“You are more enthusiastic about this than I would have expected, My Lady.”

  Estovan’s comment made me look away from the carriage window. “You do know why, Estovan.”

  The first thing I’d done after returning to the manor was inform Estovan and Anias of what I’d learned at the Guild. They hadn’t been particurly pleased about the price I had paid. Anias had come as close as she had so far to shouting at me. Rather unpleasant, though likely deserved.

  “I simply like to see my ideas bear fruition,” I said. “Besides, I wish to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.” I've been having trouble sleeping tely. Every time I did, I was assaulted with dreams I never remembered upon waking. Maybe- maybe this would bring me some peace as well.

  “It still pains me to think that Duke Indri might be the mastermind behind such an atrocity.” Estovan’s voice had the tinge of genuine grief behind it.

  Apparently, my father and Duke Indri had had quite the storied history. They had been comrades in arms during the Sword God War and had been friends long before that, too.

  “People change, Estovan,” I murmured. “A bond forged over a lifetime is not immune to breaking.”

  Estovan didn’t say anything. He just looked sad, even if faintly. I was starting to be able to read the man now.

  “We are here, My Lady.”

  The gate to Veyne Manor had been almost cartoonishly imposing. This gate was half the size and in a much more inviting light brown color. Four guards stood at the entrance, dressed in a slightly different shade of brown.

  The coachman conversed with them, and then the gate swung open. It struck me just how beautiful this manor was. Our manor was quite literally mostly green fields. Here, those fields were gardens full of flowers in colors I had never seen before and never thought could exist. Our carriage passed by a rge fountain, its center a statue depicting some kind of…angel?

  The manor itself came into view a minute ter. The building itself didn't look much different than Veyne Manor, save for being a story higher. People were waiting outside, maids and manservants. I spotted Duke Indri at their center, dressed in what looked to be a fine fur coat.

  Our carriage stopped. Estovan moved to open the door before gracefully helping me out. I myself had chosen, or rather Anisa had chosen for me, a rather muted red dress. Enough for what was supposed to be a friendly meeting between retive equals.

  The maids all curtsied. The manservants all bowed. Duke Indri stepped forward.

  “My Lord, it is a pleasure to meet y-”

  He stepped forward, pulled me into a tight hug that almost immediately sucked all the air out of my lungs. I stayed still for a single, paralyzed moment, and then he was backing away again.

  “I do apologize, Lady Esra.” He said warmly. “I have wished to see you for a very long time. As, it never happened because-” He trailed off. “Never mind that. I am gd that you're finally here.”

  I looked to Estovan for help. He just shrugged almost imperceptibly.

  “I am also gd to finally meet you," I said finally.

  He smiled, turned towards Estovan. ”Ah, but it has been a long time since I have seen you, as well as my friend.”

  “You are too kind, My Lord.” Estovan lightly tipped his head.

  The Duke’s gaze fixed on me again. “Come now, there are a great many things I wish to talk to you about.”

  I had done quite a bit of preparation for today. I was starting to suspect that very little of said preparation was going to help.

  Duke Indri didn't lead us to a normal audience chamber as I had expected. Instead, he led us to his own private sor.

  The inside of Indri Manor was far better furnished than Veyne Manor was. Just about every intersection or corner had some kind of carved bck sculpture marking it. There was more art here, both in the form of a couple of strange statues and the many portraits lining the walls. One of those portraits was of Duke Indri himself.

  I waited for Duke Indri to start the conversation. I busied myself with drinking some of the tea one of his maids had brought out for us. It was overly sweet, about as far away from how I liked my tea as you could get. Oh well.

  Estovan stood just outside the room. Perhaps the entire reason we were in Duke Indri’s sor was so that we could be alone.

  “You know, you have caused quite the stir.” Duke Indri murmured, eyeing me. “Neither Greenward nor Thalos knew what to make of you. And naturally, if they are confused, then the reaction from the rest of the nobility in the city is…more pronounced.”

  “And what do you think?” I asked, setting my cup down. “Are you equally confused?”

  He smiled warmly. “I think you really are Adrian’s daughter. Different in many ways, but I can tell you share much with him.”

