Nezgrom pulsed with an eerie blue light, illuminating the room with soft flashes of its terrifying power. Even as the guard Commander walked in, Nikolai was working on the mirror, pulling lines of magical force into place as he prepared the final spell structure in his temporary arrangement. It was delicate work and Nikolai was hunched over his desk. He glared at the mirror, his face so close his nose was almost pressed into the gla.s.s, only giving Petrov a cursory glance as he walked in.Petrov"s pale face and sunken eyes spoke of long nights and exhausting work, leaving Nikolai worried for the man"s health. He"d rarely seen Petrov"s illness acting up to this extent. It was to the point his hands spasmed occasionally and deep shivers ran through his body like a winter breeze was blowing through the room. Still, the Commander stood rigid to the side, coughing in great rocking heaves and remaining silent. Whether he was afraid of Nikolai"s wrath or feared the consequences of a failed magical experiment was unknown, but his silence nagged at Nikolai even as he tried to focus on his work.
"It"s late." Nikolai said, fingers dancing over the metallic rim of the mirror to guide magical glyphs into place. "I a.s.sume there"s nothing urgent?"
"Nothing urgent Milord and yes it"s late. Almost midnight." Petrov wheezed, drawing a shaky breath after a particularly rough hacking cough. "I came to update you on our activities."
"Tell me."
A deep blue radiance formed within Nezgrom, creating a swirl of light that almost looked liquid. Without turning his head, Nikolai manoeuvred the substance into his hand, letting it slide down his fingers into the mirror.
"Are you sure?" Petrov asked, eyes glued to the magic, eyebrow twitching in surprise at the shocking display. Nikolai rarely cast this sort of magic in front of others, especially his retainers. Their fears and preconceptions of magic aside, dealing with spells for refining or spell constructs was delicate work and any interruption could cause irreparable harm to the device.
"I know what I"m doing. Just tell me." Nikolai"s gaze never left the mirror, sometimes muttering under his breath to cast some spells to stabilise the structures being grafted into the device. Nezgrom was a capable tool for this sort of work but it lacked the finesse for the final touches.
"I believe most of the guardsmen who"ve been… turned… are caught. A few merchants who were trying to smuggle Stardust through the gate were brought in, but as per our discussions were swiftly released with only a token fine." Petrov reached into a pocket to pull out a handkerchief and blow his nose, making sure to carry out the action with a measured pace. An action difficult to carry out elegantly yet he somehow managed.
"So nothing new?" Nikolai grunted with effort as the spells took hold, self sustaining cycles of magic forming to maintain the spell structure. Petrov had suggested acting like they weren"t interested in the drug trade. To that end those who were caught possessing Stardust were fined a varying amount, depending on their income, and then released so Nikolai"s enemies wouldn"t become suspicious.
"We"re making headway in finding their hideouts but the rot seems deep Milord." Petrov sighed, hanging his head in shame.
The light from Nezgrom dimmed slowly and Nikolai pushed the completed mirror away.
Stretching his body, Nikolai glanced up at Petrov. "It"s not your fault."
"I still feel we should have done better."
"We can wish for lot"s of things, but better to leave the past behind." Nikolai"s heart lurched in sadness at his own regrets. Petrov"s concerns seemed so inconsequential in comparison. "We"ll fix this and then move on."
The Commander drew a deep breath, like he was about to say something which would anger Nikolai. "Milord, I believe we need a few more days."
"You"re the one who said we needed to move quickly."
"Yes, but I feel we"re close to uncovering a crucial piece of information."
"What information?" Intrigued, Nikolai gestured for Petrov to take a seat.
"I"m not sure but the more people we find and bring in for interrogation, the more it points us towards something sinister." Petrov coughed and grinned weakly, aware his feelings weren"t enough to change Nikolai"s mind.
"I"ve argued with Elya over this Commander." Nikolai scowled at the thought. If he turned around and agreed, he wouldn"t have any standing in front of his fiancée. Who"d like someone so fickle? Especially after telling her how decisions were so important. "Unless you have something concrete, we move day after tomorrow." Nikolai looked out of the window at the moons high in the sky. It was already midnight. "We move tomorrow I mean."
"But-"
"Do you have evidence?"
"No Milord." Petrov"s body trembled, and he coughed several times.
"Our date is set then." Nikolai declared, eyes blazing in conviction, not allowing any disagreement. He disliked acting so forcefully, but he"d already asked for a.s.sistance and keeping even part of a Legion idle near a town was a recipe for disaster. Vlada would definitely raise a fuss if Nikolai called off the a.s.sault because of a "feeling".
A determined expression grew on Petrov"s face and he nodded slowly. "So be it Milord. If your mind cannot be changed, we proceed as planned."
The Commander pulled out a small flask of cider and Nikolai"s eyes lit up. Petrov poured for both of them and corked the flask carefully, settling it within his coat like he feared even a drop spilling out.
"I"m glad you brought this Petrov, the day"s been long." Nikolai took a small sip, revelling in the tart taste and gazing out of the window, enjoying the starlight falling on his face.
"It has." Petrov"s response was curt, his eyes darting to Nikolai"s gla.s.s and sweat beading on his face.
"Are you sure you don"t want me to check your illness?" Nikolai yawned, a wave of exhaustion coursing through his body.
"It won"t be necessary Milord." Petrov rose from his seat and took a few steps back, licking his lips and eyeing Nikolai like he faced a great beast.
"What"s wrong?" Nikolai yawned again, feeling light-headed as he stood up. "I really need to sleep." He mumbled. The words came out slurred, and he frowned, finding it difficult to keep track of his own thoughts. He"d never felt this confused even when he faced thousands of screaming soldiers. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Petrov"s ashen gaze fixed on the gla.s.s of cider.
Cider which only Nikolai drank.
Petrov"s own gla.s.s remained untouched on the desk.
Another wave of dizziness. .h.i.t him and Nikolai gasped in horror, the gla.s.s falling from his trembling fingers, cider staining the floorboards a terrible dark orange.
He"d been poisoned!
The room spun around him, twisting in every direction. His hands caught the edge of the desk, papers flying everywhere in his descent. Nikolai couldn"t focus, shapes and colours flashing awkwardly in strange patterns. Confused at the warped sensations, he tried to reach for his magic only for it to slip away from him at the last moment, like trying to catch a fish with your bare hands.
The few droplets he gleaned coursed through his veins and searched for the toxin fruitlessly. It should have been impossible for anyone, even his closest a.s.sociates, to poison him. He kept talismans on his person which detected every single poisonous substance known to the Empire and the Council, even some which weren"t.
"They told me a non-lethal substance wouldn"t alert you." Petrov"s voice sounded like it was coming from a thousand miles away one moment and right next to his ear the next. Through the haze in his mind Nikolai stared at the Commander feverishly scrabbling through his own pockets in search of something.
Nikolai"s legs gave way, and he crashed to the floor, moaning at the pain radiating from his knees at the impact.
"Why?" He croaked, staring at Petrov"s looming figure.
"They promised… wouldn"t kill you… Galicia… spell…" It was impossible to focus under the influence of the poison and Nikolai could only catch one word in ten.
Nikolai"s body shook and his vision cleared for a moment, seeing Petrov holding a small disc out of the window and sensing soft waves of magical power emanating from it.
The moment of clarity vanished and darkness enveloped him as he slipped into a deep sleep.