His mouth hung open in shock. It seemed that he had not considered this possibility—at least not until just now.

  “Well, of course I’m not host to a Seeker!” He rushed to say. “My behavior has been perfectly normal, I’ve never been vulnerable in the presence of any object that could host a demon, and most importantly, I possess no strong emotions for it to manipulate. I don’t mean to exaggerate, Lady Helian, but I am one of the most skilled mages in the kingdom, and I maintain my body in peak physical condition, the state of my legs aside. My most trusted aides are all familiar with this scenario, and we monitor each other for any signs.” He took a breath before continuing. “I am at peace with my place in the world, and that place rarely brings me into contact with outsiders. A Seeker would scarcely benefit from occupying me.”

  I frowned. “That makes you sound like an ideal host to me. Would being asleep count as a moment of vulnerability? What about coming down with a cold? Crying at a funeral?”

  At my mention of a funeral, his eyes went wide in terror, and he muttered the word ‘coffin.’

  A long moment later, he swept his hand wide. The barrier surrounding the room dissipated. I heard the sealed door unlock behind me. He closed his eyes.

  “Lady Helian, I think our conversation must be cut short. You should leave.”

  “Sir?”

  “It’s best if I don’t see or hear where you go. You understand, don’t you?”

  “I understand. Thank you.”

  I stood from my seat and exited the room as quietly as I could. I counted myself lucky that my visits to the various laboratories had given me some familiarity with the layout of the estate. But how would I leave? We were in the middle of a cold snap, so even if I could manage to steal a horse, surviving the trip south would be a struggle. Perhaps a carriage? But I would need the archmage’s approval to take one, even if I was a saintess.

  I flagged down the first guard I saw. “Guardsman!”

  “Yes, Lady Saintess?”

  “Contact all of Sir Atropa’s aides immediately and tell them that the worst has come to pass.”

  “Pardon?”

  I whipped my head around. “Did I stutter?”

  “No, Lady Saintess… I just don’t understand.”

  “If you’re not willing to carry a message, can you tell me where to find one of his aides?”

  The useless guard thought for a moment, then pointed toward the circular staircase that led up the east tower. “Try the third-floor lab up there. That’s where XXXXXXX’s desk is.”

  I turned on my heel and began to climb the staircase.

  Behind me, I heard the guard make his way towards the archmage’s office. I should’ve knocked the fool out and taken his weapon.

  Upon reaching the third-floor landing, I pounded on the locked door to the lab. “Is anyone in there?”

  A slip of a girl opened the door cautiously. “Yes? Lady Saintess, what is the matter?”

  “I need to speak with XXXXXXX urgently. Are they here?”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  The young girl responded with concern. “No. XXXXXXX stepped out for dinner at the tavern.”

  Ah, hell. “Are any of Atropa’s other aides in this tower?”

  She shrugged. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. You could try the sixth-floor lab, the person in charge of it is pretty important.”

  “Okay, thank you. For now, keep the door to the lab locked.”

  Her eyes filled with terror, and she closed and locked the door without a word.

  Okay, to the sixth floor I go.

  ------

  The sixth-floor laboratory’s door was, thankfully, unlocked. I opened it and strode in.

  “Who’s in charge here?”

  The three magicians in the lab looked up in unison. One of them dropped a test tube and cursed.

  The tallest one raised his hand and walked over. “Lady Saintess? What seems to be the problem?”

  “I need to speak with one of Atropa’s aides immediately. The worst has come to pass.”

  He grew pale. “I’m… not exactly certain what that means, but it sounds quite bad. Should I bring you to find them?”

  “No, I think it wouldn’t be safe for me to go back downstairs. Act casually, and you mustn’t tell the archmage that you met me or tell him where I am. If you do, both of us will be in danger.”

  He swallowed. “I’m not sure about this… but you’re the saintess, so I’ll trust you. I’ll go get help right away.”

  “Good. If you tell an aide what I said, they’ll understand immediately. I’m going to leave now.”

  I turned to the other two researchers. “Lock the door and find somewhere to hide.” Their faces went pale and they glanced at each other before nodding in unison.

  I exited the lab alongside the researcher, and after wishing him luck, continued up the tower alone. As I reached the eighth-floor landing, I heard heavy footfalls ascending the staircase just below me.

  I quickened my pace. The footsteps sped up to keep up. I cursed the useless guardsman under my breath.

  Nine floors. The footsteps grew closer.

  Ten floors. The footsteps slowed, but grew closer, still. The knot in my stomach tightened.

  I sprinted up the staircase and the archmage continued walking behind at a leisurely pace, taking large, heavy steps. He could have closed the distance at any point but seemed to be toying with me for his own entertainment.

  I reached the top landing and the connecting door that led to the west tower. Locked. I slammed my shoulder against it once, twice, three times, before giving up and rushing through the door on the opposite side. I found myself in an ordinary sitting room.

  The only other exit from the room was a pair of ornate double doors. Which led to a balcony.

  Oh.

  I took a deep breath and opened the double doors, stepping out into the frigid air as a new understanding slowly formed in the back of my mind. This was a bad place to be – we were at least ten stories up and the railing was low.

  Even with the deep northern snow below to act as a cushion, no ordinary human would survive a fall from this height.

  I heard Atropa laugh behind me. I turned to face him. He regarded me with clouded eyes, grinning from ear to ear. “How entertaining. You really have a talent for doing the unexpected. Do you plan to make your last stand here, Saintess?”

  In a sense, that wasn’t the worst idea. Any competent mage would avoid close quarters combat at all costs, as proximity to your opponent ruled out most of the spells that were normally chosen to deal with a single foe. Worse still, if your opponent was skilled with the blade, they could exploit the time you’d need to spend on invocations and easily subdue you physically.

  Unfortunately, I had no sword at my disposal, and any spell capable of harming a mage of his caliber would turn the top half of the tower into a pile of rubble, sending me tumbling to the ground below. I needed to find a way to get the upper hand.

  The message. I forgot about the message!

  I rooted around in my pockets until I found the slip of paper. I took it out and unfolded it.

  Calling it a message was something of an overstatement. Really, it was just four words. Written in a foreign language in two neat lines by a hand just like mine.

  Jump.

  I love you.

  Of course! This is the last chapter of the novel, isn’t it?

  Anything could happen, so why not this? As the archmage gazed at me in confusion, I waved, and then—leapt over the railing.