"Not again!" Jamie growled, frustration twisting his face.

"Could you please stop using those telekinetic powers?" he added with biting sarcasm, eyes narrowed at his captor.

After hitting the wall, one of his daggers fell. It was close to him on the cold stone floor. The other one remained sheathed at his waist. However, with the force pulling him against the wall, he couldn't reach it.

"Finally," Franco sneered, rubbing his throat where Jamie's blade had pressed moments before. The nobleman's attire was a mess, and a flush of anger colored his cheeks. "You filthy thief! How dare you lay a hand on me!" He lunged forward, fists clenched, eyes blazing with fury.

But before Franco could strike, Lucius intervened. "Silence," he commanded. With a casual flick of his wrist, an invisible force threw Franco across the room.

Franco crashed into the far wall, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. Dazed, he struggled to regain his footing, hands clawing at his mouth. His eyes widened in panic as he realized he couldn't open his lips. It was as if they had been sealed shut by glue. Muffled grunts of rage escaped his throat, but no words formed.

"You have a knack for understanding how nobles think," Lucius observed. He began to pace slowly, each step deliberate. "Seducing them, bringing them over to your side." His gaze settled on Franco. "But you lack the understanding of true conflict. You don't understand battles, invasions, or how to read their consequences."

Lucius approached Jamie, stopping mere inches from him. "Tell me," he said, "what does it mean to have one of our enemies' commanders within our territory?"

For a fleeting moment, Franco's enchantment lifted. "Our territory? My territory! Release me this instan—". His voice was abruptly cut off as his lips sealed once more, leaving him mute.

"Wrong," Lucius corrected, his attention never leaving Jamie. "It means that our pawns have failed. He should be defending the city, not messing with us." His tone was filled with irritation, though a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Jamie noted the flicker of realization in Franco's eyes. The dawning comprehension of their failure. The nobleman's face paled, and sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Lucius clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. "It took considerable effort to get the Nightwalker." He leaned in closer to Jamie, his gaze piercing. "Tell me, how on earth did you know about it?"

"Go to hell," Jamie tried to snarl, but the words caught in his throat. To his surprise, instead, he heard himself say, "We were investigating the mansion in search of someone."

Confusion washed over him. 'Why did I say that?' His throat burned, as if scorched from within.

"I see," Lucius mused, a satisfied glint in his eye. "So it was unfortunate timing on our part? Or did we underestimate you?"

Lucius shrugged before speaking. "My objective is complete," he declared, his voice smooth and untroubled. "So, I'll take my leave."

He turned and walked toward the window at the far end of the chamber. With a casual wave of his hand, the magical restraints binding Jamie and Franco dissipated. The invisible forces released them both.

Seizing the moment, Jamie sprang into action. His eyes darted to his fallen dagger on the floor. Snatching it up, he pivoted and lunged at Franco. With a decisive blow, he knocked the nobleman to the ground, pressing the blade against his throat.

Though Jamie knew that Lucius was the true mastermind, he recognized the vast disparity in their power. Confronting Lucius now would be a near-impossible fight. Franco, however, was weaker and could be controlled.

"No! Don't you dare betray me, Lucius!" Franco cried out, his voice tinged with desperation. Pinned beneath Jamie, his eyes darted between the bard and the co-conspirator. "Don't leave me like this!"

"Don't move," Jamie warned Lucius, his gaze steely. "I won't hesitate to end your ally here and now."

Lucius glanced back over his shoulder, a faint, amused smile playing on his lips. "Go ahead," he said calmly. "Kill him. Our alliance has already yielded the results I needed."

"You—you snake! Fuck you!" Franco spat, his face contorted with rage. "How dare you! May the gods curse you!"

Lucius merely shrugged off the tirade. Yet at Franco's final outburst, he threw back his head and laughed. "And how exactly will they curse me?" he asked mockingly. "I'm enacting their will."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"What do you mean?" Jamie demanded, a frown creasing his brow.

Lucius turned to face them, his eyes glinting with a mixture of amusement and contempt. "Your friend here is rather inept," he remarked, gesturing toward Franco. "He never bothered to inquire about my [Class]."

Jamie tightened his grip on the dagger. "And what might that be?" he asked.

A sly smile curved Lucius's lips. "I am a cleric," he revealed. "A cleric of Zarn."

Jamie glanced between Lucius and Franco, searching their faces for any hint of recognition. Franco's expression had shifted to one of horror, his skin gone pale.

"Should that mean something to me?" Jamie inquired, keeping his voice steady.

