Page 78 of Serpent and Shadow

I threw up a magical shield and tightened it around me, and especially around the sun primal and my aura. My feet never stopped moving as I worked, venturing deeper down the hall. Once I had my aura and primal completely locked down from view, I ignited the magic around my sun primal, and sent out a command to snuff out my reflected monocerus primal.

It dissipated in a whisper of gold and blue particles.

I never stopped walking in the opposite direction of the voices.

My eyes darted over every inch of the stone walls as I silenced my steps and breath with a quick mudra. Luckily, I had some idea what I was looking for now.

For the same reason, I found it quickly.

The deeply shadowed, narrow alcove cut into a segment of the outside wall. Located on my right, it was just a little ways before the suit of armor and roughly fifteen yards from the next sharp turn, where the massive, illuminated portrait of Malefic lived.

That portrait had always made me uneasy.

Part of it was just how realistic and true-to-likeness it was, but I’d wondered if it had been magicked in some way, too. It always seemed to be actually staring at me. I’d even wondered if a linking spell meant Malefic could see me, even from the Pyramid Gaol.

Whether the painting could see me or not, I hated it.

I darted towards the portrait now anyway, unable to see a good alternative.

I reached the crevice, which I’d speculated used to house an artwork of some kind, maybe even a small shrine, and threw myself into the opening.

There was nowhere else to go.

The main receiving hall was just past the curve where Malefic’s portrait lived. There could be a lot more Magicals inside, and even if it was empty, I could be seen from outside through one of the many windows.

I’d have to cross the entire hall to get to anyplace else. Even if I could outrun whoever was coming towards me, it struck me as suicide to risk that.

No, the alcove was better. I receded as deep into the cold, clammy darkness as I could, cramming myself against the far wall.

I would wait until they passed, and hope no one picked up on any trace of my magic or presence. While I stood there, slightly claustrophobic from the narrow space, my head tilted upwards as I rested it on the stone wall behind me, I silently mouthed a few more casts to reinforce the shields I’d put up around my magic.

Meanwhile, a second, deeper voice grew audible.

“––I was last told it could happen as soon as tonight,” the voice finished.

“Tonight?” the first one asked, startled.

His higher voice echoed louder.

“We’re doing this tonight? After what happened in the crypt today? Shouldn’t he root out the spy first? There must be someone planted within our ranks, whether from the Praecuri or Golden Sun. There’s simply no other explanation for someone making it past the chimaeras, much less into the family crypt, which should have incinerated them upon entry!”

I heard a faint scoff.

It echoed down the stone walls, like their words.

“There is no spy,” the voice said contemptuously. “None that is new, anyway. He knows exactly who the traitorous scum is within these walls.”

“Who?” the first voice demanded.

“Malefic knows. That is enough.”

“As do you, I suppose?” a third voice asked.

I didn’t know any of the voices, but I knew all three were male, and none was Malefic. They sounded shockingly close, although I guessed they were only now rounding the gradual curve that followed the round tower’s outer wall.

The second voice scoffed again.

“You should know, as well,” he said pointedly. Without waiting, he added, “…And no, our Dark King is not worried about this. Certainly not enough to change plans that have been under construction for weeks.”