The caravan traveled for two whole days before finally reaching its destination: Firefall Fortress.
Before they reached Firefall Fortress, the first thing that came into view was a vast stretch of farmland, terraced across the mountainside.
It was the Month of the Sun (August), when crops were in the growing season. Tender green wheat swayed in the morning light, winding paths threaded between the fields, and farmers bent over their work. The scenes were achingly familiar from the original owner's memories, yet somehow different.
The farmland in his memories seemed more vibrant. Now, many fields lay abandoned and overgrown with weeds, while the drainage canals had become clogged from lack of maintenance.
More importantly, when the farmers saw the guards riding past with the Summerstar Family crest on their cloaks, they no longer bowed in awe. Instead, they lowered their heads with vacant expressions, as if avoiding some kind of plague.
At the end of their view stood Firefall Fortress.
One of the gateways to Cormyr's Eastern Marches, this castle had been built purely for war. It clung to the mountainside, its gray-white granite walls blending seamlessly with the rock. Its position was treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. The only road to the gates was wide enough for just two carriages side by side, leaving anyone on it completely exposed to the arrow towers above.
Even the elite of the Purple Dragon Legion would pay dearly to capture a fortress so easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Behind the castle, a colossal waterfall plunged down from the mountain peak. In the setting sun, it often glowed red like flames, giving rise to the name "Firefall."
"Master, the castle seems... a little different from when we left." Ailian leaned out from beneath Ye Wei'an's chin, gazing at it with a sigh.
"Does it? I hadn't noticed."
"Look over there." Ailian pointed to a tower on the flank. "Wasn't that arrow tower shorter before?"
Recalling his predecessor's memories, Ye Wei'an realized she was right.
The castle's defenses had clearly been reinforced over the past four years.
The tower on the west side had been raised by an entire story, and several embrasures for ballistae had been added to the outer wall. Some of the guards atop the wall wore dark gray cloaks—not the traditional dark green of the Summerstar Family, but something more like the livery of the Amarisk Family's private soldiers.
It seemed that after the Baron fell ill, his wife had steadily increased her influence over Firefall Fortress.
"We're finally back," Ye Wei'an murmured, without a trace of warmth at returning home.
The caravan stopped at the first checkpoint below the castle's rising slope.
Just a few minutes earlier, the guards had let through a fellow riding a donkey.
The sight of the caravan's imposing size immediately put the guards on alert.
"Stop! This is the domain of Baron Summerstar. State your business!" The two soldiers at the checkpoint hurriedly cocked their crossbows. Though the immense procession had clearly unnerved them, their voices remained firm.
Cain urged his horse forward and abruptly unfurled the sealed document in his arms. His booming voice echoed through the valley:
"Open your eyes and look carefully! This is the Baron's son, Young Master Ye Wei'an Xiaxing! A Wizard who has returned from his studies in Suzar. He's come home at last!"
"The bastard son has returned!"
The sentries' tense expressions twisted into a remarkable mix of shock, hesitation, and barely concealed panic.
Soon, a clear whistle rang out and traveled up the slope from post to post.
A horn blared urgently from the watchtower. The heavy pulleys groaned as Firefall Fortress's thick black-oak drawbridge began to lower.
Inside the castle, in the Baroness's sitting room.
The room was lavishly furnished, with velvet curtains half drawn and the air thick with the expensive scent of dragon's blood incense.
Lady Selina was pruning a pot of violets from the south when hurried footsteps sounded outside her door.
The fellow who had just ridden in on a donkey—her personal steward, who usually prided himself on his fine manners—now had his official cap askew and mud spattered across his boots. He clung to the doorframe, gasping for breath.
"My lady... Hah... My lady! Something terrible has happened!"
"By Sharess, can't you show a little composure? You look like a stablehand chased by wild dogs."
Lady Selina furrowed her brows and asked, displeased, "Did Gray Crow succeed? Didn't I tell him to report to me in person once the job was done? Why are you the one here?"
