Chapter 610: Pursuit
Kael sensed the movement in the corridor before anyone reached the door.
It was not some complex magical perception. There were hurried footsteps, controlled voices, and a clear change in the behavior of the guards outside. No one was running, but everyone was moving with purpose. That meant something had changed.
He stepped away from the window.
Sylphie closed the report she was still holding. Irelia turned toward the door at the same instant, also noticing the increase in activity.
Kael did not ask whether they had found something.
The answer came when Amelia opened the door without knocking. Liza followed right behind her, accompanied by Violet and Elizabeth. Amelia still carried the folder, but now there was a communication crystal in her other hand and far more visible tension on her face.
Kael looked directly at her.
"They found them."
Amelia nodded.
"Six unmarked wagons heading toward Greyhollow. No visible drivers. One of them is leaking mana."
"Are they heading into the region or leaving it?"
"Leaving. At least, that is what Violet concluded."
Kael did not need long to think.
"They noticed the agents."
"We are not certain," Violet replied. "The wagons may have started moving before they arrived."
"It does not matter."
Kael walked to the table in the room and pushed aside the objects on top of it. Amelia placed the map in the empty space. He leaned over the paper, locating Greyhollow, the abandoned mines, the old road, and the routes leading out of the region.
Over the last few days, everyone had assumed Kael would serve only as the attacking force once the target was found. He understood the reasoning. He was not an investigator and had no patience for following commercial records for weeks. However, finding an operation and reaching it before it disappeared were two different problems.
The second part was something he understood very well.
"When did Mara send the message?"
"A little over four minutes ago," Amelia said.
"Speed of the wagons?"
"She did not say."
"Six wagons without drivers are not using ordinary horses. If they are moving through magic, their speed may vary."
Kael examined the map. The mining road passed through a narrow valley before splitting in three directions. The northern route entered the mountains. To the west was the road leading to Orthea. The third crossed a wooded area before reaching the more populated territory of the Empire.
He pointed toward the valley.
"Do they have to pass through here?"
Violet approached.
"If they are coming from Greyhollow, yes. The old road offers no other exit for large cargo."
"How long?"
"Perhaps forty minutes before they reach the valley. Less if they are using some kind of magical propulsion."
Kael raised his eyes.
"Then we are not going to Greyhollow."
Amelia frowned.
"You want to intercept the wagons?"
"I want to discover where they are going."
"If we attack in the valley, we lose that opportunity."
"I did not say we would attack."
The room became quiet for a moment.
Irelia approached the map.
"What are you thinking?"
Kael pointed toward the western exit of the valley.
"Amelia was right from the beginning. The organization abandons operations whenever something goes wrong. Those wagons are not the project. They are what they managed to save from it. If we follow the cargo without being seen, it may lead us to another warehouse, a laboratory, or someone above the transporters."
Amelia studied the map again.
"But our agents are already nearby."
"They were sent to investigate as merchants, not to follow a magical withdrawal. If they remain close, they will be discovered."
Kael extended his hand.
"The crystal."
Amelia handed it over.
He activated the communication and waited several seconds. The crystal responded with the low noise of wheels, wind, and vibrating wood.
"Mara."
The answer came almost immediately.
"I am listening."
"It is Kael."
There was a brief silence.
"Your Majesty."
"No titles. Where are you in relation to the wagons?"
"On elevated ground south of the road. About two kilometers away. They are heading toward the valley."
"Any sign of an escort?"
"No. But the shadows beneath the wagons are moving strangely."
Umbra, who had not been in the room until then, emerged from Kael’s shadow as though summoned by the description.
"That is not good."
Kael glanced sideways at her but continued speaking with Mara.
"You are going to fall back."
"We can continue observing."
"No. If the shadows serve as a form of perception, they may already have sensed you. Stop following the road. Enter Greyhollow and search for survivors, documents, or anything that was left behind. Do not enter the mines."
Mara hesitated.
"The cargo will escape."
"It will not."
The firmness in his voice ended the discussion.
"Understood."
Kael deactivated the crystal and returned it to Amelia.
She looked at him.
"You want to take over the pursuit."
"Yes."
"With whom?"
"Umbra."
Sylphie crossed her arms.
"No."
Kael looked at her.
"She can follow the shadows without being detected."
"And you are marked by a structure connected to them."
"That is precisely why I may be able to sense when they try to communicate."
"That also means they may be able to sense you."
"I know."
Sylphie held his gaze, clearly dissatisfied. Kael did not pretend the risk did not exist. There was no point, and she knew that kind of lie far too well.
He looked back at the map.
"I will not follow closely. I only need to see their direction after they leave the valley."
Liza asked:
"And when we know the destination?"
