Chương 126: Dubious influences

Emberlight burned low throughout Elaria's office, casting long shadows across the shelves and the desk before her. A candle glowed at one corner, its flame rising and settling in rhythm with the Resonance circulating through her body as the pen in her hand moved. She finished the final line, then read over the parchment once more. There were no mistakes. Elaria folded the document, placed it atop the completed stack to her left, and drew the next report toward her.

A faint heaviness pressed behind her eyes as she began reading. The contents differed little from the dozens of similar reports she had reviewed over the past week: reduced supplies, delayed reinforcements, damaged fortifications, and commanders requesting more soldiers than the Covenant could reasonably provide. Her focus threatened to dull. Elaria pushed the sensation down and sent another measured circulation of Resonance through her body.

The candle burned brighter for a moment, its flame stretching upward before settling once more. By the time she finished the report, the pressure behind her eyes had returned. Elaria raised one hand to her temple, pressing her fingers against the roots of the crimson locks framing her face. After a brief hesitation, she ran their tips through them in the same manner she had often seen Mournvale do. She stopped halfway through the motion, then lowered her hand.

Fulfilling her duties as Flamebearer and Keeper of the Pyric Oath while also meeting as much of her responsibility toward Serel as circumstances allowed wasn't a simple matter. Perhaps the strain was beginning to affect her judgment if her thoughts had started drifting toward such pointless imitation. She would speak with Andrin in the morning about delegating more of her work.

Elaria had assumed responsibility for reviewing as many reports, deployment orders, and resource petitions as possible while remaining in Caer Virell and the Ashfast. That didn't mean she was obligated to address all of them personally. If exhaustion began to impair the precision of her decisions, then refusing to delegate would no longer be diligence. It would be negligence. Those under her command should never have to question whether an order had been issued by a clear mind.

Elaria reached for the next document, but paused before touching it. Her gaze shifted to the opposite corner of the desk. An orb rested there, held upright within a bronze stand shaped like a dragon's claw. Its surface resembled dark, polished glass, though faint strands of smoke moved within its depths whenever the image changed. At present, it showed a dimly lit bedroom. Small dragon figures and other decorations lined the shelves and walls.

In the bed at the room's edge lay a tiny, motionless shape beneath the blankets. Elaria's attention fixed on it. Nothing had changed since the last time she looked. Her daughter was still sleeping peacefully. Elaria had commissioned this Veilglass from the sigilists of the Ardent Circle. It had been costly, and completing the paired workings within such a short span had required several other commissions and tasks to be delayed.

She did not approve of using her position to obtain personal conveniences, but this was not a convenience. Serel's safety was Elaria's responsibility while Mournvale was absent, and the girl had already attracted the attention of several dangerous entities whose powers remained a mystery. The guards, the wards, and the restrictions placed upon the eastern wing were necessary, but they didn't allow Elaria to confirm Serel's condition with her own eyes while she worked elsewhere.

The Veilglass was the least she could reasonably do. Her gaze stayed on the sleeping figure in the orb for several seconds longer before she returned to the documents on the desk. She had allotted herself four hours of rest later in the night. Until then, there remained at least some work she could complete without compromising its quality. Elaria drew a deployment ledger from the stack and began reviewing the revised rotations for the southern approaches.

She had reached the second page when something touched the edge of her awareness. Her hand stilled. The Resonance circulating through her body expanded outward, filling the office in a sudden wave of heat. Elaria immediately looked toward the Veilglass. Serel hadn't moved, and the room shown within the glass appeared unchanged. A small portion of the tension gathering in Elaria's body eased, but she maintained her guard. She rose sharply, the chair scraping across the floorboards under her.

Dawnbrand appeared in one hand as she lifted the Veilglass from its bronze stand with the other. The hall outside the office was empty, but Elaria sensed the presence of guards further down. Kindled Stride. Heat tightened through the muscles of her legs. The air was displaced around her in a heated rush as she crossed the corridor, each step carrying her farther than the motion should have allowed. She glanced once at the Veilglass as she moved. Serel was still asleep.

Placing the Veilglass in her Vaultring, Elaria donned her helm and soon left the eastern wing and entered the passages running through the mountain. Dawnbrand's edge began to glow, its living metal responding to the Resonance building within her grasp. Emberlights mounted along the passage walls brightened one after another as Elaria passed beneath them. Fine veins of heat spread through the surrounding stone, glowing briefly before fading in her wake.

