'll tell no one."

"How obvious was it?" I asked. If it was obvious enough for her to guess, how much trouble was I going to be in.

"How do you know it was me?"

"I—" Alis tucked a strand of hair over her ear, then glanced at me.

"Perhaps I should admit, I recognized your gait and your riding style. Sergeant Levi…I have been watching you for far longer than I admitted before."

"You were stalking me."

"I wouldn't put it like that." She hung her head.

"I find soulstealers fascinating. I've known many Dupes, but soulstealers carry themselves differently." I blinked, trying to contain my confusion. There was something she wasn't telling me.

"You've known 'many' Dupes?"

"Well, yes. Uh, in my travels."

"How long have you been watching me?"

"Since the performance company arrived…" she admitted, staring at the ground, tapping her toes on the ground.

"I'd heard stories about you, and I wanted to know if they were true."

"What about the river business?" I interrogated.

"Was that all made up, too?" I couldn't help being a little miffed, being misled, but on the other hand, relieved that it would've taken a very discerning eye to notice me. Moreover, the fact that I carried myself differently than a Dupe was critical to my plan. Alis cupped a hand on the back of her neck.

"Yes…well, I mean, not entirely. I knew you were coming. And I knew the squires would treat a worker like that. I wanted to see how you would react."

"A test?"

"You passed amazingly, by the way."

"Well, I'm glad." I crossed my arms.

"So, what about all that business about 'no debts' and looking for friends? Is that true? Or are you trying to get something from me, now?" Alis rolled her lips inward, visibly chewing her bottom lip.

"I know you find it hard to believe, but yes, it is true. I grew up…very alone, very isolated. I ran away from my father—who taught me to judge people as well as I do—and joined the performance company. I just want to…see the world. To meet people."

"Stalking them isn't the best way to meet them."

"Apologies." I sighed, trying to meet her gaze. She could have been lying to me right now, and something still felt a little bit off about her. She knew how to forge papers, she had Arts, and she had pulled this? But on the other hand, her assessment was accurate, and if she'd spread the word that I had ridden in Ceonwin's place, I would've already been arrested.

"You were looking for me for a reason tonight, weren't you?" Alis asked.

"And it wasn't this, right?"

"Well, yeah," I said.

"I just don't know if I can trust you." She held out a hand.

"I swear upon the Path and my soul that I will not tell anyone you rode in Lord Ceonwin's place today." I stared at her blankly.

"Take my hand, Levi. It's an unbreakable oath, if you seal it."

"I only have your word to go on that it's unbreakable." She rolled her eyes, then said, "No, you don't. You haven't heard of Path Oaths yet?" I paused.

"Should I have?"

"Yes." She scowled.

"Perhaps they are too useful, and your higher-ups don't want the average infantry grunt knowing about them. Take my hand, and you will feel that it is unbreakable." I reached out and clasped her wrist, the way I felt you should if you were swearing an oath to someone. A tingle ran through my palm, and an invisible thread snaked out through my palm, rushing into her body, flowing through her leys and binding with her.

"Oh," I said.

"It's a magic oath."

"Do you trust me now?" she asked softly.

"I cannot break this vow, even if I wanted to. I can only tell people who already know."

"Not entirely," I said.

"But I also don't know how much of a choice I have. I do need your help. You said you can forge papers?"

"Yes, I can do that."

"I promise, I'm not asking this in return for anything," I said.

"You can decline if you want, and I'll find some other way." I took a deep breath, then whispered, "I need you to forge the papers that prove I'm a thegn. But not me. Invent someone from some remote corner of Gate that no one could even bother checking." Alis smiled softly.

"Ah, I see."

"I need it quickly, too, please. The deadline to challenge the tournament and enter late is fast approaching."

"I can arrange that." She stepped back, about to walk away, but she paused, then reached down her dress and retrieved a pair of illusion amulets from her keychain of amulets.

"But just a name isn't going to cut it. Yes, your face will be covered, but that's not enough. Eventually, someone will see you without something over your eyes. Use this."

"How?"

"Here…" Sage muttered. She whispered something into the back of the amulet, and pale sparks gathered in its center, illuminating its iris for a moment, before they dimmed, leaving it normal again.

"I set its appearance. Put it on, and it will modify your face slightly. Exaggerate more of the features, make you less recognizable. Your eyes will be blue, your hair lighter, slightly less swarthy. It will be enough to let you go undetected." I nodded.

"I see." She repeated the process, and passed him the second pendant.

"And this one is for your horse. It will change her appearance." I took the second pendant with a bow of my head.

"Thank you."

"I shall have the papers ready by tomorrow evening. Visit me again around this time—""Alis!" someone shouted from inside a wagon.

"Where are you, girl? We need your hands!"

"Coming!" she shouted. Then she whispered to me, "I'm needed. Be here tomorrow evening."