Chapter 116: Departure

William woke before dawn to find his mother already in his sitting room, reviewing documents by candlelight. She looked up as he emerged from his bedroom.

"Couldn’t sleep either?" she asked.

"It’s a habit at this point."

"A good habit to have. The people trying to kill you certainly aren’t sleeping peacefully." She set down her papers. "Sit. We need to finalize a few things before you leave."

William sat across from her while a servant appeared with tea and breakfast. His mother waited until they were alone again before continuing.

"The broker Darius in the capital—my investigators have been watching him for the past three days. He’s received two visitors since your kidnapping attempt. Both used essence concealment techniques sophisticated enough that we couldn’t identify them." She pulled out a sketch. "This is the best our artist could manage from distant observation."

The sketch showed a figure in nondescript traveling clothes with their face obscured by a wide-brimmed hat. Not helpful for identification, but the posture showed military training.

"Whoever’s behind this has professional backing," William observed.

"Yes. Which narrows the possibilities. Random noble house rivalries don’t have access to that level of operational security." His mother produced another document. "I’ve compiled a list of organizations capable of coordinating something this elaborate. Most are military intelligence divisions, a few are mercenary guilds with government contracts, and one is a shadowy group called the Hollow Court."

"I’ve never heard of them."

"Most people haven’t. They operate in the spaces between legitimate authority and criminal enterprises. Contract killers with enough political protection to avoid prosecution." She tapped the document. "If the Hollow Court is involved, this becomes significantly more dangerous. They don’t fail contracts twice."

"Reassuring."

"It’s meant to be realistic, not reassuring." His mother’s expression was grim. "Your father returns from the capital tomorrow. I haven’t told him the full extent of what we discovered from the mercenary interrogation."

William noticed the careful phrasing. "Because you suspect his involvement?"

"Because I don’t know the extent of his involvement, and uncertainty means caution." She met his eyes directly. "Your father wanted you to prove yourself through this expedition and gathering. You exceeded expectations. That should have made him proud. Instead, he’s been notably absent since learning about the kidnapping attempt."

"Maybe he’s just busy with military business."

"Maybe. Or maybe he’s managing problems from a plan that went wrong." She held up a hand before William could respond. "I’m not accusing him definitively. I’m telling you to be aware that family doesn’t always mean safe. Trust selectively, even within House Cross."

William absorbed that information while eating breakfast. His father potentially involved in assassination attempts complicated everything.

"The competition is in eleven days," his mother continued. "You’ll have that time to prepare with your team, recover from the training I put you through, and coordinate with whoever’s helping you survive. I assume you have allies at the academy?"

"Yes."

"Good. Use them." She produced a small box from her desk. "This is for you. Open it."

Inside was a ring similar to the essence storage ring she had given him before, but this one had a darker stone that seemed to absorb light.

"It’s an smergency escape," she explained. "The stone contains a spatial technique that will teleport you up to five miles in a random direction. One use only, and it depletes completely afterward. If you’re cornered during the competition with no other options, crush the stone and pray you don’t materialize inside solid rock."

"That’s a significant risk."

"It’s a last resort. But I’d rather you take a twenty percent chance of teleportation accident than a one hundred percent chance of assassination." She watched him slip the ring onto his other hand. "You now have two rings, a sword, the techniques journal, and whatever else you’ve hidden in your belongings. That’s more equipment than most students bring to a competition."

"Most students aren’t being actively hunted."

"Fair point." His mother stood and moved to the window, watching dawn break over the estate grounds. "When you win, and I’m saying when, not if, certain parties will be forced to show themselves. Success makes you too valuable to ignore and too dangerous to leave alone. The political landscape will shift, and opportunities will emerge."

"You’re thinking past my survival to what comes after."

"I’m always thinking three moves ahead. You should too." She turned to face him. "But first, survive. Everything else builds from that foundation."

A knock at the door interrupted them. A servant entered and bowed.

"Your Grace, Lady Seraphine is awake and asking for Master William."

"Tell her he’ll join her for breakfast in the main dining room shortly," Duchess Arabella said. She looked at William. "Go. Spend this last hour with your sister. I’ve said what needed saying."

"Thank you. For the training, the equipment and the information."

"Thank your survival instinct for forcing me to invest in keeping you alive." But her expression softened slightly. "You’ve changed significantly since leaving for the academy. The son who departed was aimless and unmotivated. The one returning is focused and dangerous. I prefer this version."

William left her and headed to the dining room where Seraphine waited, already dressed despite the early hour. She brightened when she saw him.

"You’re actually here! I thought you might leave without saying goodbye."

"I promised I wouldn’t."

They ate breakfast together, Seraphine maintaining cheerful conversation about meaningless topics, clearly trying to delay the inevitable departure. William let her talk, knowing she needed this distraction.

When breakfast ended, Seraphine walked with him to the entrance hall where his packed bag and the carriage waited.

"Write letters," she demanded.

"I will."

"And come back. Actually come back, not just your body." Her voice cracked slightly. "I can’t lose my brother after just getting to know him."

William hugged her, which was becoming easier with practice. "I’ll come back. I promise."

Seraphine held on for a long moment before releasing him. "Be smarter than them. Be faster. Be better. And when they try to kill you, make them regret it."

"I’m planning on it."

His mother appeared, having followed them downstairs. She handed William one final document which looked like a sealed letter.

"If something happens to me before the competition ends, open this. It contains information about the investigation and instructions for next steps." Her voice was businesslike. "If nothing happens, return it unopened and we’ll burn it together."

William tucked the letter deep in his bag. "Understood."

"Safe travels, William. Your instructor Reylan expects you back today, I sent him a message about your delayed return." She glanced at Seraphine. "Take care of your sister while I’m managing estate business."

"Wait, what?" Seraphine looked confused. "You’re leaving too?"

"I have capital business. I’ll return in three days." Duchess Arabella’s expression suggested this wasn’t negotiable. "Henrik will manage the estate in my absence. You’ll be perfectly safe."

William recognized this for what it was, his mother positioning herself near the capital to continue her investigation without being obvious about it. It was a very clever idea.

He climbed into the carriage, and the driver prompted the horses forward. William watched the estate shrink in the distance, Seraphine waving from the entrance until they rounded a corner and she disappeared from view.