The flight north to the Sunstone Caves took two grueling days and nights. They avoided all roads, traversing rough terrain, rivers, and dense scrubland. Kaelen's Blue Rank proficiency was evident; he managed small, localized spells to procure food and water, all while keeping his overall Aether signature nearly undetectable.
Elara, having never touched magic in her life, was utterly dependent on him. Her role was constant vigilance—using her knowledge to map their path, predict checkpoints, and name the patrol units that Kaelen couldn't magically perceive.
The Sunstone Caves were a sprawling network of underground passages deep within the Northern Wastes. The air inside was thick with heat and the smell of sulfur, and raw, unstable geothermal energy crackled in the rock, effectively disrupting any scrying attempts by the Collegium.
Kaelen secured the entrance and immediately concealed the Codex of Echoes within a geothermal vent, far from the entrance. He then collapsed onto a stone slab, utterly spent.
"The next five hours are critical," he breathed, his face pale. "I expended too much Blue Rank energy on the remote Transfiguration and handling the Codex. I am vulnerable to Aether Fatigue."
He instructed Elara on how to prepare the Sunstone Shard he had acquired in Chapter 1. The Shard was a small, glowing chunk of orange crystal. Following his precise directions, Elara ground the Shard into a fine powder, mixing it with heated water to create a bitter, steaming tincture.
"This will stabilize the flow," Kaelen murmured, drinking the potion quickly. "The knowledge is yours, Elara. My power is limited by the reality of this body. We are in a shared reliance that I never intended."
Elara watched him, seeing the true cost of his rebirth. He was the Master Arcanist, but he was currently weak, relying on the civilian who had read his life story.
She opened the grimoire she had recovered from the Crypt. "The strategy against Lord Eamon is simple, but we need two things: first, irrefutable proof of his massive debt, which he documents personally; second, a way to broadcast it instantly to the three major city districts before Valerius can contain the information."
"The debt documents were stored in his private study in the capital," Kaelen recalled, forcing himself to sit up. "Valerius likely moved them after taking over the estate."
"No," Elara corrected, shaking her head. "Valerius is too arrogant. In the novel, Eamon's wife, Lady Selina, was deeply afraid of exposure and hid the debt scrolls in their countryside hunting lodge near Vesper Falls. They are still there, untouched. It is a three-day journey, but it is the key."
Kaelen studied the map Elara sketched on the floor—a route that would take them near the coast and back down toward the capital's outlying regions.
"If we take a horse and travel at speed, we can make it there and back in five days," Kaelen calculated. "We need a better disguise. My Obsidian Line robes are too recognizable. The disguise must also mask the slight, residual signature of the Aether Key on my person."
Elara had already considered this. "In the capital, there is a guild of traveling merchants known as the Ironwood Traders. They specialize in elemental ore transport—a perfect cover to mask a Blue Rank signature, as everyone expects them to carry high-grade materials. We pose as a master merchant and his clever, but unmagical, apprentice."
Kaelen finally offered a respectful, if tired, nod. "You are adapting faster than I accounted for, Elara. The knowledge of the plot is one thing, but the speed of your tactical responses… that is unexpected."
He placed his hand on the obsidian hilt of his Staff, looking deep into the pulsing glow of the Sunstone Shard.
"Very well. We ride toward Vesper Falls at first light. We secure the documents and then we find a way to make the Kingdom listen. Until then, you are my eyes, Elara. And I, your Obsidian shield."