With reluctance born of dignity rather than modesty, I complied. The blue patterns had faded considerably since Hekate's treatment, but faint traces remained—barely visible unless viewed in certain light.

  Vale approached, her eyes narrowing as she examined my chest. She produced a small crystal from her pocket, holding it near the most prominent remaining pattern.

  "Remarkable," she murmured. "The serum accelerated the awakening process but followed the natural channels. Your bloodline's affinity is unusually strong."

  "So I keep hearing," I said dryly. "Though no one seems eager to explain exactly what that means."

  Vale's mismatched eyes flicked up to meet mine. "It means, Lord Greywers, that you are a Pathfinder—or what was once called a Ley Line Walker. One who can perceive, navigate, and eventually manipulate the energy currents that flow beneath our world."

  "Like the ancestors mentioned in my family journals," I said, remembering the fragments I'd found. "The ones who 'walked the hidden roads.'"

  "Precisely." Vale straightened, returning the crystal to her pocket. "Your family was once among the most prominent Ley Line Walker bloodlines—those who could traverse great distances by following the currents, locate sources of power, and direct energy where needed."

  "Before commercial healing companies began drilling wells," I guessed.

  A ghost of a smile touched Vale's lips. "You've pieced together more than expected. Yes, before the privatization of magical healing, Ley Line Walker bloodlines were valued for their natural ability to work with currents rather than depleting them."

  "And now the wells are running dry," I concluded. "Which explains the Phoenix Collective's interest in me."

  "Their interest extends beyond mere location services," Vale corrected. "The Phoenix seeks to extract and artificially replicate Ley Line Walker abilities—to create tools that can forcibly redirect currents to their wells despite the system's natural resistance."

  The implications chilled me. "That's why they're collecting people exposed to the serum. We're test subjects."

  "Research materials," she agreed grimly. "The serum was designed to identify dormant Ley Line Walker bloodlines by accelerating their awakening process. Most recipients die or transform beyond recognition. Those who adapt, like yourself, are particularly valuable to their efforts."

  I remembered the mercenary leader's words: "Seven this year. Different responses, different abilities. All useful in their own ways."

  "How much danger am I in at court?" I asked bluntly.

  Vale gestured to the map, where the convergence beneath the palace pulsed with blue light. "Considerable. The Phoenix Collective has embedded itself deeply in court politics through strategic healing contracts. Several key nobles and royal advisors rely on their services, creating dependencies they leverage for influence."

  "And they know about me."

  "They suspect," Vale corrected. "Your exposure to the serum has been documented, but your successful adaptation and the nature of your developing abilities remain unknown to them. Your court appearance represents both risk and opportunity."

  "Opportunity for what?" I asked, growing increasingly uneasy with the political currents swirling around what I'd initially believed was a simple healing contract.

  Instead of answering directly, Vale turned to Sister Morgana. "The court preparations?"

  "Statistical camouflage is prepared at eighty-nine percent efficiency," Morgana reported. "Probability shields have been calibrated to mask energy signatures while maintaining functional appearance."

  "The clothing accommodations are complete!" Circe added with inappropriate enthusiasm. "All the lovely blue patterns are hidden in plain sight with matching thread colors, and I've infused the fabric with stabilizing compounds that should prevent any unfortunate glowing during proceedings!"

  "And I have prepared warding tokens," Hekate finished, her formal tone matching Vale's. "They shall provide protection against detection devices and energy-siphoning attempts."

  Vale nodded, apparently satisfied. "The Phoenix will have detection equipment throughout the palace, particularly in the audience chamber. Dr. Sebastian Mourne personally oversees such security measures."

  "Mourne?" The name was unfamiliar.

  "Head researcher for Project Wellspring—their effort to develop alternative mana sources." Vale's expression darkened. "He has a particular interest in Ley Line Walker bloodlines and their potential applications."

  "Will he be at court?" I asked.

  "Almost certainly. His position as Royal Scientific Advisor gives him access to all official functions." Vale studied me with those unsettling mismatched eyes. "He will attempt to assess your potential without revealing his true interest."

  I absorbed this information, pieces falling into place. "The court summons... it wasn't about border security at all, was it?"

  "The official reason is always border security," Vale replied with a hint of dry humor. "But no, Lord Greywers. You were summoned because the Phoenix identified you as a potential subject of interest following your exposure to the serum."

  The realization that I was walking into what amounted to a scientific assessment made me reconsider the wisdom of appearing at court at all. "Perhaps I should reconsider this appointment."

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  "Flight would confirm their suspicions and trigger immediate pursuit," Vale countered. "The probability of successful evasion is only twenty-three percent, according to Sister Morgana's calculations."

  "Better odds than walking willingly into their clutches," I argued.

  Vale's mismatched eyes held mine. "There is another option. One that serves both your immediate safety and our longer-term objectives."

  "Which are?" I challenged. "I'm still not clear on exactly what the Twilight Covenant wants from me, Magistra Vale. Am I a patient, an asset, or something else entirely?"

  The question had been building since my conversation with Administrator Thorne.

  The Covenant's interest in my bloodline predated my injury—they had been watching my family for generations, according to Thorne. Their rapid response to my condition and the carefully orchestrated "treatments" now seemed less like healing and more like activation of something dormant.

  "You are all three," Vale admitted after a pause. "A patient whose health concerns us. An asset whose abilities align with our objectives. And a potential partner in addressing the crisis that threatens all magical practices."

  "What crisis?" I pressed.

