<~> Chapter 143"Keep the book, that was the deal. What are you going to do now that you have it?" I asked.

  Theo stretched and leaned ba the couch. "Well, I certainly don't mind staying here if you vihe Madame to let me. Your friend Raya told me yroup robably headed to the capital after you finish up whatever business you have left here. I wouldn't mind traveling with you, I even help you get into the Library of Sorsette. From there you might be able to find some more information about your memories or whatever else you're looking for."

  That's not a terrible idea...

  I tapped on the armrest a couple times before answering. "I'll see what I do but I'm not sure how loend to stay. There's a lot we've gotten involved in since we've e here and I get the feeling that she's bending her normal rules quite a bit by letting us stay here as long as we have."

  He shrugged. "If she says no then it's not that big of a deal, I'll be able to find another pce to stay for a while. It would be a lot less vehough and I wouldn't want to miss you. I'm fident in my strength but traveling is always easier as a group."

  I sighed. "I guess it won't hurt to ask. What kind of fighter are you anyway?"

  "I'm a mage-hybrid, I specialize in enha magic," he replied.

  I raised an eyebrow. "Enha magic? You wouldn't mind giving me some pointers, would you?

  The bull-man grinned. "I wouldn't mind at all, though not till we're on the road. It will give us something to do.

  "True." I stood up. "For now though, I o prepare for the rest of the day. I have to talk with someone about something important. We'll probably stay here for at least a few more days, I'd love to spend even longer here but I already feel like I'm deying our capital trip much more than I meant to."

  He nodded. "Sure, it doesn't seem like they mind me hanging around in the lobby so far, not yet at least. Just tell me as soon as you if I have to go looking for somewhere else to sleep."

  Theo got up ahe room. I moved to start putting on my armor while the ot ready to leave too.

  "Uh, Lilith? I hope you don't mind that I told Raya about heading to the capital. I didn't know she would tell aorien had e up to me looking sheepish.

  I smiled and pulled her into a side hug. "Don't worry about it, o apologize. ...but maybe we should tell Raya not to tell anyone else about what our pns are." I patted her on the bad let her go.

  I thought about the upiing with Nathaniel. I wasn't sure how this meeting was going to py out, how much of all of this is attributed to Matilda, Fae's former servant.

  Once all of us were suited up we headed over to the castle. Already muards were patrolling the city and the area around the castle in particur looked a lot more lively. I'm not sure why holding the castle made such a big differe it retty noticeable already.

  When roached the castle a pair of guards I hadn't seen before stopped me at the gate. "Name?"

  "Lilith."

  He nodded. "I'll take you to see Nathaniel, he's been expeg you."

  We walked through the courtyard. It seemed a lot more cheery than it had yesterday. With the looming miasma that illing out of the castle gohe energy and atmosphere of this pce was pletely different. Despite some missing or broken furniture, it would be hard to tell that it had been ied with demons only yesterday. The guard led us to a sitting room on the first floor to wait.

  About ten mier, Nathaniel walked in with Matilda. She looked a lot better, she had been healed further and looked like she had bathed aen. The sed her eyes met Silva's she froze. Nathaniel locked the door behind himself, pulled the unsteady deerkin to one of the couches, and sat her dow down in one of the chairs opposite her so all of us were fag her. As she looked around at us she realized what was happening, this was an interrogation.

  Nathaniel cleared his throat. "I'm not sure why you suspect this servant to be involved in this i but this will be a ve pce to ask her about it. Before we begin are you willing to at least share what your reasoning is?"

  I shook my head. "I 't, this isn't something I share. It s my skills and abilities."

  The priest sighed. "Very well, though if I decide you have falsely accused her and wasted my time while the city is in shambles I'll make sure you reimburse the two of us for the trouble."

  I nodded. "That's fine. Before we begin, may I cast a [Zone of Silenbsp;around this room?"

  "That won't be necessary, this room is already warded against eavesdropping. Unless you don't trust me on that?"

  "No, it's fine. As long as no one is listening in."

  Nathauro Matilda. "I'm going to cast [Zone of Truth] and yoing to answer all of our questions. I am the ag baron of this territht now, thus I have the power to imprison you or apply punishments should you refuse. Do you uand?"

  Her face turned white and she shrunk down in her seat. "I- I uand..."

  He nodded. "I uand this may be hard but if you are not affiliated with the people who attacked the city, you have nothing to fear."

  This didn't do anything to assuage her fears, if anything it made things worse. She already had tears f in her eyes.

  The priest took a breath and began to cast the spell. I think he has less mana than I do, or whatever resource clergymen used, despite being a priest he only barely cast the spell. The [Zone of Truth] formed around us aled into pce. I was already beginning the feeling as familiar.

  The priest leaned against the back of the chair. "First question. Were you involved ia this castle?"

  Tears were running down the woman's face. "...yes."

  A pulse of truth went through the room and Nathaniel's face hardened into a grimace. "Have you heard of the Cult of Amphores?"