  “Oh?” I was a little intrigued, considering I was sure I didn’t share anything with the man.

  “Adrian was- is a hammer.” Lord Indri said. “He has ever been one. You aren’t quite as bold as him, yet I think the end result will be much the same in the end. He would be proud of you.”

  I stared at him. If the man was lying or just trying to ftter me, then I truly couldn’t tell.

  “Thank you.” What else could I say? It wasn’t like my father had gone out of his way to mention the man.

  “Esra, may I call you Esra?”

  I nodded, and he continued. “Your father and I spent a great deal o-”

  Bang

  It was a sound that came from just outside the room.

  Bang

  “Oh dear.” Duke Indri sighed. “I'd been afraid of this.”

  “What is happening right now?” My voice was quick. I was already reaching for my Gift. Were we being attacked? Was this some kind of trap?

  The door smmed open.

  A girl stepped into the room, carrying behind her a…hammer? The girl was short, with long fiery red hair and bright red eyes. She couldn’t have been that much older than me. I only faintly noticed that the hammer that trailed behind her was about as tall as she was!

  “Father! They broke!” The girl shouted in the otherwise quiet room.

  “Violet, I thought I told you to see Erik if you needed more Knights to bash around.”

  “I did! He said he’s too exhausted to make more!” The red-haired girl proudly strolled in. “And just who is that outside? Since when do we hire guards that are that rude?” Then, the girl blinked and looked at me.

  It took all the willpower I had not to tremble under her gaze. It was sharp. Violent. As if she looked at a person and the first thing she thought of was how to fight them.

  “A guest? A little girl?” That was quite the intonation, given that we were about the same age. “Just who in the hell is this?”

  I knew very well who this was. This was Violet Indri.

  There had been a fair share of rumors about me for being a ‘Ghost’, while also being the heir to one of Aelheim’s most powerful families. If there was anyone who had more rumors about them, then it was this girl right here.

  “Violet, we really were in the middle of something.” Lord Indri tried to wave her off.

  Violet stepped forward and approached me. “Girl, what’s your name?”

  “Well, it definitely isn’t girl.” I said, matching her tone. “It’s Esra, for your information.”

  She nodded, then clicked her fingers. “The Veyne brat? That’s you?” She eyed me even more curiously now, like she was looking at an odd animal she had never seen before.

  “Don’t look much like a ghost to me. Damn pale though. Hmm….” Then, she shrugged. “What’s this brat doing here, father?”

  “Violet, she is an esteemed guest. Haven’t I told you to start minding your manners?”

  “It’s fine.” I smiled. It was very hard not to be annoyed. “I see the young Lady is very spirited.”

  For some reason, that made Violet turn and look at me again. “Spirited? What the hell kind of kid talks like that?”

  I felt my eyes twitch. “One who has had a basic education, I suspect.”

  Violet grinned, stepped forward, and put one leg on the cushion right next to my leg. “Sharp little tongue you have there, don’t ya? I heard about the little attack. A shame that Quickstep got taken out, only to get repced by a frail little girl. Though he couldn’t have been all that great if he got taken out just like that.”

  This was the most obvious provocation I had ever seen. The kind that only a true idiot would fall for. Unfortunately, it was working.

  Fight. Fight.

  The damned sword’s whispering wasn’t helping.Click. Click

  My hands unclenched, I smiled up at the girl. “Do you carry that oversized thing just to look dangerous?” I gestured at the hammer. “In my experience, the people who actually are, don’t need to announce it to anyone.”

  I’d expected a punch or something at this point. Duke Indri clearly had no control over this strange beast of a daughter. I had braced myself for it.

  Violet just frowned, tilted her head. “Don’t you just have a stupid amount of mana?” Her lips curled again, somewhere between a grin and a snarl. “Now that's interesting.”

  Had she been able to tell I'd done something from just…that? I had been working pretty hard to use my Gift as subtly as I could, to the point where even Anias couldn’t tell anymore.

  Violet stepped away. “Well, I’m bored.” She shrugged, looked at her father. “Make more Golems daddy, or I’m going to smash the training room again.”

  Duke Indri just ughed awkwardly. “I’ll see that someone does.”

