Walking back along the empty roads from Lord Weston’s estate to Lady Eleanor’s left me with a less than comfortable feeling. I couldn’t sense anyone but I had the feeling I was being watched. It may have just been me overthinking things but it had me on edge the entire way back.

My biggest worry right now is Randall. If Randall is working with Elkia it’s possible he already knows our escape plans. I have no way of detecting him so he could be standing within my own shadow and I wouldn’t even know it. The only thing keeping me somewhat optimistic is the feeling that we’re not very high on the list of Elkian priorities.

In taking over the whole of Freeport, Elkia will undoubtedly be forced to spread their soldiers thin. The Ashton family is considered one of the 100 families, but it’s just that, one family. Expending so much effort on just one family that is not very powerful in the grand scheme of things would be a tremendous waste of manpower.

Of course, if they know I’m still alive then our spot on the priority list may be much higher, but I’m hoping that if we leave quick enough we will be able to avoid a large number of pursuers. Even if they know we are traveling in the tunnel they should not be able to enter without the help of the Osborne mage. But this is both a good thing and a bad thing.

Though the requirement of a mage to enter the tunnel will help buy us a little time, it almost guarantees that mage will be the one sent to us. And with Randall’s guidance, that tunnel could easily become a death trap. Right now I don’t know very much at all about the mage other than he is very strong. And depending on what abilities he has, escaping through the tunnel could be suicide.

If he is an elemental mage I can at least assume he has a high water affinity due to the freezing of the river, so filling the tunnel with water would be very easy. If he has affinities in air or fire as well he would be able to suffocate us or burn us alive in the tunnel, and if he has an earth affinity he could collapse the tunnel or heat the rock to a molten state.

Even if I am able to match him we would still most likely need to escape out of the tunnel. Of course, if he is an arcane mage then it’s almost impossible to predict how he would attack. It would all depend on what he is skilled in and his mana capacity. No matter what, because of the probability of Randall betraying us and sending our location to Elkia the tunnel has become a danger.

It seems like none of our plans have worked the way we had hoped. How simpleminded I was in planning this tunnel, it’s almost laughable. Is this really the best I could come up with? If we didn’t have to worry about that mage it would probably be fine, but I never considered a secondary plan for escape, even now I can’t think of anything.

Any above ground movements are bound to be spotted so there is no possibility of escape there. Once the river begins to flow normally we could possibly sneak out by boat. I can manipulate the water and travel much quicker. But there is no way the canal is not being well guarded so we’d need to leave the city first and then make it to the river putting us at risk of being spotted. And since we’re going to Asmuth a boat will not be very helpful for any length of time.

No matter how much I think about it I can’t come up with anything better. Maybe creating a distraction of some sort could help, but what type of distraction would work? It would need to be big and it would need to be something that is not easily seen through quickly.

But anything I think of that can gain us enough time would put innocent people in danger. I don’t want to become the type of person who can kill innocent people for a reason like causing a distraction. At the very least I’m certain I can escape. But again that would come at the sacrifice of Lady Eleanor’s group.

Is it even wise to travel with Lady Eleanor’s group anymore? They’ll probably be looking for me once they figure out they’ve failed. If I’m not with Lady Eleanor then even if they are found out they probably won’t be killed. But a battle between myself and another mage, it would probably be impossible for me to fight and protect at the same time.

This really goes back to me killing Philip Osborne. Killing him removed a strong enemy from potential future conflicts. But it also created a blood feud between me and his brother. I don’t know what I could have done differently though. It was him or me, anyone would defend themselves. But I doubt hearing that would make his brother happy.

Right now I don’t know what the best thing to do is and unfortunately I don’t think anyone is capable of giving me any advice. The sooner we leave the better our chances will be. It would be for the best if Elkia does not know the results of the battle between Philip and me yet. Once they know though, Philips brother will surely be after my head.