  "...yes." Another pulse of truth.

  "Are you a member of the Cult of Amphores?"

  She sniffled and looked up. "No." Truth.

  The priest leaned ba his chair and me.

  I scratched the base of my horn. "Did you help the Cult of Amphores attack the castle?" I asked.

  "...yes." Truth.

  "How did you help the Cult attack the castle?" I asked.

  She rung her hands in the pin dress she was wearing. "I... slipped one of them a key to the stable-house the night before they attacked... and I've been writing down the names and patrols of guards for three m-months before that."

  Her quiet response was shog. She had essentially been a spy for the cult, for months.

  Nathaniel leaned forward in his chair. "Were you aware that they were pnning on killing the Baron?"

  "No... but... No." Truth.

  "But?" I asked.

  She looked down at her dress. "I suspected that was their pn. They asked specifically for the patrols ohird floor multiple times ...it was hard for me to get those because of the pt of my mistress' room."

  "Why did you help them, if you had an idea of what they were pnning?" Bel's voice sounded hurt as she asked the question.

  Matilda sniffled again and tears fell from her face. "They held my brother hostage... They gave me his letters, it was in his handwriting... He never did have good handwriting..." Truth reverberated through the room. She was on the verge of sobbing now, barely able to speak.

  I rubbed my eyes in thought before looking back down at her. "How did they mao take your brother hostage without anyone from the castle knowing?"

  Her hands pulled at her dress. "...my brother was a sve. I was too before the Baron bought me... It... It's my fault the Baron died, he freed me from svery and I betrayed him... but my brother. They had him, they told me they would torture and kill him if I didn't do what they said. Iters my brother said he was scared of them, afraid of what they might do if he didn't listen to them. He said they weren't like normal masters, they just kept him locked up in a cage all the time and had him write me letters... they kept others in the nearby cages and killed the ohat weren't useful..."

  It was hard to parse what was ing through the [Zone of Truth] at this point but no one in the room thought that anything she said was a lie. But I still waited for the ripples of magic to calm down before I asked my question.

  "If you helped them, why did they leave you here?" I asked.

  She wiped her eyes and looked up at me. "When I heard they were looking for my mistress, Sera Faelyn, I begged for them to spare her. They spped me so hard I was knocked out and when I woke up everyone was gone and there was nothing but demo..." Truth, she stopped to let the waves ing from the [Zone of Truth] fade before tinuing, "After that, I tried to escape but there were so many demons and every day I felt sicker and sicker. I ran out of what food I could find two days before you came and I got bit by one of the monsters when I was trying to find more. ...I don't even know if they let my bro like they said they would."

  Man spoke quietly. "Being in Miasma for a long time have ive effects on the body. It's why you're not supposed to stay in dungeons too long. Some call it dungeon siess but the proper name for it is miasma poisoning."

  "Why are you so afraid of me?" Silva asked.

  She looked at Silva and shrunk down further. "I 't say. I have a geas."

  When the wave of truth reverberated everyone looked shocked. Nathaniel was the first to speak, "Why would they cast tract magic for that but not for any of what you have already told us?"

  "I- I 't tell you, it breaks the geas." Truth again.

  I looked at Silva and studied her expression, she was stone-faced but she didn't seem surprised.

  "Silva, do you know why she would have a geas reted to you?" I asked.

  Silva shook her head and asked Matilda the question, "Is yeas about me specifically?"

  The deer-kin's eyebrows furrowed. "Uh, no ly. B-" Before she could tinue she suddenly started to choke and grabbed her throat.

  "Don't answer further," Nathaniel anded her. After a few moments, her airway cleared and she could breathe again.

  He leaned ba his chair and rubbed his eyes. "I don't think ress that any further without killing her." He sat up and looked back over at her. " you describe anything about the cultists?"

  She hesitated for a moment but nodded. "There were three people who would talk to me. One of them was a tall beastfolk... some kind of catfolk with brownish-e fur. She was really tall and had pieces of her ears missing." Truth.

  I clicked my tohat one's dead. We killed her wheacked us in Norta." My words came back true.

  "O-oh. Erm, the one was a beastfolk sve. A dogfolk girl with fluffy yellow fur and floppy ears, she was youhan me. She had scars on both of her arms and seemed sad all the time..." She looked at me to see if I would say something again.

  I shook my head. "Haven't seen anyone like that."

  "The st one was a human man, He was also tall but looked short o the catfolk woman. He had grey hair and a grey beard but he didn't look that old so I always thought it looked odd. He wore bck... and he always had deep bags under his eyes. I 't remember anything else that would stand out..."

  Nathaniel g me to see if I would say anything but I shook my head. He set aside the notebook he had been writing in and cleared his throat. "Well, I suppose the only thio do is talk about what to do with her now."

  I frowned. Matilda closed her eyes and tears rolled down her face.

  "Espionage of a noble is sidered high treason and is punishable by death."

  Saine

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