Lukas reassigned the clones. Two now exclusively followed Stefan Santana, occasionally breaking away to tail suspicious people he interacted with. One continued to watch Mister Grey. It wasn’t that Lukas considered him a suspect, but because the man had launched an investigation of his own. Anything interesting the giant of a man found could prove invaluable to him and Penelope.

Technically, Lukas’s job was done. He had completed the journal’s quest and had no personal interests in the matter. However, having made his decision about Penelope, he needed to make up for his deception and the injuries she suffered. So, he gave the investigation his all.

The final clone and Lukas tracked the hooded woman. Initially, El-Four lost her at the docks. The vessel departed, and it was challenging to follow people in the chaos. It was sheer luck. Just as the clone was about to give up and retreat, he saw a purple flash. He didn’t spot the woman but saw violet lightning out of the corner of his eye. The woman stood tall above a line of chained individuals and their guards, keeping them on their knees with the spell.

It was an ugly sight. El-Four couldn’t keep watching without getting involved, and he dared to venture closer. Instincts and memories of the recent death got him to pause. The mission took priority. He maintained ample distance, worried that the woman would detect him through Silencing Shadows again. A handful appeared to die under her torture. She exchanged a handful of words with a nearby guardsman. He appeared terrified, the same sort of terrified that one appeared whenever Penelope passed.

Then, she left the secret docks alone. Crowds parted before her like the tide. At the same time, people seemed to gradually cease noticing her. They forgot about her. El-Four guessed that whatever spell or ability she was using had limited range. Otherwise, whenever he lost sight of her while following, he’d also forget her.

It came as no surprise when she paused by a guardhouse and Captain Stefan Santana rushed out to meet the mysterious woman, looking as pale as a ghost. El-Four didn’t dare get close enough to eavesdrop, but it was clear that her words were stern and cold. He was sure he saw Stefan tremble a handful of times. By the time they finished their conversation, beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.

Much to the clone’s surprise, Stefan saluted the woman when she walked away. He watched her go before almost collapsing. It seemed his knees had turned into jelly as he grabbed a nearby wall for support. She wasn’t just powerful. The woman was someone of influence. It was as Lukas had predicted. She had pull and power.

“El-Four didn’t get a good look at her face,” Lukas said when reporting to Penelope and Esther. Four days had passed since the delve, and the sorcerer was just starting to feel well enough to move. “We know where she lives, though.”

“One of the mansions by city hall?” Esther asked clearly, far more invested than she claimed to be.

Lukas shook his head. “That’s what I was expecting, too, but El-Four followed them to the red light district. She disappeared into a brothel. I don’t mean one of the shitty little ones where the sailors, soldiers, and little delvers go. It was the big one.”

“By the western cliff face?” Penelope asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Nightingale’s Perch,” Lukas answered, nodding.

“The courtesans there make good money,” Esther commented, frowning. “They might not hold a lot of power, but they whisper in the ears of Iskander’s richest and powerful, the richest ship captains, visiting ambassadors, and royalty. They might not directly hold power, but it's the perfect stage for pulling strings.”

“It has to be a witch,” Penelope stated. “They could ply their potions and a good deal of their curses, jinxes, and spells require the target to accept their hospitality. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how she hooked Stefan Santana first. The question is, why is she doing this? Why bring in the Elder Wyrmkin? Why endanger Iskander?”

“If I were trafficked to a city that supposedly outlawed slavery and was forced to become a prostitute for its rulers, I’d grow resentful,” Lukas stated, shrugging. “The question will be who is our perpetrator. One of the courtesans, the madame, or someone who works in the business.”

“If we’re looking at a witch and they walked into a high-end brothel, it’s very likely we’re not dealing with just one,” Esther said.

Penelope nodded. “We’re most likely dealing with a coven. Bigger and more in-tune the coven, stronger the witches. It wouldn’t surprise me if most, if not all, the women in the brothel are part of it.”

“How do we deal—”

“There is no we here,” Penelope interrupted. “You’re far too weak and inexperienced to deal with something of this magnitude. If your clones really contain pieces of your soul, the slightest encounter means death for you or a lifetime of torture for you.”

