章 24: Professor Gemstone survives an assassination attempt! part 5 (24)
The cold air slipped into the chambers, poorly lit by the moonlight passing through. The silence was tense and pregnant. Ezera and the red clad man stared intently at each other. Attempting to pierce through the cold masks, or simply waiting for something... Perhaps both. They were immobile. Perhaps too much so. Nothing moved in the space around them, everything was still, to the point one might confuse it with the calm before the storm.
Who are you.
Ezera had no right to ask this question.
The timeless moment passed.
Ilya blinked slowly, his eyes calm but holding a threat in it, or it seemed so to Ezera.
"Saera Ilya is not my name," he conceded. "Who I am... Isn't relevant, as it is."
Ezera realized the other was right. Ezera wouldn't be able to recognize Ilya even if he revealed his identity, they might as well no take the risk of speaking it out loud for anyone else.
"Can I trust you?"
This was a tricky question, admittedly. Ezera still asked it, shamelessly.
"It depends on my goals and yours. But I do not wish to take your life."
"Does your goal consist of or include killing one of my students?"
"Not necessarily. Not unless life threatening of a large scale."
That wasn't a clear no. Ezera narrowed his eyes threateningly, defensive.
"Then what?"
"Regarding the young Heroes, I observe. Evacuation is a possibility, depending on Luversten's intentions."
"So you want to understand Luversten's past and future actions, is that it?"
Ilya didn't move. His eyes started roaming around Ezera's body. Alert against a threat. Was he looking for the hidden daggers ?
"I should not be telling you this," he said flatly, as thought challenging Ezera.
"You want an information trade."
"Promise to keep silent."
"If you don't hurt the children."
There was another tense silence. Ezera wouldn't back down on this. Ilya, looking at him, seemed to be mulling it over. He was probably in a dilemna, but Ezera wasn't in any position to feel sympathetic.
Something clicked in the eyes then.
"Deal."
"Deal."
Ezera almost sighed in relief. It was a near thing. But it was only the beginning.
"The artifact."
"Next room. I don't think its influence spread to here."
"It doesn't. What is that?"
Ilya took a step forward, nodding toward the stolen amulet. Ezera showed him the diagram engraved in silver.
"I told you. It's the ancient prototype of a scrying device. It's made to spy on people. Except it doesn't work, because whoever made it didn't know about information communication and user identification. I can fix that, potentially."
Ilya spared him a strange glance, before kneeling slowly next to him at the low table, while keeping a reasonable distance.
"Where did you find it?"
"I stole it."
"..." Ilya's glare hinted at impatience and irritation.
Fair, Ezera had not actually answered him. He grinned darkly.
"You want to find out about Luversten's intentions. I want to protect my students. I'll help you out."
Ilya frowned at him.
"You," he said slowly, "should be sent to the witness protection system in Lyndala. You are not qualified to enter this operation."
"Why should I be protected?" He exclaimed in whispers.
"You are the subject of an assassination attempt. It is a miracle you are still in such a shape. You are an important witness of the events that happened in Luversten the past few weeks. Your protection is well motivated. But your life is in danger here. You should be evacuated."
"I think you are forgetting something."
There was a metallic sound. Steel against steel. Ezera's dagger had knocked against Ilya's sword. Amusing, he thought, they seemed of equal strength. He was not grinning anymore.
"I won't leave without my students," he was categoric. You won't get information without help. Am I wrong?"
This was one of the conclusions Ezera had come to. Ilya had no network in these lands. No one knew him. His persona's character wasn't prone to interacting with others or leaving the authorised premises. And as a knowing noble from far away, he was more heavily guarded than Ezera could be.
Ilya considered Ezera from behind both their entwined blades. He wasn't convinced.
"If I tell you what I know, there won't be any need for witness protection. I am not your responsibility," Ezera insisted finally : "I am an outsider."
That seemed to make the man tic.
He certainly didn't look happy with the conclusion Ezera had brought them to, but he sheathed his sword with a jerky nod.
"Thank you," Ezera did his best impression of annoying pettiness.
Now they could talk. Ezera truly had found himself an unlikely ally in the false Count Ilya. He hoped this outside help would mean something in long-term.
He turned back, returning to the main topic.
"This amulet and the other ones come from the same place. They were both untouched at first. Say it was because I took this one that I 'saved' it. Now, what happened to the others is close to a corruption, as you can guess. They were intentionally made into cursed items. I will show you where, later."
Ilya nodded. Ezera added:
"Also, keep in mind that no the entirety of the castle is in on whatever conspiracy this is. The first Knight, for example. I trust him with my students. But I wouldn't say the same for any person from the Church."
He turned to Ilya.
"Do you know which god the Church of Luversten adores?"
Ilya shook his head, face grave. He explained:
"The past ecclesiastic organisation honored nature as a deity and images of gods as the representation of the three suns. However, a couple years ago, the new Church appeared in Luversten with a promise to help them in the crisis the kingdom was facing. Immediately after, they closed the kingdom's borders."
"So basically no one knows anything outside here, huh?"
This was problematic. Ezera squinted at the amulet in his hand, then the papers on which he had made his researches.
"You went to the library too. Was it for that reason?"
"My reason was the same as yours, I believe."
"Except you ended up answering most of my questions instead," Ezera noted distractedly. "It is as though that library is designed to keep people in the dark, mindless and weak. I was lucky to find that expert volume on arrays, I wonder why it wasn't taken away with the rest."
Speaking of which, he also had a handful of books that were stolen.
"Look here," he said, looking at them. "these tomes came from the same place as the amulet. Do you want to take one to inspect it?"
Ilya looked in deep thought for a moment. Ezera watched him intently. Then, their gazes met again, and he almost jolted. He held back. Ilya was staring at him, considering matters invisible to Ezera.
Finally, he nodded to himself slowly.
"Do you have a plan to counter the cursed artifact that was offered to you?" He asked out of the blue.
"Huh?" Ezera was confused, but got back on track immediately. "Ah, yes. Possibly. But not yet. I will probably have a way to modify it at the same time as the other one."
"Mh. Then, I will take one of the books," Ilya stood up, dignified but with quiet moves.
He looked down at Ezera.
"Show it to me."
Ezera frowned, more confused.
"Why?"
The answer was calm and self-assured.
"I shall seal it."
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