The tea was, unsurprisingly, quite good. Lily took another sip, her eyes on Sir Ivenmar. He'd not yet spoken, seeming content to only watch her intently. She fought the urge to break the silence, knowing that this was likely a game, and the first one to speak lost.

After two minutes of silence, Bertrand, the knight's squire, chuckled and held out a hand. Still not averting his gaze, the knight fished out two silver from his pouch and handed it to his apprentice.

At Lily's questioning glance, the royal fool admitted, "I had made a small wager with my squire that you would be the first to speak, as I expected you to be overeager to know what was going on. Bertrand, on the other hand, believed that you would hold your tongue, given that you're the daughter of a barrister and as such knew it was wise to keep your own counsel. Well done."

Remaining silent, she simply nodded.

Her insistence on remaining taciturn got a snicker from Bertrand, who said, "I'm not getting any extra for you holding your tongue. You're free to speak up at any time."

Lily took another sip of her tea, then calmly put the cup down and hazarded a guess, asking, "Was I invited here because your squire is being assigned as my protector?"

With a small chuckle, the knight admitted, "You're a sharp one, young lady. Yes, that's a part of the reason why I've asked to meet with you here." He carefully pulled out a scroll from under the table, and then a small stone that glowed with magic and set both objects down on the tabletop. He tapped the stone, and Lily felt a surge of energy flow through the garden. "Now we can speak in private," the knight stated.

Lily had seen a 'Stone of Silence' in books before, but never one up close. They were very rare objects from the labyrinth that could prevent any kind of eavesdropping, both magical and mundane, within ten feet of it once activated. They only worked for a short time, and could only work once. Their rarity and their one-shot nature made them extremely expensive. Whatever was about to be discussed between the three of them was of paramount importance...

"My squire is being assigned to you now, rather than later," the knight began without preamble, "because the crown expects the tournament to be assaulted by the Stoneclutch after sundown." Sir Ivenmar gave her a look and asked, "I assume you know of their reputation?"

She gulped, and then nodded, stating, "A centuries-old criminal organization that causes chaos for the sake of financial gain." Connecting the dots, Lily added, "They're probably looking to abduct some of the students here to ransom them?"

Nodding, Sir Ivenmar admitted, "That is what we believe to be the most likely scenario."

Pieces began falling into place in Lily's mind. This was what Rine had refused to discuss the other day: He knew the attack was coming, and he was somehow working behind the scenes to ensure that she remained safe. Given that the king was aware of the impending assault, a trap was being set to deal with the Stoneclutch here and now.

"So the king is setting a trap so they can be captured and dealt with?" Lily asked, carefully raising an eyebrow.

The king's fool raised his own eyebrows in surprise, then stated, "Precisely. You're sharp, young lady. You may have a future in the king's intelligence service if you're interested." More seriously, he added, "Yes, we have managed to slip operatives into their organization who have reported the details of the assault. We've laid the grounds for a counterassault as well as several precise strategic strikes throughout the kingdom to cripple the organization in a single night. If all goes well, we will break the Stoneclutch for generations to come."

Taking a sip of tea, Lily asked, "Have you considered the possibility that they might be feeding your agents false information?" Her father had used the tactic of 'Counter-Intelligence', letting opponents in the courtroom think that they'd chanced upon a useful and damaging piece of information, all for the sake of diverting opposing counsel from the facts or tricking them into pursuing a line of questioning far more damaging to their own case than that of her father's.

Her father had often joked about how he'd hand his opponents a rope, then watch them make a noose from it, throw it over a tree branch, climb atop a chair, stick their head in the loop, then smile. Then, all he had to do was kick the chair out from under them. In many ways, the courtroom could be as cutthroat a world as that of noble politics.

Taking a sip of his own tea, the knight admitted, "Contingencies are prepared for that kind of situation. We don't have all of our eggs in one basket. However, those are better left undiscussed, as we don't have enough time for that. The reason why you are being briefed is that you are a new wrinkle in things, and there is a concern that you may be a new target for their assault."

Now that surprised her. Incredulously, she asked, "Me? Why?"

