Delfín got out of Morr's jungle as soon as he could. He was far enough from the Liev Tower to avoid being spotted. He stopped at Mejulas to treat his wounds and change his clothes. Then he traveled along Lake Ortos for a week until he reached Finch's Forest. During the trip, he had time to think and re-evaluate his life, but the result was not good. The pain of the burns on his face and body was a joke compared to the injuries to his mind.
'Someone is coming,' warned Geralt, who was on watch.
'Does he come alone?' asked Astrid.
'Yes, it could be him.'
'Thats why we must not trust the information obtained from the royalty and the palace.'
The hooded man made a sign from the distance, and Geralt went out to meet him.
'Master, I'm glad to see you alive.'
'Don't call me master again,' replied Delfín, drinking out of a bottle.
"He's drunk," thought Geralt as he led Delfín into the forrest, where Astrid awaited.
'Heavens be blessed; you are still alive, Master. The Liev's Tower and the crown announced that you had died in a "mission".'
Delfín laughed and lifted up his bottle.
'A toast for a dead man,' he said, drinking.
'What happened, Master?' asked Astrid.
'Don't call me master again! Never call me that,' yelled Delfín.
It was obvious that something had happened to the master beyond an attempted murder.
'What happened, Delfín?'
'What happened? Nothing. Nothing happened. Because everything we thought, all of our history, is a bunch of lies. Van Vatnik is Liev's grandson. Liev was a warlock, the greatest user of arcane magic in history. The Liev Tower is essentially a cemetery. The crown, the teachers, the courts, everybody knew it; the regulators are just a bunch of fools used to clean up after the atrocities committed by the royal court. And me... I am the greatest fool in history, as Gaelion said, "a glorified secretary".' said Delfín, laughing and drinking.
Astrid and Geralt sat on the floor. Delfin's words confirmed everything.
'We need allies; maybe magicians from another kingdom would have a political interest in helping us,' said Geralt.
'Don't count me in,' replied Delfín.
'Master, we have to...'
Delfín interrupted Astrid by yelling at her.
'Don't call me master! I'm not a master. I'm just a clown that does the paperwork'
'Delfin, we have to find allies; there must be a way of'...′
'It's not my problem!' yelled Delfín again. 'I don't care what happens to the dynasty, to the tower, the regulators, or the crown. I don't give a shit about Clinton, the Warlocks, the arcane magic, or the Vonders. I'm done with this shit; fuck everything. Do whatever the fuck you want; I don't care.' Delfin turned around and began to walk through the forest of Finch on his way to Veldat kingdom.
Geralt picked up a crossbow from behind a tree and was preparing to shoot against Delfín. Astrid stopped him.
'Let him go; he won't say anything, and I am sure that we will need him in the future. We already have a few allies; we cannot lose those that might join us in the future.'
'What shall we do now?' asked Gerald, lowering the crossbow.
'We need the De Vonder; they are the only ones able to confront the masters,' replied Astrid.
A few days later, Astrid met with the De Vonder family at their little house on the outskirts of Mola.
'What can our mercenary family do to assist the regulators, captain?' asked Xavier.
Astrid looked at Gerald, who nodded and went out of the house.
'You should send your boys to watch outside, too; what I have to say is very dangerous information,' advised Astrid.
'And be alone with a water magician wearing an enchanted uniform? Yeah, sure'. Xavier smiled.
'A careful man, excellent, I have come to the right place.' Astrid smiled back.
'However, I insist, you should send out at least one of them and help Geralt keep watch. What I have to tell and ask from you would be a reason to unleash wars.'
Xavier looked at Uruk, who, after grumbling a little, went out to watch the surroundings of the house.
'I won't beat around the bush.' We need your help and that of your family.
Astrid told Xavier and Temma everything related to the conspiracy of the use of arcane magic, from the involvement of the crown, the titled magicians, the academic teachers, probably the high ranks of regulators, to the betrayal of the dragons by the human side, and finally, the fact that Clinton was still alive.
'I see, I understand, and we're not going to help you,' said Xavier, leaving Astrid in utter shock and confusion.
'Clinton is still alive; don't you want him to pay for what he has done?' asked Astrid.
'How? Sending my boys to die so you can avenge your lover? You think I didn't know? Rumors fly among the nobles. Don't come back to me with fairy tales and bullshit about doing the right thing. The nobles have abused the peasants all their lives, sacrificing us whenever necessary. Tell me, how many times have you neglected an injustice committed against a peasant when the criminal was a high-ranking nobleman?'
Astrid remained silent.
'Now you come here seeking to sacrifice my boys. What are you going to do? To wage a war against the entire army, the regulators, and all the magicians of the dynasty? What are you going to do after? Will you clean up the other kingdoms as well? I'm sure it's the same in Veldat and Orphen'
Astrid kept silent.