"Such sacrilege!" Lucius exclaimed, feigning indignation. "Zarn embodies corruption itself. It's harbinger destined to bring about the end of this world and consume all within it. One day, he will reign supreme over both the living and the dead."

As Lucius became engrossed in his monologue, Jamie seized the opportunity. With a swift, practiced motion, he retrieved the dagger that remained at his side and hurled it toward the cleric's throat.

But before the dagger could find its mark, Lucius's hand darted up with inhuman speed. His fingers closed around the blade's hilt inches from his neck. He examined the weapon with detached curiosity, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"How inelegant," Lucius chided, his eyes lifting to meet Jamie's with a cold intensity. "You have no idea who you're interfering with."

As he spoke, thin fissures began to spiderweb across Lucius's face. Tiny cracks spread over his skin like fractured porcelain. They revealed glimpses of something dark and eldritch pulsing beneath the surface. His face seemed to shift and distort, the veneer of humanity slipping.

"But for today," he continued, his voice echoing as if layered with another, deeper tone, "I must take my leave."

Before Jamie or Franco could react, Lucius turned and strode toward the large window at the far end of the room.

Then he was gone. He vanished into the night without a sound.

Jamie rushed to the window, peering into the darkness below. No thud of impact reached his ears; Lucius had disappeared into the shadows as if swallowed by the night itself.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Jamie growled, turning. He grabbed Franco by the collar and yanked him to his feet, pressing the cold blade of his dagger against the nobleman's throat.

Franco gritted his teeth, his eyes wide with fear and outrage. "What do you think you're doing?" he sputtered, trying to wrench himself free.

"Move," Jamie ordered, steering Franco toward the doorway while keeping a firm grip on his arm twisted behind his back. The dagger remained poised at his neck.

The two made their way out of the chamber and into the corridor beyond.

"Where is the prisoner?" Jamie demanded.

Franco cast a sidelong glance at him. "What prisoner?" he feigned ignorance.

"The woman you brought from Lucius's house," Jamie clarified, his grip tightening. "Where is she?"

Franco hesitated, a cold indifference settling over his face. "If she's still alive," he said, "you'll find her in the dungeons."

A surge of anger coursed through Jamie. Without a second thought, he withdrew the dagger from Franco's throat and, swift as a whip, plunged it into the center of the nobleman's hand. The blade pierced flesh and bone, emerging from the other side.

Franco cried out in agony, dropping to his knees as he clutched his impaled hand. "You... you'll pay for this!" he gasped, his voice strained with pain. Blood seeped from the wound, dripping onto the rich purple fabric of his tunic and staining it crimson.

"You'd better hope she's alive," Jamie warned, his eyes hard. He pulled the dagger free with a brutal yank, causing Franco to cry and double over.

Without wasting another moment, Jamie hauled Franco back up, pressing the bloodied blade once more against his neck. "Now move," he commanded, propelling him down the spiraling staircase.

As they descended, the sharp scent of smoke and ash grew stronger. Jamie's brow furrowed. The small fire they had set for the distraction shouldn't have spread so quick.

"The flames have reached here already?" Franco muttered, a note of fear creeping into his voice.

"No," Jamie replied, suspicion tinging his thoughts. "The fire we set was too small for this."

They emerged into the central courtyard, and the scene that met them was one of chaos and destruction. Flames leaped skyward from multiple sections of the castle. The air was thick with smoke, and the heat was intense.

Amidst the inferno, a contingent of Inquisitors fought the panicked soldiers. Their swords flashed as they cut down anyone who stood in their path.

"They're trying to destroy the evidence?" Jamie murmured, disbelief lacing his words. It didn't make sense. The Inquisitors were methodically slaughtering the castle's defenders while running away.

As Jamie pressed onward, the last of the Inquisitors caught sight of him. After a brief, unreadable pause, they turned and fled toward the main gate.

The remaining soldiers, battered and demoralized, regarded Jamie with desperation and defeat. Their weapons hung at their sides, and their expressions spoke of men who had lost the will to fight.

"My quarrel isn't with you," Jamie declared, his voice carrying over the roar of the flames. He tightened his hold on Franco, emphasizing his point. "Stand aside, or I'll end him."

One by one, the soldiers exchanged glances before letting their swords and lances clatter to the ground.

"Now, put out the fires!" Jamie ordered. "Save your castle before it's too late!"

Galvanized into action, the soldiers scattered. They scrambled to form bucket brigades and smother the flames.

As Jamie approached the main gate, he could see a few people waiting for him outside.

"Let's return to Hafenstadt."

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