The Ascendant Wizard

As the horse moved forward, she found herself in the busy square of the city, the buzz of people and flickering of lanterns blurring in her vision.

Lanterns burned along the stalls, merchants shuttering their shops for the evening, people moving between the streets with baskets and carts. It was noisy enough that she almost believed the pounding of her heart would disappear into it.

But that noisy place was safe in this moment; it had saved her from the warrior chasing her, at least for now.

Her hand gripped the reins so tight her knuckles whitened, the other clutched her bleeding arm to her chest. She could feel the blood dripping from her sleeve, warm even as the air around her chilled.

Her vision was slowly being consumed by the darkness, but she couldn't allow herself to pass out in the middle of the streets. Who knows what might happen, or who might find her, she had to at least find somewhere safe.

There were too many eyes here, too many mouths that could spread word of her collapse.

If such news were to spread throughout the city, such a short time after the news of her father's poisoning, then there would be panic. People would see House Ravenscroft as weak, those that wished to bare their fangs wouldn't hold back anymore.

She couldn't allow that.

She urged the horse forward, slower this time because of all the people around, keeping her breath in a steady pace to avoid bleeding quickly. She straightened in the saddle, ignoring the pain that burned in her side and arm, forcing her head high so that those who saw her, those who recognized who she was, wouldn't speak wrong words.

"Lady Ravenscroft?"

A man at one of the stalls looked up, eyes wide as he caught sight of her bloodstained cloak. Others turned as well, their heads and eyes swerving in her direction to get a good view. She could hear the muttering between themselves quickly spreading.

The one man's words had gathered a small crowd of people who knew the name, and who in the city wouldn't?

She couldn't let them spread any rumors; she had to keep up a front so that they wouldn't look down on her or the house.

"Stand back."

Her voice was louder, sterner, than she intended, but it worked. People pulled away, murmuring, some bowing their heads out of instinct, others backing away as if her presence was something sacred and dangerous all at once.

Her presence here alone would spread word to the estate and others nearby. She hoped they would reach her before she passed out, but she had to find a safe place to rest until then.

She wasn't sure she could make it back to the estate in time, and it was better not to risk it in her current state.

"You."

She said, pointing towards the merchant who had called her name just a moment ago.

"Do you have a house near here?"

The man hesitated for a second, unaware hof ow to respond. He was shocked that she had even bothered to speak to him.

But he quickly composed himself and managed to stutter out a reply.

"Y-Yes, my Lord."

She nodded in reply and spoke plainly.

"I wish to use it for the time being, would you care to lead me to it? I will pay you handsomely."

"It would be my pleasure, my Lord, how could I reject you."

The man bowed and stumbled backwards. He was a bit confused by the reply but how could he refuse? Even if he wanted to refuse, which he didn't, most nobles might see such an action as an insult and punish the commoner.

But this would benefit him greatly. Imagine boasting that he had housed a noble, even for just a moment; it could help his business greatly.

So the man turned to lead the way, many others following along or blocking the pathway he tried to take, but with a wave of a stick, he shooed them away one by one.

The man's house was simple, nothing fancy or impressive, but that didn't matter. Morena just wanted a place to rest and meditate while waiting for someone from the house to arrive, and it would do just fine.

Thankfully, she didn't need to wait long. While she was meditating, she heard a commotion from the doorway of the house, and from behind the man she saw a familiar figure push past.

Adolf appeared from the doorway, his expression filled with worry from the news he had heard on the way here. Two soldiers followed him, their hands already reaching for their swords, eyes darting across the area as though expecting the danger to still be here.

"My lady!"

Adolf's face hardened when he saw her, with just a glance, he could tell she was injured, smell the blood in the air, the grim lines of his brow sinking deeper. He rushed forward, hand reaching out to try to hold her wound.

The bleeding hadn't stopped, but because she was able to rest and meditate, she had managed to slow it down greatly, which helped extend the time she had before passing out.

"What happened?"

Morena didn't answer immediately. Instead, she placed a hand on his shoulder and looked past him to the men behind. With one look they understood what she meant, taking the civilian along with them as they left the room with just them in it.

