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Part XI

After Midnight of Tertius, First Day of Duskmoon


A fierce display of magic rippled across the small scrying room, lighting up the walls with colorful flashes. Samuel looked down from his iron throne to the edge of his magical pool. Inside its waters, Virgil's powers conjured an image of the prisoner from within her cell. Nothing out of the ordinary … until the blond-haired fop pointed to an old photograph in the girl's hand.

Samuel cocked his head sideways, wondering why it was even relevant. "Explain this."

His wiry-framed colleague rubbed his hands together while wearing a wide smirk. "I had no idea, either, at first. I only bothered to check after detecting a magical signature from Mister Harding's room."

Samuel almost bolted upright. A territorial growl rumbled inside his throat. "You were spying again on my apprentice?"

He already knew that Virgil distrusted Kane, but did the foolish man stalk the Templar while he slept?

Virgil's eyes narrowed. "Maybe you didn't know, but he visited the prisoner yesterday."

Samuel did not appreciate his cohort undermining his command. Kane was his responsibility. "Of course I knew. I've already addressed it."

The disgraceful instigator peeled back his lips condescendingly. "Perhaps not as well as you thought."

Samuel had no more patience for Virgil's games. The closer he marched toward his goal, the more he wanted to part from this overly dependent partnership. Still, he needed to play nice, for now. At least until Virgil was no longer useful.

So he metered his response. "Explain yourself."

Virgil seemed all too happy to oblige. He gestured firmly toward the portal. "It's right in front of you. The photograph. I'll reconstruct the image for you. Look closely."

Samuel glared through his mask. If looks could kill, the fool would have dropped dead.

Virgil never noticed, of course. He cast his spell on the pool and revealed the contents of the photograph. "I assume you recognize who this is?"

Samuel grunted. He had suspected there would be something probative, else Virgil would not have acted so giddy. Even so, the knight was not keen to give his partner any credit.

"It's my brother. I looked just like him when I was that age. I presume the other is my apprentice. Are you trying to tell me he gave this to her?"

Virgil huffed. "Don't you see? He did it purposely. And now he's asleep in his cabin, practically comatose."

Samuel grew impatient. It was so like Virgil to tease out the explanation with one small piece at a time. But the knight wanted to cut the chase. "You think she had something to do with it? Stripped of her powers, as she is?"

Virgil clearly enjoyed toying with him. "True … she's still inside the anti-magic field. I've questioned the wizards on duty, and they've reported no fluctuations. And yet, your apprentice lays in some kind of mysterious trance, while she clenches a photograph of him. You think it coincidence?"

So many questions to which Virgil already knew the answers. Samuel stewed underneath his armor. "Spare me the sidestepping and get to the point. What have you learned?"

Samuel had given the lanky fop just what he wanted. Virgil spread out his arms, dancing in a bountiful display of narcissism. "Oh-ho, you're going to love it. I had to go through quite a bit of trouble to get the answers, but … my findings did not disappoint." He exposed a mouthful of pearly whites. "You want the short version or the long one?"

Samuel bared his own teeth. "Just get on with it, Mister Garvey."

"As you wish." Virgil's eyes lit up and a giggle escaped his lips. "You see, I performed a little experiment with the help of our white wizards. One of them attempted a Mind Link while inside an anti-magic field. It failed, of course, as you'd expect."

Virgil's widening smile exemplified a mounting delight. "But then … I figured the photograph might have acted as a keepsake. You know how those work, don't you?"

Of course Samuel did. He crossed his arms in vexation. "Go on."

Virgil pulled back a lock of blond hair from his face. "I asked this host volunteer to hand over something of sentimental value. Turns out, magic is possible from inside an anti-magic field. It only requires that the wizard bend the Axon of Origin to the target's location."

Samuel had to admit he was impressed. Virgil had managed to piece together a hypothesis with little to go on, and yet found the answers quickly. His fingers drummed the edge of his chair. "So … Miss Reynolds has entered Mister Harding's Subconscious. Very clever … innovative, too. She is certainly deserving of her reputation."

