“Markus,” Nicholas replies calmly. “Your presence is expected. No one is going to accept the excuse that your Bonded have been kidnapped for your lack of attendance. Others will be offended.”

  “Screw them!” I exclaim crudely, the cold fear that’s been swirling around my stomach burning into anger. Bastet, Ninja, and Lathani all begin growling softly at Nicholas. His face hardens. “Nicholas, you know how much my companions mean to me! I don’t care if some nobles are offended that I’m not at their ball – I need to go and save my family!”

  “Markus, calm down,” Nicholas warns.

  A petulant ‘I am calm’ rests on the tip of my tongue but I swallow it back. Like it or not, he has a point. Shouting at Nicholas won’t help my friends. In fact, if it makes him decide not to help me, it will hinder my efforts.

  I take a deep breath, and then another.

  “I apologise for my language,” I respond, forcing my voice to remain level and to lose its angry edge.

  “Better,” Nicholas replies firmly. “Markus, have you considered that having you return as quickly as possible might be exactly what the person or people behind this want? Running for the teleportation room may put you in danger.”

  “You think they might try to kidnap me next?” I ask, startled. I hadn’t considered that.

  “I think it is a possibility. It is also possible that the danger is here – that without your presence, events may take place which will put us in a poor position. Perhaps even put your Bonded more at risk. And even if those are not the case, you have just won an honour duel – if you do not attend, others may wonder if your wounds were worse than previously thought. Regardless of what we say, the other nobles are as good at sniffing out hints of weakness as helven are at finding buried bones.” Nicholas’ tone is persuasive. “You have worked hard to show yourself as strong – will you risk destroying that impression? Stay for the ball – we can return tomorrow.”

  “Nicholas…” I sigh. Calmer now, I can understand where he’s coming from. But the opinions of a few stuffy nobles can never take precedence over the safety of my Bonded. I was there, I felt it as River and the others were attacked. As they were isolated and then forced into unconsciousness by some sweet-smelling alchemical product. “Listen, I know the statistics. The longer it takes to find a kidnapping victim, the less chance there is of finding them.”

  And with magic at hand, the time limit in which to find them might be significantly reduced. “Every minute we stay here is a minute I have less to search. Risking looking weak or not, my priority right now is my family.” Frustration begins to claw at my throat again and I have to swallow hard and breathe deeply to control myself from lashing out again.

  “What will you even be able to do that the guards cannot?” Nicholas challenges, apparently taking a different tack. “They have magical devices and Skills for the purpose – you don’t.”

  I eye him flatly.

  “You’re saying that after being so amazed at the number of things I can do which you previously considered impossible or close to it,” I remind him.

  “But none of those appeared capable of enhancing your tracking abilities,” he points out. “Or am I wrong?”

  I clench my jaw. He’s not wrong. Inspect is pretty much my only tracking capability beyond using the Bonds themselves. Unless one of my Shaping Skills could give me more information – I won’t know until I try.

  “I have Bonds with all of them. I can follow those,” I tell him flatly.

  “If they are not too far to track like that,” Nicholas counters. “If they have used teleportation at any point, only magical devices have a hope of indicating where they might have gone. However…” He trails off and I clench my fists at the realisation that he’s doing it intentionally.

  “However?” I prompt through gritted teeth.

  “My family, our family has a ritual which can be used to determine the location of one or more of our Bonded. It’s a secret – something no one knows exists is hard to counter – and so should work. Its use is limited, though, and so would be better performed when your Bonded have arrived at wherever they’re going.”

  He gives me a moment to consider that. “Come to the ball with me, Markus. Show your face. It is likely that a noble is behind this affair – perhaps someone will say something at the ball tonight which will give us a clue about who it is. A subtle brag, a particularly pointed dig…those are what we should look for. And then tomorrow morning, we will return to the manor and use the ritual to find where your Bonded have ended up. We’ll have to reschedule the meeting with the Fells, but I suspect you are not inclined to spend the time on such things.” He’s right about that.

  Nicholas gives me time to consider his proposal.

  “Tonight.” I say finally.

  “Tonight?” Nicholas asks, one eyebrow twitching upwards.

  “We’ll go to the ball, but we’ll leave as soon as we can. And then we’ll go back to the manor.”

  “Running away in the dead of night would leave quite the impression,” he protests. “And not the one we wish.”

  I cross my arms.

  “Then I’ll go now with my Bonded and you can follow when you feel it’s more appropriate.” Going to the ball itself is more of a concession than I really want to give; staying even longer isn’t something I’m prepared to do.

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  “I didn’t bring enough Cores to activate the portal twice,” Nicholas points out.

  Does he think he’s going to convince me to stay on those grounds? In exasperation, I pull out one of the many Energy Hearts that I manufactured from the Pure Energy stream back in the other world.

  “I was hoping that enough of these could stand in for the Cores.” I see Nicholas focus on the dinnerplate-sized hemisphere. A moment later, he stumbles back, his eyes wide in shock – he must have used an Inspect on it.

  “It is utterly brimming with Energy! Where did you get that?”

  “I made it from the Pure Energy stream.” I wave my hand dismissively but Nicholas’ eyes are still fixed on it.

  “If I’m not mistaken, that’s an air natural Core – those are extremely difficult to get hold of. How on earth did you make it?” I eye him impatiently. Seeing the appreciation mixed with greed would normally have engaged my interest, but right now, I have no patience for it.

