"Armies will gather as the darkness rises, and the Lords will teeter on the edge of a blade." - The Prophecies of Light

The final two days traveling to the Marcher Lord's Keep had been just as quiet and awkward as the previous ones, but at least it gave Jeonghan time to sort his thoughts. Their journey to Redien had gone easily, but upon reaching the city and Seungcheol's subsequent arrest, Jeonghan had found more questions than answers to any of his own pressing questions.

The High Mages of Redien had refused to meet with him, their excuse being that of dealing with the murder of their Arch-Mage. He found it interesting to note that when he had first heard of the death of a Mage, it had not been mentioned that it was Dongwan himself. 

Jeonghan had been guided to guest rooms in the Tower and left there, and so when he was refused audience, he took it upon himself to try and gain some answers. Despite the question of what the Council might know about the Seals, there was the pressing issue of Seungcheol's guilt at hand. Traveling with him had told Jeonghan much of his inner character, and he'd come to realize that the blond guardsman was an honorable sort... certainly not the type to murder his mentor in cold blood and run away.

It was a matter of a simple spell that pushed attention away from Jeonghan, and with that he was able to walk the halls of the Tower without being noticed or stopped for questioning. His first goal had been Dongwan's chambers, which he entered easily and without contest. They were made up of several simple rooms adjoined together; Jeonghan could see a bed through one halfway opened door, but what caught his eye was the shelves full of books. One was missing, and after a moment of searching he found it opened on the desk. 

It was one of the Prophecy tomes, a large, heavy book with many notes written into it in a messy hand. Jeonghan leaned closer to try and make out a bit of it all, but as he did so, he felt something cool pass through him and he stilled.

It was the residue of a spell, that much he could recognize, and a powerful one at that. He straightened again, feeling the chill leave him, and then slowly bent back over the desk, taking notice of the point when the feeling returned. Jeonghan's eyes narrowed and he took a few steps back, critically eyeing the desk area. The chill was where a chair should have been, the scuff marks on the wooden flooring below the desk showing where one had been used for years at the same place. There was no chair, though, and he had to wonder if Dongwan's body had been found in the piece of furniture and therefore, it had been removed. That would also explain the chill; if a death spell had been cast in that space, then it would leave such a residue as was gathered there. But... He didn't have much experience with death magic, but that particular residue... it didn't feel antagonistic. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was at least one thing he was now sure of. 

Seungcheol could not have killed Dongwan. The blond guardsman may be much more than he appeared to be at first glance - both a Lordling and a Seal - but he was no Mage. There was no way he could have cast the spell that clung to the Arch-Mage's desk.

He had wandered the Tower a bit more, trying to find more answers if possible, but the few times that he drew close enough to Tower Mage's, they had a spell of warding cast over them. He would not be able to breach that without drawing attention to himself, and so he let them go, frustration building inside him.

And so it was that by the end of the day, he had found Seungcheol and freed him, opting to take his chances with what answers he could pull from Hyesung instead of wandering the Tower in hopes that Dongwan's killer didn't try to do the same thing to Jeonghan himself.

When they reached the Marcher Lord's Keep, though, he wasn't so sure that he had made the right decision. The place had hardly changed from when Jeonghan had last been there, still a cold and martial Keep built into the side of the mountain itself. It had been nearly sixty years since he had left this Keep in such anger, and he found himself hesitant to face the once familiar halls. Seungcheol had pushed their journey to the limits, trying his best to stay ahead of the pursuit that they both knew would follow them. The Tower still assumed that Seungcheol was guilty, but at least they did not know where he was headed. Jeonghan had taken the liberty to cast a misdirection behind them, ensuring that unless a powerful Mage had been sent after them, their pursuers would take another route instead of following their true one.

"You've been quiet," Seungcheol said softly as their horses walked up the last hundred yards toward the Marcher Lord's home. Jeonghan turned to find the blond's eyes on him, narrowed in thought. "Care to share any of those thoughts with