16 The Countess
Wolfe's thoughts immediately went to the mana Crystals that he had refilled early this morning. Being caught with even a trace of those was more than a simple misdemeanour.
"Elder Maria, where might we use up some excess mana crystals?" He whispered, leaning across Cassie, so he didn't have to raise his voice.
"Seriously, Wolfe? Do you have no fear or sense of self-preservation at all? Give it to me after dinner." The Elder reprimanded him with a disbelieving look.
"That doesn't mean our Talismans, right?" Cassie asked, but Maria shook her head.
"Those are legitimate. Wolfe is talking about something very different and strictly forbidden by law." She explained, still glaring at Wolfe.
"It's not that bad. Just a little, small, tiny thing. Well, a few of them, but an easy problem to solve." Wolfe assured Cassie, placing his hand on her thigh and making her blush.
"Enough flirting. Finish your meal so we can talk." Elder Maria announced at full volume, drawing quiet laughter from all over the dining room.
As soon as their plates were cleared and without even waiting for the Patriarch to finish his meal, as would normally be polite, Maria led Wolfe out with a hand on the back of his shirt after sending Cassie back to her room. It was a silent trip, but she turned on Wolfe once they were safely in a soundproof office.
"Explain, now."
Wolfe pulled out the Mana Crystals he had charged and placed them on the desk in front of her.
"The aura doesn't match the crystal. What did you plan on doing with these? Where did you even get them? Was it the Witch in hiding?" Maria demanded.
Wolfe shook his head. "No, I recharged these myself. I was going to dump them into the building mana pool to pay my bills, but I didn't get a chance."
"And you thought that was a good idea? Why?" Maria asked.
"Free money, of course. If you empty end destroy them, nobody should ever know the difference. It's not like I was going to cash it for credits." Wolfe explained.
"The auditors record the aura signature of all energy remaining in a storage bank when they visit. You could have gotten a government strike force called in to investigate your building and everyone for ten blocks. I will destroy these accursed forgeries, and we will never speak of this again." Maria insisted.
"Got it. That's on the never do it again list." Wolfe agreed.
"Good, now destroy any other contraband you have and get some sleep. The morning will come early. Government Witches like to come at first light to put people off balance." Maria instructed him, leaving Wolfe to his own devices.
He didn't have anything else that needed to be hidden, so Wolfe returned to his room and began carving and polishing the two amulets. If he needed to flee in the morning, he would at least leave Cassie the Talismans they made.
The clear one was a simple clean and polish job, forming it into a smooth disc, then attaching a simple ribbon to hold it around her neck.
The ribbon was long enough it could also be worn around a leg or her slender waist, keeping it secure and out of sight in almost any situation. At least, that was what Wolfe hoped.
The second talisman he carved into a copy of the Family Crest. Just like with the other magical inscriptions, his hand seemed to be guided by instinct along the right path when forming the runes. It came out subtly different from the usual Family Crest, but Wolfe was certain this was the correct version.
With both items finished, he snuck over to Cassie's room, finding it locked and the sound of gentle snoring coming from inside. So, he went looking for Elder Maria and asked her to give them to their intended recipient in the morning.
On his way back to his room, the Patriarch called him into his office for a few words.
"I know this isn't optimal, but I have set up a pickup outside the city walls for first thing in the morning. It will only show to you in the courier riders' bids until it is accepted, so take it as soon as you wake up and head for the outer walls. If you can make it out, don't come back for a week at the very least. I will have the farm on the outside make an excuse about dangerous roads and give you a note when you return.
But under no circumstances should you return to our floor before this investigation ends. They might not be searching for you on paper, but they are always searching for people like us, and my abilities will draw the search team's attention within the first few hours. Yours will likely draw them here even more quickly if you don't get out in time.
The first group will be just the Nobles looking for a comfortable room to set up their operation, and they shouldn't be looking too hard at anything. They despise having to come down to the floors they manage.
Understand?"
The Patriarch's speech left no room for doubt, so Wolfe could only nod and plan to get out as soon as possible after the travel curfew ended at five in the morning.
It turned out that Maria wasn't joking about needing to wake up early. The Witches turned up at 4:45 in the morning, fifteen minutes before the first shift in the Mega Cities lighting, from full dark to pre-dawn streetlights. As was the custom to greet their Noble overlord, the entire main family and their staff were assembled at the front of the house, in a double row down the driveway, with the more important members on the steps of the front porch.
"I hear a promising Candidate from the Noxus Family is going to the academy this year." The Countess asked once the basic pleasantries were out of the way.
"One Witch Candidate, Cassie Noxus." Uncle Ivan agreed, then gestured for Cassie to step forward.
"It is good to see another Noxus Candidate. But it looks like there is a potential Guardian or Butler here as well. We have been so lacking in skilled and qualified servants lately that I was starting to fear for the future of the Nobility." She replied while staring at Wolfe with a look of motherly affection on her face that was in direct contrast to her description of him as a butler.
Wolfe began to panic a little. Despite standing at the back of the group of Noxus Elders, he was the first person she greeted after the Patriarch. And that was even with the fact that the Elders' presence should have disguised any potential that he hadn't been able to hide.
"And this must be Cassie. She does look rather capable, better than the last one that came from your territory, anyhow. Got herself pregnant by another student's servant. Can you imagine that? It is good that she didn't have a Noble breeding, or the mere allegation would have ruined her family."
The Countess snorted in amusement at the thought, and Wolfe noticed Melody disappear back into the house before she could be recognized.
By her mother's reaction, Melody hadn't revealed that tidbit about her time at the academy. Wolfe wished her the best of luck. Melody would need it to survive her mother's Wrath at making their family name a laughingstock.
"That is an interesting amulet you have there, Miss Cassie. Would you mind showing it to me?" The Countess asked, pointing to the green faux jade trinket around her neck.
Cassie reluctantly removed the new talisman from her neck and handed it to the Countess, who held it with a level of reverence and respect that neither Wolfe nor Cassie had been expecting.
"That is a lovely piece. The materials are cheap, enamel over a wooden disc, but the craftsmanship is impressive. Have you tried charging the amulet?" The Countess asked.
"It has mana stored in it now. It is a wonderful piece, and I was overjoyed when the Family Elder gave it to me to wear." Cassie confirmed, but the Countess shook her head.
"No, the amulet itself. This one must be old because the runes are still correct. If you charge it like this, then only someone with the Family Bloodline can wear or use it. Put it back on, and you will see." She explained as she gathered her aura to put a trickle of energy into the carved enamel family crest.
The Countess placed it back around Cassie's neck, then motioned another witch forward. The woman suddenly grabbed the amulet, giving it a tug, and her hand instantly turned black before the witch released the amulet with a muttered counter curse that restored colour to her flesh.
"It had to be a Serpent type, didn't it? I hate getting poisoned." She complained, returning to her spot in line.
While the amulet was impressive, Wolfe was more focused on the Countess and her ability to get another Witch to willingly poison herself to make a point. How much influence did you need to have to get to that level of blind obedience?