“And magic capable of healing soul scars is rare,” Esther added. “A coven might even be able to cut off your access to your Pillars of Self for good.” Her attention moved to the sorcerer. “What if we commission the Shadow Seekers. I’m still technically the chapter leader, and they’ll fall in line behind me if I say so.”

“I don’t know if that’s necessary. Bass and I—”

“It is. This is too much for the pair of you to handle. We don’t know how big the coven is, how much power they hold, or their purpose. “

“I don’t like your involvement in the matter at all,” Bass interjected. “The conclave asked you to solve the issue in the undercity and put a stop to the draconic mutants. The Elder Wyrmkin are dead. Their plot is revealed. We should hand over everything we know to people who have a greater stake in the fate of this accursed city and move on.” The hair on his back stood on end. “Far too many members of the conclave have fallen to covens. You might be strong, but do not underestimate their rituals and numbers.”

“The investigation might be complete, Bass, but our work isn’t done,” Penelope replied. “When have we ever walked away from something without seeing it through?”

“There is a first time for everything. Maybe send word to the council? Ask for backup.”

“It will take too much time. We need to act before they can react, cover up, move, or do something worse.” Penelope reached across the tea table and took Esther’s hand. “I’d appreciate any help. Can we trust the Shadow Seekers to be discreet?”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“It's their operation model,” Esther answered. “Covert operations and jobs involving human opponents are where they excel. You’ll want Snake for the job. He specializes in hunting mages, and he is passionate about maintaining the peace in Iskander.”

“Wife and daughter,” Lukas said. “Or at least daughter. Right?”

“We will keep the team small but effective.” Penelope nodded. “I’ll leave you in charge of that.”

“So Esther is in and I’m out?” Lukas asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe you can run surveillance, but your priority should remain tracking the movements of Mister Grey and Captain Santana,” Penelope said. “I don’t think your Silencing Shadows has reached a level of mastery to navigate a coven safely. You’re unlikely to fool the witches’ senses at close range.”

“Maybe you should focus on preparing for the auction,” Esther added. “Despite the turmoil in the Grey Rats organization, I doubt their leader wants to miss it. Anything you can find out about what he wants and why he wants it could prove useful and perhaps clarify his involvement.”

“It’s something to do with vestiges living in ancient tools and weapons,” Lukas answered, not letting his frustration show. He understood their reasoning but hated being put on the sidelines and especially having the decision taken out of his hands. This wouldn’t have been an issue in his former life, or so he believed. As far as he knew, the old cloning ability didn’t mess with his soul. He had no way of tracking or sensing such things and had never sought clarification. “At least that’s what my test suggested.”

“Interesting,” Penelope stated, exchanging glances with her familiar. “We’ve encountered spells and abilities that turn vestiges into summons or use them as conduits to call forth their power. Knowing what that disgusting giant can do is certainly useful.”

“I’ll get back to preparation and surveillance,” Lukas declared, heading for the door. “Where will I find you if anything else comes up? Here or the inn.”

“We’ll be returning to the inn today and checking out.” The sorcerer smiled at Esther. “Our dear host invited me to stay in her tower and use it as a base of operation. I failed to say no.”

“You’re welcome to stay for the rest of your stay in Iskander, too,” Esther told Lukas. “I already have a room ready.”

“I’m fine, thank you. It's unlikely I’m going to stay still for long. Maybe just to sleep. The inn is still more convenient.”

The arcane smithy had wards and arcane defences to keep infiltrators out. They worked off an exclusions list. Anyone on them was free to come and go. When someone quit, the foreman removed them from the list. He didn’t always get to it straight away. Magic Elvis had witnessed the process and also heard the owner chewing the foreman out for the possible security breach. No former employee dared to rob the business, of course. Not only was it career suicide, but it served Iskander’s rich and powerful, and the consequences of getting caught were dire.

Lukas and the clones had no such qualms. Elvis, and by extension Magic Elvis, were dead, of course. They probed the smithy’s defences late one evening. It came as no surprise when a clone passed through them with ease. Since the Zaun brother was now officially declared dead—Lukas had a clone deliver the news—the foreman hadn’t bothered tweaking the exclusion list.

