The nesting grounds lay deep within the clay warrens. The animated dragon corpse rose from the rear of the formation.
Freya, Mazarin, Enoch, and I engaged the front line while Sal and Charles supported from a distance. An avatar of death appeared, threatening Freya and House Maelthrumm, before Mazarin felled it.
A gilded playing card rested in his breast pocket. A King of Clubs, from an ornate deck, marked “Death.” Sal noted the insignia on its attire: the Magistraium, also known as Aetherforge College, specifically the High Etherium Conservatory. Highly selective, but not known for necromancy.
Enoch found additional abnormalities within the dragon’s remains: charms embedded with deliberate symmetry. A type of arcane battery meant to sustain the corpse and enhance its abilities.
We constructed a pyre for Freya’s fallen bulettes. She spoke a Maelthrumm prayer, “…even if it means carrying the wound ourselves, rest now. You are mine and you are mine no longer.”
She suspects the necromancer has allied with the Fifth Recruits, an insurrectionist group of naval deserters, Steel Covenant defectors, and former Switchrail wardens, numbering nearly a thousand. No orders have been issued to engage them, thus they remain undisturbed in southern portion of the island.
We returned to the Katharis estate without further interruption.
Charles withdrew to his quarters. NOTE: Staff accounts indicate that he wrote to Belladonna Vorynth and studied the weapon she provided. Observers described the weapon as expressing “hunger” and “restlessness,” and noted that Charles appeared physically impacted by its bond.
I went to Marrion’s quarters. The momentum of the day made it an appropriate time to finish what we previously began.
I asked whether she, or more precisely the spymaster, intended to use me and my cohort. Her reaction was controlled but sharp, something nearer to tightly masked frustration. She reminded me of the risks she has taken on our behalf and the personal cost of doing so. She referred to my position as “naval royalty”, and her meaning was plain enough: I am too deeply entwined in this to be anything but an asset she must handle carefully.
I sought clarity: whether she saw me as a person or merely an instrument.
Rather than answer, she stepped in to kiss me, closing the distance in place of an explanation. I withdrew, waiting for something intentional rather than impulsive. When she finally spoke, she offered only that she, and many others, had a vested interest in my success.
I left after saying little more, only that many seemed invested in my success, and I had hoped she might be invested in me. At the door, I saw the start of tears. I returned briefly and kissed her. Not forgiveness, only acknowledgment that her emotions affected me, and that I had not withdrawn from the possibility of us.
I like her, and I believe she feels something in return. But her position requires caution, and I am shaped as I am. Understanding the reasons does little to soften the ache.
Current Places
- Conscriptus
- The Clay Warrens
- Katharis Manor
Recap Video
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