The office door closed with a soft click and Darius was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Compiling the report on the events in Bushtabhar had taken him longer than he'd anticipated. Especially as the Grand Master had been meticulous in questioning him about any discrepancies between what had been in earlier reports and the findings on the ground. Leigher supplemented the report, although in truth he merely confirmed that he had assigned a team of cryptographers to decipher the logbook provided by Bleist and assured the Grand Master that work on the post-mortem examinations was ongoing. On this second point, the problem remained that the field agent had most likely died from a curse, which entailed the implementation of a series of specialist procedures and safety measures. The medical team were unable to specify when information could be expected from them.
Earl tossed the documents onto the desk and sat down in the armchair usually occupied by Evis. Ever since Darius had been officially assigned an aide-de-camp, Captain Forth had ceased to accompany him and had turned his attention to Ed'heer's affairs. Naturally, now that Rex was searching for further clues in Bushtabhar, Harven had taken over the duties of aide-de-camp. First thing in the morning, along with two other Ruby Guards, he had arrived at the estate to escort the commander to the Palace of Light. The presence of the heavily armed guards was reassuring, but it was not quite the same as the friendly support of the soldiers from Ed'heer.
A knock at the door interrupted Darius's free-flowing train of thought.
'Come in,' he called out into the room.
Harven appeared in the doorway with an apologetic expression.
'One of the officials has come to inform you, sir, that a certain Count Borr Veson has presented himself at reception, requesting a meeting with the colonel.'
Bleist felt he recognised the name. He furrowed his brow, trying to remember who it was. He'd had so much on his hands lately that a lot had slipped his mind.
'Ah! Yes, Count Veson, I remember.' He smiled, but his expression immediately froze. 'But what could he possibly want?' he asked himself quietly.
'What should I say in reply to his request?' The heavily armoured man shifted uneasily, as if he felt far more at ease in the training arena than in the crowded halls of the Palace of Light.
'Yes, yes…' Bleist turned to his subordinate. 'Let them show him in.'
The Guard nodded and disappeared through the door. Earl, weary from constantly mulling over everything that had been happening around him of late, decided not to dwell on a matter that would sort itself out. Darius used the moment it took the historian to reach the study to prepare something to offer his guest, however modestly. By the time the door opened again, a delicate scent of tea and dried fruit was already wafting through the room.
'Thank you for deciding to spare your valuable time for this old man.' The count bowed, placing both hands upon his chest. There was but one change in his appearance: resting on his shoulders was a silver chain, resembling an order's chain, ending in a coat of arms featuring three towers. For this reason, he now looked more like an official than a historian immersed in his own research.
'I could not refuse a meeting with such a distinguished person.' Darius smiled as he saw the corner of As's mouth twitch. 'Please take a seat.'
They sat down on opposite sides of the table, and Bleist silently poured the infusion he'd prepared earlier.
'I hope you'll find it to your taste.'
'Certainly.' The man reached for the cup but did not lift it. 'You're wondering why I've turned up today.'
'I won't hide the fact that I'm not interested.' Earl would have been delighted if this had been a social visit, but he'd held his post long enough to know that such visits were extremely rare, or to be more precise, they never happened. And certainly not in the Palace of Light.
'Since our last meeting, I've been thinking constantly about Nikos of Itea. I'd thought that my old obsession had faded with age, but all it took was a little spark… and it flared up again.' He ran his hand over the steaming cup. 'However, the lack of new sources has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat.'
'I'm sorry to hear that, especially as your passion seems almost tangible.'
The As laughed heartily. His lilac eyes focused entirely on Darius, and this time a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.
'It is true that your most powerful weapon is your tongue, Colonel.'
The officer did not reply, but took a somewhat brusque sip of his tea. Ever since his visit to Dagos, and more specifically since his meeting with Madame Nasua, he had come to appreciate the complex aromas of the amber-coloured brew much more.
'After perusing several of Nikos's works preserved in Gelenweith, I decided to resume the research I'd previously put on hold.' The historian continued as if the change of subject had never occurred. 'Just as I was regaining my inner peace amongst the documents and old folios, a certain rumour reached my ears.'
