Chapter 10

The walls closed in tighter with every step.

Beneath the palace, the hidden corridors wound like veins through the heart of the city—narrow, cold, stifling. I could feel the weight of the entire kingdom pressing down above us.

They weren’t summoning me for answers. They already knew the answers.

They wanted to see what I’d do next.

We moved quickly through the hidden corridors that ran beneath the Archives like arteries through a living body. These passages had been built centuries ago as escape routes for scholars and librarians during times of political upheaval, their existence known only to a select few who understood the true value of preserved knowledge.

Liora stayed close behind me, her footsteps silent on the worn stone floors. Every few yards, she would pause to listen for sounds of pursuit, her warrior's instincts honed by years of navigating dangerous territory. The corridors were dimly lit by enchanted stones set into the walls, their pale blue glow casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance and shift with each step we took.

Varis led us through the twisting passages with the confidence of someone who had memorized every turn and hidden doorway decades ago. The route took us through sections of the palace that had been abandoned for generations, past chambers filled with forgotten treasures and libraries that hadn't seen visitors in living memory.

Eventually, we emerged near the palace's eastern wing, far from the main gates where guards would have been watching for my arrival. The transition from the hidden passages to the official corridors was jarring, like stepping from one world into another. Here, the walls were hung with tapestries depicting the kingdom's glorious history, and the floors were polished marble that reflected the light of crystal chandeliers.

Before I stepped forward into this world of political maneuvering and hidden daggers, Varis gripped my arm with surprising strength. His fingers dug into my sleeve like claws, and when I turned to face him, I saw genuine fear in his eyes for the first time since I had known him."Listen carefully," he said, his voice low and urgent. "Say nothing you do not intend to be remembered for all eternity."

I frowned, not understanding the full implications of his warning.

"The inquiry chamber where they're taking you is laced with binding glyphs," he continued, his words coming faster now. "Ancient magic woven into the very stones. They can record every word spoken within those walls. They can bind agreements made in the heat of the moment. They can even extract truths from unwilling subjects if they press hard enough with the right combination of spells."

"Is that legal under kingdom law?" I asked, feeling a cold anger building in my chest.

Varis gave me a thin, humorless smile that never reached his eyes.

"Legal? Nothing that happens in that room is meant for the courts or the law books. This is about power, pure and simple. About who controls the flow of information and who decides what truths are allowed to see the light of day."

Liora's gaze met mine, and I saw my own determination reflected in her dark eyes.

"I'll be there," she said simply, and those three words carried more comfort than any elaborate promise of protection.

The inquiry chamber was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and I had seen my share of places designed to intimidate and overwhelm.

The room was circular in design, with high vaulted ceilings that seemed to stretch impossibly far overhead. The walls were lined with ancient glyphs, some softly glowing with contained power, others dormant but somehow more menacing in their stillness. The air itself felt charged with magical energy, creating a constant low humming that seemed to resonate in my bones.Four ornate chairs stood at the far end of the chamber, positioned to give their occupants a commanding view of anyone brought before them. The arrangement was clearly designed to create a sense of being outnumbered and outmaneuvered, a psychological tactic as old as power itself.

Notably, the king's throne was not among them. This was not a royal audience but something far more dangerous and far less bound by traditional protocols.

Instead, the King's Advisor sat at the center position, his sharp features made even more severe by the chamber's harsh lighting. His eyes were like polished obsidian, reflecting light but revealing nothing of the thoughts behind them. I had dealt with the Advisor before, and I knew him to be a man who collected secrets the way others collected fine wines.

To his left sat General Corven, his ceremonial armor polished to a mirror shine but his face lined with the kind of weariness that came from too many battles and too many difficult decisions. Corven was a soldier's soldier, a man who had earned his position through merit rather than politics, and I had always respected him for that. His presence here suggested that this inquiry had military implications that extended far beyond a simple investigation of magical misconduct.Flanking them both were two figures that made my blood run cold. They were shrouded in deep grey robes that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, their faces hidden behind veils that obscured every feature. I didn't need to see their faces to know what they were.

High Mages of the Inner Circle. The most powerful and most secretive practitioners of magic in the entire kingdom.

The Advisor spoke first, his voice smooth as silk but with undertones that promised consequences for any wrong answers.

"Sage of Systems. You are summoned before this tribunal to explain the events that transpired at Krael's Hollow, and to account for the destruction that followed in your wake."

I didn't bow, though protocol demanded it. The slight was intentional, a statement that I would not be cowed by theatrics and intimidation tactics. I kept my voice steady and clear, projecting confidence even as my mind raced through possible responses and their likely consequences."I acted to prevent the total collapse of the leyline nexus," I said, meeting each of their gazes in turn. "Had I not intervened when I did, the outpost would have been destroyed along with every soul stationed there, and the magical backlash would have devastated the surrounding towns for hundreds of miles."

The High Mage to the left spoke next, and their voice was soft, almost melodic, but with sharp edges beneath the surface that spoke of barely contained power.