They’ll probably find their way here first. What will happen to the people of the estate? The guards of Lady Eleanor’s estate seemed confused to the point of leaving. With no word from Gerard or Lady Eleanor on what they should do in case of Elkian intrusion, it looks like they’d be willing to just allow them entry to the estate. Well, it’s not like they could really do anything to stop them.

The housekeepers and other servants are equally if not more panicked than the guards. I’ve done my best to calm everyone, telling them Lady Eleanor is sick and they should just continue as though it was a normal day, but I have little to no authority here and telling people not to worry about anything when we were clearly under attack earlier is a little disingenuous.

Still, it’s not like I can just come out and say, we’re escaping the city because it’s not safe for us. Unfortunately, we can’t save everyone. I still don’t think it will be too bad for them though. The Empire never mistreated people they intended to take as citizens, so as long as they do not fight the new people in charge I don’t think their lives will change all that much.

Now that we’re about to leave I’m starting to worry about silly things like how it’s much cooler this evening than it has been. My jacket keeps me warm but the parts of my body that are uncovered can feel the sting of the frosty air. Underground the air temperature stays pretty constant, but I’m beginning to worry about our trip to Asmuth.

If we’re able to leave without incident we’ll still need to travel almost 500 miles. Because we're traveling by wagon depending on the roads this could take us more than a month. I know nothing about the climate here in the Northern Territories, but if it’s getting this cold already than how cold will it be as we travel to the northeast?

I’ve packed some blankets but I just hope they’re enough. If I had more room in my bag I’d probably try to take as much as I can from the mansion itself but it’s just not possible. Taking one last look I’m sure Lady Eleanor is suffering inside at losing everything her family ever worked for.

She probably took it all for granted just like I did. I wonder what happens to estates that no longer have an owner. The Candor estate was probably seized by the Empire. But what do they do with it after that? It could have been given to a member of the Emperors family, or perhaps one of those ministers my father would complain about.

What was it he said again? “The ministers were lowborn wretches that did not deserve to be in positions of power.” I think he had a problem with people he felt were inferior to him holding power that even exceeded his own within the imperial court. I understand what the Emperor was thinking though.

The Emperor was wise in making use of talented individuals and stripping power from the nobles little by little. It was also a great way to showcase how well his programs such as the education system worked. By placing smart people who went through his schools in positions of power and giving them the tools to become successful the Emperor was making a statement of “fall in line or I’ll replace you with someone else.”

How would that work with Elkia? There are no nobles in Freeport, just the overly wealthy and the poor. The council would be the closest thing to nobility here, but what will become of them? And what of Asmuth? Lady Eleanor did not speak of nobility but said they had officials that were selected by the people in certain regions as representatives for them.

That seems terribly inefficient to me though. And having people select their leaders… I’m not really sure if that is a good thing or bad thing. If it’s broken up by region then you’ll have representatives for poor people and representatives for wealthy people. Different people from different regions will want different things. So how does anything ever get done?

Surely there is no way to give everyone what they want so they probably have to compromise somehow. Which means no one gets what they want. People are pretty selfish, so how much are they ever really able to compromise on? No matter how I think about it, it seems inefficient. I really think it’s better to have one ruler who has talented subordinates.

I should be able to find out more about it on the way there and see it in action once I arrive. Hopefully, they’re not as incompetent as the council was here in Freeport. If they are then I don’t hold out much in the way of hope for them. Even if they are part of an alliance.

So it’s going to take us about 8 to 10 hours to make it through this tunnel. Leaving now will get us to the exit sometime in the middle of the night. But then we’ll need to travel another 80 miles to the Ferry. That will take us an additional 1-2 days depending.

I would have liked to scout the route a bit more beforehand but there just wasn’t enough time. Thinking about the time it takes makes me want to try tunneling under the river. But then the thought of that mage attacking makes me want to avoid the tunnel altogether.

Well, it’s time to tell Lady Eleanor we’ll be leaving without Lady Grace or Lord Weston. She probably isn’t going to take it well but we need to leave now, waiting any longer will be like waiting for a death sentence and even though I like Lady Eleanor, I’m not willing to give up my life for anyone.

