Tucker walked towards the stone fountain and stared at the small tear in the flexible hose. He glanced over to Ray and nodded as his comrade moved to Sam. Tucker held onto the pocket watch and kneeled on the ground. Their thirty minutes were up. The receptionist would wake up any second now.

  He took out a small patch of blue waterproof hide and wrapped it around the tube, tightening it in place with a piece of string. “We should be good to go. Is Sam awake yet?”

  “Doesn’t seem like it. I think she passed out from overworking.” Ray shook her shoulders gently. “Hey Sam, you good?”

  “H-huh?” Sam blinked several times as a bit of drool fell from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes shot open, and she immediately stood up straight. “Ah yes! Sorry, I must have dozed off. How long was I gone for?”

  Ray chuckled, watching her wipe the drool away with her white sleeve. “A couple of minutes, but we weren’t keeping track.”

  “My apologies,” Sam said in an embarrassed tone. “I don’t usually fall asleep on the job.”

  Tucker looked over as the corner of his lips curled upwards. “Relax, we’re not going to give you grief for resting. It’s completely normal.” He stared at Ray. “Paul, could you turn on the water?”

  “Leave it to me,” Ray answered. His hand trembled as he walked over to the closed panel on the wall. With a click, he opened the metal door and twisted the knob of the shut-off valve. “For future reference, Sam, if you ever need to shut off the water, this is where you do it.”

  Sam nodded slowly. “Are you alright, Paul?”

  “Of course.” Ray forced a strained smile. “Why? Is it something on my face?”

  “No… it’s just that… both of you seem pretty pale,” Sam replied. “It’s like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Tucker’s hand slowly dropped to the floor, catching Sam’s gaze. “It’s that obvious, huh?” He stared at Sam with eyes that were far too tired. “Truth be told, we were drafted for the war.”

  “What?” Sam’s eyes drifted between the two. “N-no, you can’t be serious. If that’s the case, then why are you working?”

  “Because our family needs every help they can get,” Ray replied. “It’s not easy working day in and day out, but we do it anyway.”

  Tucker patted the dust off his pants and rose. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. You really have a way with words, you know that, right?”

  “Quit being so melodramatic.” Ray shut the metal door with a soft click. “Just because we’re going together doesn’t mean I’m going to enjoy serving with you.”

  “He doesn’t mean it,” Tucker pointed out. “Paul has always been a dishonest guy.”

  “I can see that.” Sam politely hid her smile.

  “Well, that being said, we’ve finished our job here.” Tucker moved to the ladder and grabbed the side. “Turns out we didn’t need this after all, but at least it was good to have.”

  “You say that, but now we have to bring that shit back down all those stairs,” Ray grumbled, grabbing the other end.

  Water flowed from the pipes and into the empty basin with a soft echo. At first, it was a trickle tapping against the stone, each drop ringing faintly as the bowl slowly filled. Then the noise grew louder with water climbing the edge of the curved walls.

  “The only thing we’ve seen at the fountain was a tear in the tube connecting to the center pipe,” Tucker said, watching as the water cascaded down the dragon’s mouth in steady streams. “If there were any other issues, they would have appeared. But so far, it looks good.”

  “Perfect!” Sam clapped her hands with a bright smile. She opened the closed door leading out of the office. “Thanks for resolving it so quickly.”

  “Anytime,” Tucker replied.

  The two watchmen followed Sam down the hall and through the floors once more. A sense of unease drifted into Tucker’s mind. Even though the two watchmen were casually returning to the lobby without so much as a glance. A sharp throb ached in his chest.

  Looking back, maybe there was something he could have done for Nox. But the time left was far too little. They had run it to the last second before completing their operation, getting vital clues as to where Pyron could have gone.

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  What if they had killed Nox? Put him out of his misery?

  If Pyron ever returned—he would know someone had reached his office. Find out that someone had discovered the artifact they were experimenting with and either move locations or accelerate their plans. Tucker decided as the leader to leave Nox behind, rotting in that cell devoid of warmth.

  But what if it were someone else? Someone he knew, like Liam, Jones, or even Alex?

  Could he have made that call?

  He didn’t know, and that was what scared him. Something was changing in his mind, body, and soul. And he couldn’t tell if it was for better or worse.

  Tucker and Ray nodded at the guards as they passed the gate, giving a simple farewell before they moved down the winding brick road. Through the narrow alleyways and finally back to the safe house of the ranger. Once they returned and set down the equipment, a sharp exhale left Ray.

  “Do we even have enough information to convince the Administrators?” Ray asked, leaning against the wooden wall by the entrance. “Without the memory orb, there’s no guarantee that they will just listen to us.”

