The rain fell all day, turning the streets of Noxspire into gray mirrors reflecting the academy's gloomy towers. Nox sat in a lecture on the history of magical bloodlines, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Master Nectarius, the ancient languages instructor and, as it turned out, a spy for the Moon Goddess, stood at the lectern, monotonously droning on about the genealogical trees of the great houses. His voice, low and insinuating, had a soporific effect on the students, and most of them were nodding off, but Nox listened carefully. He was studying the enemy. Memorizing every detail: how Nectarius adjusted his glasses, how his fingers touched the old parchments, how he occasionally shot quick, tenacious glances at the students, as if assessing each one.
This man was dangerous. Not in terms of power, no. Master Nectarius was not a combat mage; his specialty was dead languages and ancient texts. He was dangerous because of his intellect, his ability to remain unnoticed, his devotion to the Moon Goddess, which, apparently, was not merely a service but something far deeper. Fanaticism. And fanatics, as Nox knew from Sylvana's stories, were the most dangerous enemies. They could not be frightened, bribed, or reasoned with. They could only be destroyed.
After the lecture, Nox lingered, pretending to copy something from a book. He wanted to see how Nectarius behaved when he thought no one was watching. The master gathered his parchments, carefully packed them into a leather satchel, and left the auditorium without even glancing at Nox. Nox waited a few seconds and followed, keeping his distance and using all the stealth skills he had learned in the slums. Shadow inside him helped, muffling the sound of his footsteps and making his silhouette less noticeable in the dim corridors.
Nectarius walked through the academy without looking back. He passed the main hall, turned into a side corridor, then another, and ended up in an old, rarely used part of the building where the archives and ancient manuscript storage rooms were located. It was quiet here, dusty, smelling of old paper and mildew. Nectarius stopped at a door, took a key hanging from his belt, and opened it. Hiding around the corner, Nox managed to see that behind the door was not an ordinary archive room but something like a private study, lined with shelves of books and scrolls. The master entered and closed the door behind him.
Nox waited a while, but Nectarius did not come out. Then he mentally called one of his shadow rats, which had been following at a distance. The rat silently scurried over, slipped under the door, and got inside. Through his connection with it, Nox saw what his servant saw. Nectarius sat at a desk, writing a letter. Quickly, confidently, without pausing over the words. The rat could not read what was written, but Nox managed to notice a symbol on the parchment that made his blood run cold. An eye in a spiral of darkness, the symbol of the Lord of Shadows, crossed out by a lunar crescent. The sign of the Moon Goddess. The sign of her hunters. The sign of those who served her and hunted Shadow bearers.
Nectarius finished the letter, folded it, and placed it in a small wooden box on the edge of the desk. Then he stood up, walked to one of the shelves, moved a few books, and opened a hidden niche containing several more such letters and a small artifact glowing with cold moonlight. He placed the new letter inside, closed the niche, and returned to the desk. The rat, having completed its task, silently slipped back under the door and returned to Nox.
Nox stood in the corridor, feeling cold fury boil inside him. Nectarius had just sent a report. To whom? Other spies? Hunters? The Goddess herself? And what was in that letter? Was his name mentioned? Or perhaps Lin's? He needed to find out at any cost. But how? Break into the study when Nectarius was absent? Dangerous, but possible. Or… he had another idea.
He waited until the master left the study and departed, then only left his hiding place. He needed to return to his ordinary life, to lectures, to his friends, who were surely already waiting for him in the dining hall. But thoughts of the letter, of the Moon Goddess's symbol, of the spy right here in the academy weaving his webs, gave him no peace. He had to do something. And he knew exactly what.
In the evening, when darkness fell, Nox went down to the catacombs again. But today he did not come alone. He brought Kane with him. He followed in silence, asking no questions, and only when they reached the round chamber, surrounded by shadows, did he ask:
«Why did you bring me here, Nox? And what is this place?»
Nox turned to him and looked him straight in the eye. «I need to show you something. And tell you something. You are my friend, Kane. The only one I can fully trust. But what you are about to see may frighten you. Or make you hate me. I will understand if after this you want to leave and never speak to me again. But I hope you will stay.»
Kane looked at him for a long time, and in his calm, attentive eyes, Nox saw neither fear nor doubt. Only a willingness to listen and accept.
«Speak,» he said finally. «I will not turn away from you, no matter what you say. We are friends.»
Nox nodded and began to speak. He told everything. About the slums of Ravnes, about the snake in the tunnels, about the awakening of Shadow, about Sylvana and her training, about his true name, about the Endragon bloodline, about the Moon Goddess and her hunt for Shadow bearers, about the Harbinger, about dragon blood, about his ability to create echoes from defeated creatures. He spoke for a long time, omitting nothing, and as he spoke, Kane's face changed. Surprise gave way to understanding, understanding to concern, concern to something Nox could not fully identify.
When he finished, silence fell over the chamber. Kane was silent, looking at the floor, and Nox had begun to think he had lost his only friend when he finally raised his head and looked at him.
«You are an idiot, Nox,» he said.
Nox blinked. «What?»
«You are an idiot if you thought I would turn away from you after that. Yes, what you told me is… incredible. Dangerous. Frightening. But you are my friend. You are the one who stood up for Eveline when everyone was afraid. You are the one who fought Reinhart and won without using your true power. You are the one who carries Shadow and dragon blood within you but does not use them for evil. How could I turn away from such a person?»
Nox felt something inside him release. He had not expected such a reaction. Had not expected Kane to accept him as he was, with all his secrets and dangers.
«Thank you,» he said. «I… I do not know what else to say.»
«Say nothing. Better show me your servants. You said you have a shadow army. I want to see them.»
Nox smiled, truly, for the first time in a long while, and summoned his servants. They emerged from the darkness: a dozen goblins, the crawler centipede, a pack of rats. Kane looked at them with a mix of awe and horror, but there was no disgust in his eyes. Only interest.
«Incredible,» he whispered. «You can control all of them at once?»
«I can. They feel my orders and carry them out. But they have no will of their own. They are just echoes of what they once were in life.»
«And you want to use them to break into Nectarius's study and find out what is in that letter?»
«Yes. But I need your help. You are a Sand mage. Can you create a sand golem to distract attention while my servants do their work?»
Kane thought for a moment, then nodded. «I can. It will not be easy, but I will manage. When?»
«Tomorrow night. Nectarius leaves his study late in the evening, I have watched him. We will have a window of about an hour. That should be enough.»
«Then tomorrow night, we do it.»
They clasped hands, and Nox felt confidence grow within him. He was no longer alone. He had a friend who knew his secret and accepted him as he was. He had a shadow army ready to carry out any order. And he had a plan.
Tomorrow night, they would find out what Master Nectarius was hiding. And perhaps that knowledge would be the first step toward neutralizing the Moon Goddess's spy and protecting himself and Lin from the threat looming over them.
The night in the catacombs was long, but Nox did not feel tired. He was full of determination. Tomorrow, everything would change.