Night fell over Noxspire like a heavy, damp blanket. The rain that had fallen all day finally stopped, but the air remained wet and cold, and thick fog crept down from the mountains surrounding the city, filling the streets and alleys with a milky haze. In such weather, even the magical lanterns hung around the academy grounds seemed dim and distant, like stars obscured by clouds.
Nox stood by the window of his room, looking out into the courtyard. Kane sat on the bed, checking his equipment. The sand charges he had prepared for tonight's raid lay in neat rows on the blanket, and his fingers carefully touched each one, checking the density and integrity of the shells. He worked silently, intently, and Nox appreciated that. In the slums, he had grown accustomed to silence before a job, when everyone thought their own thoughts and wasted no energy on idle talk.
«Ready,» Kane said finally, putting the charges into his belt pouch. «Five of them. That should be enough to distract anyone. If your plan works, Nectarius will not even realize what happened until we are long gone.»
Nox nodded without turning around. «My servants are already in place. The rats are watching the study from outside, one is inside. Nectarius left about an hour ago, there is no light in the windows. The corridor is empty, the archive section of the academy is not patrolled at night, there is nothing to guard there, only dust and old books.»
«Then what are we waiting for?»
Nox turned around. In the dim light of the magical lamp, his face looked carved from stone, the scars on his right side glinting silver. «I was waiting for you to finish. And checking to see if we had a tail. Magnus is no fool, he might have set someone to watch me after the tournament. But tonight it is clean. He does not seem to be risking open action yet.»
Kane stood up, fastened his robe, and pulled up his hood. «Then let us go. The sooner we do this, the sooner we return.»
They left the room and moved through the dark corridors of the east wing. Nox led the way, his Shadow muffling the sound of his footsteps and blurring his silhouette, making him nearly invisible in the half darkness. Kane followed, trying to step as quietly as possible, but his footsteps still echoed hollowly in the empty passages. However, in this part of the academy at night, there really was no one. Students preferred to stay near the dormitories, and the instructors were either working in their offices in the central tower or had long since gone to sleep.
They passed the main hall, turned into a side corridor, then another, and found themselves in the old, rarely used part of the building. It smelled of dust, old paper, and something else, barely perceptible, that Nox had learned to associate with ancient magic. The Noxspire archives held not only books but also artifacts, spell scrolls, forbidden texts, all of it permeated with residual magic that had seeped into the walls and air over the decades.
Nox stopped at a corner and raised his hand, signaling Kane to freeze. He closed his eyes and reached out to his servants. The rat inside Nectarius's study transmitted an image: empty, dark, only moonlight from a narrow window falling on the desk covered in parchments. The rat by the door confirmed that the corridor was empty. A third rat, which he had left at the entrance to the archive wing, had also noticed no movement.
«Clear,» he whispered. «Let us go.»
They approached the study door. Nox took a thin metal plate from his pocket, prepared in advance based on the lock's description transmitted by the rat. In the slums, he had learned to pick locks far worse than this one, so he dealt with the academy mechanism in a few seconds. The door opened silently, and they slipped inside.
Nectarius's study was exactly as Nox remembered it through the rat's eyes. Shelves of books and scrolls along the walls, a massive dark wood desk covered in parchments, a high backed chair upholstered in worn leather. In the corner stood a small cabinet, locked with a padlock, the same one where, according to the rat's observations, the master kept his secret letters. Moonlight from the window fell on the floor in slanted stripes, and dust motes, disturbed by their entrance, danced in the light.
«Watch the door,» Nox said to Kane. «If anyone comes, let me know. Is the sand golem ready?»
Kane nodded and poured a handful of sand into his palm, which immediately began to gather into a small but mobile figure. «It will create a distraction if needed. But I hope it will not be needed.»
Nox approached the cabinet. The lock was old but sturdy, with a magical enhancement whose faint glow he could feel with his Shadow. He drew his mother's dagger and carefully, to avoid damaging the mechanism, inserted the blade into the gap between the door and the frame. Shadow flowed along the blade, penetrated the lock, and pressed softly but insistently against the magical defense. It did not resist for long: the artifact was old, and Nox's Shadow, enhanced by dragon blood, had become much more powerful than before. A soft click sounded, and the lock opened.
Inside the cabinet lay letters. Nox counted about a dozen, all neatly folded and tied with thin twine. He took the top one, unfolded it, and held it up to the moonlight. The handwriting was small, dense, but legible. The letter was addressed to «Sister of Night» and contained a report on events at the academy over the past week. Nox scanned the lines and froze. In the middle of the letter, his name was mentioned.
«Subject "Nox," a nameless first year student, a dark mage with a blurred aura. Displayed extraordinary speed and strength during the tournament battle with Reinhart van Drake. There are suspicions that his aura is concealed by an artifact and that his true power may be connected to Shadow. Further observation is required. The subject's sister, Lin, resides at the "Three Candles" tavern in the Coppersmith Quarter. Recommend establishing surveillance on her.»
Nox felt everything inside him turn cold. They knew about Lin. Knew where she lived. And they were planning to put her under surveillance. This meant only one thing: there was almost no time left. He had to act, and act fast.
He folded the letter and tucked it inside his shirt. Then he quickly scanned the rest. They contained reports on other students, on instructors, on Lady Morvane's movements, on some artifacts the academy had received from the gnomes of Klogram. But what interested him most were the mentions of himself and Lin. He found two more letters discussing a «potential Shadow bearer» and the «need for confirmation.» In one of them, Nectarius wrote that he had requested assistance from a «Hunter» who was to arrive at Noxspire within a month.
