I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 499: Coincidence

The carriage lurched violently to the right.

Jack’s eyes snapped open as the vehicle tilted, wood groaning under sudden stress.

Lyra gasped, her hand shooting out to brace against the wall.

Rhys grabbed the seat to keep from sliding, and Father Caelen remained steady despite the angle.

The carriage shuddered to a stop, listing at an awkward tilt.

"What happened?" Jack called toward the helm.

One of the guards jumped down, his boots hitting dirt with a heavy thud. "Rear wheel, my lord. Axle’s cracked, and the wheel’s split clean through. We’ll need time to replace it."

Jack pushed the door open and stepped out, his boots finding uneven ground as he assessed the situation. The carriage sat at a steep angle, its rear right wheel shattered, its pieces scattered across the road.

Rhys emerged behind him, followed by Father Caelen and Lyra. The four of them stood in afternoon light that filtered through the forest canopy, painting shadows across the dirt road.

"How long to finish the repair?" Jack asked.

The guard knelt beside the broken wheel, examining the damage with professional assessment. "An hour, maybe two. We have a spare, but replacing it properly takes time."

He paused, looking concerned. "My lord, there’s something else. The bridge ahead. I can see it from here. It’s collapsed."

Jack observed the road ahead, noting the absence of the expected wooden structure across the ravine. Instead, he found only fractured timbers protruding from both banks, with the central section entirely missing.

"The damage looks recent," the second guard added, moving closer to examine the bridge. "Water damage, looks like. The supports are rotted through, and debris is piled up on both sides."

Jack’s expression became more serious as he considered the timing. A broken wheel and a collapsed bridge occurring on the same day seemed less like a coincidence and more like an intentional impediment.

The Council had to be behind it. Nothing else made sense.

’I need information,’ Jack thought, his hand moving subtly as he reached through the Soul Link to his bound army. ’Panthers and Mistborn. Come, serve your Master.’

The summoning was silent. Reality rippled at the forest’s edge as sixteen Shadow Panthers materialized from red lightning, their scales shifting and refracting light until they became nearly invisible.

Ninety-three Mistborn followed, their bodies composed of gray fog that drifted between trees like living smoke.

The creatures were completely hidden from normal sight, and the Mistborn’s mist forms blended seamlessly with forest shadows.

’Scout the area,’ Jack commanded through the Soul Link, his mental voice carrying absolute authority. ’Check for traps, ambushes, signs of tampering. Report everything you find.’

’Understood, Master,’ the Panther alphas responded, their mental voices keen and precise. ’We’ll cover a two-mile radius.’

’The bridge and upstream areas are priority,’ Jack added. ’I want to know what caused the collapse and whether anyone’s watching us.’

The Panthers vanished into the forest without a sound, their scaled bodies shimmering into invisibility.

The Mistborn drifted upward, spreading through the canopy in patterns that covered maximum ground with minimal risk of detection.

"Jack?" Lyra’s voice pulled his attention back. "Is something wrong?"

He realized he’d been standing motionless for several seconds, his focus entirely on the Soul Link communication.

"Just thinking. A broken wheel and collapsed bridge on the same day feels suspicious."

"Bandits?" Rhys suggested, his hand moving instinctively toward where Tempest’s Edge was on his belt.

"Possibly," Jack replied, though his instincts screamed different answers. "We should stay alert while the guards make repairs."

Father Caelen’s gaze meticulously surveyed the forest, reflecting the seasoned judgment of someone who had dedicated decades to discerning potential threats in tranquil environments.

"The forest is too quiet. Birds should be calling at this hour, but I hear nothing."

Jack noticed it too, now that the priest had mentioned it. The usual ambient noise of woodland areas, birdsong, insect buzzing, and small animals moving through underbrush was completely absent. As if everything living had fled or been silenced.

The guards began unloading tools from the carriage’s storage compartment to jack up the vehicle and remove the broken wheel.

The process would take time, leaving them vulnerable on an isolated road with a collapsed bridge blocking forward progress.

Through the Soul Link, information began filtering back.

’Master,’ a Panther reported, its mental voice carrying urgency.

’We found something at the bridge. The support beams were deliberately weakened. Cut marks. Someone wanted this bridge to collapse under weight.’

Jack’s jaw tightened. ’Show me.’

The Panther’s vision flooded through the Soul Link, showing Jack exactly what it saw.

The bridge’s main support beams had clean cuts hidden beneath surface-level rot, precise incisions that would cause catastrophic failure once enough weight pressed down.

Water damage had obscured the sabotage, making it appear natural unless examined closely.

’Upstream,’ another Panther added. ’Burned trees. Fire magic scorched them deliberately, causing them to fall into the water. The debris flowed downstream and weakened the bridge further before the cuts caused complete collapse.’

’How recent?’ Jack asked.

’Hours. Maybe a day. The scorch marks are fresh, and the wood ash hasn’t been dispersed by wind yet.’

Jack processed the information rapidly. Someone had used fire magic to create debris, then cut the bridge supports to cause the bridge to collapse. The fallen trees had blocked the road just enough to damage their carriage wheel when they passed over scattered branches.

’Any signs of ambush?’ Jack demanded. ’Anyone watching our position?’

’Negative,’ the Panther alpha responded. ’We’ve covered the full radius. No hostile presence detected. Whoever did this isn’t waiting to attack. They just wanted us delayed.’

’The Mistborn confirm,’ another mental voice added. ’We’ve checked the canopy and upper positions. No archers, mages, or observers. We’re alone.’

Jack’s mind worked through implications. The Council had sabotaged their route but hadn’t stayed to ambush them.

Perhaps they were waiting for a better opportunity, or they needed to prepare something that required Jack to be in a specific location.

’Continue monitoring,’ Jack commanded through the Soul Link. ’Rotate patrols. If anyone approaches within a mile, I want immediate warning.’

’Understood, Master.’

Jack released his focus from the Soul Link and turned back to find Father Caelen watching him with knowing eyes.

The priest had noticed something.

Maybe the way Jack’s attention had gone distant, maybe the subtle tension in his posture that came from processing information through magical means.

"The bridge was sabotaged," Jack said quietly, pitching his voice so only Father Caelen could hear. "Fire magic burned trees upstream, and weakened supports were cut deliberately. Someone wanted us stranded here."

Father Caelen’s expression didn’t change, but his hand moved to rest on the staff he carried. "The same someone who was asking questions in Millhaven?"

"Almost certainly," Jack confirmed. "But they’re not attacking. Just delaying us."

"Which means they want you somewhere specific," Father Caelen observed. "Somewhere they’ve prepared ground of their choosing."

"The shrine," Jack said. "Where we’ll be separated."

The priest nodded slowly. "Then we proceed with caution and assume every step forward is walking into a trap."

"Agreed."

Jack moved back to where the guards were working on the wheel replacement, his mind already calculating alternatives. "How long until we can move?"