My Ultimate Sign-in System Made Me Invincible

Chapter 766: Lord Mortimer’s Demand

The tall iron gates of the black manor hung twisted off their hinges, their heavy bars bent inward like soft wire. Across the wide stone courtyard, dozens of guards still knelt or sat against the low walls, holding their ribs and their shattered knees in the cold silver light of the four moons. Not one servant dared to sweep up the small pile of gray ash in the middle of the yard.

A shadow dropped out of the starless sky and landed without a sound in the broken gateway.

He wore a long, high-collared cloak of dark crimson silk over fitted black armor. His skin was as pale as bone, and his face was sharp and cold. His long black hair was streaked with silver and tied back with a thin gold band. The younger nobles of the city carried themselves with pride, but his deep red eyes carried the weight of centuries.

Lord Mortimer stepped over the broken latch and paused his steps.

He looked at the ruined gates, then at the deep trench blasted across his front steps, and finally at the small mound of gray dust lying on the stones.

"Explain," Mortimer said with a flat, deadly voice.

The captain of the guard dragged himself forward on his broken knees and pressed his forehead flat against the cold stone. "Forgive us, my lord. A human came through the gate. He walked straight past the guards, pinned twenty men with nothing but his pressure, and killed your hunter in front of the whole house. We couldn’t even lift our blades."

Mortimer’s pale fingers curled into his palms. "A human? From the lower quarters?"

"No, my lord," the captain said in a shaking voice. "Your hunter knew him on sight. He said the human followed him back through the crossing before the door closed."

Mortimer’s crimson eyes narrowed into thin slits. For a very long time, the hidden door in that canyon had been his private hunting ground, guarded by a stone beast that kept the mages of that world far away. Now the beast was dead, his best hunter was ash, and his own manor had been broken open like a cheap wooden shed.

"Where is this human now?" Mortimer asked, his voice dropping lower.

"Word has already come in, my lord," a pale steward said from the doorway, bowing low. "The human was seen on the streets earlier tonight with Lady Clara and her brother. They took him into the Hale estate. He’s staying there as their guest."

Mortimer stood perfectly still. In the dead air of the courtyard, not even the hem of his crimson cloak moved.

The Hales were an old and respected house, though their lord was away in the upper province. Under the usual rules, one noble house did not interfere with another house’s guests.

Tonight, Mortimer had no interest in the usual rules.

"Send a messenger to the Hale gate," Mortimer said as he turned toward the dark entrance of his hall. "Tell Clara Hale that the human inside her walls broke into my estate and murdered my man. Tell her to hand him over to my guards within the hour, or I’ll come and take him myself."

***

At the Hale estate, the news had arrived even before Mortimer’s messenger.

The quiet warmth of the sitting room was gone. The candles had burned low in their silver holders, and Felix was pacing back and forth across the rug with his hand gripping the handle of his dagger.

"I told you!" Felix snapped as he spun around to face his sister. "I told you bringing a stray human into this house was a mistake! Do you have any idea what just happened at the manor in the basin?"

Clara sat in the high-backed armchair by the fireplace with her hands folded tightly in her lap. Even with the news weighing on her, she sat straight and calm, though a faint crease showed between her brows.

"I heard, Felix," Clara said. "He walked into Lord Mortimer’s courtyard, broke down the gates, and killed one of Mortimer’s men in front of fifty witnesses."

"Lord Mortimer!" Felix said, his voice rising. "He’s one of the most powerful lords in this city, and Father isn’t even here! And a few minutes ago, his messenger left a demand at our gate. He wants Liam handed over right now."

There was a knock at the door, and Martha stepped inside, looking worried. "My lady, two more of Lord Mortimer’s men just arrived outside the wall. They’re waiting at the gate for your answer."

Felix threw his hands in the air. "Give him up, Clara! Right now! Have the guards tie him up and hand him over at the gate. If we protect a human who attacked Mortimer’s estate, he’ll tear our walls down. You’re putting our whole family on the line for a stranger we met a few hours ago!"

Before Clara could answer, the door opened.

Clone One walked in. He had washed the canyon dust from his face and hair, though he still wore his torn robes. He looked completely relaxed, with a cup of warm tea in one hand, as if he had just woken up from a good nap.

"Sorry to interrupt," Clone One said with an easy smile. "Sounds like my errand caused a bit of a stir."

Felix spun on him, his crimson eyes flashing. "You lied to us! You said you were just a lost traveler who stumbled through a portal! Then you marched straight into Lord Mortimer’s estate and killed one of his men!"

"I didn’t lie," Clone One said, leaning against the doorframe. "I did stumble through a portal. I just left out the part where that man and three of his friends tried to take my head in a canyon on the other side. I don’t like leaving debts unpaid."

Felix opened his mouth to shout again, his hand dropping toward his dagger, but Clara stood up from her chair and stepped between them.

"Enough, Felix," Clara said with a firm, quiet voice.

She looked at Clone One for a long moment, at his calm eyes and his completely unbothered face. Then she turned back to her brother.

"Think for one second, Felix," Clara said. "Liam came through a door, and Mortimer’s men were waiting on the other side of it. That means Mortimer has his own door through the seal, and he’s been using it behind everyone’s back. If he gets his hands on Liam, he won’t hand him to anyone. He’ll kill him to bury the secret, and then he’ll come for us, because we’ve heard Liam’s story. Giving him up won’t save our house. It will only make us look weak."

"We can’t fight Lord Mortimer!" Felix said through his teeth. "Father took half our guards with him to the upper province! We have twenty men left on the wall!"

"I will not hand over a guest under my roof," Clara said, lifting her chin a little. "Not even to Lord Mortimer."

She turned to Martha, who was still waiting by the door. "Tell his men at the gate that Liam is an honored guest of House Hale. If Lord Mortimer wants to speak with him, he can ask for a proper meeting when our father returns."

Martha bowed and hurried out to deliver the message. Felix groaned, dropped into a chair, and buried his face in his hands.

Clone One watched Clara for a moment, and a small smile touched the corners of his mouth. He had met plenty of nobles and people of high status, and most of them would sell out their own shadows the moment danger knocked. Standing her ground with her father away took real spine.

"You don’t have to risk your house for me, Clara," Clone One said, and he took a sip from his cup. "I’m the one he wants. Let him come."

Clara shook her head. "You’re under my roof, Liam. That still means something to my family, even if everyone else in this city has forgotten it."

***

Down at the front gate of the Hale estate, Mortimer’s two men listened to Martha’s message in stunned silence. Without another word, they turned and ran back toward the dark basin.

Ten minutes later, the air over the city grew heavy.

In the sitting room, Felix went stiff. His crimson eyes snapped toward the tall windows, and his face turned even paler than usual. Beside him, Clara’s fingers tightened on the back of her armchair as a cold, crushing pressure rolled over the estate’s outer walls.

"He’s here," Felix whispered. "He came himself."

Clone One set his empty cup down on a side table and walked toward the door.

"Stay inside with your brother," Clone One told Clara over his shoulder. "I’ll go meet him at the gate."

Outside, in the empty silver moonlight of the street, Lord Mortimer stood alone in front of the carved stone wall of the Hale estate. In the dead, still air, his crimson cloak hung straight down without a single ripple.