In the distance, Rederick spotted an enormous mountain looming ahead. Gregory rode up beside him, galloping at his side.

  ′That is Dunten,’ Gregory said. ’The Duke’s capital fortress lies closest to the enemy. It stands in the middle of everything. We use it as a bastion of orders. This is where my army will receive orders, where all orders go to and leave from. This is the brain of the north.′

  Gregory looked at Rederick as he looked up. ’I can guide you to Pineburry or the Lord Protector he’s teaching.’

  ′That would be nice,′ Rederick replied, still staring at the mountain. Slowly, its jagged shape began to shift, turning from a natural peak into the looming silhouette of a fortress. There was something beautiful in how it changed from something natural into a man-made object.

  The closer they came to the fortress, the louder the air seemed to hum, hammers striking, boots pounding, voices barking orders. Soldiers, engineers, and knights moved in one fevered rhythm, each stroke of their tools tightening Dunten’s armor. Pits were hastily dug and filled with jagged metal spikes, while wooden stakes were driven deep into the earth. On the castle walls, flashes of movement revealed a flurry of preparations, each action carried out as if the very air itself was working with them.

  Most soldiers wore black uniforms. Others wore green, gray, or white, each marking a different house already stationed in Dunten.Their sheer number of soldiers suggested the scale of the preparations. The scent of salted meat and bread wafted through the air as wagons passed by bringing supplies to the soldiers or entered the fort. The food storage must be immense to sustain so many men, a small city’s worth of supplies crammed into the fortress.′

  Once inside, Rederick and Gregory were escorted through the fortress gates, the buzz of activity intensifying as they walked.

  ‘So, what do you think of all this, hunter?’ Gregory asked with a casual glance toward him.

  Rederick couldn’t let his eyes rest with everything happening around him. Men hurried through the streets, hauling wood, stones, and buckets of arrows. The air was thick with smoke, the clang of metal against metal echoing through the streets, rising above the din of distant voices. He raised an eyebrow. ’I’ve never seen work like this before,’ he said, a touch of awe in his voice. ’This... this is just a fraction of it, isn’t it?’

  Gregory’s eyes glinted with a knowing look. ‘That’s right,’ he replied, his tone matter-of-fact. ′The entire northern territories are gearing up like this.′

  They reached the final wall, a towering structure looming over them.

  ′We have arrived at the peak,′ Gregory said, glancing at Rederick, hoping he wouldn’t miss its significance or perhaps just trying to change the subject.

  At the gates stood two guards and an elderly man leaning heavily on a cane. Beside him stood a younger lad, who was the first to notice their approach. His gaze fixed on them as they drew closer. As they neared, the old man slowly turned his eyes toward us.

  ′Welcome to Dunten, Lord Gregory… and…?′ The older man paused, studying the newcomer.

  ′Rederick, my lord,′ he answered with a respectful nod. ′I am with the hunter who was requested.′

  ′Ah, a hunter. Good. You’ll be useful here,′ the older man said, his voice gruff but not unkind. ′Let’s talk inside. Gregory, you can have your army start bolstering the defenses. When you’re outside, look for the knights with the orange feathers, they lead the projects.′

  Gregory gave a nod and led his men away. As the gates creaked open, Rederick stepped through, his eyes scanning the bustling courtyard.

  ′You can call me Pineburry, young man,′ the old man said with a warm smile. He gestured to the boy beside him. ′This is my pupil. I am teaching him for the future, which is why he follows us.′

  The lad offered a warm smile but remained silent, his eyes meeting Rederick’s. His eyes were filled with either glee or admiration, it was unclear which.

  On the other side of the gate, they stepped into a lush garden. The younger man moved closer to Rederick, offering a casual smile.

  ′You can call me Bernhard,′ he said. ′I’m the eldest son. Don’t let it scare you. Don’t worry about any formalities. I know what it’s like to be a soldier. My father wanted us only for the war effort. I don’t, however, know what it’s like to be a hunter.′

  Rederick returned a smile, respecting Bernhard’s enthusiasm. He eyed the young man thoughtfully. ’What makes this meathead the new Protector?′

  ′So, when will the title be passed down to you then?′ he asked, his tone curious.

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  Bernhard chuckled lightly, though something unreadable flickered in his eyes. ′In one week. The horns will sound for my name day, and on that day, I will receive my father’s crown,′ he said, as if the weight of it had yet to settle in.

  Rederick accepted his words and focused on his task. That was all. He shifted his gaze to the tower. ‘I wish you the best,’ he said, as if he could say anything else. ′Now, can I go inside and look around for any clues?’ he asked, turning to the old man, hoping the boy would take the hint.

  ′Of course,′ he said, his voice steady. He motioned to the doors. ′I’ll walk with you. Gregory, get outside. Speak with the captains stationed around and see if you can learn anything from them. Talk to the people, too, see what’s been going on.′

  They walked down the hall, passing door after door, each one closed, silent, and identical. Do I need to investigate each room, or just a few key places? Rederick wondered. They’ll probably just escort me around.Hmph, as if that’s not suspicious. He was guided to the last door, where Peter motioned for a guard to open it.

