Three days came and went so quickly. Too quickly for Petra's taste. She half expected that, without Adrien, she and Peter would just slow down. But instead, everything was fast and smooth, with almost no distractions.
Maybe the fact that she did nothing but write in her journal while she and Peter rested. Or maybe it was that Adrien wasn't with them, and there was no point in stopping to ask for his strategies.
As she continued walking down the less snowy fields, her eyes flicked to Peter, before looking ahead again.
Maybe it wasn't even any of those. Maybe it was the fact that, after that night, she and Peter barely talked anymore.
With a sigh, she stopped in her tracks and waited for him to catch up. Like the past days, whenever they were walking or just idle, he would only stare at his hands. He didn't say anything about the previous days, so she wasn't sure what he knew or what he was thinking.
Unlike Adrien, she wasn't a mind reader.
It made her clench her hands into a fist. Just how much did he know for so long?
Once Peter caught up to her, she flicked her eyes to his hands. "I recommend covering it up. You're easily cold, so who's to say that you won't get frostbite?"
With a sigh, Peter grabbed his glove from his coat. He slid his finger on his palm again before flinching back, then covered his hand immediately. "It's still not coming back."
"There's no point in hurting yourself." She turned her head away and looked down. "We can have it checked with the Medical Brigade once the mission is over."
"What am I supposed to do without magic, then?"
"You can use a sword, can't you?"
"I can, but…" He flipped his hand again and crossed his arms. "I just feel so… vulnerable without magic."
Petra held her own hands, feeling her own magic flowing in her veins. She understood what he meant, she couldn't imagine herself without magic. Just thinking about it made her shiver.
She wasn't sure how long they had been walking, but the sun was already high up in the sky. A part of her felt like Peter would pass out again, and she wasn't sure if they had enough time for another break. Not when they were close.
"Petra, I think we're here."
Petra snapped her head upwards, flinching when light got in her eyes. She squinted, cursing at the sun for being so bright during this season.
Then, her eyes slightly widened.
The reason this place was called the Burning Fields… Adrien said that it was dry and empty, even in the middle of Marzanna. It seemed like he also forgot to mention that it would be hot.
Her eyes immediately flicked to Peter, who was walking just behind her. "Do you feel like passing out in the next three seconds or are we going to stick to the plan?"
Peter chuckled, though Petra couldn't tell if it was genuine laughter or nervousness. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Magicless and probably exposed, but I'm sure I can handle a fight."
You better. She flicked her eyes away and stared down the cliffside again. You're still the commander for a reason.
Just like what Peter said, down below the cliffs was a manor. Alejandro's Manor. She squinted her eyes, allowing her to see some of Nuryyn's own super soldiers guarding the house. But she didn't need to look further to know that perhaps more than half of them are defects.
Unlike Royisa, Nuryyn didn't throw away their defects.
It made her scoff, but she bit back any other comments inside and turned away.
"Just like what we expected."
"How do you plan to get in, though? We don't have a map of the layout, you can't just barge in there and expect things to work out well."
Adrien would have a map of the place, no doubt. And I'm sure that he'll even know any secret ways to go there.
She pressed a hand on her forehead and gritted her teeth. Think, Petra. What can lead you to the other half of the note?
The other half, or course!
With one last flick to the guards below them, Petra traced runes on the snow. The runes glowed, and a barrier formed around her and Peter. That should be enough to protect them from the Nuryynian Soldiers, just in case any of them could detect magic.
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking"--she snapped her fingers, making her journal appear--"that we'll just barge in there and expect things to work out well."
"That's a great idea!" A smile formed on Peter's face. "Or maybe we can politely ask the guards if we'll be allowed inside. Who knows, they might give us snacks!"
She opened her journal and scanned it, a smile forming on her face as soon as she grabbed the crumpled paper between the pages. It was a mess, and it would probably be harder to read.
But it was good enough.
"Peter." She shoved the letter in her pockets and looked at him in the eyes. "I need you to listen to me very carefully. One wrong move with the plan, and we're both dead. Which means, Royisa is going to fall under Nuryyn. Do you hear me?"
Peter nodded. "What's the plan?"
She clutched the paper in her hands, crumpling it even more. "I'm going to use this paper to locate where the other half is. While I do that, I need you to fight as many people as you can for me."
His brows furrowed, and a frown formed on his lips. "Petra, that's around fifty soldiers on my own."
"Fifty soldiers with at least half of them being defects. Even you or Adrien can take them down."
"But--"
"But you're a super soldier, Peter!"
She placed her hands on his arms and squeezed them tight. Peter flinched back, but he looked at her in the eyes nonetheless.
"We're doing this for Royisa and Adrien, Idei'na. We can't let them down."
Peter's brows furrowed again, and his mouth opened several times. But after a while, he sighed in defeat and hung his head.
"Fine, I'll do it. If it means doing it for Royisa and Adrien."
She nodded and stood up, dusting the snow off of her clothes.
Glancing down the manor, Petra clutched the letter in her hand and closed her eyes. Despite being at least a week or two old mixed with her own magic, the aura inside of it was still strong, almost fresh even. Amongst the darkness, she could see a purple thread, brighter than the others.