Bertrand handed back the two silver to Sir Ivenmar, and then said in something far closer to street cant, "And here I thought ye were sharp, lass." He then looked annoyed that he'd momentarily reverted to that mode of speech. At her confused expression, the squire stated in a more polished tone, "You may not realize it, but even before your recent reversal of fortune, you've become something of a symbol for the commonfolk. With everything going on this weekend, plus what you've already done at the tournament, that will only grow. If during the attack by the Stoneclutch, you died when so many nobles were merely captured and ransomed, there's little doubt that it could be spun into the idea that the attack was just a cover-up for assassination, to remove an inconvenient commoner before she became too great to be ignored."

Cutting in, Sir Ivenmar added, "There's also the possibility that they may want to force you to tell them of the... treasure trove you've mentioned to the king. If that is all, I have been authorized to tell you that a team of adventurers and wizards discretely collected the items from the labyrinth last night, and those treasures are already being assessed as we speak. So, if that is all they want, the king is authorizing you to share that information if it is demanded of you during the assault. Your life isn't worth hiding the location of an empty room."

Lily nodded and said, "I understand. But you're assigning your squire to me to ensure that I'll be protected during the assault, in case they're after my life."

With a snort, Bertrand stated, "Or in case one of your fellow students decides to get back at you with a dagger in the back. You've gained enemies after the king made that speech of his, even if you've done nothing to earn or deserve them. Crassus may also be a target of that kind of reprisal, but the king is having more... covert observation being made in that case, not only for his protection but to make sure the lad's contrition is genuine and not staged. Regardless, the king wants it made clear that he is not trusting anyone noble-born not to raise a hand against you and is acting accordingly."

Sir Ivenmar nodded and added, "Since school will be out after the tournament and subsequent celebration, Bertrand will be stationed outside your dorm room while you sleep at night, to avoid the appearance impropriety. When the new semester begins, you'll be assigned a different dorm, one better suited for you and your new bodyguard. As for the interim, the two of you will need to work that out as you go. I don't know what plans you have for the summer, but you will be taking Bertrand with you. He'll be expected to remain by your side until you come of age."

Toying with his mustache with one finger, the knight concluded, "Let's wrap this up before the stone's effect wears off. Now, I feel I don't need to tell you that this needs to be kept classified, but I am saying it anyway. If things go bad, I recommend that you hunker down behind your barriers and wait things out. Let the adults handle things. If you insist on getting involved or have no choice but to do so, be careful: A lot is riding on you, young lady, and if you get yourself killed, there are more than a few who might try to spin your passing into a cause for a full-blown revolution. Bertrand is your bodyguard, not your keeper, so he'll follow your lead, but please don't do anything to get the boy killed. He's family."

Lily nodded in understanding, saying "I'll try my best."

Lily asked Rine telepathically while she and her new bodyguard made their way back towards the arena.

*A lot,* Rine admitted without preamble. *Up until my head was brought back into reality, I could see just about anything happening anywhere, any time I wanted. As such, I knew what they planned and what the king and his lot planned to do to stop it. Mind you, if anything has changed since my arrival Saturday night, I'd be unaware of it: The price I paid for entrance into reality is being unable to enjoy what perks my outsider view gave me. That's why I wanted to have some skin in the game, so to speak, in case things went wrong.*

Lily concluded.

*Exactly,* he confirmed. *It's also why I made sure you have immediate access to that equipment we constructed in the labyrinth: While I have a decent idea as to what may or may not happen, there is always a possibility that something happened that is going to make this situation a lot more dangerous than I thought. Nothing is ever guaranteed, and there's always the chance that things can change the instant I take my eyes off of everything. I'd rather be overprepared than underprepared.*

she sent back,

*A reasonable request,* her mentor agreed, *and I'll be happy to... oh dear.*

Lily asked, curious.

*It seems your match isn't the only upset of the first round,* Rine replied. *Madeline lost her match. She's unharmed, but she's been taken out in the first round of the tournament.

Lily struggled to keep her surprise from showing. Madeline's match was supposed to be the final fight of the first round, where the strongest students were paired with the weakest. It was very rare for a student as gifted as Madeline to lose in the first round where the difference in strength was so great. she asked, incredulous.