  Tucker stood there, unable to say a word. He moved to the worn-out table and read the notes he took out of his pouch. The information would have to be vetted, but so far, it listed several locations where the artifact could be and the date it would arrive.

  “We’ll have to see. The Head Administrator has always been a reasonable man,” Tucker said. “If we want to convince him, then we’ll need a plan.”

  “Where do we even begin?” Ray asked.

  Tucker scanned the pages. From what he saw in the memory that unfolded before them, Pyron was standing on top of a mountain of corpses overlooking a vast lush forest with skyward mountains. They didn’t carry out the attack anywhere remotely close to civilization. So it had to be somewhere their eyes couldn’t reach.

  He grabbed a map of the Avalon Empire from beneath the table and rolled it on the wooden surface. “Do you have any of those markers?”

  Ray stepped forward and pulled the stone flags he used from a nearby drawer. “Here.”

  The stone pieces slid against the worn timber before landing in Tucker’s grasp. He then placed them in several known locations at the far end of the Empire. Two by the sea, and one towards the dwarven realms. If they were to judge it by the record that played in Pyron’s office, then the only location it could be was at the spire near the dwarves.

  But that was the most dangerous location of all. The Everheart fleet wouldn’t be at their disposal, and an artifact like that could slip away without so much as a trace. If they assumed Nox was telling them the correct teleportation device combination, then they could flood the device with a constant stream of requests and stop it from functioning.

  But that was assuming if it still worked.

  Tucker locked eyes with Ray. “After walking through that tower, how much manpower do you think we’ll need to take it down?”

  “Maybe two or three hundred?” Ray replied quietly. “It’s hard to tell, but it shouldn’t be that much considering what we’ve seen. Most mage towers follow the same layout.”

  “They aren’t like most mage towers.” Tucker exhaled slowly. “That means we would need around three to four hundred soldiers to be safe.”

  Ray scoffed. “If we can even get that many. There’s no way the Order would approve of it.”

  “The Head Administrator has seen what we’ve done, what we’ve been through.” Tucker stared at the map, plotting the different routes for them to take. “Even if we can’t give him a plan on how to take it down, just this information alone would be enough to make him act.”

  “But would he even trust your words?” Ray asked, crossing his arms. “You’re not Salamander, and because of what happened… You don’t have the credibility either.”

  “I know, but I’ve already met him several times.” Tucker forced a smile. “The scarlet seal can only do so much against me.”

  Ray pulled a chair from the side. The wooden legs scraped against the oak planks, with the sound echoing throughout the room. He sat down with his shoulders slumped. “And that’s what I’m worried about. Let’s face it… We’re not the most outstanding soldiers on record. Honestly…” A chuckle escaped him. “…I don’t even know if anyone would believe us.”

  “Yeah… you’re right.” Tucker nodded ever so slightly. “But nonetheless, we’ll pull through just like we always have. So, help me figure out the details for this operation and how much time we have before the Emerald Tower makes its move.”

  A tired sigh escaped Ray’s lips. He gave a reluctant nod and dove into the scattered notes they had obtained. They searched for various points of interest and any discrepancies that would throw their plan off. After cross-referencing the reports, they had taken. Only one location remained consistent in their findings. A small spire located on the outer reaches of the Empire, sitting just along the borders with the dwarves.

  Tucker stared at the spot marked on the map as the other stone flags fell. A single oil lantern was hanging to the side that Ray had lit. It was their only source of light, and as Tucker traced his finger along the map, a quiet realization settled upon him. One that he didn’t want to admit, but from Ray’s pained gaze it was clear he had reached the same conclusion.

  There wasn’t a way back.

  Everything that had fallen perfectly into place was slipping through the gaps between his fingertips. Tucker fought the urge to swipe his arm across the worn table, sending the pages flying in the air like the little hopes he had left.

  He stood before the table with his shadow flickering against the wooden walls. His back seemed to have grown smaller as he collected the notes into a neat pile. The rustle of pages faded into the darkness, and not a word escaped him.

  “Tucker…” Ray sat there without moving a muscle. “The Head Administrator would never approve of this. No matter how hard you try or who you convince to bring it up. He would never allow an operation with no return.”

  “We’ll have to see,” Tucker said in a voice far too tired and worn. “For now, you’ll need this back.”

  He reached behind him and pulled the leather pouch from his belt. He placed half of the notes inside and kept the rest for himself. “In case we get separated, you would still have half of what we found.”

  Ray hesitantly accepted the pouch. “We… only have two months at most.”

  “I know.”

  The words uttered from Tucker’s lips carried a heaviness that Ray had never heard before. It was as if a firm belief had fallen onto his commander’s shoulders. One that reminded him of his time at Stafford. A memory he didn’t want to recall, as it brought nothing but suffering. Yet, once their gazes met, Ray knew that their time would soon be upon them.