Epilogue 2

“I’m sorry for the long wait,” Nolan said, rising from his plain wooden chair and rubbing his back. “Things have been far busier than I expected.”

“It’s no problem,” Quinlan replied, looking around the Gray’s throne room despite herself. The tall walls were covered with beautiful murals and flowing designs that were fit for a king more than a noble house.

Behind Nolan sat a huge, broken throne. It was split down the middle, and a large sword jutted out from the center of the seat, stopping anyone from ever using it as a chair. Nolan’s plain chair stood out in stark contrast the rest of the room.

“Did you not get a chance to replace your chair yet?” Alina asked.

“Alina!” Quinlan scolded. “Be polite.”

Nolan chuckled. “It’s okay. No, this chair is permanent. It’s a good chair. More than functional. The throne is there to remind me of the past. You didn’t come all this way to talk about my decorations, though. How can I help you?”

“We need a bit of a favor,” Quinlan admitted. “I’m looking for funding.”

“Funding for what?” Nolan asked.

“A new mage school!” Alina exclaimed.

Nolan choked. “What?”

“Alina, please,” Quinlan grumbled. “It’s not exactly a new mage school. That would be ludicrous.”

“Please, elaborate,” Nolan said.

“Mountain Hall is… problematic,” Quinlan said. “The way it treats students is unacceptable. The Queen doesn’t care since they produce strong mages, but it’s agony for everyone in the school. Students shouldn’t be forced to live like that.”

“I don’t disagree,” Nolan said. “But what does that have to do with starting a new school?”

“We don’t want to start a new one,” Quinlan corrected. “We want to – let’s see. How do I put this? We’re trying to–”

“Overthrow the current leadership and take control of it,” Alina said with a bright smile. “And since you did the whole takeover of house Gray, we figured you might be willing to help.”

Quinlan ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. “That’s one way to put it, I suppose.”

Nolan pursed his lips. “You realize that the Mage schools are officially funded by the Queen, right? Acting against them is making a move against her.”

“That didn’t stop you from sticking your father,” Alina said, making a stabbing motion.

Quinlan grabbed Alina and pushed her sister behind herself. “Please ignore her. We’ll just be going. Sorry.”

“Hold on,” Nolan said, raising a hand. “I know Damien trusted both of you. Are things at Mountain Hall really that bad?”

“Worse,” Quinlan said darkly. “It needs to be stopped, but I don’t want to cause you trouble with the Queen. This was a poor idea. Please forget you saw us. I’d appreciate if you didn’t tell her what we were up to.”

“Wait just a minute. What exactly did you have in mind?”

“Why?” Quinlan asked suspiciously.

“You can’t come here asking for help and then ask my why when I want to know what your plan is.”

Quinlan didn’t say anything for a few moments. Alina nudged her in the side and she relented. “Our friends Venus and Xil are currently in Mountain Hall, looking for proof that their Dean has been cheating the Queen out of taxes in addition to abusing his powers and allowing mages to be killed and stunted for the slightest issues. When we find it, we’re going to challenge the headmaster to a fight and kill him.”

“I see,” Nolan said slowly. “I was aware of the unjust conditions in Mountain Hall, but I did not know he was cheating the Queen.”

Quinlan cleared her throat. “As far as I’m aware, he isn’t.”

“Ah,” Nolan said. “I see. You’re going to falsify the evidence and kill him before anyone can prove otherwise?”

Quinlan nodded.

“You’re confident you can defeat a Dean?”

Quinlan nodded again. “Together with Xil and Venus, yes. Alina also has a powerful companion, but she isn’t well trained. If we can surprise him, I’m confident we can take him out. Rumors are that he avoided fighting the Corruption because he wasn’t confident in his own abilities.”

Nolan drummed his fingers on the sides of his legs. “I see. I’m not entirely sure this is a wise idea. Even if you could take out the Dean, the other teachers would put up a lot of resistance and I’d have the Queen breathing down my neck for insolence. This is literally a direct attack on her. If you failed to kill the Dean, he would almost certainly kill you. Alina’s companion – what is it?”

“It’s from the Plane of Darkness,” Alina said meekly. “I can’t show you him, though. He only wants to come out if he needs to fight to protect me.”

Nolan blinked. He stared at Alina, emotions washing over his face like paint over a canvas. Then he doubled over, laughing so hard that he couldn’t breathe. Quinlan and Alina glanced at each other in concern.

“I’m sorry,” Nolan said, waving his hand and wiping a mirthful tear from his face once he got control of himself. “You just reminded me of something that I heard a long time ago. I’m going to take that as a sign. I’ll help you.”

Nolan rose from his chair and extended his hand toward the throne behind him. The massive sword jutting out of it shuddered, then leapt through the air and slammed into his palm. “But you aren’t going alone to fight him. On my authority as the head of House Gray, I believe the Dean of Mountain Hall plots treason against the Queen. We will act immediately and with full force to ensure the safety of the kingdom. Any fault or consequence from our actions will fall solely on my shoulders.”

Quinlan’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? We just needed some undercover enforcement.”

“I am. You’re correct that Mountain Hall needs to be dealt with, and the Queen doesn’t have time to do it herself. It is my duty as the head of a noble house to act,” Nolan said firmly. His eyes went glassy for a moment as his mind drifted into the past. “And I’ve got a lot of favors to pay off. I think that this is a good place to start. Mountain Hall will have new leadership by dawn tomorrow.”