Tears of Dusk

“I still can’t believe we’re about to do this…” Jadwia said for the umpteenth time.

“It’s not too late for you to go back,” Isyd said.

“Grace, how can you be so calm? I mean, we’re about to break into the Baron’s manor! If we’re caught, being expelled from the Academy will be the last of our worries! Are you not afraid?”

“No, I’m not,” Isyd said simply. “Fear is of the enemy. It poisons the mind and weakens the body. You mustn’t let it take root. Do not worry yourself with the possibility of failure and its possible consequences. Your sole focus should be the mission at hand. Only the plan matters.”

Jadwia was slightly taken aback by his words and the assurance that accompanied them.

“The plan, eh…?” she mused. “And how did you plan on entering the manor before I came along with my idea.”

“I have contingencies…” Isyd said with a mysterious grin.

He quickened his pace, unbothered by the black ice covering the cobblestoned pavements. Jadwia had a harder time keeping up. She had changed from her uniform into a dress and she had to hold the tissue up as she walked to avoid dirtying the hem. It was the fanciest piece of clothes she had brought with her to the Academy, and before tonight she had even forgotten about it. Fortunately, she now found a use for it.

Tonight, the last night of the Korochun festivities, the Kazkan organized a more public soirée in comparison to the private gathering that had taken place yesterday. Jadwia had been the one to propose that they infiltrate that party and to her surprise, Isyd had accepted immediately. She had rushed to change into a more appropriate attire; in addition to the fine dress, she stylized her hair into a crowned braid like her mother had taught her to, put on a touch of face powder, threw an ermine over her naked shoulders and attached crystal tears to her ears. Isyd – who admittedly had nothing else than his uniform for piece of clothing – just got rid of his blazer and made sure that his pants did not bear any stains.

This hold-up now passed, the two of them had rushed into the cold streets of the Inside toward the manor of the Kazkans. It was situated near the outskirts of the city and at its highest point, though this didn’t mean much given the relatively even elevation of Vilriver. From the Academy, it took less than half an Hour to get there on foot and soon enough, they could see the residence peak out from behind the corner of the street. The property was huge – second only to the Academy – and mostly comprised of a private garden.

“Okay, we’re almost there,” Jadwia said. “Now, how do we get passed the guards? We do not have an invitation.”

“We do actually,” Isyd said, fishing out a gilded piece of paper from his pocket. “I fetched Tekla’s while you were changing. Here, take it. The invitation is destined for you, I will play the role of your manservant.”

Jadwia threw back her shoulders and presented the invitation card to the butler. The man looked her up and down, probably surprised by her apparent youth. He didn’t even spare a glance at Isyd.

“The name is…?” the butler advanced.

“Mary Von Ackermann,” she responded without hesitation. “My father is already inside.”

“Please, have a pleasant evening Pani Von Ackermann,” the butler said, ushering them in past the fenced gates.

“Pitch-perfect accent,” Isyd whispered in her ear once they were further away. “I didn’t know you spoke Khrusama.”

“I’m just good at pretending, that’s all… Wait, come here for a second.”

More by reflex than anything, he grabbed her hand before she could touch him.

“What is it?”

“Your hair… they are so unruly, nobody could believe for a second that you are even a manservant. Here, tie them with this.”

Isyd snatched the ribbon and arranged his hair adequately while observing his surroundings. It would have been difficult to guess that it had snowed heavily as recently as yesterday given how the snow had been cleared from the gardens. The well-trodden path was wide enough to accommodate two carriages driving side by side and was illuminated with tinsels of Lightspheres spun around lamp posts. The pathway led straight to the manor, but it was possible to see where the outside party was held from where they stood. The crowd was gathered around campfires, enjoying the music of the hired troupes while servants circulated among them and proposed warmed cups of wine.

“Naeht, you know what you have to do,” Isyd said.

“You can count on me!” she gave him a military salute and a wink and flew off toward the mansion.

“You said something?” Jadwia asked.

“Let’s stay on the move,” he said. “We attract the eye by remaining still.”

“So, the first part of the plan worked. Now, what?”

“We get into the Baron’s chambers.”

“What? Just like that? You can’t be serious!”

