That damned Ingenuity got him good.

The Rook, A8, is on his tail, of course. But that didn’t help the situation any. That Sebastian, or Ryan, whatever his name is, is up to something. And just like with the Queen, Aldrainian is being strung along for the funsies.

Gnashing a stick between his teeth, he rifles through the papercuts for the silver bell. A brief flick of the handle, and the four Shadows show up in front of his desk.

“Report.”

C8 bows their head. “Arcane has secured a water mage. Will be destined for the Corrupted Lands night after tomorrow.”

“And the mage?”

C8 shakes their head. “A beastmen type. Skittish and hyper-aware of her surroundings.  Nearly lost my cover.” They produce a stack of papers from beneath their robes. “Seems to have been a victim of the underground slavery. Origins unclear.”

Which noble is it this time? Damn bastards thought him a fool. G8 intercepts the report, flips through the paper, then adds it to Aldrainian’s never-ending stacks. He returns to his left shoulder, hands clasped neatly behind his back.

The other Bishop steps up. “Hunt is stable. Companions continue to bully him between them. No action thus far.”

Aldrainian waves the two back to their post. Rolling the stick around his teeth, he clenches down again.

“Might?”

“Actually,” H8 hesitates, flicking a glance at where C8 had stood. “Might has also secured a water mage.”

“Same one?”

A nod.

The stick splinters. He spits it out, screwing a new one from the box between his teeth. No drugs. No rest. Just a damned headache and a riot on his doorstep the instant he so much as considered dropping the barrier.

“When?”

“Three days.”

He bites down on the stick. Theoretically, the timeline is sufficient. Practically, it’s suspicious. Either this mage isn’t aware how taxing the Corrupted Lands are, or she has something up her sleeve to mitigate it.

“Put someone on her tail.”

H8 nods and vanishes. A8 remains.

"Next time, speak first. You're the only eyes I have on him."

"Ryan is a good person."

"Same as everyone who feeds you. Report?"

"Not everyone," he mumbles beneath his breath. Straightening up, he dips his head into a bow. "Ingenuity has confined himself to the capital. Mornings he visits the Imperial Library, Midday the shops. Evenings, potions. Nights are an alteration."

"Between me, sleep, and his little disappearing acts?"

A8 nods.

"Still no clue how he does it?"

"There is no trace of magic before or after. He just… disappears."

He spits out the splinters and screws a third stick between his teeth. If only they had a lick of nerotene.

"If I find out you're hiding even the slightest scrap of information…"

"You'll have my head?"

"Fuck no! I'll dock your snack budget."

"That's even worse…" A8 pouts to himself.

Aldrainian waves him off. Unlike the others, there is no preceding incantation. The best of the Rooks and Bishops in terms of skill, but the absolute worst for trust.

But, he's the only one who can track the movements of Ingenuity. When the bastard isn't trying to hide.

Prick was one hundred percent toying with all of them.

Just like a certain queen.

"Still no sign of that bitch?"

The knight shakes his head. Liar. He contacts her every night. That's how Ingenuity took advantage of him. Bastard got ahold of some pretty classified information over the course of one night. If the queen isn't secretly tipping him off, the entire kingdom is screwed.

Aldrainian leans back, the high-backed chair pressing into every sore muscle and bone it can find. Twenty-three days to the next Rift. Eight brats to babysit and an entire kingdom dependent on them.

And with the current rate of progression from the Summoneds’, Aldrainian will have a capital swarming in monsters the instant the last sands fall.

A vacation sounds nice. A long, extended, on-the-run from the Queen's dogs, vacation.

It'll at least drag her back to the capital. Let the bitch deal with her own damn mess.

Dragging his ass from the chair, Aldrainian waves the knight out of his face and retires to his room.

Fuck the paperwork for one night.