  “Do you have a spare Pure Energy stream in your territory?” I demand. He frowns.

  “No.”

  “Then my answer will be useless for you,” I almost snap. “Now, would this work to activate the portal?”

  “I’m sure it would,” Nicholas admits. “And probably better than the Tier three Cores given how much Energy is trapped in there. How many of those do you have?” he licks his lips. “And are they all the same alignment or different?”

  “A few,” I answer in understatement, abruptly wary despite my impatience. Maybe I shouldn’t have revealed these right now – my fear for my companions is making me reckless.

  Nicholas’ eyes glint avariciously for a moment more before they shutter, the noble taking control of himself. He looks contemplative for a moment, and then his expression shifts into something more business-like.

  “Very well. If you are willing to use your Cores to travel, I have a different suggestion. Come to the beginning of the ball. Show your face, speak with some of the attendees. Be gracious about your success in the honour duel and do not reveal the slightest hint of worry. If the perpetrator of your Bonded’s kidnapping is present, let him or her not see any indication that their actions have had an effect on you. If they intend on using your Bonded as leverage against you, it is best that you not show how much they mean to you. Use the time as an opportunity to discover more about what has happened and why.

  “Then, after a few hours, when the gathering is beginning to be a bit too free with the wine, you can slip out. Take Sarran and your Bonded and return to the manor. Investigate what you can. I will return before noon – at a time of the morning that will not evoke comment. At that time, if your Bonded have not yet been found, we will use the ritual – hopefully by then their journey will be at an end and we can find them forthwith. Do you agree with this plan of action?”

  I consider it. He spoke very eloquently and persuasively, but is this the best thing for us?

  He does have a point about using the ball as a fact-finding mission. I have one strong suspect in mind already. After all, who else has already proven that he’s willing to take action against me by using a catspaw? Going for my Bound seems quite in the same vein, whether to use them as blackmail against me or just to hurt me. But it’s possible that this is another player coming out of the shadows – I still don’t know enough about the political landscape not to be blindsided.

  But perhaps if I speak to my top suspect tonight, I’ll be able to get enough of a confession to know if my suspicions are correct or not. Though, I fear that I might not be able to control my worry and fear sufficiently to engage in the double-talk that the nobles expect.

  I express that worry to Nicholas. He nods, seeming unsurprised.

  “I considered that,” he admits. Holding his hand out in front of him, a vial appears within it, a slightly glowing, opaque pale pink liquid filling it. “This is a calming draught. I would not normally offer it – used too frequently it can have negative effects on one’s capacity to feel and control emotions. However, just for tonight, given the situation, I feel it is merited.”

  “What will it do?” I ask cautiously. Those side effects sound serious.

  “It will suppress your emotions for a time. One sip offers approximately six marks of effect – I suggest you take two sips just to be sure.” He hesitates for a moment. “When I’ve used it in the past, it has felt like a blanket settling over me, muffling my emotions. It is more than a little unnerving at first, but you become accustomed to it. However, the more powerful the emotion, the more it is able to push through the muffling. Also, your emotions may be a little volatile for a day or two after it wears off.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” I tell him, taking the draught warily. It sounds pretty awful. But I can’t deny that it will be hard to control myself if I go to the ball. And…if that’s the best way to find out information that might help my Bonded and bring the perpetrators of this kidnapping to justice, then the means justify the ends.

  “Then you accept this plan?” Nicholas checks.

  I sigh, then nod.

  “A few hours, alright.”

  “I will let you know the moment I believe it is acceptable to leave,” Nicholas promises.

  I’ll hold him to that.

  I turn and head back to my room – I need to get ready and to make sure I’m all packed up and ready to go. Not that I’ve unpacked much – that’s the benefit of an extra-dimensional Inventory – but there are a few things I’ve left in my rooms.

  Are you alright with the plan? I check with my Bonded.

  I trust you, Bastet replies immediately. If you think this is the best way to save our pack, we will do it. I’m warmed and humbled once more by her unshakeable faith in me. Fenrir immediately sends a sense of wordless agreement.

  I want to go now, replies Sirocco grouchily, but if this will help, then I’ll accept the delay.

  Ninja just sends me a tremulous sense of grief and fear. I drop my hand to scratch at her neck and she presses in close to my leg.

  Then we’ll do it. I doubt you’ll be allowed with me into the ball, but we’ll find a place for you to wait nearby – I want to go straight from the ball to the teleportation room.

  I can use my shadows to help hide us, Lathani offers.

  Can you extend those to hide others now? I ask, feeling a little startled. She sends me a sense of excitement, though it seems muted as if she’s intentionally suppressing it.

  I made a little breakthrough while you were training for the duel, she offers me as nonchalantly as she can manage.

  Lathani, that’s awesome! I exclaim, my pleasure at her success briefly overcoming my fear and worry for the rest of our group. That’ll come in really useful, I’m sure. I consider it. Maybe we can hide you all near the entrance to the ballroom – that way you can watch who’s coming and going, and maybe overhear something useful when they think they’re away from people listening.

  I feel them all brighten slightly. Guilt crashes over me as I realise that they must be feeling even more useless than I do. Hopefully this will be a way of all of us using our time wisely – and not time that would have been better spent searching for our lost companions.

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