“Walk with confidence. You already did a good job at the reception, just keep on doing it. Pretend that you have all the right to be wherever you are and no servants will dare stop you. But first…”

They had just stepped into the house and stopped in front of a statue that stood in the middle of the entrance hall. Isyd pointed something to Jadwia on the foot of the statue, a carving of sorts. And it was moving! The outline was shifting and trembling here and there as if there were ants on it.

“It’s an [Arcane]!” she let out.

“Yes, a [Warning Ward] more specifically. It is set to trigger to any foreign Grace activity after a certain threshold. This means that we can’t use any serious Spell or Hex while we’re inside.”

“So, what do we do? How do you intend to find the Blysht without the Arts.”

Isyd stepped closer to Jadwia to be sure that no one could overhear them and affected a disinterested posture.

“If the [Arcane] was made to trigger at any Grace activity, it should activate every time someone turns on a Lightsphere. Why doesn’t it happen?”

“Er… Somehow, it knows not to…?”

“How does it know?”

“I… I don’t really know… Do we really have time for this?”

“Focus and think, Jadwia!” Isyd said, with a surprising intensity in his voice. “The Arts are nothing magical; the same principles you’ve learned in the introductory classes are used here. You can figure it out by deduction. Why is it not triggered every time the Baron turns on his [Heating Arcane]?”

“… the Baron is the one who set that [Arcane]. Somehow, the Ward recognizes his Grace…”

Isyd smiled and nodded. “Yes, right on point. The [Arcane] is made to ignore the Grace of the inhabitants of the manor. Therefore, all we need to do is to convince it that you and I are part of those inhabitants.”

“And how you go about doing that ?”

Discreetly, Isyd put his hand on the [Arcane]. It was quite a simple one – much, much simpler than the ones hidden inside the very walls of the Academy – and it had taken him a couple of minutes to come up with a [Core Hex] to alter it. He smiled thinking of Edmyn who would have broken through the Ward in a matter of seconds.

Jadwia leaned over his shoulders to see what he was doing, too engrossed to pay real attention to her surroundings. She saw the Commands composing the Ward grind to a stop as Isyd touched them, followed by his rapid [Core Hex]. He suddenly turned toward her and leaned forward so that their nose basically touched each other.

Her heart dropped in her chest and her mind froze in panic and anticipation. Isyd was leaning even more forward, so much that she could describe in detail the different shades of dark brown that coloured his pupils, his slightly crooked nose, the curve of his lips…

“I’ll need that…,” Isyd said.

He moved his gloved hand in front of her lips as if capturing her very breath, then turned back toward the Ward and concluded his [Altering Hex]. Jadwia blinked furiously, trying to have her brain working again.

“We’re set. Let’s go!” Isyd finally declared.

“Go… where?”

“To the Baron’s study first. It is as good a place as any to start.”

“And how do you know where it is?”

Isyd looked up the stairs to the floating figure of Naeht urging him forward.

“Follow me,” he simply said to Jadwia.

As he had instructed, they both walked with assurance in their steps and the head held high as if they owned the place. Jadwia politely nodded to the handful of guests she met in passing while the servants quickly drop their gazes upon seeing them and hurried to their tasks.

“I found where the study was, but I couldn’t make sure the Blysht and the [Outgracing Hex] are in there,” Naeht said.

The study was situated on the manor’s second floor at the end of a hallway decorated with various portraits and large windows as did the rest of the sleeping quarters. They didn’t meet a soul once they managed to sneak their way past the first floor since all the staff were hands-on-deck to serve the guests. The heavy wooden door of the study was locked as could be expected. In fact, it didn’t even have a handle but only a keyhole, which perplexed Jadwia. She turned an interrogating look to Isyd.

“The door is locked with a [Key Arcane],” he explained. “Only half of the Balance is complete, and the [Arcane] is only fully completed when the second half – the Key – is slid in, which opens the door.”

“Can you do the same thing you did downstairs?”

“The possible combination to get the perfect match are too numerous, it could take me hours. Instead, I think I’m just gonna brute force it. That’s why we made sure to break into the [Warding Arcane] in the first place.”