He heard through the grapevine that Kat had a very public breakdown on hearing the news, and it broke Lukas’s heart. It wasn’t the first time something of the sort had happened. He was sure it wouldn’t be the last. There was a reason he discouraged the clones from such entanglements. It always ended with someone in tears.

El-One, a stalker clone, entered the smithy a couple of hours after midnight. All the senior smiths were gone, and the apprentices had also finished for the night. It was the perfect opportunity for infiltration.

No alarms went off, and the firespitters didn’t activate when El-One crossed the store’s threshold. He didn’t dilly-dally and made a beeline for the treasure. He didn’t bother with the best the store had to offer. The completed, high-quality, expensive products were under lock and key near the back. Lukas and the clones lacked the expertise to infiltrate the space. Stealing a key was, of course, an option. However, the mission would come with the danger of exposure, and the stolen goods could be easily traced.

Instead, the clone targeted the low-priority, cheaper projects left for the apprentices and junior smiths. They sat in secure containers by their workstations. The same rune set unlocked all of them, and Magic Elvis had grown familiar with them. He checked them all, investigating the offerings. Without Inspector’s Compendium, there was no way of telling for sure what each of the pieces did. El-One had to rely on his arcane senses and experience to discern what each of them did.

In the end, the clone ended up using potency, volume of magic, and the runework to discern which of them was worth taking. He ended up taking a couple of knives, a flanged mace, and a gauntlet. The rest didn’t look worth carrying, and he moved on without them. The gems and essences were also under safeguarding, but they had left the magic billets out in the open. El-Two took as many as he could carry, picking the most energy-rich and pure samples.

The theft went much smoother than the clone or Lukas predicted. No one came knocking, no one noticed the cracked open window. They closed all the containers and storage spaces, ensuring no one would notice the theft until they checked on the products and materials. Then, he moved on, leaving behind no trace.

Meanwhile, Lukas returned to the research center to fetch more of Penelope’s papers. He, of course, sent a clone into the secret library again. This time, El-Two had instructions to copy texts on arcane techniques, shadow magic, and expand on the spells he already had.

Lukas had hoped to leave the ways of his old life behind. However, now wasn’t the time to ignore the best parts of his skillset. Lives were on the line, and he wanted to do his best for both upcoming jobs. Every tool, bit of knowledge, and arcane progression would come in handy.

He genuinely packed up Penelope’s things, too. She had requested him to bring them back to Esther’s. The sorcerer no longer needed the research center. The ‘wizard’s tower’ provided a far more secure workspace, and she wouldn’t have to deal with jealous, second-rate mages. The task took far too long, and Lukas didn’t have clones to spare. He was only halfway done when El-Two finished his tasks and joined him.

“Need a hand, boss?”

“Take over,” Lukas answered, claiming the journal. He dug through the texts he had left for last.

“You sure about that, boss?” El-Two asked. “She might just allow you to use them now that you told her the truth. Or most of it anyway.”

“I can’t rely on her good graces and mood.” Lukas picked up Penelope’s ritual journal. He had asked to see it before, and she had said no. Seeker’s Library worked excruciatingly slowly as it copied the text. All the spell circles and ritual diagrams seemed to slow the process down. “Grab the tomes on different kinds of fire.”

The clone complied. “You want the bit on Shadowfire, don’t you?”

Lukas nodded. “Apparently, I’m not ready for such powerful and dangerous magic.”

“And she also said it's private and sentimental.”

“Sounds like an excuse to horde magic,” Lukas said. “Our partnership is still professional and temporary. Penelope is not Esther. She intends to use us. We might as well reciprocate.”

“You’re such a dick sometimes, El-Prime.”

“Who do you work for, Number Two?”

“You might as well be Doctor Evil.” El-Two sighed before returning his attention to packing.

It was dark by the time Lukas finished. He called down the research center’s porters, and they helped load the crates of books and chests into a carriage. Lukas neither helped nor tipped them. They always treated him poorly until news of the latest delve spread. Now, they bowed and treated him with deference.

Too little, too late. Treat the people below you with respect, and they’ll return the favor when they’re on top.