Virgil wiggled with delight, rubbing his hands so fast he could start a fire. Samuel detested the display of smugness. Even worse was his partner's taunting voice. "It proves I was right. I knew your apprentice couldn't be trusted, and now I have proof!"

Samuel scoffed. The insolent bloat had proven nothing. "Your evidence is meaningless. Whatever compelled my apprentice in his shattered state to share this keepsake does not conclude deception."

Virgil's smirk melted. Samuel was pleased to see it go, but not all that happy with Virgil's persistence. "Whether he meant any harm is moot. His actions were reckless, and now they've endangered our plans. You need to make an example out of him."

Samuel rebutted with a raised index finger. "Not so fast."

Virgil's previous flamboyance quickly turned to something darker. "Don't be a fool. There's no telling what irreversible damage she's already done. Even if the Templar had been trustworthy, by now his mind is compromised! We must take care of them both, before she turns him against us!"

Samuel had another idea, but first he needed to assert his leadership. He thrust his gauntlet against the arm of his chair, sending a resounding clank throughout the chamber. As it usually did, it got Virgil's attention. There was something supremely satisfying about seeing the arrogant clown clench with surprise.

Samuel seized his opportunity. "We need her alive until my brother returns. If he defeats Libicocco, he'll have both Capricorn and Pisces Stones in his possession. We can't miss the opportunity to gain both sunstones."

Virgil arched an eyebrow, and his lips puckered. Whatever nefarious equations ran through his head, the answers seemed to raise his spirits. "Very well. Miss Reynolds isn't going anywhere. I'll just finish off Mister Harding—"

"No. You won't."

Virgil rolled his eyes, but his lips were pressed together in anger. "What now?"

Samuel folded his hands in thought. It was not his job to explain himself for Virgil's benefit, but in this case, it might be worth the effort. "Why kill him when we can use this to our advantage?"

Virgil blinked, eyes shifting. "How do you mean?"

Samuel grinned inside his helm. Another successful snare ….

"If Miss Reynolds wishes to play the therapist, we'll allow her to do so. Mister Harding may be naïve to her manipulations … but it makes him all the more susceptible to ours."

Virgil's face lit up. He caught on quick. "I see what you're getting at …."

"Yes," Samuel agreed. "He makes a good servant. If we can salvage his loyalty, we should make every effort. Replacing him won't be easy with the time we have left."

For once, Virgil had no retort.

Samuel made sure to throw in a bit of comfort. "Afterward, we'll make sure that Mister Harding is the one to kill her. That will cement his fealty to me while erasing all remaining ties to my brother."

The spark of enjoyment returned to Virgil's eyes. "Brilliant. I'll leave it to you to follow through. I have other matters to attend to."

Samuel's head whipped in Virgil's direction. "What matters?"

He worried it might be another errand from the Master. Such a thing was a red flag to Samuel's dominance, especially if it happened without his knowledge.

The sparks intensified. "I believe I've found our first lead on the tower's location."

Samuel let out a breath of relief. This was good news … wonderful news, in fact!

"Our sensors finally picked up on something?" He could not help but sound enthusiastic. The excitement was contagious.

Virgil nodded, looking like a wild animal ready to sink its teeth into fresh meat.

Samuel was glad to bid him leave. "Go. I await your findings."

Virgil nodded and left the scrying room.

Samuel rose from his chair. As he left through the same door, he thought about Kane. In one sense, he was going out on a limb to defend the Templar. Even so, he believed it was justified. There was no need to sentence death over something as foolish as a photograph. He had a good idea why Kane had bothered to reach out to the prisoner. After all, he had already gone into Kane's mind and viewed his Memories. He knew what Rosa would find there.

It was something he did to all his closest servants. That was how he ensured their trust. He knew all about Kane's weaknesses and experiences. In fact, a few of them were even similar to Samuel's own. Perhaps that was why it felt appropriate to make Kane his closest ally. Anyone who had survived the Templar's ordeals was worthy of admiration.

Today, Samuel would be merciful. Of course, he expected his kindness to one day be repaid. Kane owed him, and hopefully he would make good on his debt without future mistakes. Otherwise, Samuel would not be lenient a second time.