"Then we decide whether to keep following or close the route."
"We decide?" Amelia repeated.
Kael looked at her.
"Yes. I am not going to invade a base without informing you."
The surprise on the faces around him was slight, but visible.
Kael frowned.
"Stop making that face."
Irelia smiled.
"You are maturing."
"Do not start."
Amelia returned to the matter before the conversation could drift.
"I prepared a passage thirty kilometers south of Greyhollow. Ten agents for isolation, two containment specialists, and a medical team."
"The agents stay at the portal exit."
Violet raised an eyebrow.
"They are not going with you?"
"No. A large group will be noticed. I want everyone ready to move when I confirm the position. If there are civilians, the agents isolate the area. If there are unstable vessels, the specialists go in. If there is combat, I handle it."
Liza crossed her arms.
"That sounds very close to you doing everything alone."
Kael shook his head.
"No. Doing everything alone would be crossing the portal now, attacking the wagons, destroying half the cargo, and discovering afterward that they were only a distraction."
Amelia could not argue with that.
He continued:
"You will work from here. Amelia controls the information. Violet positions the agents. Irelia checks every trade route leaving the valley. Liza blocks any passage of the cargo into vampire territory. Sylphie remains connected to me."
Sylphie narrowed her eyes.
"Connected how?"
"If the mark reacts or I lose contact, you pull me back."
Yggdrasil was not present to say whether that was possible, but Sylphie understood the idea. The bond between them was deep enough for her to sense severe changes in Kael’s body and mana. With preparation, perhaps she could use natural energy as a return point.
"That may hurt," she said.
"Probably."
"You say that far too calmly."
"Because the alternative is you following me and entering the shadows’ range."
Sylphie remained silent. Kael knew he had struck the main reason she would agree. If she went with him, his attention would be divided between the pursuit and her safety. Sylphie was powerful, but that organization understood bloodlines, memory, and bonds. She herself could become far too important a target.
"I will prepare the connection," she finally said. "But if I feel the mark opening, I will bring you back without asking."
"Fair."
"Even if you are close to the target."
"I said fair."
Umbra briefly rested her head against his shoulder.
"I will not let that happen."
Sylphie looked at her.
"I do not trust only you."
Umbra answered calmly:
"You do not need to. You only need to do your part."
Kael placed one hand on each of their heads before the tension could grow.
"Not today."
Both looked at him.
"You can compete over who took better care of me after we return."
"I will win," Umbra said.
Sylphie smiled without humor.
"We will see."
Kael took a deep breath and returned his attention to the map. His behavior had changed completely since Amelia’s arrival. Before, he had been restless because he had no role. Now there was a moving target, a concrete distance, and a problem that depended directly on his ability.
Celestial Step was not merely a new technique to test.
It was the exact tool they needed at that moment.
"Liza, are there any restrictions on crossing the human border this way?"
The queen replied:
"Legally, several."
"Practically?"
"Do not be seen."
"Excellent."
Elizabeth watched Kael in silence. Until then, she had known him mainly through stories of strength, invasions, and death. Yet at that moment, he did not seem like a man waiting to be unleashed upon an enemy. He was dividing tasks, anticipating risks, and choosing where not to attack. There was urgency in him, but not lack of control.
She asked:
"And if the wagons split up?"
Kael looked at the map.
"Umbra follows the shadows. I follow the cargo leaking mana."
"Why?"
"Because it is probably the most important."
"Or the most unstable," Amelia said.
"That too."
"Does that not concern you?"
"It does. That is why I will not touch it."
Liza let out a quiet laugh.
"You truly learned something from the basin."
"I learned not to punch ancient vessels before asking questions."
Sylphie raised an eyebrow.
"That sentence still allows you to punch them after asking."
"I like keeping my options open."
Violet left the room to prepare the passage. Amelia began distributing communication crystals, giving one to Kael and another to Umbra, although Umbra looked at the object as though it were unnecessary.
"You need to answer," Amelia said.
"I can speak through his shadow."
"I want a method of contact that does not depend on Kael being conscious."
Umbra took the crystal.
"You think too much."
"It is my job."
Kael removed the heavier cloak and left it over the chair. Then he tightened his boots, adjusted his shirt, and examined the red mark on his arm. It remained dormant beneath the natural layer Sylphie had created, but it was still there. It did not hurt. It only produced a faint sensation of pressure, as though something were pressing against the other side of a door.
Sylphie stood in front of him and held the marked arm with both hands. Green energy traveled across his skin, climbed his shoulder, and connected to his mana core. Kael felt her presence settle inside his body. Not controlling him. Merely keeping a path open.
"Do not sever the connection," she said.
"I will not."
"Do not use any more mana