********

“General, Colonel Dyer reports an absolute defeat of the Northsmen.”

“Absolute defeat huh... What about our losses major? What are our numbers?”

“Sadly they’re quite high General. Preliminary estimates are over 12 thousand men, 300 ogres, and 50 warbeasts dead or injured. sir.”

Truly an army of warriors. To kill ogres and warbeasts as well as my men like they did… any army would want them amongst their ranks.

“And what of the Northsmen?”

“Thanks to the warbeasts we were able to completely crush them.”

Well, it’s what we had hoped for. Killing that many will help in the future. No one is sure how many warriors there are in the Northern Expanse, but this has to be a major loss.

“However, there was a problem sir”

“Oh, what is it?”

“Apparently their leader escaped sir. Colonel Dyer has sent a pursuit force but it is getting dark now and the war horses the Northsmen use are far superior to our own. Keeping pace with him has become very difficult.”

Hmm… ideally we would not let him escape but overall I don’t believe it will cause too many problems. If anything, him fleeing will probably cause problems for himself. If I remember correctly Northsmen who flee the battlefield are greatly looked down upon, and in some cases, they can be considered traitors who are put to death.

It’s possible he escaped death at our hands only to face it by the hands of his own people.

“Send a message to the Colonel, continue pursuit for no more than 1 additional day. We don’t have the resources to send a group of people to track a single warrior for an extended time.”

Now then, I need to speak with that mage next and finish securing the wall. Tomorrow we’ll begin aiding the people with supplies and try to get an accurate body count as well as begin repairs. I’ll need to meet with the council to formally announce Freeport as a part of the Kingdom of Elkia. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day.

********

Mother still seems distraught but thankfully after some convincing on the part of this Jayce and myself, she agreed to leave. I don’t know if Grace is being held captive or not but for all of us to risk our lives would be beyond silly.

Grace is mother’s favorite. We all know that. That doesn’t really bother me much as she never truly showed favoritism to any of us, but she becomes irrational at times when it involves her. Personally I agree with Jayce. Whether she is a captive or not I do not believe any harm will come to her.

Being married to Lord Weston is sure to grant her some privileges that none of us would have. At the very least she can be a useful tool to Elkia in controlling this city. It’s clear a lot of thought went into how to conquer Freeport so I doubt they would harm Grace for no reason.

If they put so much thought into conquering the city in less than a day then surely they thought of how to control the people. They’ll probably try to transition the city into their government slowly to avoid revolts and what better way than to make use of the council?

Either way I’m just glad we are finally leaving. Although I’m happy to be on the move I can’t say I’m enjoying traveling through a tunnel. The cold damp air does not feel very comfortable and I’m terrified that this tunnel will collapse at any time. Jayce continues to reassure us there is nothing to worry about, but how can anyone truly believe that when it’s pretty obvious he does not believe that?

I’m sure for him it’s not a problem. Even if there is a collapse he’ll be able to escape, but for us, I don’t think we’ll be so fortunate. For now he’s helping us, but the moment we become too much of a burden I’m certain he will abandon us. I don’t blame him for it. It’s exactly what I would do if I was in his situation.

We’re not his family so there is no reason for him to die for us. As long as we all understand that then there is no problem, but unfortunately my mother seems to be willing to trust her life to him. I don’t know very much about magic but it would not surprise me if this magician somehow charmed my mother using magic.

“I think we should rest here for a while, is that alright with you Mr. Jayce?”

“Yeah that’s fine, is an hour long enough?”

“That should be enough.”

It’s strange seeing Gerard act respectfully to anyone other than my mother. Not that he is disrespectful to people overall, but he is normally a bit more abrasive. Mother must have said something to him about this Jayce. We’re all relying on him so I understand it to an extent, but she is a bit more kind than I would expect.

From what I have found out he is actually a mercenary who happened to take a job my mother had requested. Why she would look to the mercenary guild for an entertainer makes no sense to me, but my mother has always done things differently. But other than his job as a mercenary I was unable to find anything else out. Maybe it’s best to just get it from the source.