The presence she detected hadn't advanced toward Serel's quarters, but that didn't make it harmless. It had entered the Ashfast without being announced, and its Resonance carried precisely the character Elaria had been vigilant against. Whether the failure lay with the guards, the Ashfast's wards, or the intruder's own capabilities remained to be seen. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Elaria increased the force behind Kindled Stride as she approached the final bend leading to the inner forecourt. The heat surrounding her compressed. When she emerged from the passage, her Resonance gathered into one final pulse beneath her feet, and she crossed the forecourt in a single blazing rush. Dawnbrand came to rest against the throat of the woman standing there. Elaria's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Halstrad," she said.

"What is your purpose here? Where is Mournvale?" Elaria had recognized the touch of the Graven Daughter within the Resonance entering her estate. She still remembered everything Mournvale had told her about the Forgotten Throne's attempt to take Serel. That Halstrad was the source of the Resonance did nothing to reassure her. Of all those who had transcended the Tenth Binding and fought beside Elaria against the Tribulations, Halstrad was the one she trusted least. The woman regarded her for several seconds.

Then she smiled and turned her attention toward Pathfinder Sylven, who stood beside her.

"I'll see what I can do," Halstrad said with far too much levity.

"I have a few cards up my sleeve that I can play if things become too heated."" Halstrad," Elaria warned. The last information Elaria had received placed Halstrad's operations in the Thryne Passes, where Mournvale had been headed. No reliable reports had reached her regarding what had occurred there since then, though Elaria's encounter with Thence suggested the situation had been resolved in some manner. But she needed to know more than that.

Halstrad studied Elaria for another moment, then glanced down at Dawnbrand's edge. She raised two fingers and pressed them lightly against the blade as if intending to push it aside. Smoke curled from the point of contact. Halstrad made a quiet sound of pain and brought her fingers to her lips, blowing gently across them. Elaria did not allow the performance to distract her.

"Answer me." Halstrad looked at her for another second, then rolled her eyes. The gesture tested the limits of Elaria's restraint, but the woman lowered her hand and maintained her smile.

"I'm the help," she said, placing deliberate emphasis on the final word as though she expected Elaria to take the bait. Elaria did not. Halstrad continued watching her.

"The help is a term for something like a servant," the woman eventually added.

"A nanny, in this case. I'm the Poppins to Vera's von Trapp."

"I am aware of the word's meaning," Elaria said coolly.

"We do not use it here." She had always found it demeaning. As for the 'Poppins' and 'von Trapp' comparison, she did not care to ask.

"That's great," Halstrad replied.

"Then there won't be any confusion about who's who." Elaria shifted her attention slightly.

"Pathfinder Sylven. You have been granted unrestricted access to the Ashfast because you have proven trustworthy and have repeatedly aided in Serel's care. That trust does not extend to anyone you happen to know." The green-haired woman nodded.

"I'm sorry. I simply thought it would be easiest if you spoke with her yourself."

"I understand your reasoning," Elaria said.

"In the future, inform me and obtain permission before bringing anyone else onto these grounds or close to Serel."

"I will."

"Thank you." Halstrad looked between them, showing no sign of being offended by how she was treated.

"You have still not answered my complete question," Elaria continued.

"Where is Mournvale?" Thence's words had suggested that the woman had encountered something dangerous in the Thryne Passes, but had revealed nothing about Mournvale's present condition and circumstances. Elaria disliked not knowing whether she had been wounded or otherwise compromised. Why would Mournvale not have returned herself to Caer Virell to report what had happened? To see Serel? Why would Halstrad have appeared instead? What was it about this that irked Elaria so?

Halstrad stepped away from Dawnbrand, clasped her hands behind her back, and slowly turned as she examined the walls, gates, and fortifications surrounding the forecourt.

"Last I checked, Vera was in Darnelle," she said.

"There was a whole extensive episode of terraforming in the Passes, and I suppose she needed a break afterward. From the look of things, she's now enjoying the local sights and drinks. You know how she can be." Elaria frowned slightly.

"As Vera's closest confidant—" Once again, Halstrad put emphasis on the words as if trying to provoke a reaction.

