Pitter patter, pitter patter.

  Viola buried her head deeper into the pillow.

  Pitter patter, pitter patter.

  Just a little bit longer...

  Pitter patter, pitter patter.

  "Fuck!"

  The pillow sailed across the room, struck the door, and dropped to the floor.

  Pitter patter, pitter patter.

  Her tired eyes cracked open and drifted to the small window. The sky was still dark. What was it now? What had these lunatics in such a frenzy this early in the morning?

  She pushed herself off the mattress. Her body felt heavy. It wasn't just the lethargy that clung to her lately, but a sensation as if her feet were glued to the floor.

  For a Wind Mage, there was no worse feeling.

  But there seemed to be no remedy. For months now, sleep had been scarce. Her body felt weighed down by the heavy thoughts she could not shake since arriving in this dreadful place.

  Viola took one weary step after another and finally reached her door, opening it a fraction. A figure rushed past, then another, and another. She had found the source of the commotion.

  Her sleepy mind began to stir. Something was off. There were too many people about. Not just because of the hour, but because it was rare to see this much activity even during peak times.

  Something had happened.

  Her eyes sharpened, identifying the people rushing past. Dark armor, spears on their backs. Drones. They wouldn't know anything even if she asked.

  Viola closed the door and struggled to pull her robes over her night gown, the flowing fabric making her look somewhat presentable. It would have to do.

  Instead of leaving through the door, she vaulted through the tiny window. Despite the heaviness she felt, the air caught her eagerly. No matter her state of mind, the caress of the wind always managed to lift her spirits.

  [Wind Dance]

  In an instant, she was hovering dozens of feet in the air, looking down on the fortress. It seemed to have grown again.

  Their landing spot, once nothing more than a small opening in the side of a mountain, had transformed beyond recognition. The mountain had been shaped into a citadel that looked as if it had grown from the very rock. Below, a vast city sprawled outward, monstrous walls encircling the outermost districts.

  The core of the city had been built in a matter of weeks. It had been a sight to behold. A full corps of Earth Mages working in unison, guided by no fewer than four Archmages. The outline of the city had taken shape in hours. They could have finished in a single day if not for the dozens of hardening procedures required to make the fortress impenetrable.

  Despite her conflicting thoughts, a flicker of pride rose in her chest as she gazed down. The military might of the Empire was beyond reproach. No one, perhaps with the sole exception of the dwarves, could have even built what her people completed in days.

  Her gaze traveled upward to the highest chambers of the fortress. If she wanted information, that was where she needed to be.

  The wind obliged, carrying her higher, but not toward the command center. She knew better than that.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure. Adjusting her course, she matched their flight path.

  "Lidi," Viola called out.

  The figure slowed and came to a halt in the air before her.

  "...Lady Windt?nzer." The woman dipped her head respectfully. Though Lidi was technically a superior in the legion, her title carried weight that could not be ignored, especially by a Wind Mage.

  "What is going on?"

  The woman frowned, clearly debating how much she should say.

  "...We have run into resistance," she said at last. "Command has expedited the delivery of supplies and reinforcements."

  "Is that where all this commotion is coming from?"

  Lidi nodded.

  "What kind of resistance?" Viola asked.

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  Lidi shook her head. "I do not know."

  "Nothing at all?"

  Another shrug. "You know how it is here, Lady Windt?nzer. I only know as much as we need to."

  Viola frowned. "Officially, yes. But do not tell me you haven't heard any rumors."

  Lidi shook her head again. "Nobody knows. At least not at my level. You would have to go higher if you want the truth."

  "How high?"

  Lidi wiggled her hand. "High command, probably."

  Viola scowled. That was not helpful. High command never revealed anything they did not have to. Even her title meant nothing to those people. What was a Windt?nzer compared to a Geistreich?

  And her usual tactic, using the wind to eavesdrop, was useless here. The Mind Mages never spoke aloud, preferring to communicate directly through thought. No. If she wanted answers, she would have to find another way.

  "Thank you. I will let you know if I learn anything."

  Lidi smiled. "I would appreciate it, Lady Windt?nzer."

  Lidi left to carry out whatever assignment she had been given. That left Viola to consider her next move. She could stay here and wait for another Wind Mage to pass by. Given her position, most would not deny her information. Most did not mean all, though. Anyone who knew what was truly happening would not be intimidated by her title in the slightest.

  This would not work.

  Should she try asking high command? They rarely revealed more than they intended to, but there was always a chance the information was not confidential.

  ...

  Fat chance.

  These freaks seemed to have it out for her. They sometimes appeared to keep her in the dark on purpose, as if turning ignorance into a game. It was as though they enjoyed giving her as little information as possible.