This time, Jadwia paid full attention to what he was doing. She tried her best to follow the logic of the Commands as they appeared and danced at his fingertips. He made it look so easy; there were none of those errors and flickers that characterized a lack of Concentration and Visualization.

“What is this Command you’re using everywhere? I don’t remember it from the classes,” she asked him.

“It’s the [VOIDING] Command. The 5 Commands Tutor Milwyk taught us are the Earthly Commands, but they are more advanced ones called the Heavenly Commands. It appears several times because I’m trying to create a local Resonance… a kind of exponential decay if you will…”

“Good Grace, where did you learn of all that?”

“I read it in a book.”

His [Decay Hex] landed above the keyhole and immediately, the wood started to rot. The decay spread rapidly inward and outward – eating at the timber like starving termites – and soon enough, the keyhole had been widened out enough for Isyd to put his hand through and push the door on its hinges, a satisfied light in his eyes. With the [Warding Arcane] and now this door, he started to realize that the Baron was quite lacking in terms of protection; he hadn’t even bothered to Temper his door or invest in Resswood to make sure this kind of thing did not happen.

Isyd met Jadwia’s wide eyes and he nodded in her direction. “I can teach you how to do that later if you want.”

She nodded mutely, too flabbergasted to say anything, and stepped after him inside the study.

Immediately upon entering, Isyd cast his senses wide, trying to perceive the familiar humming of the Ingraced Blysht. Despite his best efforts and the threat of a migraine, nothing stood out to him in the Song of the Grace. Still, this didn’t discourage him.

“Search that way, I’ll check the desk and drawers,” he ordered Jadwia. “Don’t worry about being discrete. We don’t care if they know we’ve been here.”

True to his words, Isyd upturned and broke open any drawer, safe and lock he could find. He checked inside every ink pot and book and looked for any indication of a hidden safe on the walls. Naeht made sure that they were not being duped by a [Illusory Wall] and searched for a secret passage. After turning over the carpet and inspecting all the wooden planks, Jadwia turned a despaired look in Isyd’s direction. They couldn’t find anything.

Not missing a beat, Isyd moved to the adjacent door that connected the study to the master bedroom and urged Jadwia forward.

“I search this room, you take the next one. It’s the Baroness’s bedroom, so check all her jewellery box,” he said, then turned to Naeht. “Continue to the private baths and check there as well.”

All the while he was searching, Isyd kept his senses peered to perceive any hints of the Ingraced Blysht’s presence. This also allowed him to make sure that nobody was coming their way. Still, a part of him was getting worried he wasn’t finding either the Ingraced Blysht or the Outgracing Hex. Had he miscalculated? Had he been duped? From this morning’s attack, Isyd had assumed that the Baron would be sure of his victory and not expect a rapid counteroffensive and not bother hiding anything. Perhaps, the thieves didn’t get the occasion to deliver their loot to the Kazkan, which meant that Isyd needed to hunt for them sooner than he had anticipated…

“Isyd, I found it!” Jadwia’s voice came from the other room.

Isyd dropped the shaving kit he was holding and rushed past the door to find Jadwia kneeling near a bedstand, the broken Lightsphere that held the [Outgracing Hex] in her palm. Next to her was a stack of scattered papers that Isyd recognized as being Tekla’s notes.

“I don’t find the Blysht anywhere though,” Jadwia lamented.

Isyd could also not hear it in the room. He kneeled next to her and checked the Lightsphere. It presented a hole where the glass had melted and its content had long spilt out. Still, on its surface, it was possible to make out the engraving of the [Lighting Hex] as well as the [Outgracing Hex].

Jadwia handed him the Lightsphere, but Isyd turned her down. “No, you keep it. The Ingraced Blysht is not here, so I have a new plan.”

“Again? How many plans do you have?”

“Only one, but a good plan needs to change as the situation demands it. Now, we’ve found the [Outgracing Hex] but I suspect that Ingraced Blysht is kept elsewhere. In fact, I think they may have it on themselves as it is discrete and easy to conceal.”

“So, what do we do then?”

“You will take the Lightsphere as well as the notes and return to the Academy.”

