All eyes were on Liora. She shifted, her weight uneasy in the armchair, her gaze fixed on a loose thread in the faded pattern of the rug. Finnian, ever perceptive, edged closer, his hand finding the small of her back in a gentle, reassuring rhythm. They’ve grown closer, I noted, a flicker of warmth amidst the tension.

“It’ll be okay, Liora. Take your time,” Finnian murmured, his voice a low and soothing.

She looked up then, a sheen of tears instantly welling in her eyes as she met our collective gaze. The vulnerability there was a punch to the gut. “I’m so sorry, everyone,” she choked out, the words catching. “Because of me, you were all put in danger. I never should have stormed off like that.”

“It’s okay, Liora,” I tried to reassure her, keeping my own voice soft. “No one could have predicted what would happen.”

“I know, but still…” Her voice dissolved as she buried her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling with soft, hiccuping sobs. A heavy silence descended, punctuated only by her quiet grief. We waited, giving her the space she needed. Finally, she drew a shaky breath, wiping the last of the tears from her reddened cheeks. “I’m better now,” she said, though her voice still quavered. “I’m ready to talk.”

She took another steadying breath. “When I ran away that night,” Liora began, her voice low and strained, “it happened so fast. Two men… they just swooped in. A cloth over my mouth, a sickly sweet smell, and then… everything went black. When I woke up, I was in that awful prison.”

A chill snaked down my spine. “They didn’t test your mana?” I asked, the question sharper than I intended. That was standard procedure for any captured magic-user.

Liora shook her head, a confused frown etching itself between her brows. “No, not that I know of.”

That would make sense, I suppose, I mused, careful to keep my expression neutral. Best not to bring up her latent healing ability just yet.

“They barely spoke to me,” Liora continued, her gaze distant as she recounted the ordeal. “The only thing I knew was that I was going to be sold to some noble, but even then, they said I could be taken away from that noble at any moment.”

“Odd,” Noctis rumbled, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. “To pay a significant sum for a slave they wouldn’t truly own. It doesn’t make sense.” A ripple of agreement passed through me; he’d voiced my own unease.

We all turned at the sound of soft, small feet scuffing. Little Billy stumbled in, rubbing sleep from his eyes, a miniature figure dwarfed by the doorway. “Hi everyone,” he mumbled, his voice laced with drowsiness. He made a beeline for the one available armchair, climbing onto it and curling into a tight ball, already halfway back to sleep. The sight tugged at my heart.

“Did you notice anyone who seemed to be in charge, Liora?” Noctis pressed gently, his eyes still thoughtful, but his attention now divided by the child.

“Not really,” Liora replied, her brow furrowed in concentration. “They all blurred together. No one stood out.”

“Well,” a small, hesitant voice piped up, drawing all eyes to the armchair. Billy had uncurled slightly, his small face pale, his eyes wide and shadowed with a fear that belied his age. “I saw someone like that.”

A hush fell over the room. “Are you okay talking about it, Billy?” I asked, my voice as soft and comforting as I could make it.

He nodded, a tiny, jerky movement. His eyes dropped to the floor, his small body quivering. “She… she had jet black hair and deep brown eyes.” My breath hitched. Could it be…? “She was very scary,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “She was the one who told them to send me there. She used… a weird black magic.”

“Do you know her name, Billy?” Adrix asked, his tone gentle, almost a caress.

Billy’s brow furrowed, his small face screwed up in concentration. “I… I don’t remember.”

I leaned forward, my gaze locking with his, trying to project calm. “Billy,” I said softly, “is it possible her name was Blair?”

His eyes widened, a flash of recognition – and terror – illuminating them. He nodded, emphatically, his small head bobbing. “Yes! That was it. Blair.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Finnian flinch, a subtle tightening around his jaw, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes at the mention of the name.

“Who is Blair?” Noctis asked, his sharp gaze shifting to me, curiosity and concern warring in his expression.

A cold dread, from five years ago but still potent, settled over me. “She is the King’s aide,” I stated, each word heavy. I paused, the memories flooding back – the chaos, the fear, the sheer, unadulterated power. “She was one of the key figures in our kidnapping five years ago, back when I lived in the capital. She wields a terrifyingly strong dark magic.”

“Yes,” Billy added, his small voice gaining a fraction more strength, though it still trembled. “She also controls the Shadowveil.”

The room plunged into an even deeper silence. The Shadowveil. Assassins, spies, enforcers of the King’s darkest will, and practitioners of that same dark magic. We need to understand everything he knows, I thought, a pressing urgency gripping me.