  That was where her drive to investigate everything herself had come from in the first place. If she'd relied on high command, she likely would not even know what country she was in.

  That only left a single choice...

  Viola flew higher, keeping well away from the area around high command. She did not dare get too close for fear of being discovered. Her mind would give her away even if she stayed out of sight. Another reason she could not spy on them even if they were to speak aloud.

  Instead, she flew to the far side of the citadel. Her quarters were in the Wind Tower, and her target was on the opposite end: the Earth Tower.

  She circled the highest level. Only Arch Mages were allowed to stay here. The first two rooms she passed were empty. That did not discourage her. If anything, it was a good sign.

  As expected, when she approached the top floor, faint voices drifted through an open window. Viola aimed for the space just beneath it. She did not dare fly too quickly, nor did she dare land. Any contact with the structure would expose her immediately.

  Some Earth Mages were so sensitive to disturbances in the ground that they could even feel it if she flew past the tower too fast.

  For the final stretch, she practically crawled through the air, taking no risks at all.

  "...It doesn't matter. We have been ordered to speed up the project," a somewhat familiar voice said as she approached. She recognized him as a Steiner and the leader of the Earth Mages in the citadel.

  "What is this hurry all of a sudden?" another, clearly disgruntled voice asked. "We have been ahead of schedule the entire time, and now even that is too slow?"

  The leader sighed. "What do you want me to do about it? I get my orders just like the rest of you."

  "That is bull," a second Archmage interjected. "Aren't we just being ordered to cover their failure now?"

  "...Do not say such things too loudly," the leader admonished, though it was clear from his tone that he was not pleased with the orders either.

  "Why shouldn't I speak my mind when I am only saying the truth? These fools have been acting all high and mighty, as if they were more knowledgeable than the Seers themselves, and now look. A small counterattack by some mercenaries and all our plans fall apart?"

  "You know that is not how it is, Keiler," the leader said with a sigh. "This is clearly the elven response to our presence. And these are not random mercenaries either. The elves have convinced several prominent houses to send their elites. I have heard there are more than two dozen Archmages among them."

  Silence fell over the room.

  "...Numbers alone do not mean much," the second man, Keiler, replied. "I bet any one of us could take two of them."

  "Maybe," the leader said, though his tone lacked confidence. "Then again, I have heard some disturbing things."

  "What have you heard?" a third voice asked.

  The leader sighed audibly. "Do not go spreading this, all right?" There was a brief pause before he continued. "We have already lost two of ours."

  "WHAT?"

  "HOW?"

  "WHO DIED?"

  Even Viola nearly gasped. She had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from making a sound. What was happening? Had they really lost two Archmages? Practically overnight?

  The leader waited for the others to calm down before continuing.

  "Marvin is dead. Apparently, it was an assassination. Somebody infiltrated his camp and killed him in his sleep."

  "How did they get past the checkpoints? Should the commander not have sensed his Mind?"

  "...That is all I know," the leader said. "The exact details are known only to high command. However, it seems they found a way to bypass our defenses. That alone should tell you this is not some random band of pests. These are elite Mages we are facing."

  This time, no voice rose in protest. The death of one of their own had sobered them.

  "Who is the second?" one of them asked after a moment.

  "Baldwin is also dead."

  "...Even a Feuerkranz was killed?"

  "Seems so," the leader confirmed. "Not only that, the entire battalion died with him. There was not a single survivor as far as we know."

  "No survivors? Did they run into an Exarch or something?"

  "That is just it. They were defeated by a force of similar size. With minimal casualties on the enemy side, from what I heard."

  "Is that even possible?"

  "I do not know," the leader said, echoing the others' disbelief. "But high command is usually correct about these things."

  Another stretch of silence followed, even heavier than before. It seemed they had stopped breathing.

  "...We might need to speed up our work after all," someone said at last.

  "No helping it, I guess," another echoed.

  "A bit less sleep will not kill me," the last one agreed.

  Viola did not blame them for changing their tune so quickly. Nothing was more motivating than the threat of an overwhelming enemy hiding in the dark. She would be lying if she said a thicker wall would not help her sleep better too.

  The harder these men worked, the easier she could rest.

  She heard the scraping of chairs. A clear sign the meeting was ending. It was time for her to leave as well. She had learned what she needed. Now she only had to escape without being caught.

  "...One more thing," the leader said just as she was about to leave. Viola paused, her ears perking up.

  "We actually know the identity of the man who killed Baldwin. In his arrogance, he deliberately allowed high command to see his face."

  "That is bold. Who is it?"

  Viola drifted closer again, eager to hear the answer."It was Maximillian's boy... Ezekiel, that traitor."