"I was attacked."

The words were simple, curt, but they carried weight enough that Adolf's eyes sharpened.

"By who?"

"Not here, can't be certain who's listening in."

Her tone brooked no argument.

Adolf gritted his teeth, but he knew better than to press.

He snapped orders to the soldiers who waited outside, ordering them to call for a carriage nearby and clear a path back to the estate. The whispers were spreading faster now, but Morena ignored them, instead entering the carriage with the help of the man, struggling to keep her legs steady.

Adolf matched her stride, close enough to catch her if she fell but careful not to offer too much help, not to draw attention. He knew her well enough to know she would sooner bite her own tongue than lean on someone in front of this many people.

By the time they reached the manor gates, Morena's breath was ragged, she had barely held on this long, but now she could finally allow herself to rest a little, her eyes blurring.

The AI's voice whispered in the back of her mind.

[Warning. Blood loss is critical. Immediate stabilization is required. Collapse estimated in one hundred and twenty seconds.]

'I know.'

She pushed the words through her thoughts as she stepped off the carriage and was escorted inside. The guards opened the doors quickly, their faces paling at the sight of her.

She didn't meet their eyes, didn't say a word, only walked through the hall as Adolf barked at them to fetch servants and prepare the healers.

By the time they reached her chambers, she had already started losing feeling in her limbs.

"On the bed, now."

Her father's voice.

The man was already there, leaning against the wall as if he had been waiting. His eyes, usually calm and heavy with age, but she could see the mixture of worry and anger that was hidden under it.

Worry towards her, and anger towards those that did such a thing to his daughter.

"You're bleeding too much."

Morena sat down on the edge of the bed, finally allowing herself to slump slightly as Adolf pulled her cloak away. The crimson stains covered nearly half of it, soaking through the fabric into the layers beneath.

"Tell me about it."

Her tone was joking but she struggled to even push out a smile, her hand moved, pressing against the wound to gather what energy she could.

Her father frowned.

"It's good that you can still joke with such injuries. I'm sure the chat we'll have after you're treated will be good."

Morena rolled her eyes slightly at her father's words, she just knew he was waiting to chew her out for her actions, for ending up in the state she was.

And she didn't blame him much, she would do the same to herself.

Her father's gaze lingered, but he didn't argue further. He gestured to Adolf, who pulled clean bandages from a chest and passed them over.

Morena laid back as they worked, the healers finally rushing in with herbs and salves. She let them touch her body, let them clean the blood, but her energy stayed focused on the wound to speed the process along.

Through the haze of pain, her thoughts circled back to the fight.

The apprentices were trained, but expendable. Silent, hooded, nothing to identify them. They hadn't spoken a word before they died.

The Rank 1 Warrior, though, he was different.

Even for a big force a Rank 1 Warrior wasn't something you could casually discard, even the Kingdom itself would struggle to do something like that unless it was for a war. That meant it had to be someone important, someone that held a position she could find out.

It couldn't be the Elder Council, they didn't have any Warriors they could risk losing, they barely had a few, even the house had more than them.

Which meant it had to be the Church.

Her lips curved bitterly.

Of course it was.

The Church had the authority, the resources, and the arrogance to think they could send someone like that after her. And it was no coincidence that they acted now, just as her house partnered with Brenle.

She clenched her jaw as another wave of pain struck her.

'Trying to kill me, to break apart the alliance? Weakening the houses?'

She wasn't sure the reason why they would go after her exactly, but she had some suspicions.

Her gaze flicked to Adolf as he finished binding the bandages tight.

"Double the patrols around the house. No one comes near without being checked. And watch Lorian, keep him out of sight unless I say otherwise."

"Yes, my lady."

"And Alina too. I don't care how much she protests. No one moves alone until I say."

Adolf bowed, already turning to leave.

Morena shifted, wincing as her father pressed a hand gently against her shoulder.

"You came close."

His tone was calm, but she could tell he was very worried about her. It was touching.

"I know."

"You're strong, Morena, but don't mistake strength for invincibility. They will keep coming, this was just the beginning."

Her eyes narrowed.

"I don't plan to let something like this happen again."