Darius listened with interest. The Count seemed even more engrossed in the subject than he had been during their first meeting. On that occasion, he had let his emotions get the better of him and delved into aspects that were not the crux of their conversation; yet one could not say that he was a tedious listener. The enthusiasm with which he spoke and the dedication evident in his words made it incredibly difficult to bring oneself to interrupt the story he was weaving. Veson had a way of sweeping his listener along on a journey through the meandering paths of history, buried by the sands of time and later marvellously rediscovered by enthusiasts and researchers. His attitude was downright infectious.
'I must admit it was, to say the least, unsettling and peculiar. At first, I didn't give it any credence.' As took a sip of tea, but made no comment on it. It was hard to tell whether he'd actually tasted it or whether it was merely a reflexive gesture. 'However, the more I heard about it, the more inclined I was to believe it.'
'Rumours usually turn out to be cheap sensationalism or a massive distortion of the truth.' It was difficult to narrow down the matters a historian might have heard about, but Darius ruled out all those with which he had no connection, and not many remained. He considered the leak of information about Bushtabhar the most likely explanation. Even if he'd expected it, he hadn't anticipated it happening so soon. The second matter that might have unsettled the Count to such an extent that he decided on an unexpected visit was the truth about Draco's race. Questions about Nikos, particularly about the book on dragon ailments, might have put the old man on the right track, and a rumour he'd overheard might have aroused further suspicion.
'With so many years under my belt, I know this all too well, believe me, Colonel.' He paused briefly. 'However, it doesn't matter whether the rumour is true or not. It was precisely that, combined with our conversation, that reminded me of something. Two decades ago, one of my friends asked me for my opinion on a certain manuscript. Even back then, I was regarded as an expert on the works of Nikos of Itea, and the manuscript was said to be his. Fascinated, I agreed to help. The book, or rather what remained of it, was in a pitiful state. Not only had it been ravaged by the passage of time, but a large part of the folio had been burnt, leaving only the central sections. It took me quite some time to decipher the somewhat faded characters, but it was a labour of love. The vampiric dialect, the recurring word 'persis', the style and character of the handwriting, everything matched… Except for the content.' Veson fell silent, as if he were sifting through his own memories and wondering why he hadn't noticed something earlier.
'I take it this wasn't another volume of Rare Ailments and Their Cures.'
'Yes, it wasn't.' The Count's expression darkened. Whatever was contained in the notes he'd come across did not fill him with optimism. 'And yet, thematically, it wasn't all that different from his other works. However, it was more of a diary, or at least the surviving fragments suggested as much. Descriptions of procedures, tests and experiments written in a cool, matter-of-fact style. All from the perspective of a witness.' The As drew out the last word melancholically. It seemed to Darius that his guest was constantly teetering between reality and the depths of his memories. It was a strange impression, different from anything the mage could have imagined before.
'Nikos went from being a historian to a researcher in the art of healing, only to later take part in medical research.' Bleist sighed softly. 'A convoluted story; I'm still puzzled as to what it's really about and what rumour reminded you of it.'
'Rumor. . . Yes, a rumor.' Veson brought his thoughts back to the present and looked the colonel straight in the eye. 'Some time ago, I heard an unconfirmed and most likely fabricated account of the examinations in Solvein.' The count adopted a defensive tone, presumably expecting Darius to be quick to deny that anything had happened. However, the earl had no intention whatsoever of interrupting him. As he was not officially involved in the matter, and privately did not have much time to devote to von Konlah's request, he was curious to see where As was heading. Furthermore, the fact that Veson was not interested in the events in Bushtabhar or Draco allayed a concern that Darius had not even realised he had. 'During the magic exams, allegedly, there was… an accident.' It seemed that, on the one hand, the man was very keen to get to the heart of the matter, but on the other, he was struggling to describe the situation diplomatically. 'According to the, admittedly shameful, insinuation, the incident was caused by a faulty catalyst which exploded, releasing perverted energy.' He pressed on, quickening his speech. 'As a result, it is said that one of the students was injured.' The count took a breath and looked at Darius with a hint of surprise. Veson waited a moment for the colonel's reaction, and his astonishment slowly grew when Bleist did not react as expected. 'That preposterous story reminded me of the manuscript we were discussing earlier,' he finally managed to say.