“So Jayce, what made you become a mercenary?”

“Hmm… well, I was new in Freeport and I thought maybe it would be a good way to earn money and possibly travel as well.”

“Oh really? You’re quite young to be traveling as a mercenary on your own, aren’t you? Where are your parents?”

“I don’t think I’m particularly young, there were other people signing up at the guild who were just as young as I am, perhaps even younger. And as for my parents, well I’d rather not discuss my family.”

So he doesn’t want to talk about his family huh? Did he perhaps run away from home? He seems somewhat educated so he should not have come from a bad family. Could it be they are dead? He didn’t seem upset when I asked about his parents so were they not close?

“Is that so? Then tell me, where are you from Jayce?”

“Belle I think that is enough. You’re clearly making Mr. Jayce uncomfortable with your questions.”

There she goes again protecting him for no reason. As if he were a child that requires the help of an adult at all times.

“Oh I’m just curious about Jayce that’s all. I mean, such a young mage happens to appear in our house, wouldn’t anyone be interested?”

“I hired him for your sister’s wedding, after that, I hired him to help us escape. That’s all there is to it.”

Why is mother protecting him? I don’t understand her reasoning. Does she know something but is unwilling to share it with the rest of us.

“I don’t mean any offense please forgive me Jayce”

“No it’s ok, I’m not offended, but I really do not wish to talk about my family. But you seem to be worried Lady Annabelle, is there something other than my family, in particular, that is worrying you? Maybe I can help put your mind at ease.”

Put my mind at ease huh? I’m not sure if he is able to do that, at least not with the situation we are in.

“It just bothers me that we know nothing about you, I’m not accusing you of anything, but how do we know that you are not leading us to the Elkian army instead of helping us flee the city?”

Well, I don’t really think that is the case, there’d be easier ways to do that if he wanted to, but really should we be trusting someone implicitly that we know nothing about? That seems dangerous to me.

“I’m not sure how I can convince you, but I really have no relationship with Elkia. I wanted to escape as well because I didn’t want to be a part of their military, but now that I killed one of their mages as well as a platoon of armored riders the Elkian military will probably be looking to kill me instead of looking to have me join. And is there really a need to do this to capture you? I could have just closed off the tunnel and trapped everyone in the bunker.”

So he’s wanted by Elkia? Isn’t that bad for us? If what he said is true then he probably wouldn’t walk us into a trap, but he’d be more likely to use us as a decoy to escape. Then will he even protect us at all?

“Very true Belle, now I think you’ve asked enough. Mr. Jayce I believe you said you would like to vent out the tunnel once again, please do not allow us to keep you.”

“Yes, then Lady Eleanor, Lady Annabelle please excuse me.”

Hmm…, it looks like my mother really is trying to protect him for some reason. Is it because of what his secret is? Could there be some ulterior motive of hers? Or is it because he’s Grace’s age that she looks at him like he’s a child who needs her protection?

Mother has always been protective of children so that may not be too far-fetched. If he has grown on her then it’s certainly possible. But someone powerful enough to build this tunnel and build a pit with the intentions of slaughtering thousands, is that really someone you would treat as a child?

“Belle, you may be curious, or maybe you’re up to something else, but I am telling you, do not bother Mr. Jayce and do not interfere with him any further. Right now he is our only hope at leaving this disaster. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.”

“Say it again Belle, and this time mean it.”

“Yes Mother, I will no longer interfere with Jayce.”

“Good, then Gerard can you please bring me to lie down. I’m feeling a bit dizzy from this low light and stuffy air.”

“Yes, Lady Eleanor.”

Thankfully we should be exiting the tunnel within 4 or 5 more hours. But being underground so long is clearly not good for mother’s illness. For now I’ll keep my distance. I suppose it doesn’t really matter what his background is as long as he does what he said he would. But unlike mother, I will not so easily trust someone I know nothing about.

