Elyre wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Mage Phabian recognized Pressianna. Did this mean that Pressianna had been telling the truth?...
Could it mean anything else?
Elyre sat on top of the coverings of her bed. She could clearly remember Pressianna's words…
"Why would I lie to you about that?..."
"…He is the archmage. He brings his royal seal… He has the ring that connects him with the Seventh Fire in a pocket in his robes. There is the image of a phoenix on it. …Check it. Check for yourself, will you?"
Elyre lay on her bed for a few hours but she couldn't get a wink of sleep.
She realized this archmage identity could explain some of Phabian's reactions and his habits too. For example, he seemed to have an expensive taste; she had never seen anyone else eye ugly sofas with such unaffected disgust.
In the middle of the night, she left her room.
Did he… She didn't know how to call him anymore… Did he carry a ring that connected him to the Seventh Fire in his pocket?
~If I go secretly into his room, I can see for myself whether Pressianna was right...~
An idea that seemed absurd to her initially, but now it was the only way to understand the truth.
~I can't ask him directly… If he is not the archmage, he would think I'm crazy and if he is… If he is, then I don't know what to expect.~
She halted for a moment, still wondering if it wasn't better to just directly ask him. She would sooner or later have to confront him directly. But she wanted to find clues about his real identity, not just blame him based on someone's words.
There was only one guard at the reception desk who was asleep so it was easy to get past him. She felt guilty, but she had to know the truth. She quietly took a key to Aristaeus' chamber.
She quickly walked through the corridors. It was so late that everyone was asleep. She could almost hear deep breathing and snoring. Every sound seemed louder than during the day.
She ended up in front of the door of Aristhaeus's room.
She would almost knock on the door but then she realized she shouldn't. She closed her eyes, because she was a bit nervous. She turned the handle and went in.
She could hardly see anything in the dusk, but the full moon helped her as light got in through the wide windows and outlined Phabian's silhouette in his bed.
Elyre stood near the door. A thought crossed her mind that she had never actually seen him so weak as he seemed now that he was asleep. His expression was almost peaceful.
She looked around for his cloak. It was left on a wooden chest, behind the bed. Elyre slid like a shadow and approached it quietly. Each step she took was swift and calm; she knew she shouldn't panic. She began searching through the pockets very carefully. She rarely took her eyes off Phabian's face, trying to make sure that he wouldn't wake up.
She found herself hoping that she wouldn't discover anything. Nevertheless, she was quite diligent in her work. Her fingers touched lightly something metallic and took it out gently, while she was still observing the mage.
A golden seal.
That had to be his royal seal. She took a good look at it. She felt uncomfortable, but not afraid. While returning the seal in the pocket, she still wasn't convinced it was a royal seal. Maybe it was just an ordinary seal? She decided to look for the ring.
~If I owned a ring that connected me with the Seventh Fire, I wouldn't keep it away from me at night,~ she thought.
She would rather put it somewhere where it would be safe… She approached the sleeping archmage in order to look carefully at his hands.
His head was turned to one side, his left hand resting on his body. No rings on it. His right hand was on the bed sheet, his palm up so the rings on his fingers couldn't be seen very well.
Elyre bent down a bit in order to have a better look at his fingers. All this she did quickly and carefully. There was a ring. There was indeed the image of a bird engraved on the ring…
A phoenix. Just like Pressianna said. So, it was true? Elyre cast one last glance at the mage, and then again at the ring.
She went out of the room and closed the door behind her. She was finally in the corridor once again. She had seen enough. Both the ring and the seal were there.
The further away from Aristhaeus's room, the quicker her pace became.
She needed to think about this.
It was one of those moments when the truth seemed unbelievable…
How could she meet the archmage of all mages in the world? A lie would be more plausible… but it would still be a lie.
The moment the door of Aristhaeus's room closed, his eyes opened.