  Stepping into the meeting room, Rederick scanned the massive space, trying to piece together what might have happened. A few guards stood silently along the walls. The place had been cleaned up. What was there left to investigate?

  ′No need for further investigation,′ Peter said, his voice calm. ′Have a seat. I’ll tell you everything I’ve gathered so far.′

  As Rederick took a seat, he began noticing the table itself. This was just like Gregory’s table. Was he really going to sit and listen again when there was so much to learn from these maps?Avoiding the chair, he studied the table, though he couldn’t touch it, there was still much to observe. Maps were scattered across the surface. One map, in particular, was marked with strategic placements of forces aimed at the northern capital. Yet something was off. Why did Gregory have a more detailed map of the North? or at least older bastions no longer in use. It was almost amusing, despite everything the Protector had on his maps; he was still missing pieces, all the little details.

  ’What do you know?′There needs to be something going on why else clean everything up when the investigator hadn’t even looked?

  Peter leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh, his gaze shifting to the spot where the protector had fallen.

  ′The killer came in by climbing the wall,′ he said. ′We found small pieces of green metal caught in the stones. It’s strange, no one knows how he crossed the moat or even how he could have left. Nothing has been touched by the water or anything else.Nothing was wet, nothing disturbed and we’re in a hurry to prepare the defenses. We only found the metal pieces inside the wall, but beyond that, we... I mean I don’t know. We’ve been too busy preparing for what is to come.′

  He paused before continuing. ′We couldn’t even secure the surrounding area with all the preparations. That’s why we needed a hunter to see if there’s any trail left to follow.′

  Rederick looked at the ceiling from there went down until stopping by a high balcony. ′Where did he die?’ Was it from above? ‘If he was addressing a crowd that were up the balcony.’

  ′Wilhelm was poisoned before we even got here,′ Pineburry said. ′It was killing him slowly... The Protector must have been poisoned a few days before he actually died.′

  He scanned the area, hoping to find any clues that maybe was missed in the haste to prepare for their upcoming conflict. It could have been an inside job. ′Can I see the rooms where the Protector was earlier that day?′

  Pineburry stood back up. ‘Follow me, hunter,’ Pineburry said. ‘I will show you the way when I still have time.’

  Walking through the halls, he tried to take in as much of the environment as possible. Why had they cleaned everything so thoroughly? It made it nearly impossible to find any new clues.

  Did they know why Drettius might have killed the Protector of the North, what reason would drive him to break the hunter’s oath?Let’s see if he can come up with something.

  ′We have no idea,′ Peter said. ′It could have been the Beastkin, or perhaps someone from the east. In this case, it seems more likely to be the Beastkin. But that doesn’t quite add up since they never leave their woods, and no Empiriumlist would dare venture into them. More likely, the Duchess hired someone to take over the Cias while we waste time voting for the next Protector of the North. All while the Beastkin are marching toward us.′

  He paused, then gestured to the window. ′This is where he entered the building.′

  The only thing visible were small green fragments, unmistakably the metal. Rederick turned around and spotted a door. ′What room is that?′ Rederick asked, pointing toward it.

  Peter replied, ′That’s Wilhelm’s room, the Protector.′

  ′May I take a look inside?′ Rederick asked, stepping closer to the door and inspecting the symbols engraved on it.

  Peter gave a silent nod. ′I’m going back to oversee the defenses. A guard will show you out when you’re finished.′

  Rederick thanked Peter for granting him privacy and asked for a guard to be stationed outside. Stepping inside, he immediately noticed how impeccably clean and organized it was, almost as if no one had ever set foot here.

  At first glance, the room was empty. Wilhelm was nowhere to be seen. But someone had been here, he could feel it in his bones. Everything seemed spotless, too spotless. He was determined to uncover anything that had been left behind.

  Despite hisefforts made, Rederick found nothing of note. Just dust, dirt, and oddly, some thick fur. It looked like it belonged to a dog, but there were no dogs here. he hadn’t seen any animals inside the Peak or even Dunten itself,they were all kept outside the tower.

  Then, something unusual caught his attention: a piece of green metal hidden behind a painting. Why would this be concealed when the other metal pieces were in plain sight? he examined it closely and managed to pry off a small piece. Behind it, he found a tiny hole in the wall that led to the adjacent room.

  It didn’t add up.

  He left the room with more questions than answers, though a theory was already forming in his mind about the Protector of the North’s death. With this information, hesought out Peter.

  Peter listened as Rederick explained what was found: fur and a concealed green metal piece that came from the other room.

  ′We didn’t notice the hole before,′ Peter admitted. ′We left the metal as it was for your investigation. But the fur… what does that prove? That he had a pet? He had no love for animals; almost no one does up here. It could have been from old clothes.′

  ′We still don’t have anything to go on,′ Rederick replied. ′I’m going to check outside the walls. It’s the only place left that needs a closer look.′