"By triggering a forbidden flare that violated every treaty and agreement regarding the use of destructive magic." The accusation hung in the air like a blade. "Do you deny that you performed magic outside the sanctioned parameters established by this very council?"

"I did what was necessary to preserve life and prevent a catastrophe that would have dwarfed anything this kingdom has seen in living memory," I said evenly, refusing to be drawn into their trap of legal technicalities.

General Corven's voice rumbled through the chamber like distant thunder, carrying the weight of military authority.

"And in doing so, left the entire region scorched and uninhabitable. Do you consider that an acceptable outcome?"

I met his gaze directly, soldier to soldier, and saw the conflict in his eyes. He understood the reality of making impossible choices under pressure, even if he couldn't publicly support my methods."The alternative was death for every man, woman, and child within a fifty-mile radius," I replied. "If that's not acceptable, then perhaps we should discuss why the nexus was vulnerable to such catastrophic failure in the first place."

The silence that followed was heavy with implication. I had just suggested that the disaster might have been preventable, that someone bore responsibility for the conditions that had forced my hand.

The other High Mage spoke for the first time, their voice like dry parchment rustling in an ancient library.

"Tell us, Sage. How exactly did you unravel the nexus? What specific techniques did you employ to contain forces that should have been beyond any single mage's ability to control?"Now we were getting to the heart of the matter. They weren't asking for knowledge or clarification. They were probing for information about my capabilities, testing the limits of what I might know or be able to do. This was an interrogation disguised as an inquiry.

I chose my words with the care of a surgeon wielding a scalpel.

"I identified deliberate sabotage within the nexus layers," I said, watching their reactions carefully. "False feedback loops had been carefully constructed to conceal critical overload conditions. Someone had spent considerable time and effort ensuring that the nexus would fail catastrophically when the right conditions were met."

A ripple of movement passed among the High Mages, subtle but unmistakable. They had not expected this revelation, or perhaps they had hoped I wouldn't be able to identify the true nature of what I had found.

The Advisor's eyes narrowed to slits, and when he spoke, his voice carried a new edge of danger."You claim sabotage? That's a serious accusation, one that carries significant implications for the security of the entire kingdom."

"I state facts based on careful observation and analysis," I replied, making it clear that I was not speculating or theorizing.

Corven's gaze sharpened, and I could see the military strategist's mind working behind his weathered features.

"Do you have evidence to support these claims? Physical proof that would stand up to independent examination?"

This was the moment I had been preparing for during the entire journey home. The question I had known they would ask, and the answer that would determine how the rest of this confrontation played out.

I paused, letting the silence stretch just long enough to suggest reluctance.

Then, deliberately and with apparent regret:

"No. The flare destroyed most of the physical remains, reducing the nexus chamber to molten stone and scattered debris. But the patterns were clear to anyone trained to recognize the signs of deliberate magical interference."

That wasn't technically a lie, though it wasn't the complete truth either. The fragment currently hidden in the Archives represented evidence that could reshape the entire investigation, but revealing its existence now would only put more people in danger.

The High Mages remained still and unreadable beneath their veils, but I could sense the calculations taking place behind their silence. They were weighing my words, looking for contradictions and inconsistencies that might reveal weaknesses they could exploit.

But the Advisor watched me with a different kind of intensity now, leaning forward slightly in his chair as if weighing every breath I took, every micro-expression that crossed my face."You stabilized Krael's Hollow and prevented a regional catastrophe," the Advisor said slowly, his words carefully measured. "But at what cost to the kingdom's stability? At what cost to the carefully maintained balance of power that keeps our realm from descending into chaos?"I returned his gaze without flinching, understanding that we had moved beyond questions of magical technique into the realm of political philosophy.

"At the cost of revealing how fragile this kingdom's foundations truly are," I replied. "At the cost of demonstrating that our most critical magical infrastructure can be compromised by enemies working from within our own ranks."

The words hung in the air like a declaration of war. I had just openly stated that traitors existed at the highest levels of the kingdom's magical hierarchy.

Heavy silence fell over the chamber, broken only by the subtle humming of the ward glyphs and the sound of my own heartbeat. I could feel the weight of their collective attention like a physical force pressing down on me.

I let the words settle, then turned slightly to meet the veiled gazes of the High Mages directly."And if sabotage can strike at Krael's Hollow," I said softly, my voice carrying clearly in the acoustically perfect chamber, "how many other nexuses are already compromised? How many other disasters are we simply waiting to happen?"

That landed like a thunderbolt. I could feel it in the sudden stillness that gripped the room, in the way the very air seemed to thicken with barely contained tension and fear.

For the first time since entering the chamber, the High Mages shifted in their seats. It was a small movement, but in the context of their previous absolute stillness, it spoke volumes about the impact of my words.

Fear. That's what I had just injected into their carefully controlled environment. Fear of the unknown, fear of vulnerabilities they hadn't considered, fear of threats they might not be able to control.

The Advisor's voice broke the oppressive silence, smooth and cool once more, but I could hear the effort it took to maintain that facade of calm control.