'It must have been a truly remarkable work if it has stuck in your memory so firmly,' said Darius, giving no sign that he was somewhat shocked by the amount of detail that had reached the historian. The fact that the accident had taken place was no secret. Too many people had witnessed it. The general circumstances were also to be expected, but the information about the corrupted artefact should still have remained classified. Either someone has a very loose tongue, or there are more agents in our services than we had anticipated, the earl thought grimly.
'Yes, very unusual,' Veson agreed slowly. 'The lack of introduction complicated matters considerably, but the surviving text focused on descriptions of injuries, illnesses and deformities caused by black magic and monstrous alchemical practices, as well as accounts of attempts to reverse the effects of these twisted practices. Unfortunately, the aid provided often seemed just as inhuman as the cause of the wretches' suffering.' The As, as if embarrassed, looked away, focusing on something beside Darius. 'Studying these cases was as fascinating as it was horrific.'
'Any unauthorised recording of information concerning black magic is severely punished, even if it relates solely to observed effects.' For Bleist, the very act of writing down an account of corrupted magic was unthinkable, let alone actively investigating its effects. Simply determining whether something was black magic or not was extremely dangerous, and investigating its effects was asking for trouble. 'If these were lawful works, then Nikos of Itea, in his pursuit of knowledge, had got himself into the worst possible place. However, if that were not the case…'
'We'll never know that, though.' The historian shook his head. 'The surviving text contains no details regarding the reasons for the author's presence at the scene of that tragedy. Nor is there a single mention of the location or the time at which the research was conducted. Even the people carrying out the experiments are described solely by their initials.'
'It's hard to look for anything if you don't know where to start.'
'Yes, though I don't know if, on this particular matter, anyone would even want to try to uncover the truth.' Veson shook his head gloomily. 'No, there are things that should remain buried by history.'
'And yet your fascination with the manuscript contradicts that.'
'I didn't realise straight away what I was actually dealing with.' The As drank his cold tea without a second thought. 'At first, I thought some sort of disaster had occurred, perhaps one of the ancient artefacts had been damaged… It was only the smudged notes in the margins that made it clear what I was trying to grapple with. I'll never forget that one sentence: I've never seen so much distortion before, and I never want to see it again.' A wry smile twisted the Count's lips. 'The destruction of the book may not have been an accident; perhaps Nikos himself brought it about… We'll never know.'
'I suspect the book is well secured.' Darius didn't need to ask. Regardless of who had asked for help in assessing the work's authenticity, once its contents became known, there was nothing else to do but destroy it, or at the very least hide it well.
'It has been handed over to the relevant authorities.' Veson gave a brief nod.
'Then please get to the point.' Bleist had already learnt more than he wanted to, and he suspected this was by no means the end of the information he would rather not have heard.
'The cadet who was injured in the accident… The catalyst drained his life force.' The As stopped beating about the bush. 'And the manuscript contained, amongst other things, this.' He pulled a few folded sheets of paper from his inside pocket, laid them on the tabletop and slid them towards Darius. 'Several similar cases and descriptions of the treatments used.'
Earl picked up the papers and, with a rather displeased expression, glanced at the first page. Although it was written in Atlantean, he couldn't understand half of the text, and the other half made no sense to him.
'Perhaps, instead of causing suffering, we might be able to help someone.'
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Darius stared at the pages covered in tiny handwriting, with magical circles and symbols drawn on them. He knew nothing about alchemy or healing, so he had no idea what to do with the documents he'd been given. After handing over the notes, Veson spent a little more time with Bleist, but avoided returning to the previous topic at all costs. When he decided he'd stayed long enough, he said a quick goodbye and invited the earl to visit, this time in a more friendly manner.
'I've got no choice,' he muttered, gathering the papers into a single pile. He didn't bother to put them in order; he simply tossed them on top of one another. 'He was counting on this from the start.' He rose from his desk and, with a disgruntled expression, headed for the door. It was difficult to ask for help, but there was no shame in it. 'If the Grand Master doesn't know what to do about this, then no one else will be able to either,' he said, glancing at the empty office, before disappearing through the door.