********

Unlike the night before there were no screams for help, no cries of sorrow, and no maniacal laughter racing through the city. Enveloped in the darkness that surrounded the city, tonight, on this nearly moonless night, all of Freeport was silent.

As he looked out the small window in his cell, the lone prisoner of the western barracks thought back to the events leading up to this moment and how foolish he had been. The signs were always there, but he had been blinded by his own pride. His arrogance was his downfall.

Convinced that he would be the one to save Freeport from the disaster on the horizon Lord Weston ignored the obvious in the pursuit of his own statue. To be immortalized as the savior of the city. To him, it was only natural that a man of his talents would be treated as such.

At least that is what he believed. As a Weston, it was what he deserved. But he never thought that his fellow members were not only complacent in the fall of Freeport, they were the ones driving it. He had to admit that giving enough time if left alone Freeport would fall, but it would have been years from now by his estimates, perhaps even a decade or more. And that was only if nothing was done to prevent it.

Alan Weston had ideas, plans, a full pathway to recovery and he knew once he was able to implement his plans things would turn for the better. But he never had the chance. It wasn’t that the council treated him like a kid or thought his plans were foolish, in fact, he was now more certain than ever that his plans would have worked and that is why they were rejected. The council worked hard to force Freeport to fail.

Perhaps that was what was most painful to Alan. Freeport would fail but he was now more certain than ever that he had the solution to all the cities ailments. He was like a doctor that was not allowed to cure the ill but instead forced to sit idly by as his patients died.

“Who’s there!? Show yourself!”

The sound of the outer cell doors slamming startled Lord Weston back to the reality of his station. The last person to visit him had been Lady CeeCee earlier in the day and part of him was hoping she came back. He had been emotional and confused earlier but now that he had calmed down his head was filled with questions that only she would be able to answer.

“Relax Alan it’s just me.”

“Lando? What are you doing here? Did you perhaps come to laugh at my misfortunes one last time?”

He had never liked Lando. His dislike for him wasn’t as deep as his hatred for Isaac Wolfe, but Lando was a close second. As far as he was concerned Lando was just a yes man who had been bought and paid for by Isaac. He was a man of low morals and stood for nothing. Men like him should never be in a position of power over others. Alan despised him for it.

“Nothing of the sort Alan, nothing of the sort. Trust me, I do not want to be here either, but we just couldn’t allow you to go through what they have planned.”

Not once did Lando look in Lord Weston’s direction. It was clear he was troubled by the reason he was here. Like he was ashamed by his actions and did not wish for Lord Weston to see his face. The look of someone who knows they are guilty of a crime and feels they deserve to be punished.

“What are you talking about Lando? What have you all planned?”

“Here Alan, before that I have something for you from Lady CeeCee. She made it herself apparently. I didn’t even know Lady CeeCee could cook but she said it was your father’s favorite dish.”

“Chicken pot pie…”

Slumping down and almost falling to his knees Lord Weston’s eyes began to glisten as a flood of warm memories filled his head.

“Oh, so you know about it then?”

How could he not know, it was his favorite food as well. His father loved chicken pot pie. He would eat it at least 3 or 4 times a week and had shared it with Alan all the way up until his death. After his father died he had asked the maids to make him chicken pot pie on numerous occasions, but it was never the same.

“She said she used to make this for your father all the time and you would probably enjoy it as well.”

Taking the tin from Lando’s hand Alan removed the cover and the aroma carried by the steam slammed into his nostrils causing him to stumble backward. This was it, this was the same aroma he remembered growing up. This food that he shared with his father on so many occasions. It had been years but he finally had it in front of him once more.

How many nights had he sat down to listen to his father’s stories while eating this very same chicken pot pie? Debating the correct way to solve the city’s economic problems in the study while sharing one of these pies. Or just sitting in peace and silence admiring his father as many young boys do.

The food in front of him was not its components and it’s flavor, the food in front of him was like a pathway to the past back to the man he admired the most. He never thought he would taste that wondrous chicken pot pie that had brought about so many happy memories shared with his father.

