Chapter 13: Lightning rescue.

A few moments earlier, from Armand's point of view. He arrived on the same rooftop as the previous day, facing the square where the Silver Fortress stood. He crouched down for a few seconds to analyze the area, his eyes taking on a yellow tint to better spot anything that might be hidden by magic.

He noticed nothing really dangerous, not even a trap, which surprised him. The guards even seemed less numerous than yesterday. He thought it a godsend that their vigilance had relaxed, making the connection with the arrest he'd observed.

"I guess that guy that they arrested was their priority," he murmured.

He stood on one knee, pointing to the top of one of the fortress buildings, and enveloped his finger in an indigo aura.

"Come on, I've never made it this far, there's a first time for everything!" he thought aloud.

He concentrated magic around his finger and launched a steaming ball of inidgo magic. Its small size and the darkness of the night made it very discreet. It moved far enough away and, once he judged that it was just about where he wanted it, he closed his fist. The ball exploded silently, creating a small breach above the stone roof.

He made a slight movement in the air, creating a second breach, linked to the one on the fortress. He first poked his head through to check if the way was clear, and there was no one there. His head, proportional to the size of the breach, seemed smaller than normal. He stepped fully into it and, once his whole body had passed through the breach, he magically returned to his normal size.

"This feeling... I'll never get used to it. I'll call it 'indigo refraction', but then, I'm not the type to scream out the names of my attacks," he said, panting slightly.

He crouched again and moved stealthily along the roof, carefully avoiding the rare patrols of guards he saw below. His footsteps were silent as he slowly made his way towards the central building, a tower that stood in the middle of the fortress's inner courtyard. Raising his yellowing eyes to the top of the tower, he noticed that the magic inside was blurred, probably by objects designed to keep it out, preventing the prisoners from using it.

However, he spotted a faint channel of magic coming from the top floor. It changed shape until it became a kind of rope or whip. The object moved as if someone were holding it and then seemed to be used to hit someone.

Armand gritted his teeth and repeated the operation that had enabled him to climb onto the roof, but this time he aimed for the top of the tower. Once his smoking ball had been launched, he detonated it just above the tower and created a portal to transport himself to the tower's roof. He heard the sounds of banging and the voices of two men, but a slight noise behind him called out to him.

He turned in panic and saw a birdcage containing a red-headed cyanocrius. The bird looked ready to scream as it inflated its lungs. Armand raised an arm and snapped his fingers, infusing a slight magic between them. The bird stopped abruptly, calming instantly as if about to fall asleep.

"That was a close one... Luckily it works like it does with Pica."

Suddenly, he heard a man's groans of pain intensify through the roof floor. Using his orange aura, he created a kind of grappling hook with a rope, which he attached to the edge of the roof before dropping down to where he could see the flow of magic emanating from the whip. He placed his hand, again imbued with indigo aura, on the wall and concentrated, closing his eyes and trying to force his magic through the stones of the wall. Fortunately for him, they weren't all perfectly cut, allowing the smoke-like indigo to seep through.

He created a small breach in front of his left eye so he could see inside the cell. Through this opening, he immediately recognized Saukel, the merchant, angrily whipping a massive prisoner from behind. Armand clenched his fist and withdrew his eye from the breach, making it disappear. He regained control of the other breach, gradually moving it towards the ceiling of the cell. Once positioned, he gradually enlarged it, releasing more indigo smoke into the room.

"Hold on... !"

The two men inside noticed the smoke invading the cell. Armand decided it was time to act. He threw an indigo ball underneath him, dropping it almost to the floor before detonating it. Fortunately for him, there was no one there. The grappling hook and rope holding him in the air disappeared, and he fell from the tower. As he fell, he adjusted his position as best he could and rushed into the rift, which immediately dissipated.

He emerged into the smoke-filled cell and landed on Saukel, knocking him to the ground with all the speed he'd accumulated during his fall. Seeing his face up close, he couldn't control himself any longer and built up magic around his fist, turning it red. He punched Saukel's face with such force that the tower shook slightly.

Luckily, his modest mask was still on his head, and Saukel was now out of harm's way. He turned back to the prisoner, who looked panicked.

"Don't worry, I'm here to put an end to all this."

He aimed his fingers at the man's bonds and fired rays powerful and hot enough to destroy them. The man, freed at last, rose slowly to his feet.

