Revenant (III)

"I first noticed it when I found him at the border." Rainee narrated to her parents, standing by the large table. "He was in a diner, eating a cupcake."

Ravena listened with narrowed eyes, impatient for her daughter to get to the point, while Ronan was hunched by the table, both arms resting with fists placed on its surface as he listened.

"At first, I thought he had gotten himself a Seal. But with Seals, one would usually feel an obstruction when trying to sense the Spark Core. However, it didn't feel like an obstruction. It just felt like… nothing was there."

Ravena clicked her tongue in frustration. "I noticed it the moment I stepped out of the dome. I might suggest that it could be a Mirage rather than a Seal. But Mirages don't show an empty Spark Core."

Ronan's head fell, his expression darkening. "This is troublesome. What bothers me the most is that he seems to have no idea about it."

"Which is why the Frostspires must be summoned before a High Court, Ronan." The Lady of Bridenfall stepped closer to her husband. "He was in their territory, and he returns to ours with no Spark pumping within his Core."

Ronan stood straight, folding his arms across his chest as his wife looked at him desperately. "Taking the Frostspires to a High Court is too extreme of a move, Ravena. Especially if it turns out that they had no hand in this. I am frustrated as well, but we must be careful. War must be avoided at all costs."

"Unawakening my son, the Scion of Bridenfall, is an act of war, my love!" Ravena exclaimed.

"Which is why I don't believe the Frostspires would have done it," Ronan responded. "Lord Feridon is a man of conquest, not a man of war."

Ravena fell silent for a while, then swallowed, her heart aching for her son. "I understand that you two are rivals, and like the men you are there's a sense of honor in that which leads you to believe that he would never do such a thing. But my love, war is a tool for conquest, and the first blade has been struck."

She reached up, cupping her husband's face in her hands and shifted his gaze to her. "If we don't raise our shields now, the second will strike harder."

The two looked at each other for a while, sharing the understanding and fear for the life of their son, as well as the knowledge of all they'd done to reach this point in their lives.

Ronan lifted his hand and held his wife's, giving it a soft squeeze. Then he nodded, giving her his assurance. "I will go myself to see Feridon. An envoy gives the air of suspicion. With me, he will think it's only business."

Ravena nodded after, then whispered a soft thank you to her husband. They let themselves go and she cleared her throat, then turned to her daughter.

"Rainee, was there anyone with him in the diner? Did people see him? Did they recognize him?"

"He had an altercation with the Scioness of Winterspell and her shieldbearer. As far as I know those were the only two of worth who had recognized hi—"

"Wait," Ronan interjected, shaking his head. "The Scioness of Winterspell? Feridon's daughter?"

"Yes, Father."

The couple looked at each other, both intrigued and worried at the same time.

"What kind of altercation was this?" Ravena asked, her gaze sharp as it returned to her daughter.

"Nothing serious," Rainee said sternly. "They were chattering over a cupcake."

"And you say her shieldbearer was there?" Ronan pressed.

"Yes, Father."

The couple exchanged a glance once again. "A shieldbearer for the Scioness would be in the Master rank at least," Ronan said, his voice dreading the implications.

"She must have sensed his Spark Core," Ravena added. "Noticed as well that it was empty." Her face twisted in fear. "That is not good, Ronan."

"I know. I know."

The situation had changed now. Whether the Frostspires did this or not was no longer the issue. But assuming they didn't, a person who worked for the Frostspire royal family now knew of Razen's sudden emptiness in his Spark Core.

The Revenants could afford to wage a war if they wanted to because they believed their son was tampered with. But what they could not afford was any of the other royal families finding a sliver of weakness in their Citadel.

Power was claimed and maintained by the presence of fear, whether real or perceived. Fear kept enemies and rivals in check, and the Revenants had long been feared for their strength.

If it got out to any of the families that their son, the Scion and heir to the Revenant throne, was somehow as Sparkless as an unawakened, it would be a sign of weakness.

Weakness that would be exploited.

"I must have that meeting with Feridon at soonest," Ronan declared. "Try to find out what he knows, or if he was the one behind this."

"Yes," Ravena agreed, calming herself with quiet breaths. "I will up the security in the Citadel, and I'll place a Seal in Razen's Core so no one can sense the... insufficiency within it."

Rainee, who had been watching and listening to her parents' concern and frustration, decided that now was the time to speak up.

"Father, Mother," she drew their attention. "There's also something you must know."

The Lord and Lady looked at her, a speck of anxiety in their gazes, although Ronan's eyes were more furrowed, like he'd been expecting her to say this very thing for a while.

"I lied then because I didn't want Razen to feel like I outed him in front of our parents," she said plainly. "It's about the tear in his shirt."

"The heat," Ronan sliced into her words. "The heat I sensed from it wasn't from a fire blast or anything like that. It was from a heater, wasn't it? A Sparkgun."

Ravena's eyes widened, face paling as she shifted her gaze between the two of them. "Wha— what are you implying at this moment?"

Rainee took a deep breath, placing both hands at her back. "Mother, I think Razen was shot."