  Then, the little girl stepped away. Only at the foot of the door did she turn and look at me. “Hey, Ghost. That man outside. He’s yours, isn’t he?”

  “Yes?” I was afraid of where this was heading.

  “Alright, I’m borrowing him. Daddy, I can borrow him, right?” Then, she was gone. She didn’t even wait for me or her father to answer. Should I chase after her?

  Well, Estovan would probably be fine. What…a strange girl.

  “I do apologize, Lady Esra.” Duke Indri bowed his head. “My daughter has always been rather difficult. I fear I might spoil her too much. It’s something I do wish she grows out of eventually, but as of yet….” He trailed off.

  “It’s quite all right,” I said with a smile. “As I said, she is a spirited young Lady.” One that I very much hoped I would never run into again, but it was probably for the best not to mention that.

  The man beamed. “Quite polite too. He really would be proud.”

  It had been enough time. It was time to actually ask the question I needed to. If Violet Indri had done anything useful, it was that she had likely made her father off-bance.

  Click. Click.

  I heightened my sight and hearing, dulled down my pain. It still stung. The world zoomed into focus. I could hear everything. See everything.

  Bang

  I could hear the sounds of fighting in the distance. I ignored that. I focused only on the Duke in front of me. It wasn’t quite enough.

  Click.

  Now I could hear a rhythmic thumping. This was the heartbeat of the man sitting in front of me. My own was louder, of course. I ignored it.

  “I did accept your invitation for a specific reason, Lord,” I whispered, mostly so that my own voice didn’t make me wince.

  “Oh?” Duke Indri looked puzzled.

  “It’s about the Blue Vipers operating in your District. I have reason to suspect they are behind the recent string of children going missing. There are some other petty gangs in other Districts involved as well, but they are of much less consequence.”

  I stared. I focused.

  The man sighed. “Those pests. So even you’ve heard about them. A shame I can’t get rid of them already.”

  There was no change in the man’s heartbeat. There was no sweat. No tensing. No sign at all of a man trying to hide something.

  “You’re not denying it?”

  He looked puzzled. “I wouldn’t deny reality. They have been a scourge for a while now. They used to be petty thugs. To think that they grew to commit those kinds of atrocities makes my blood boil.” His heart rate sped up this time. His fists clenched, his jaw tightened. “They make our entire House complicit.”

  Truth.

  I didn’t need the sword’s deranged muttering to know the man really was speaking the truth.

  Click. Click. Click.

  The world dulled as it settled back. I had been practicing this trick for just such an occasion. It was the most obvious application of my Gift I could think of. Which meant I did have to accept the results it gave me, even if I didn’t like them.

  “So why haven’t you rooted them out?” I asked finally.

  The Duke looked sad. He rose. “Come. I suppose there’s something I should show you.”

  I suppose there was no helping it then. I followed.

  Duke Indri’s study looked more like a mad scientist’s boratory.

  All manner of Magical Implements were strewn about a very rge room, one that looked just about rge enough to contain all of the things inside it. There was a typical desk with its stack of papers, but that seemed like the least interesting or important thing here.

  There were a few more statues and sculptures, though these were of a darker color than the ones I’d seen before. They were hardly the oddest thing here.

  “Your father came here often.” He told me as soon as we stepped inside. “He wasn’t much for tea and idle conversation. So, he preferred to come straight here.”

  “Why?”

  “He liked to help me with my research.” Duke Indri said simply, stepping in front of what looked like a strange bck archway.

  “Your…research?”

  The man nodded. “Oh, I say a lofty word like ‘research’, but in truth, I have simply always had an interest in Magical Implements and Artifacts. It’s an interest Duke Veyne quite shared. Though we did share many an interest.” There was sadness in the man’s voice now.

  He looked at me. The light made it hard to be sure without my Gift, but was he on the verge of crying?

  “I do apologize. I should have been there when that incident happened. Not that I would have done much good but….” He trailed off.

  I truly didn’t know what to make of the man. “My father came to Indri Manor often. He came here because of all of this, then?” It wasn’t because he was bribing House Indri to keep them neutral or sway them over to his side?