"Who... who are you? Why are you... ?" stammered Bojan.

He withdrew his right mitten to reveal his tattoo to the prisoner. He immediately recognized the symbol, looked at the picture book on the floor and then at Armand again, understanding at once what it was. Armand smiled under his mask, then put his mitten back on and turned, speaking to Bojan over his shoulder.

"I'm just someone with nothing to lose."

Armand stepped over Saukel's body before opening the cell door, which Saukel had left ajar. He looked around and noticed two other similar cells, but they were empty.

"Were you alone here?" he asked Bojan.

Bojan looked down, obviously guilty of something.

"No, I was with a young woman for about fifteen years, but she's been taken elsewhere. She'll be sold to a rich man for a huge sum of money. I'm part of the package, but she's the one this banker really wants. I'm just a bonus."

"For the last fifteen years... Damn it," Armand murmured, remembering Bojan in the sheet-covered cage at the Saukel market. He also remembered another person beside him, whose face was hidden under a large hood.

"Wait a minute, I recognize you. You were in that cage that day! And the girl, was she the one with the hidden face?" asked Armand.

"Were you there? Yes, it was her. You weren't present for what happened next?"

"No, I was... with someone who urged me to leave to avoid trouble," he replied, shaking his head.

Bojan sighed, his face marked by regret and guilt.

"I see, considering what happened, it was probably the wisest thing to do."

Bojan went on to explain everything that had happened with Edgar Baring that day. He was terribly angry with himself for taking off Carolina's hood. He'd thought it would put the man off, but on the contrary, it had convinced him even more. Whatever happened, they were destined to be sold to this man, given the discussion he'd had with Saukel before Bojan disturbed them by stirring in the cage.

"You're saying his face should have dissuaded him? Why's that?

"Carolina, I mean this girl, belongs to an ancient 'race', if I may say so. The White Wicks. These people were characterized by an entirely white, indelible wick of hair, and possessed exceptional strength and mastery of magic. However, they were very peaceful and were tricked by the king centuries ago, who was jealous of their talents. History minimizes the facts, but it was a true genocide, and there were few survivors."

Armand tightened his fists, his anger gradually rising, making his eyes instinctively turn red.

"For a wick...? Do you have any idea where she might be now?"

"I only know two places in this prison. This tower and the purgatory in the basement of the fortress. However, it would surprise me if she were there. Given Carolina's value, they must keep her somewhere even more protected than purgatory," Bojan replied.

As they talked, they heard voices coming from downstairs. Armand signaled to Bojan to keep quiet and listen in.

Further down, on the third floor, where Saukel had gone up to join the special cells, two guards were discussing about the tremors that had just happened.

"An earthquake? Impossible, idiot! There's never been one in Auroria," said the first guard incredulously.

"What do you think it was then? The door to the stairs to the top of the tower was badly closed," replied the second guard, looking for a rational explanation.

"I saw Saukel hanging around here earlier. Knowing him, he must surely have climbed up," remarked the first.

"Let me go and check. Mrs. Octavia had formally forbidden anyone to go up there," declared the second.

The first guard nodded and let him climb the stairs, unaware of what awaited him. Armand and Bojan heard him coming up and Armand prepared for a surprise attack, but Bojan put his hand on his shoulder as if to stop him.

"Hang on, kid. Let me let off a little steam," Bojan suggested.

He clenched his fist and lightning flashed from it, which Armand found very impressive before stepping back. He hid behind a wall while Bojan returned to his cell as if nothing had happened. The guard reached the top and saw only Bojan, the cell door seemingly closed. In the dim light of the room, he didn't notice anything suspicious, and Saukel was nowhere in sight.

"Strange..." muttered the second guard, preparing to turn back.

Suddenly, a heavy thud sounded behind him. He barely had time to turn around before his head was crushed between Bojan's giant, electricity-charged fists, knocking him out instantly. The guard collapsed to the ground.

Armand emerged from his hiding place, throwing with disgust the unconscious body of Saukel he had hidden with him. Bojan smiled at him, satisfied, as he cracked his knuckles, lightning crackling around his hands again.

"What a joy to feel magic again after so many years!" exclaimed Bojan, his voice full of satisfaction.

End of chapter 13.