I rose and crossed the room, sinking to the floor beside Billy’s chair, bringing myself to his level. My gaze locked on his. “Billy,” I began, my voice gentle but firm, “I know what you went through was incredibly hard and scary. More than any child should endure.” Guilt gnawed at me. Asking him to relive this feels cruel. “But do you think you could share with us what happened the night they took you from your home?”

I waited, my heart aching for him as he fumbled with the hem of his tunic, his small hands twisting the fabric. Finally, his voice, barely a whisper, broke the silence. “So… uh… the night they took me… it was a mistake.” His eyes welled up. “They were looking for someone else. Someone with… substantial mana. They sent the Shadowveil to kidnap them, or at least try to. But the person they were looking for had already passed through our village. So, they… they took me instead, because I had the most mana out of everyone left.” His voice broke on a sob. “They never should have taken me.”

“Do you know anything about the person they were truly after?” Finnian asked, his voice laced with a carefully controlled gentleness.

Billy sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “Only that this person had a lot of mana, and they wanted to use it for something. I don’t know what.”

“That’s okay, Billy. You’ve done amazingly,” I reassured him, giving his small back a light pat. “Your mom and dad will be so incredibly proud of you. I know they can’t wait to see you.”

He nodded, biting his lip. “Thank you guys for saving me.” He hesitated. “If it’s okay with you all, I’d… I’d like to go back up to my room.”

“Of course,” I said, concern tightening my chest. “Do you want one of us to walk you up?”

“No, that’s okay,” he replied, his gaze already distant. “I know you guys have more to discuss.” He slid off the chair. He’s so resilient, I thought, a pang of worry echoing through me. But what he endured will leave scars.

“Okay,” I said softly as he reached the door. “Thank you again, everyone,” he mumbled, then slipped out, the latch clicking softly behind him.

Noctis’s gaze followed the closed door, his expression grim. “My first concern is his safety during our journey,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “Blair will not be pleased he escaped. Though I have no doubt we can protect him.” He paused, his brow furrowed. “My second is for when he returns home. I’ll need to dispatch extra knights to Glens Crossing.” He turned to Adrix. “Adrix, can you place a protective seal on their house?”

“Certainly,” Adrix replied, his expression thoughtful. “I can also look into any artifacts that might offer additional shielding.”

“My other major concern…” Noctis began, but was cut short as the crystal ball on the nearby table pulsed with an ethereal light. Adrix moved instantly, placing his hand on the glowing sphere. Amelia’s image shimmered into view, her expression serious, lines of fatigue etched around her eyes.

“Seems I called at an opportune moment,” Amelia said, her voice carrying a hint of strain. “How is the boy?”

“He’s doing as well as can be expected,” Noctis replied, a sliver of relief in his tone.

“Good. I’m glad to hear it,” she said. “We’ve finished wrapping things up with the Crescent Moon Guild. Let’s just say the King is… displeased… about recent events. I’ve managed to keep your direct involvement shielded for now, but with the boy in your care, the one they’re now desperately searching for, I don’t know how long that will last.” It was inevitable, I thought, that familiar sense of borrowed time settling in.

“That’s what we anticipated,” Adrix said.

“I strongly advise you all to leave the capital sooner rather than later. Get him home. Perhaps it would be best for his parents to join him at your estate in Riverwood, Noctis. It would be more secure than Glens Crossing.”

“I agree,” Noctis said, nodding firmly. “A much sounder strategy than trying to fortify his home village.”

“Do you know about Blair?” I interjected, the urgency bubbling up.

Amelia’s expression hardened, a flicker of something cold in her eyes. “Ah, yes. The King’s favoured aide and accomplished dark sorceress. Indeed, I know a great deal about her.”

“Who is she after?” I pressed, needing to know. “The one Billy mentioned?”

Silence stretched for a moment. Amelia’s face was a canvas of conflicting emotions – concern, deep contemplation, and was that a ghost of fear? “I do…not,” she finally conceded. Though I can tell you that they are looking for a holder of a silver coin, much like the ones you and Adrix carry.

“How do we find them?” Noctis leaned forward, his intensity palpable.

“That,” Amelia replied, her tone leaving no room for argument, “is for you to discover.”

“Finding someone based solely on a shared, albeit unique, item… that could take a considerable amount of time. Time we clearly don’t possess,” Adrix stated, his voice taut with concern.