A month. They had a month before another hunter of the Moon Goddess arrived in the city. Perhaps more than one.
Nox removed all three letters mentioning himself and Lin and carefully returned the rest to their place. He did not want Nectarius to immediately realize he had been discovered. Let him think his hiding place was still secure. That would buy them time.
«Let us go,» he said to Kane. «I got what we need.»
Kane nodded, and they slipped out of the study just as silently. Nox closed the door, made sure the lock clicked shut, and they retraced their steps. The corridors were as empty and quiet as before, only somewhere in the distance, in the residential part of the academy, muffled voices and laughter could be heard, students who could not sleep gathered in the common rooms.
They returned to their room, and Nox, without lighting a lamp, sat on the bed and spread the stolen letters before him. Kane stood nearby, looking at them with concern.
«What is in them?»
Nox summarized the contents briefly. When he got to the mention of Lin and the hunter due to arrive in a month, Kane swore under his breath, which was unlike him.
«A month. That is not much time, Nox. Very little. What are you going to do?»
Nox was silent for a long time, staring at the letters. Then he looked up, and in his eyes burned that same cold, determined fire that Kane had learned to recognize.
«I am going to see Lady Morvane. Tonight. She needs to know that Nectarius is not just a spy but an active agent who has already requested reinforcements. And she must help me protect Lin. If necessary, I will take her out of the tavern and hide her somewhere in the catacombs. There, my servants can guard her better than any walls.»
«And if Lady Morvane refuses to help?»
«Then I will act alone. But I will try this first.»
Kane nodded, accepting his decision. «I am with you. Where you go, I go. We are friends, remember?»
Nox looked at him and felt something warm spread in his chest, despite all the cold of this night. He was not alone. He had friends willing to follow him even into the fiercest fire.
«Thank you, Kane. I will not forget this.»
He stood up, tucked the letters inside his shirt, and headed for the door. «Wait for me here. I will return as soon as I have spoken with her. And be ready. If something goes wrong, we may need to act fast.»
He stepped into the corridor and dissolved into the shadows, leaving Kane alone in the dark room. The journey to the central tower took him less than ten minutes. At night, the academy was empty, and he could move quickly without fear of being seen. At the door to Lady Morvane's office, he stopped, caught his breath, and knocked.
«Come in,» came the voice from within. As always, calm, even, without a trace of surprise. As if she had been expecting him.
Nox entered. Lady Morvane sat at her desk, and before her, as before, lay an open folio. But tonight she was not reading. She was looking straight at the door, as if she had known he would come. Her gray eyes, reflecting the light of the magical lamps, were serious and focused.
«You have news, Nox. I can see it on your face. Speak.»
He walked to the desk, took out the letters, and laid them before her. «Master Nectarius. A spy of the Moon Goddess. I found these in his hidden cache in the archive study. He is watching me, watching Lin, and he has requested a hunter who will arrive here in a month.»
Lady Morvane took the letters, quickly scanned them, and her face, usually calm and inscrutable, twisted with anger for a moment. But she immediately composed herself and set the parchments aside.
«Are you certain he did not notice they were missing?»
«I only took the ones that mention me and Lin. I left the rest in place. I locked the cabinet. He will not know anyone was in his cache unless he counts the letters. But even if he does, it will not be immediately.»
Lady Morvane nodded. «Good. You acted wisely and cautiously. I will deal with Nectarius. I have ways to neutralize him without drawing attention. But you are right: the hunter due to arrive in a month is a serious threat. We must prepare.»
«I want to take Lin out of the tavern. Hide her where the hunter will not find her. In the catacombs beneath the academy, there are places no one knows about but me. My servants can guard her.»
Lady Morvane looked at him for a long time, and something like respect shone in her eyes. «You are willing to do that? Hide your sister in the underground, away from light and people?»
«I am willing to do anything to protect her. Lin is strong. She survived the slums, she will survive the catacombs. At least there, the Goddess's spies will not find her.»
«Very well. Tomorrow, you will go to the tavern and retrieve her. I will give you permission to leave the academy outside the schedule. But be careful. Nectarius may set someone to watch you, and if he sees you taking your sister away, he will know he has been discovered. Use your abilities to slip away unnoticed.»
Nox nodded. «I will.»
He was about to leave when Lady Morvane stopped him. «Nox. There is something else. Your power is growing faster than I expected. The tournament, your nightly forays, the way you command your servants, all of it suggests that you are ready for more. In two weeks, the first years will face a trial. An excursion into the wild lands beyond Noxspire. It will be dangerous, but it is an opportunity for you. An opportunity to prove yourself without fully revealing your power, and at the same time to grow stronger. I want you to go. And take your friends with you.»
Nox thought it over. A trial in the wild lands. That could be exactly what he needed. A chance to fight real enemies, gain new echoes for his army, test his strength in actual combat. And perhaps find something that would help him in his fight against the Moon Goddess.
«I will go,» he said. «And I will take my friends. But Lin comes first. Everything else comes after.»
Lady Morvane nodded. «Then go. Tomorrow is an important day for you. And remember, no matter what happens, you are not alone. You have friends. You have me. And you have the power that will one day change this world.»
Nox left the office and descended the stairs. The night outside the window was as dark and full of shadows as before, but now he felt different. He had a plan. He had allies. And he had a goal: to protect Lin and become strong enough to one day face the Moon Goddess and her servants.
Tomorrow, he would retrieve his sister. And in two weeks, he would head into the wild lands to grow even stronger. His path continued. And he was ready to walk it to the end.