*It's hard to say. Her opponent is being checked right now for magic items and the like,* Rine said, *but they're unlikely to find anything. If the opponent had anything like that, it would have been destroyed the moment the anti-magic pulse went off, and that kind of thing tends to be flashy. Outside interference is also impossible, due to the nature of the tournament stage.* The lich paused to consider options, and said, * The student in question may have been hiding their full strength so they could make a good showing at the tournament, but I feel that's unlikely. I've had my eye on the academy for six months and if that were so, this student would have to have hidden their strength so well that in six months even an all-seeing undetectable observer would not have seen anything to imply it existed.*

Lily pondered that. So, outside interference is impossible, a magic item would have been immediately been found out the moment the match ended, and concealing their true strength for six months was possible, but highly unlikely. So, the only thing left...

Lily suppressed a shudder as she approached the hallway to the arena, Bertrand in tow. she sent to Rine, trying to keep the fear and horror from her mental connection,

*I fear so,* Rine verified, *but I don't know what kind. The only way that a pact like that could grant such a spectacular boost in strength would be if their patron is something incredibly powerful.*

Lily then expressed her greatest concern, asking,

Pacts with demons always ended badly. The most common end result was that the fiend in question would devour their contractee's soul, possess their body, and then be free to work their wicked will in the material plane for as long as the body held out. Only the truly foolish or truly desperate would resort to that kind of pact, knowing where it ends...

*Possibly, but I'd thankfully say it is extremely unlikely. If it was,* Rine replied, *then it must be with one of the most powerful demons within the hells. Mortals with an infernal contract have a stink to them that you can detect easily even in this modern era, and only the monarchs of hell could conceal their taint from my sight. Thankfully, the demon kings and their royal court seldom meddle in mortal affairs and I doubt they'd have any interest in an academy tournament.*

He paused, seeming to contemplate things, then added, *As to the usual suspects, the Fey don't interact much with this world anymore, since you've started working with iron. If someone with a Fey pact touches iron, it hurts both them and their master. There are a few elemental beings who might make pacts, but their gifts don't extend beyond elemental magic. The victor of the match didn't seem to be using any kind of elemental magic during the battle. Instead, it seemed like they weakened Madeline through some kind of... hellfire and damnation, of course!*

Lily asked, surprised to hear her teacher curse.

*It is possible to forge a warlock pact with a cursed magical item,* the lich explained. *Cursed items are typically formed due to the collection of despair, hatred, and/or sorrow in the presence of an object. The favorite ring of a notorious serial killer, the sword of a warrior famed for having slain countless foes, the crown of a tyrant king who committed numerous atrocities, a trinket present at the site of a natural disaster where numerous people died, items used by the bereaved for the care of the corpses of the fallen, things of that nature can become cursed over time.*

*If the accumulation becomes potent enough, or the item grows old enough, that curse can gain a will of its own, as well as immense power. Separated from the item, the contractee's strength is weakened, but if the cursed item is strong enough, then even that reduced power can be immense. While the item may not be inherently evil, depending upon the nature and origins of the curse, it can be extremely dangerous.*

Taking her seat in the waiting area, preparing herself mentally for the next match, Lily asked,

*Indeed,* Rine confirmed. *Thankfully, such curses are brief without the cursed item being present, so even without the anti-magic of the arena, Madeline will swiftly recover. However, you'll need to be cautious in your next round: Curses don't behave the same way that normal magical spells do. Your barriers can grant you a measure of protection against a direct curse attack, but your opponent can emit an aura that will slowly sap you of your strength over time. An extended battle may cost you the match regardless of the difference in strength between the two of you.*

Lily took a deep breath and let it out, steadying herself. After a few moments, she replied,

*True,* Rine conceded. *While you're facing this foe, I'll be heading to your opponent's dorm to see if I can locate the cursed item and determine if it is dangerous.*

Lily asked, incredulously. It was a cursed item, after all: Being harmful was practically in the name.

*You'd be surprised, my apprentice,* the lich replied. *One without a will of its own is often dangerous to anything and everything around it. However, having a will and personality can greatly change the nature of the object's curse, sometimes for the worse, but occasionally for the better. There was once a 'holy' sword that started out as a cursed weapon but changed due to having a religious experience and converting to a new faith, becoming the weapon of a famed paladin. I'll have to share the full story with you later when we have time.*

*I mainly just want to make sure that whatever the object is, it won't become harmful for the host in the long run. If the pact is both stable and mutually beneficial, I see no reason to try to break up whatever arrangement is going on. But if it turns out that the relationship is toxic, something will need to be done before it becomes destructive for either of them or both.*