  She gestured to the map, where nearly half the gold lines had grown noticeably dimmer even in the short time we'd been talking. "The commercial wells are failing faster than publicly acknowledged. The Phoenix Collective's extraction methods deplete the natural currents without allowing for regeneration. Within fifteen years, most conventional healing magic will become impossible without major structural changes."

  "Which the Phoenix resists because it threatens their monopoly," I guessed.

  "Precisely. They seek to maintain control by finding alternative methods of extraction—methods that your bloodline abilities might facilitate, willingly or otherwise."

  I studied the map again, noting how the currents flowed naturally between points of convergence. "And the Covenant's solution?"

  "A return to sustainable practices," Vale said simply. "Working with the currents rather than depleting them. Ley Line Walkers were once central to healing traditions precisely because they could direct energy without damaging the underlying system."

  It made sense, in a way.

  The Twilight Covenant's methods had always seemed more aligned with natural processes—Morgana's probability manipulation, Circe's transformative alchemy, Hekate's empathic transference. All working with existing energies rather than extracting and consuming them.

  "So my court appearance..." I began.

  "Is an opportunity to demonstrate the viability of alternative approaches," Vale finished. "While protecting yourself from Phoenix interests."

  She moved to a cabinet and withdrew a small wooden box. Opening it revealed a set of items similar to those the Sisters had described—a modified signet ring, clothing with hidden pattern-work, and several small tokens inscribed with symbols that resonated with the currents beneath us.

  "These will help mask your abilities while in the palace," she explained. "Dr. Mourne's detection equipment is sophisticated but focused on specific energy signatures. These should render you unremarkable to his instruments."

  I picked up the signet ring, noting how it resembled my family crest but with subtle modifications to the pattern. "And if they see through these precautions?"

  "Then we implement contingency protocols," Vale replied, with a calm that suggested she'd considered every possible outcome. "The Sisters will be positioned throughout the palace during your audience. Captain Dureforge and Willem provide additional security variables. And there are other Covenant personnel in place should intervention become necessary."

  The level of preparation was both reassuring and unsettling. How long had Vale been anticipating this moment? How many threads had she been quietly weaving while I remained oblivious to my own heritage?

  "There's one more thing you should know before tomorrow," Vale said, her voice taking on a new gravity. "The major convergence beneath the palace is not merely a natural phenomenon. It was created—or rather, enhanced—by generations of Ley Line Walkers working in concert with the royal line."

  "Created? For what purpose?"

  "Power, initially. Both magical and political." She traced a pattern on the map that connected several major convergence points. "Later, as healing practices evolved, it became the primary source for the royal family's exclusive healing contracts. Now it serves as the Phoenix Collective's primary extraction site—the heart of their operation."

  My eyes widened as I grasped the implications. "The largest mana well in the kingdom is directly beneath the royal palace."

  "And it's failing," Vale confirmed, indicating the golden traces spreading through the blue convergence. "Their extraction methods have damaged the natural flow patterns. The Phoenix's Project Wellspring is a desperate attempt to find alternative methods before complete collapse."

  "Using Ley Line Walker bloodlines as tools," I said bitterly.

  Vale nodded. "Dr. Mourne believes your kind can be used to forcibly redirect currents from other sources to replenish the royal well. His previous subjects have... not survived the process."

  Well, that explained the Phoenix Collective's intense interest in me. Tomorrow, I would be walking into the lair of people who viewed me as nothing more than a research subject—a potential solution to their energy crisis, regardless of the cost to me personally.

  "This is considerably more complicated than treating a crossbow wound," I observed dryly.

  Unexpectedly, Vale laughed—a warm sound that seemed at odds with her otherwise serious demeanor. "Indeed, Lord Greywers. Though in my experience, complications often lead to the most significant discoveries."

  She closed the box containing my court disguise and handed it to me. "Rest tonight. The Sisters will assist with final preparations before your audience. Remember—observation, not confrontation, is your primary objective tomorrow."

  "And if Mourne recognizes me for what I am?" I asked.

  Vale's mismatched eyes gleamed with something that might have been anticipation. "Then we will have confirmed his awareness, which serves its own purpose in our calculations."

  As I prepared to leave with the Sisters, a final question nagged at me. "Magistra Vale, why did you found the Twilight Covenant? What's your interest in all this?"

  She considered me for a long moment before answering. "I too come from a bloodline with special affinity for the currents, Lord Greywers. Different from Ley Line Walkers, but complementary. I've witnessed the damage that commercial extraction has caused to systems that took millennia to develop naturally."

  "You're trying to save magic itself," I realized.

  "I'm trying to save a balance that sustains all magical practices," she corrected. "The Phoenix Collective sees only resources to be harvested. We see a living system that must be preserved for future generations."

  With those words echoing in my mind, I departed with the Sisters to prepare for my court appearance. The weight of tomorrow's performance settled on my shoulders—no longer simply a minor noble responding to a summons, but a Ley Line Walker stepping into a conflict that had been brewing for generations.

  As we made our way back through the city streets toward the Gilded Lance, I found myself unconsciously following the currents beneath the cobblestones again.

  This time, however, I did so with growing awareness of their patterns and purpose—the lifeblood of a system that sustained the very magic that commercial interests were slowly killing.

  Tomorrow, I would stand in the palace above the greatest convergence in the kingdom, surrounded by those who would use me to extend their control over a dying resource.

  The thought should have terrified me.

  Instead, I felt an unfamiliar sense of purpose taking root—a connection to something larger than my diminished noble title or fading family name.