  The man nodded, fiddling with something on the small arch. “You need some amount of mana to power most Magical Implements. Even some Artifacts. Sometimes, you need quite a bit of mana. I’m afraid I have precious little to spare. Your father, however, had much. It was a helpful arrangement. I will always be grateful.”

  I had to reevaluate the man now. Damn it. I had to reevaluate quite a few things.

  “You always abstain from most votes.” I pointed out. “Surely my father would have appreciated your cooperation more often. Why didn’t you give it?”

  He shrugged. “Aye, Adrian certainly would have. I kept telling him politics didn’t interest me, but he did always try to make me care. He did occasionally manage to convince me, but each time he did, Duke Greenward or Thalos would come to recruit me instead. It grew so tiresome I decided to avoid decisions altogether.”

  What the hell did I come here for then? I was starting to suspect that I had wasted a great deal of time for absolutely nothing.

  “While we are here, I don’t suppose you could partake in a small exercise?” Duke Indri had walked over to his desk, and he came back with what looked like a small, red sphere. There were intricate carvings on the thing.

  “And that is?”

  “It’s an Artifact.” Duke Indri said, pushing it towards me. “It’s a simple thing. All it does is glow depending on how much mana is poured into it.”

  “There are Magical Implements for that.” I pointed out.

  “Those are all flimsy in comparison.”

  He was right about that. I might have broken a few when Anias had tried to measure me. “I take it, you want to see how much mana I have, then?”

  “Yes.” He was serious now.

  There was no reason to refuse. After everything, I knew the man was just harmless. I channeled my mana, closed my eyes, and poured everything into the sphere.

  “My God.”

  I opened my eyes. The sphere wasn’t red anymore. Instead, it was pure white. I looked up at Duke Indri, who was looking at me with something like astonishment on his face.

  “For your age….” He shook his head. “My daughter is sensitive, so that made me curious. That- that really is a frightening amount of mana.”

  “It’s just something I was born with.” It wasn’t like this was some skill I’d honed. Being praised for something immutable was appreciated, but not exactly important.

  “I have a proposal, Esra.” Duke Indri lightly bowed.

  I stared. I was acting in my father's stead, but that was all. Him bowing to me was absurd.

  “A proposal?” I finally asked, hesitant.

  He nodded, hurried over towards his desk. “I wish for you to help me in my experiments. The same as your father once did.”

  I followed him to the desk. Most of the papers weren’t documents as I’d expected. Instead, were detailed diagrams? Or perhaps it was more accurate to call them schematics. One of those schematics looked very familiar. A rge circle, carved with a symbol I thought I’d seen before.

  “This was at the auction.” I pointed.

  “Hmm?” Duke Indri looked up. “Oh. Yes, a Transmutation Circle. Interesting devices, though altogether useless.”

  “Why is that?” I had been fairly sure the attack on the Auction had been so the attackers could get their hands on this thing. It wasn’t why I was here, but I might as well ask an obvious expert.

  “The transmutations are always inefficient or pointless. You need a binding agent and mana. The binding agents are the problem. Metals are too brittle. Wood burns. Besides, you need an absurd amount of mana to do anything useful,” He sounded bitter about that. “All they’re really good for is turning precious things into useless bck dust or, at best, pointless trinkets.”

  A truly useless Artifact then. Oh well. This was a problem for Duke Wardell.

  “Alright.” I nodded. “What was your proposal?”

  “It won’t be anything too intensive. I merely need your mana. Help me in my experiments. Power some devices. That sort of thing.”

  A harmless offer, one that I had no time for. “I apologize. With my father’s condition, I’m afraid I simply have no time f-”

  He tossed something across the desk. A binder of papers.

  I hesitated, reaching for it. “This is?”

  “A location. I don't know much, but my men spotted supply wagons moving into an old warehouse near the border between my district and the Greenward District. It's something like a disputed area, I suppose. If you investigate there... You might find what you're looking for.”

  What?

  “This is what you came here for, is it not?” Duke Indri looked perplexed. “I apologize that I do not have more to give you. All I ask for in exchange is some help with my experiments.”

  “If you had this-” I took a deep breath to keep my anger in check. “Why did you not do something about it? I thought you didn't get involved.”