"You will remain under observation, Sage. For your own safety, of course. The kingdom cannot afford to lose someone with your unique insights and capabilities."

The lie was so transparent it was almost insulting. This wasn't about my safety. This was about their safety, about containing a potential threat before it could grow beyond their ability to manage.

For their safety, indeed.

The inquiry ended with no further questions, no additional demands for information. They had learned what they came to learn, confirmed what they had suspected, and now they needed time to plan their next moves.

As I turned to leave, one of the High Mages murmured something barely audible, their words carried on a whisper of magical enhancement that ensured I would hear them clearly."You walk dangerously close to lines that cannot be uncrossed, Sage. Some paths, once taken, lead only to darkness and destruction."

I didn't answer, didn't even acknowledge that I had heard the warning. But I felt something deep in my chest, a cold certainty that settled into my bones like winter frost.

They were afraid of me. Not just concerned or wary, but genuinely, deeply afraid of what I represented and what I might be capable of doing.

The Advisor's parting words followed me out of the chamber, delivered with the precision of a master manipulator who understood exactly how to plant seeds of doubt and concern."The kingdom cannot afford more sparks, Sage. Be certain you do not become the fire that consumes everything we have worked to build."

That night, back in the relative safety of the Archives, Varis awaited my return with the patience of a man who had spent decades learning to read the subtle currents of palace politics."Well?" he asked, though I suspected he already had his network of informants and spies positioned to provide him with detailed reports of everything that had transpired in the inquiry chamber.

"They won't act openly," I said, sinking into the familiar comfort of the old leather chair across from his desk. Despite my outward calm, my body still trembled with the aftereffects of the magical pressure I had endured in that chamber. "They can't afford to make me a martyr, and they're not entirely certain what the consequences might be if they move against me directly.""They won't need to act openly," Varis replied with the grim certainty of someone who had witnessed the rise and fall of countless political figures. "Not yet, anyway. There are other ways to neutralize a threat, subtler methods that leave no fingerprints and raise no uncomfortable questions."

Liora sat nearby in a chair she had drawn close to the conversation, her arms crossed and her expression thoughtful. She had remained silent throughout my recounting of the inquiry, but I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes as she processed the implications of what we now faced.

I reached into my traveling pack and withdrew the silver glyph fragment once more, setting it on the scarred wooden table where the lamplight could play across its intricate surface. Even in the safety of the Archives, the artifact seemed to pulse with malevolent energy.

"This wasn't just sabotage carried out for personal gain or political advantage," I said, staring down at the fragment that represented so much more than mere evidence. "It was a message. A demonstration of power and capability intended to send a specific signal to those who might oppose whatever agenda is being pursued."

Varis's face darkened further, if such a thing were possible. The shadows cast by the lamplight made the lines around his eyes appear deeper, aging him years in the space of moments."I know," he said simply, and those two words carried the weight of terrible understanding.Silence fell between us like a curtain, heavy with implication and pregnant with the knowledge of dangers we couldn't yet fully comprehend. Outside the small windows of the Archives, the city continued its nightly routine, unaware of the forces gathering in the shadows above their heads.The distant sounds of evening life filtered through the ancient stones: the calls of street vendors hawking their final wares, the clatter of cart wheels on cobblestones, the laughter of children playing in the twilight before their parents called them home.

All of it seemed impossibly distant from the conversation taking place in this hidden chamber, as if we existed in a separate world where different rules applied and different stakes governed every decision.

Liora's voice finally broke the oppressive quiet, steady and clear as forged steel."What will you do now? How do you fight an enemy that operates from within the very institutions meant to protect the kingdom?"

I looked at her, then at Varis, then beyond them both to the dark city that spread out beyond the windows. Streets lit by cold blue ward-stones stretched into the distance, their magical glow creating pools of safety in an ocean of shadow. But even those lights seemed somehow diminished tonight, as if the darkness was pressing closer than usual.

Shadows twisted and writhed on every corner, taking shapes that might have been imagination or might have been something far more dangerous. The city I had called home for years now felt like foreign territory, a place where allies and enemies wore the same faces and spoke the same words.

I answered quietly, my voice carrying the certainty of someone who had finally seen the true shape of the game being played around him.

"They think I'm playing their game," I said, feeling the weight of that realization settle over me like armor. "They believe they can manipulate me using the same rules and restrictions that have governed magical practitioners for centuries."

I paused, letting my gaze sweep across the faces of the two people I trusted most in this increasingly dangerous world.

"But they've built their board on sinking sand," I continued, and for the first time since returning to the capital, I allowed myself a cold smile. "They've forgotten that sometimes the most effective way to win a game is to change the rules entirely."

The implications of those words hung in the air like smoke from a distant fire, carrying with them the promise of conflict to come and the certainty that the kingdom we had all sworn to serve was about to change in ways none of us could yet imagine.

Outside, the night deepened, and somewhere in the shadows, forces that had operated in secret for too long prepared for a confrontation that would determine the fate of everything we held dear.