'Thank you very much for your visit, Captain Van Castin, but the Mercenary family of Vonder is not interested in your offer. Temma, please escort the captain out.'
'No need; thank you for receiving me, Leader De Vonder,' said Astrid with a slight reverence, to which Xavier replied with another of his own.
Astrid got out of the house and went away along with Geralt, who did not bother to ask. It was clear that things had not gone well. A few days later, they headed to the Van Felding mansion. The place was a disaster; various things were out of place, including paintings removed from the wall. Furniture and shelves were covered by cloth.
'Astrid, dear. Geralt, it is a pleasure to see you.' Ultria greeted them.
The death of her son, her husband, and the years had not been kind to her; she had grown old, and although she tried to smile cordially, a certain melancholy could be seen on her face.
'How have you been, Ultria?' asked Astrid.
'As good as I can be,' replied Ultria, serving the tea.
'So, you are still set on leaving?' asked Gerald.
'Yes. Nadial knows the language of the NU empire. We'll move our medicinal herb business there. I have some plants that are only found in Morr's jungle, and that would be good business in the empire, if we manage to take them there alive.
'Ultria, I know I am asking too much, but would you reconsider? With everything we know and everything that could happen in the future, we need all the help we can get' implored Astrid.
'I have lost a son, my husband, a leg, my faith in the dynasty, and the crown. Don't ask me for more; I will save the only child I have left, and I will put him and myself away from this web of lies and corpses,' answered Ultria to Astrid's request.
'I understand,' said Astrid without insisting again.
They talked about mundane things for a while, until Astrid and Gerald said goodbye. They met Nadial in the hallway. He had changed; he was stronger and bulkier, and it was noticeable that he was practicing the sword. They greeted him briefly and left the mansion.
'We are all alone,' said Astrid with a sigh of defeat.
'What shall we do now?' asked Gerald.
'We wait.'
Gerald looked at her, intrigued.
'Clinton is an egocentric maniac, obsessed with power, and if he's alive, he must be planning something. All our potential allies have rejected us today, but tomorrow they may have to unite by force in the face of a greater danger. All we have to do is wait, prepare, and plan a good strategy,' Astrid replied.
Meanwhile, in Telassa, in the royal palace.
'What did I tell you, Melan? That boy just brings trouble.'
'Calm down, Lydia; it was only a matter of time before Delfín or anyone else found out, and you know it. In any case, the boy has been beneficial to the dark court, and he has not long left to live. His miama disease is getting worse and worse; your problem will be solved by itself soon.
Outside the room, Clinton had listened to the conversation. On her way out, Lydia didn't pay attention to him and just walked away.
'Ah Clinton! Come in,' Melan invited him. 'What have you brought me today?'
'Not much to tell the truth,' answered Clinton. 'It is only a contingency plan, there is no barrier that is eternal, so with this little spell, we could strengthen the separation between the worlds when it weakens.'
'That is interesting,' said Melan.
'Not so much; in fact, it is only a slight modification of the same spell that we used to create the barrier, though...'
'It has a high demand for sacrifices, doesn't it?' asked Melan.
'Correct,' answered Clinton.
'How many lives?'
'I would say about a hundred,' replied Clinton.
'Not that bad. Good job.' Melan congratulated.
'We have to add some ritual diagrams near the barrier to check its state.' Clinton put a few papers on the table; they had several runes, diagrams, and pentagrams.
Melan analyzed the documents superficially, confirming their function.
'I will present it at the next court meeting; you will have to wait until then.' Clinton made a reverence with the intention of leaving.
'Wait,' Melan stopped him. 'Lidia and other court members are concerned. You know what happened to Master Delfín. We assume that a few more people know about what happened and about the existence of the two courts. We suspect Astrid Van Castin and the Van Felding family know, with the latter intending to emigrate outside the dynasty, which makes us suspect even more that they know what's going on.'
'What are you going to do with them?' asked Clinton.
'Nothing,' replied Melan. 'The Van Felding are not a problem, especially if they are moving away from the dynasty. Astrid has given no sign of taking any kind of action. She will probably remain silent on this. The problem is you.'
Those words were bad news for Clinton.
'From now on, you will remain in the palace. You will not attend social events. We can't risk more people discovering you. Do you understand that your debt to the dynasty has not yet been paid?'
'I understand, Excellency,' answered Clinton, bowing down. "I don't give a shit about the dynasty," thought Clinton, leaving Melan's office and returning to his room.
Once alone, she took off his clothes, looking in the mirror. His body was covered with magic circle tattoos, emblems, runes, and diagrams. He sat on the bedside, thinking "soon," while using a needle and ink to create a new tattoo on the inside skin of his left leg.