"N-no, he didn't succeed!" The steward's voice trembled violently. "Everything's changed in Firefall Town! That bastard son... he's not dead! And Gray Crow himself has disappeared. His men have been arrested in droves. The townsfolk say they were all brought to justice by a 'righteous Summerstar heir.' Torm must be blind!"
"What did you say?!"
With a sharp snip, the scissors in Selina's hand cut through a blooming branch.
"What did you say? Were Gray Crow's men completely useless?"
"It's all over! They've all been arrested!" The steward stammered. "He made a grand show of handing out money in town. He dug up the deeds to every property Gray Crow had seized by force, then gave the money from selling those assets to those wretches! My Goddess of Magic, it was thousands of gold coins! The whole town of Firefall is calling him their 'savior'!"
Selina swayed and grabbed the edge of the table to steady herself.
She could hardly believe her ears!
"That was my money!" she shrieked. "That bastard killed my men and used my money to buy the people's favor! How dare he!"
Then she turned on her subordinate and demanded, "Why am I only hearing this now? Why did you come back yourself to deliver the news? Were all of Gray Crow's men arrested?"
"My lady, I doubt a single one of Gray Crow's men got out!" The steward collapsed to the floor, his face crumpling. "I was out in the countryside checking the tenant rents on your orders. This morning, I ran into some townsfolk visiting their families. They were happily discussing what happened, and that's how I found out... I rode straight back on my donkey to report to you, as fast as I could. My throat's practically on fire. And... and..."
"And what!"
"And when I just came through the gate, I heard the guards below announcing it with my own ears... That bastard son is already beneath the castle! He's right behind me!"
The scissors fell from Selina's hand and clattered to the floor.
"Four years, and that timid, silent man has changed so much..."
She stared out the window, her fingernails digging deep into her palm.
In her mind, Ye Wei'an had always been a cautious, taciturn man who was practically invisible within the castle.
That was why she had been willing to let him go to Suzar to study magic in the first place. He was just a mediocre bastard son; even if he learned a little magic, he would never be a threat.
"According to the townsfolk's boastful stories..." The steward lowered his voice, a hint of involuntary awe creeping into it. "That Ye... that bastard is a very powerful Wizard now. The townsfolk make him sound almost supernatural. They say he only has to look at someone, and those wicked thugs will start crying, drop to their knees, and confess..."
"A Wizard?" Selina whipped around. "That can't be right! The reports from Suzar clearly said that although the boy had been at the academy for several years, he had no real talent for magic. At best, he was an apprentice who knew a few tricks! Why would Mystra, the Goddess of Magic, favor a bastard son?"
But then her face shifted from pale to livid.
"So he hid it well... Very well indeed." She spat out the words through clenched teeth.
If the reports had been wrong, then Ye Wei'an had been pretending for the past four years. He might even have fooled the people she had sent to keep watch on him.
The assassination had gone wrong precisely because they had underestimated his true strength.
"What about Gray Crow? Any news?" the Baroness pressed.
"No... But judging by the situation, he's probably fallen into Ye... that bastard's hands."
Selina's breathing grew ragged.
Gray Crow! He was the one who handled all her dirty work, the man who knew countless of her secrets—including the evidence of her collusion with the Amarisk Family!
If Gray Crow was still alive and had fallen into that boy's hands...
A flood of dreadful possibilities flashed through her mind: murdering her own son, colluding with bandits, smuggling contraband... If any of those charges reached the old man on the Dragon Throne before he drew his last breath, or the courts in Suzar, she'd be in serious trouble, even as a daughter of the Amarisk Family!
"My lady... My lady?" the steward reminded her softly.
In his eyes, the Baroness had always been calculating and unflappable. This was the first time he had ever seen her so panicked.
After a long moment, Selina took a deep breath and forced down the panic roiling inside her.
She was, after all, born into a noble family. Once the initial shock passed, she regained her composure, quickly walked to the mirror, smoothed her slightly disheveled hair, and restored her elegant bearing.
"Why panic? This is Firefall Fortress. I'm the Baron's lawful wife and the rightful ruler of this land. Sharess will protect my reputation and position. As long as he still acknowledges his Summerstar blood, he can't do anything to me."
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