"Haelstadt? Hmph, haven't you ever heard of contract magic? As long as I live, so does Haelstadt," explained Veileena. Fanilly had heard of contract magic, but never had she heard of it being so strong as to prevent someone from dying even when beheaded. What kind of contract was so powerful that it could perform something like that?

Just what kind of person [i]was[/i] Haelstadt?

With no signs that the shrine itself had been desecrated, and the uncomfortable feeling that had permeated its grounds slowly fading, Fanilly was at a loss for how to continue.

A prisoner, however, gave them at least some sort of lead.

"Sir Kherun, we'll be taking the prisoner back to Aimlenn with us so that he may be interrogated," she began, face her knights in turn, "Dame Maritza... we'll return to Candaeln with Lady Cal. From there we can better pool our efforts."

With no further leads, there was no way they could continue the search. Fanilly couldn't help but feel frustrated over this outcome. They had failed to find the shard, which meant it was still out there, somewhere. That it could still hurt people.

But what choice did they have but to regroup?

The Knight-Captain saw no other path forward.

[hr]

It had been a day since they had returned from Candaeln. The prisoner had been handed off for questioning, there were preparations to make a formal meeting with the headmaster and faculty of the Mage's College for the purposes of discussing their choices to hide the shard, and in addition another meeting with Lady Cal in hopes of solidifying a path forward.

Fanilly had begun her day with a stop at Candaeln's shrine. It was situated in the fort's garden, a mixed Mayon-Reon site of worship surrounded by lilies and roses and equipped with  both a sacrificial flame and a sacrificial pool.

For the sake of those who had fallen, and for the guidance of the goddesses, she had prayed for quite some time. For the sake of further guidance, to deal with this situation and all others, as well.

When she departed, the blonde knight made her way to Candaeln's library.

They needed to know as much as they could about the shard, and that meant researching as much as she could manage.

Until they managed to access the College's records, this was her best opportunity.

Candaeln's library was vast and well-stocked. Second only to the College's library itself, its rows upon rows of books made for excellent research material, tall shelves lining the walls.

Admittedly, she had only perused the library's novels before, but now she had a more serious purpose.

[@Raineh Daze][@Crimson Paladin][@HereComesTheSnow][@Martian][@A Lowly Wretch][@JessieTargaryen][@FlappyTheSpybot][@ghastlyinc]