With a squint of her eyes, Petra followed the thread amongst the twist and turns of the manor, until it led her to a door in one of the higher rooms. It didn't look like a bedroom, but more of a study.
She opened her eyes again and nodded, sending her journal and the letter away once again.
"Let's do it."
She stretched both of her arms to her side. In an instance, the barrier around them broke, and the sound of glass shattering echoed in her ears. No doubt that even the defects below heard it.
With one last look at Peter, Petra jumped down. The ground below her slightly cracked as she landed, and some of the snow jumped up from the impact. Before any of the soldiers could charge, she dashed forward, sending a flurry of flames behind her. There was screaming, then the sound of metal against metal rang in her ears.
She grabbed ahold of the iron gates, melting the bars with the fire in her hands. As expected, three more Nuryynians soldiers charged at her. Judging from the way they looked like and the way they carried themselves, they were defects.
She pressed her fingers together and placed them in front of their face. As soon as they went near, she slashed her fingers downward. Blue circles glowed on the ground, followed by blackish blue ice that pierced their chests easily.
Getting inside the manor was surprisingly easy, though it was probably because she already killed most of the guards by the gates and Peter was fighting them off. She just hoped that his energy wasn't too drained for him to not be able to take them down.
Her ears twitched as she caught the sound of voices, all coming from different directions.
"It's them!"
"After the one by the gates, we'll get the woman!"
"Be careful of Adrien! He's the Tactics Brigade's commander, don't take him lightly!"
Petra clicked her tongue. Damned people. Why did they have to speak so loudly?
Once she reached the stairs, she traced another rune on it and stomped her foot twice. Unsurprisingly, the stairs didn't budge. The entire manor was probably made of magic proof material now that she thought about it.
"Hold it!"
"Stop right there!"
She scratched the back of her ears and scoffed. How come there were so many people in the manor that it felt like they were anticipating the attack?
There was no time for her to think. In an instant, she dodged the sword that would have sliced her side and traced a rune in the air. Another dodge of lightning and fire, before she retaliated with her own shot of lightning.
Once the rune made contact with her palms, the runes multiplied, up to the point where there was almost a wall of them in front of her.
She cocked a brow, and a smile managed to form on her lips. "You know what's the downside of having magic-proof buildings?"
The runes glowed in a deep red and black color before fading into the wind.
"It's that I can use magic anywhere else."
Screams of taking cover and protection reached her ears, followed by the sound of barriers being lifted up.
Though she wondered, just how long can their barriers protect them from poison as strong as the ones she used?
The wood from the stairs creaked with her step, though it wasn't loud enough to hear what sounded like gagging and coughing behind her.
"Piece of advice." She flicked her fingers to the side, tossing another soldier off of the stairs. "If you're going to face a commander, make sure you bring commanders as well. But, then again."
She placed her arms behind her and giggled, though the red smoke was too thick for her to see anything below.
"Since when did Nuryyn step out of being cowards and make meaningful sacrifices?"
It seemed like the hallways had become silent for her. Whether or not because she killed every soldier inside the manor or if something else was going on, she wasn't sure. The convenience made her shiver, and it almost made her want to check the star map again.
Finally, she reached the door where the vision guided her. Petra furrowed her brows and scowled. This couldn't be that easy.
Her ears twitched and she turned around, placing a barrier right in front of her. Three familiar knives pierced her shield, before falling down her hands once she let it down.
The Black Feathers… What in Royisa were they doing in Alejandro's Manor?
Unless… Was Nuryyn funding them?
Before another thought could enter her head, Petra looked up and tossed the knives back. The person in front of her screamed, and they fell back on the floor. Tracing another rune in the air, Petra blew on the symbol, making a pillar of fire reach them.
The person rolled to their right, barely missing the flame that would have scorched their skin. With a shake of their head, they sat up and gritted their teeth.
"Petra!"
Petra furrowed her brows, and her hands reached for the knob behind her. What the hell was Allaine doing in the manor without her mask?
She turned her head back to the doorknob and traced her hands, trying to see if there was a way to open it with magic. Though only frustration met her when not even the smallest mechanism budged under her control.
At the same time, she dodged every knife that would have stabbed her in her chest more than twice. Pressing her hand to the doors, Petra pushed herself upwards and kicked Allaine in her chin, knocking her back.
"I don't know what you're thinking," she gasped. "But Nuryyn isn't innocent."
Allaine's arms shook as she pushed herself upwards. "I don't- I don't know what you're doing, but… you're making a mistake."
Petra scoffed, and her mind darted back to the incident in the garden.
"No." She balled her hand into a fist and infused it with all of her strength before punching the door. "I'm saving my kingdom from people like you."
The door opened, and she barged inside. Fortunately, the inside of the room didn't have the scent of magicless air around it, allowing her to lock the door with ease.
She turned around and scanned Alejandro's study. Bookshelves on the walls, a hearth near the table, and a journal and quill on top of it.
Snapping her fingers, her own journal appeared in her hands, and she grabbed the letter tucked away inside.
Petra nodded. She made it this far, there was no point in turning back now.