Mia's family was stopped by the guards out on the street. They were all familiar faces, so they could still chat easily and pleasantly, talking about nothing more than ordinary household matters. The neighbors gathered around as well, asking for details, and for a while, the roadside was filled with constant whispers. Everyone was curious about what the duchess and that rising adventurer were discussing.
A few of Mia's friends came to her for inside information. The more they talked, the more curious they became, their hearts itching like cats were scratching at them. What worried Mia more was that Skyl spoke so bluntly it almost seemed cold. He might very well offend the noblewoman and end up punished for it. The thought that Skyl might be arrested by the guards filled her with sorrow, and she grew so anxious she could hardly breathe.
So Mia asked her companions to do her a favor and draw attention away while she quietly slipped back into the house, pressed herself beside the window, and listened in on the conversation inside the room.
"Whom do you serve?" The one asking was the duchess. It sounded almost as if she were interrogating a prisoner. If that was truly the case, then Lady Morwen must have encountered the most obedient prisoner in the world. She did not need to resort to force at all. The other party always answered whatever he was asked, too disdainful to hide anything.
"The Tower of Tomes." Mia had never heard of that place. No one on the continent of Faerûn had heard of the Tower of Tomes.
"Who does the Tower of Tomes belong to?"
"The High Tower King." Mia felt discouraged. Mr. Skyl really did not have the slightest temper. Although the person on the other side was the respected duchess, Mia still felt that he should not simply answer every question. At the very least, he should have talked back once or twice.
"And who is this High Tower King? Which plane does he come from?"
"Just think of him as a god. He does not exist within the planes of Realmspace, nor within this multiverse. He exists beyond the universe."
"You are a follower of the Great Old Ones!" the duchess snapped in a low voice. "Speak. Why did you come to Daggerford? What conspiracy are you plotting with this magic array?"
"Don't worry. I'm not coveting the souls of Daggerford's people. I'm not a demon, and I'm not a devil. If anything, you're more suspicious than I am. Normally, something like you should have been killed the moment you stepped into my room, soul and all. But my current strength is still very weak. If I accidentally hurt innocents, reviving them would be troublesome too, so I don't want to meddle." Skyl's tone did not carry any particular excitement when he said this.
Lady Morwen seemed ready to act. Mia heard the sound of blades being drawn.
Skyl warned coldly, "If you dare step on my magic array, I'll turn you into a dog."
"How dare you threaten me?! I am Morwen Daggerford, a proper duchess…"
"If I can't do it, then it's a threat. If I can, then it's a warning."
Mia's heart pounded wildly. She nearly fainted.
Then she heard footsteps approaching the window. Someone pushed it open, and the candlelight inside spilled out. Mia looked up and saw Skyl lowering his head. He smiled slightly at her, signaled with his eyes for her to leave, then closed the window again.
Inside the room, the duchess's face was frosty. She did not immediately order her guards in to arrest this offensively spoken warlock, because it was common knowledge on Faerûn that spellcasters were powerful. Avoiding a fight was best.
"In the name of the Duchess of Daggerford, I exile you. From this day forward, this town no longer welcomes you. Before dawn, you and your companion must leave. No matter whom you worship, no matter how strong you are, the people of Daggerford will not fear you."
Skyl nodded. He raised no objection, out of respect for the people of Daggerford.
The duchess left and publicly announced Skyl's exile, then took her guards away. Mia's family returned to the house. Their expressions had grown complicated. The meetings and partings of life always came so unexpectedly.
"Mr. Skyl, where are you planning to go? It's so late. Why don't you sleep for a while? I'll wake you before dawn."
"I'm going to Candlekeep. Please prepare some dry rations and light wine for me. I'll pay."
"Mr. Skyl's teaching is already worth a great deal of money. We won't take more." The head of the household spoke, then instructed his wife to go to the kitchen and pack up all the food they could spare.
Only the weeping Mia remained in the room, along with an [Eagle-Eye Charm] left behind by the duchess.
The invisible sensor created by the [Eagle-Eye Charm] hid beneath a chair, watching every movement inside the room.
The warlock finished drawing the magic array, then activated it.
The lines of the magic array began to burn. The Weave trembled, and the gathered energy opened a deep blue portal in the void.
A voice came from the other side. Mia could not understand it, but she felt a cold, indifferent light.
The warlock casually conversed with the person beyond the gate.
Before long, a silver-white cane flew out from the portal. It was smooth, plain, and unadorned, with nothing else inlaid on it. It fell into Skyl's hand. He flicked it lightly, and a brilliant [Eldritch Blade] extended from the head of the cane. At this point, it had completely become a sword-staff.
Mia was drawn in by the sight before her. She even forgot to cry and asked curiously, "Is that the artifact?"
"That's right. With this, the Weave's restrictions are no longer a problem."
"That's wonderful." Mia felt a little comforted by this happy event before their parting. By then, the luggage had also been prepared.
"Will we meet again?"
"Soon. You have already been noticed by the High Tower King. Before long, we will meet again."
Skyl said goodbye to the family, then walked calmly out the door, mounted his chestnut horse, and went to the tavern to wake Stan. Just like that, the two of them left Daggerford under cover of night, crossed the Delimbiyr River by Tyndal's Bridge, and continued their journey south.
By the time the sun had risen high into the sky, Stan was yawning and dozing off on horseback. Skyl suddenly looked back toward the north and said softly, "I may have made a mistake."
"Is this about your mouth getting you into trouble?"
"I'm going back for a while." Skyl turned his horse around. "You keep going. Don't wait for me. Let's meet at the Way Inn."
The chestnut horse was very gentle, and when it ran, it was like flame. Skyl thought Mia's family might have run into trouble. He simply did not know what the situation was.
Daggerford was a small place. The people there all knew one another, and the local customs were martial. If anyone disappeared, it could ignite a war. Because of that, the duchess probably would not do anything to that family. They had committed no crime.
At dusk, Skyl crossed Tyndal's Bridge and returned to the town gate. He handed his horse to a caravan for temporary safekeeping, then summoned the [Eldritch Blade], stood on the sword-shaped force field, and floated up, crossing over the city wall into Daggerford.
He saw Mia again. The girl was perfectly safe at home. Her smile was still bright, but it could no longer make others happy. Her eyes were still clear, but they seemed to be gazing at strangers. Her skin and flesh were still young and pretty, but they were only the outer covering of an illusion.
He used a spell to pierce illusions and touched the magical shell covering Mia's body. Her long hair withered, her cheeks sank in, her eyeballs shriveled, and when she opened her mouth, she could only make a hoarse sound. She had become a full undead creature.
"What happened after I left?"
Her parents hesitated for a while, then told him the truth.
Early that morning, Mia's family had been taken to the castle by the duchess. When the guards found Mia, she had already secretly crossed Tyndal's Bridge. She had wanted to go to Candlekeep in pursuit of the warlock. Lady Morwen kept her alone a little longer, and when she returned home, their daughter no longer liked to speak. It turned out that what had come home was only their daughter's corpse.
"Perhaps you need a new duchess. I'll take your daughter's corpse with me. Once I fix her, I'll send her back."
Skyl stepped onto the force-field sword and flew toward the oldest and grandest building in Daggerford, the Ducal Castle.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.