The tears streamed down his face and with every bite another memory would flash through his mind. This was a bliss he had not felt in a very long time. But within the bliss was also a sense of sorrow. There was a longing to go back to those days, and sadness for what he had done, for the things he had said.

“I’m, I’m sorry Lady CeeCee. I was such a child, I didn’t know anything for your suffering. You were in so much pain for all these years and I said those things. Lando”

“Yes Alan?”

“Lando, can you do me a favor?”

“Just ask Alan, if it’s within my power I will make sure of it.”

Lando’s words rang resolutely in Lord Weston’s ears. For the first time, he felt as though there was a connection between Lando and himself, and he knew he could trust his request to him.

“Lando, please tell Lady CeeCee I’m sorry, I’m sorry for the way I treated her. For the things I said, and for not noticing her suffering even though I knew of her relationship with my father. What I have done is horrible, and I want her to know I am ashamed of myself for it. When she finally travels to the other side I hope she can reunite with my father and spend eternity together. She has my blessing as long as I can enjoy some of her chicken pot pies on occasion. Can you do that for me Lando?”

Lando reached his hand into the cell firmly clasping Lord Weston’s before pulling him close and looking him directly into his eyes.

“I’ll make sure she hears your words Alan, every word of it, I promise you this.”

“Good, good. We’ve had our differences Lando, but for some reason, I can’t bring myself to hate you anymore. Haha, I must be exhausted from everything, I’ve been so tense but maybe the food has helped me relax, I haven’t eaten so much in such a long time, I feel really content for some reason, really content. It’s late Lando, and I haven’t slept in such a long time. Thank you for the food, but please excuse me, I think I’m going to lay down for a bit. Goodnight Lando.”

“Yes, goodbye Alan, until we see each other again.”

As Lord Alan Weston lay down on his straw mattress for the final time, Lando felt his heartache for the way things had progressed. No one wanted things to be this way. Of course they all wanted things to go well, for everyone to come out of this happily. But life did not always have happy endings for everyone.

After looking behind one last time Lando stepped outside of the barrack cells into the central corridor and stared into the corner.

“Did you hear?”

After what seemed like a lifetime the shadows began distorting until two figures walked out. A stoic faced Randall who’s true emotions betrayed the way he looked and a sobbing Lady CeeCee whose appearance was hardly befitting a lady of her stature.

“Yes, yes we heard everything.”

Barely able to speak Lady CeeCee fought through the tears to confirm she had heard Lord Weston’s final words. They were words she had never hoped to hear even if she lived 1000 more lifetimes. To have the blessing to be with the one man she truly loved, she could never have asked for such a thing. Such a thing had escaped her, her entire life.

“Do you really need to do this Lady CeeCee? There is still so much to do, so much we could use your help with.”

“I’m sorry Lando, but this is how it has to be. I have faith that you, Esra, Isaac, and Burton will bring our city, our home back to the glory it once knew. You do not need my help. And besides, I have kept him waiting for too long already.”

“I see. Though none of us agree with you on that, we have all agreed that it was your decision, and we will not oppose you if that is really what you want.”

“It is Lando, it really is.”

Fighting back tears of his own Lando took out an envelope and passed it to Lady CeeCee.

“I understand, then Lady CeeCee, thank you for everything. Each of us has written a letter to express our gratitude and our final words. Please read them.”

“I will Lando, I promise. Give my thanks to everyone, I will miss you all. But remember this is not a goodbye, we will all see each other again Lando. Sir Randall, then if you will, please bring me back, I do not wish to keep him waiting any longer.”

“Of course Lady CeeCee.”

“Then Lando, until we meet again.”

And in the same way that they had appeared, they disappeared once more back into the shadows. The next day the whole of the city would come to learn that Constance Courtland, known to most as Lady CeeCee, a flirtatious woman whose actions betrayed her age and Lord Alan Weston, a proud man who struggled to the end to keep Freeport independent had both left this world to once more be reunited with their ancestors and all those they loved.