  He raised his hands. “They operate on the very edge of the Greenward District and mine. If I send my knights there, Greenward will view it as an act of war. He allows them to fester on his border- one has to wonder why he turns a blind eye.” Duke Indri looked apologetic. “I would not want to wade into that mess. Not unless I absolutely had to. You'd frankly be doing me a great service.”

  Not just a harmless old man, then. A harmless fool of an old man.

  Rex, Esra. This isn’t that different from what you wanted, remember?

  “You’re telling me that you are afraid of him?” I asked bluntly.

  Click. Click.

  The world zoomed in again.

  “Yes.” Duke Indri said after a small hesitation. “I am ashamed to admit it, but I was never one for politics. Both Greenward and Thalos nip at my heels. The Indri district...used to be rger.”

  His pupils were dited. There was sweat on his brow. He really was afraid. It was the reaction of a man who admitted something he very much didn’t want to.

  Click. Click.

  I turned my Gift off. I almost wanted to turn my growing annoyance down while I was at it.

  “Why?” I said finally. “Why is he...doing what I think he is?"

  “Sves? Some other dark thing?” Duke Indri said at once. “He uses sves in his underground granaries. My house has little official jurisdiction in these types of matters, even within my own District. House Veyne is a different case. I would go to Duke Wardell, but he doesn't quite like me.”

  Nothing about his expression changed at all. I didn’t need my Gift to know that he was telling the truth.

  “Very well,” I said finally. “We will look into the matter with House Wardell. In exchange…I will try to make some time for these visits.”

  He smiled. “That is all I ask.”

  The confusing meeting ended not long after. Duke Indri showed me a few more Artifacts and their effects. None of them seemed particurly dangerous or even all that useful. They were just…trinkets. One of them quite literally only turned water into steam. One of them was a set of mirrors, mana allowing one to speak into one and hear noises out the other. Useful...save for the fact that it only worked over a small distance. None of the others had been any more important.

  “I do look forward to seeing you again.” Duke Indri looked to be in high spirits as he led me back. “Your father was a great help, and you have more mana than him!”

  Was his research the only thing this man cared about? It was no wonder his daughter had grown up to become a thug.

  One particur portrait caught my eye as we walked. It was of a woman with flowing red hair, violent red eyes. She must have been in her te twenties, or perhaps early thirties. Her face looked imperious. I knew who she was. Scarlet, a famed fighter who had died in the Sword God War. Duke Indri’s te wife.

  Duke Indri stopped, saw my gaze. He seemed to sag. “Ah, but she would have loved you. She was a real force, that woman was. She would even make my daughter look tame by comparison.”

  That very much didn’t sound like a good thing to me. Still, I had to py along. “I am told she died in war. I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head. “She died fighting a God, child.” There was a forlorn expression on his face. “That’s how she would have wanted to die. Sometimes, I envy the Gods. They can fix what is broken. It is rather unfair.”

  Good death.

  Was the sword offering commentary now? I would have asked more, but I saw a door open down the hall. Estovan stepped outside, saw us, and began to move over.

  “We are leaving, Estovan.”

  Duke Indri took him in and looked past him. “I take it my daughter tired herself out?”

  Estovan sighed deeply. He looked like a babysitter who’d had to deal with a child who wanted nothing more than to eat glue. “She did. This new generation has so much energy.” Estovan sounded like he had very little of it left himself.

  Duke Indri cpped the man on the shoulder. “Good man. I am sure the experience will do her good.”

  He stepped back, took us both in. “Thank you for coming. I do hope we can meet again soon.”

  “Likewise.” I curtsied.

  “My Lady, did you get what you wanted?” Estovan asked on the return ride.

  “More than I expected.” I mused. “Less than I hoped.” I tossed the small document over to his side. He pulled some of the pages out and began to read.

  His eyes widened. “My Lady, this is-”

  “Yes.” I smiled.

  It hadn’t really felt that satisfying. The man hadn’t put up much of a fight at all.

  You’re being silly, Esra. You’re not doing this to massage your ego, right?

  “I will have the Information Guild look into these people.”

  “And then we will….” Estovan trailed off.

  “We will root these Vipers out.” There was venom in my words.

  Yes, I suppose today had gone about as well as it could have.