“But…”

“It is half of the reason why we came here in the first place. Now that we have it, we can just secure this victory already. Give the Lightsphere to Julya and stay with them as much as possible. In fact, try to stay inside the Spital for three days if you can.”

“But… but what about you?”

“I will keep on searching for the Ingraced Blysht.”

“What if they catch you? What about the thieves from this morning?”

“I know how to take care of myself, Jadwia. Didn’t I prove that already?” Isyd said and he grinned at her.

It was one of those small, almost timid, but genuine smiles that Jadwia had rarely seen on him. Protests died in her mouth as she intuitively understood that they were futile.

Again and again, she had seen Isyd display profound talent and knowledge in the Arts. People said that he was Blessed by the Grace, but she suspected that there was something more to him than that.

“You promised me you gonna teach me those Heavenly Commands you mentioned earlier…,” she said weakly, gathering the scattered notes on the floor. “You can’t do that if they put you behind bars, so…”

“I will keep that in mind,” Isyd said.

As she was to get back up, he put a hand on her shoulder and turned his ear toward the hallway as if trying to hear some far-away noise.

“The way is clear, you can go!” he finally told her.

Not knowing what to say, Jadwia simply grabbed his hand and squeezed it briefly before running out of the room. She retraced their steps down the hallway, trying her best to appear calm and collected whereas her heart was almost beating out of her chest and she desired nothing more than to run out of the mansion at full speed. Unfortunately, the shoes she wore were not suited for racing and even then, she would only have attracted more attention to herself. And that was without mentioning the fact that her dress didn’t have any pocket and she was simply clutching the Lightsphere and the papers against her chest.

Somehow, she didn’t meet a single soul all the way down to the first floor as Isyd had predicted. She managed to step out of the mansion into the gardens only to see that the party had now migrated to the entrance hall and the forecourt. Jadwia did her best to not meet anyone’s eyes and make her way past the dancing partners and the servants. She was nearing the exit when she suddenly recognized someone’s figure from the corner of her eyes. Before she could stop herself, she turned her head to have a better look and recognized the strong stature and the curly chestnut hair.

It was Izaak Kazkan.

The young man turned in her direction and their eyes met.

Jadwia quickly lowered her head, but she knew it was too late. She had seen the spark of recognition in his eyes. Heart thumping in her chest and in her ears, Jadwia did all but run to the entrance gates. She paid no attention to the butler or the horse-drawn carriages around her. At any point, she expected to hear her name or have a [Spell] thrown at her.

Yet, nothing came and she continued her way to the streets. Only after having put a hundred meters between her and the mansion did she dare glance back. Nobody was following her, nobody was coming after her, and somehow she wasn’t sure if this was a good or a bad thing.

Meanwhile, Isyd followed Jadwia’s progression by tuning in to her pulse in the Song of the Grace. He let out a sigh of relief when he felt her disappear amidst the crowd of the streets. He was still kneeling in the Baroness’s bedchamber, Naeht hovering at his side.

Isyd opened the linen bag he’d been carrying and pulled out his darkveil arranged in a bundle. He untangled it only to reveal what laid underneath: a wooden mask painted blue, representing a grinning demon with white tusks protruding from his mouth and dark sunken eyes. It was the same mask that was sold by the merchant they had encountered during the Korochun.

Isyd’s expression was grim as he looked at it. He put on his darkveil then grabbed the mask and stared at it before putting it on. His mind was flooded with memories from far away, from long ago.

You only brought Death into our midst! You are cursed! Cursed! Your sins cannot be numbered and cannot be washed… You destroyed us! You plagued us! You killed us! Traitor…

… from there on, the Brother Isyd Wybrany is dead to us the Antims and a demon walk his flesh… I name thee Antaka ! Let all know his name! Demon, I ordered thee to go and never come back… Go… Go… GO!

Isyd tied the laces to keep the mask in place and got up. He caught the eyes of Naeht’s worried expression.

“I never liked this mask,” she said plaintively. “I thought we got rid of it for good…”

“You can’t get rid of it, Naeht.”

“But you don’t like it either!”

“It doesn’t matter how I feel about it. I will wear the mask if it needs to be. For our goals, I will be whomever it is necessary.”

And now, he needed to be Antaka.