“It will be alright,” Amelia reassured, though a grave undertone lingered. “You will find the other holder of the coin when you least expect it. Continue on your journey. Trust that events will unfold as they must.” Easy for her to say, a knot of unease tightened in my stomach.

“However,” she continued, her voice dropping, “I must warn you. The darkness is stirring, drawing closer. The capital, this land… things are not as they were when you first arrived.”

“What do you mean?” Liora asked, her brow furrowed with a fresh wave of worry.

“The creatures of the shadowed places are growing restless. More active, more aggressive,” Amelia replied, her gaze seeming to penetrate the very walls of the room, looking out onto a world I suddenly felt much less safe in. “Remember, Lyra,” she said, her gaze softening as it fixed on me, a direct, piercing look, “you must trust in yourself. Do not be afraid of what is to come. You will overcome it… all of you will.” Her image began to flicker and fade. “I must go now. Keep the crystal ball; its reach is considerable.” With that, her image dissolved, leaving us once more in the quiet sitting room, the weight of her pronouncements pressing down on us.

“Restless creatures?” Liora finally whispered into the charged silence, her voice barely audible. “What does that even mean?”

Adrix ran a hand through his hair, his usual demeanor visibly shaken. “It means things are escalating. If even the common creatures beyond the capital’s wards are becoming more aggressive, our journey with Billy just became significantly more perilous.”

Noctis, who had been staring at the empty space where Amelia’s image had hovered, finally spoke, his voice low. “And the other holder of the silver coin… another piece of a puzzle whose shape we can’t yet discern.”

Finnian, who had been largely silent since Amelia’s appearance, finally spoke, his voice quiet, tinged with an unfamiliar concern. “Lyra,” he began, his gaze searching mine, “what did she mean? About trusting yourself? And not being afraid?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted, meeting his gaze, then letting mine sweep over the others. “But I know we all have our strengths. We have to rely on those, and on each other. We’ve made it this far, haven’t we?” I tried to project a confidence. My gaze then sharpened, settling on Finnian. “Now, Finnian,” my voice shifted, losing its softness, becoming very serious, “why, when Billy mentioned Blair’s name, did you look like you’d seen a ghost?”

He shifted, avoiding my eyes. “I… I don’t know what you mean,” he mumbled, a forced nonchalance in his tone that didn’t fool anyone.

“Don’t you?” I pressed, relentless. “I saw your reaction. And it’s not just that. The first time I saw you, you reminded me of someone… I couldn’t place it. But now…” I let the implication hang heavy in the air.

Liora looked from Finnian to me, her brow furrowed with a worried frown.

Finnian sighed, the fight visibly draining out of him. “Okay, fine,” he conceded, his shoulders slumping. “I’ll tell you. The truth is… I was there that night. Five years ago.” He finally met my eyes, his filled with a deep, haunting regret. “At the bakery. You sat next to me.”

My eyes widened. Disbelief warred with a sickening sense of dawning recognition. “But… why? You don’t have any mana.”

A bitter smile touched his lips. “I was invited, just like everyone else with a hint of potential – or so they thought. I possess no mana. My talents lie with the ancient languages, with the wisdom of forgotten texts. Why they singled me out, I’ll never truly understood. Trying to ‘make it big’ in the capital with such skills… it was a naive dream, a mistake I’ve regretted every day since. That night… it’s been a shadow over my life.”

The confession hung in the air, stunning in its simplicity and its weight. “I… I’m sorry,” I managed, the words feeling utterly inadequate. Beyond that, I was speechless. My expression, I knew, must be a carefully constructed blank, a dam holding back the torrent of shock and a dozen other emotions.

Liora’s voice, soft but insistent, cut through the charged atmosphere. Her gaze was fixed on Finnian, searching. “This is the most you’ve ever shared about that time,” she observed gently. “Is there anything else? Anything at all that you remember that could help us now?”

Finnian shook his head, his expression etched with strain. He rubbed his temples as if trying to physically excavate a buried memory. “I truly don’t. I wish I did. My memory of that night is… hazy. A blur of fear and confusion I’ve spent years trying to suppress. It all just… melted together.”

“That’s okay, Finn,” Noctis said, his tone firm but understanding, breaking the tension. “We’ll figure this out, all of it. For now,” he looked at each of us in turn, “we need to focus on the immediate. We leave for Riverwood at first light. Once we’re clear of the city, I’ll have Billy’s parents contacted and arrangements made for them to meet us at my estate.”