King Ryne had prepared for our return trip the very next day and had packaged the scepter like a proper gift before presenting it to us. It relieved me that I did not have to touch it yet, and the box prepared to house the staff was as intricate and delicately engraved as one might expect from a gift from royalty.

Once formal greetings and partings were over we boarded a carriage, then a train, then another carriage. They had sent an inspector with us to take a look with a professional eye at the possibilities and the advantages Tethia could offer. The inspector would also be bringing up points for when the two kings met and discussed the finer details.

“You have been scowling for the last five hours,” Alois prodded, “What happened between you and the king when I wasn’t looking?”

I hesitated, unsure of how much I could say, and how much I should say while we were still inside Beraud’s borders. “I have been thinking about the gift that King Ryne sent back with us,” I replied.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Alois told her, “Even if it did put on a show I don’t think Osmond would have left something dangerous in Beraud. He always liked Beraud, sometimes even more than Tethia.”

“I wasn’t thinking that, but there are some parts that still concern me. Is it possible that King Ryne was lying?” I questioned.

Alois matched my frown. “Are you talking about the way Osmond supposedly disappeared? The king would have come up with a more believable lie, but it is possible that his informant was lying or confused somehow.”

“I will have to ask Alvis about that as well,” I muttered and leaned heavily against my seat as I tried to organize my thoughts.

“I would be careful when questioning Alvis,” Alois warned, “He is slippery, and if you aren’t paying attention, you will walk away with no answers, given Alvis loads of information, and somehow owe him a favor.”

“How many favors do you owe him?” I asked Alois warily.

“Four,” he grimaced, “It was five but I am pretty good at paying them off before they become a problem.”

“I will keep that in mind, but Alvis is the only person I can ask right now. It would be too risky to approach Yuki even if he is more blunt.”

“Yuki will lash out if you wake him,” Alois agreed.

“Before I question anyone I am going to have to report,” I muttered, “Maybe I can ask to meet with all four because of the nature of the information I have and that staff.”

Alois nodded as his fingers tapped the seat beside him subconsciously. “That is definitely a story everyone should hear. Dead or not, if he leaked something important to an enemy then we could be in more trouble than we thought before.”

“You seem calmer than I thought you would be,” I pointed out.

“After the clash with my family in Lion Seaport the betrayal of the headmaster seems inconsequential somehow,” Alois replied with a dark chuckle, “I guess I am getting used to being abandoned by people around me.”

I hesitated, unsure if I should say anything.

“Besides, every hero has some kind of dark backstory, right?” Alois asked, his grin growing more sincere, “All they did was become stepping stones for me to achieve my dream.”

“I suppose that is one way to think about it,” I admitted.

I fell back into deep thought for the rest of the journey. It was around sunset when we arrived at the castle and I was tired but I couldn’t put the meeting or my report off because of the present King Ryne had sent back with us and the need to arrange things for the inspector. Alois seemed more lively than I did and arranged the meeting while I retrieved the long, slender box.

The box was heavier than I expected, but they made it of solid wood and it was hard to say how much the scepter itself weighed since it began floating as soon as I had touched it before.

“Shall we get this over with?” Alois asked as he removed the box from my arms and carried it with no issues.

“Sure,” I replied, too tired to complain. Interrogation would probably have to wait since I didn’t have the mental strength to fight that battle on top of the meeting.

We held the meeting in one of the smaller conference rooms in the king’s palace. The room was nearly square, with a table shaped like a horseshoe set against the window. The opening of the table faced the doorway to achieve an intimidating effect.

Alois and I were the first to arrive, but Nero entered the room shortly after. He noticed the box immediately but held all questions until the others arrived.

Once everyone was there, Nero spoke first. “I am assuming you called this urgent meeting because of that, or is there more bad news?”

“All of the urgent news has to do with this,” I assured him.

“And what is that?” Alvis prodded, clearly interested.

I hesitated, but decided it would be best to explain what it was and what had happened previously rather opening it on the spot. I was sure to include Osmond’s mysterious disappearance in my story.

“You say he disappeared into darkness?” Reginald checked with a severe frown, “Rather than transferring magic that sounds more like a curse. I have heard of a curse that can send someone to a dimension of darkness, but it was wiped from existence because of its cruelty.”

“It is possible the dimension of darkness reached out to take him on its own,” Alvis mused, “I have been to one before, and while that was possible, it would take great effort to interfere with this world.”

I shuddered at the thoughts. “Why would the dimension take him?” I questioned.

“This is all conjecture, but it is possible that he made a deal with a being there,” Alvis suggested, “It is impossible to know anything for certain but when I questioned Micky… Well, we should be careful.”

“What should we do about this?” I asked and gestured to the staff.

Reginald approached and touched the lid. “May I examine it?”

I nodded.

He opened the lid carefully and the staff lay there as if it were completely ordinary. The marks from my fingers remained where I had touched it but the magic seemed to have faded.

“From what I can tell it is exactly what that secret letter told you it is,” Reginald replied, “It is a tool for removing what is harmful and unlocking potentials. That being said, it will be very difficult to use, and it seems that it will only recognize the first worthy person who touched it.”

“So only I can use it?” I checked.

“It seems so,” Reginald agreed.

I looked to Alvis who was deep in thought. “I know the true source of this fake magic the letter mentioned,” he began, “I can understand the dangers of those with true potential being locked away from their powers but I don’t think it is wise to stop producing magic for the citizens either. I think your first goal should be to see if that staff can unlock your magic even though you are in one of the most highly concentrated areas of produced magic.”

“You want me to try to use it?” I asked.

“Unless there is any objections,” Alvis said and looked at the other leaders.

“I also agree,” Queen Levina spoke, “If it is impossible then we will have to think of an alternative solution for the future of Tethia.”

I looked down at the staff that rested in the ornate wooden box. While I was nervous, I could already feel my connection to it.

“I will do my best,” I promised and carefully removed the staff from the box. As I did, the room was filled with a bright light and it finished its transformation into a brilliant scepter that suited both my height and my tastes.