"—I'm here on her behalf. I heard you'd been having some trouble with this child of yours who appeared out of nowhere. Don't worry. I've already pressed Vera for all the juicy specifics." A foreboding sensation crawled up Elaria's spine at the smirk on Halstrad's lips.

"Though I wouldn't mind hearing your side of things as well," Halstrad continued.

"I'll even share a few things in return. Equivalent exchange and all that. I have several memoirs in my possession that might be of particular interest to you."

"I am not interested," Elaria said. That was not entirely true. A part of her wished to know precisely what sort of conversations Halstrad was alluding to and what Mournvale had chosen to disclose. But she had no intention of encouraging the woman's games. Halstrad had always been one to surround her statements with provocations, diversions, and needless ambiguities. The most effective way to deal with her was to disregard them and return directly to the matter at hand.

"Did the information Mournvale shared with you include the Graven Daughter's connection to our daughter?"" Our daughter?" Halstrad's eyebrows rose slightly, and her smile became even more grating to look at.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. Unfortunately, that entire affair is a tad complicated. Vera was probably hoping I had all the answers you were looking for, but I don't. That's why I'm here, though—to find them. And since I'm doing it for Vera, I'll even examine the girl free of charge." Elaria held the woman's gaze, fighting to keep her irritation at bay. Not all of that irritation was directed at Halstrad.

Some of it was directed at Mournvale, who had supposedly remained in Darnelle while sending neither word nor explanation. But Mournvale wasn't present to answer for her decisions, and Elaria recognized that the irritation was not even necessarily entirely reasonable. She wouldn't allow it to distort her assessment of the woman standing before her.

"Are you worried I'll hurt the little one?" Halstrad asked after a few seconds of silence. She raised two fingers.

"I won't. Girl Scout's honor. As grabby as I know those tiny goblins can be, I do have enough scruples not to hurt them. Besides, I'm not in a position to risk angering Vera any more than I already have if I want to get my fix in the future."

"Fix?" Pathfinder Sylven's confused voice cut in from the side.

"Mira, what is that supposed to mean?" Halstrad turned toward her and pressed one of her raised fingers to her lips.

"Highly confidential stuff. Don't worry. I promise I'll let you take a shot at one of the saucier routes once I get it working."

"Did Vera hit you on the head? You're not even making sense anymore."

"Oh, I'm certain she wanted to. Thankfully, I didn't give her the opportunity."

"…What did you do?"

"A deeply self-sacrificing act."

"Did Mournvale truly send you here on her behalf?" Elaria cut across their exchange, studying Halstrad closely. Halstrad returned her attention to her and nodded.

"She did." Burning Vow. White flames slipped from Dawnbrand's edge and spilled outward in a slow tide. They ran across the stone without scorching it, enclosing the three of them within a circle bound by the vows of the Broken Radiant.

"Did Mournvale tell you to come here?" Elaria asked. Halstrad glanced at the flames. She clicked her tongue.

"That's going to be a pain to trick," she muttered, clearly unconcerned that Elaria could hear her. Elaria scowled. Halstrad looked back at her.

"Some minor corrections," she said.

"Technically, Vera didn't get the chance to ask me to do anything. But we did have a pen-pal conversation of sorts, so the spirit of everything I've said is basically true. I genuinely am here to help determine what is happening with your daughter, and I won't do anything that would hurt her." Elaria stayed silent, weighing the statement. No falsehood revealed itself beneath the light of the Broken Radiant. But Halstrad's habit of twisting words made her difficult to interrogate under Burning Vow.

However, Elaria did believe her on the points that mattered.

"Very well. I will accept that for now." She inclined her head in a slow nod and lowered Dawnbrand.

"That's great," Halstrad said.

"Then let's see this supposed cutie who's got my friend suddenly acting all maternal." She stepped forward to pass Elaria. Dawnbrand rose again, barring her path with its edge once more at her throat. Halstrad glanced down at the blade, then at Elaria.

"Serel is sleeping," Elaria said.

"And…?"

"You will not be waking her." The woman's gaze lingered on Elaria for several seconds. Then she released a long, put-upon sigh.

"Fine." She looked around the forecourt, as if searching for something else to occupy herself with.

"So, where's the room you share with Vera?"