It was nearing midnight, around twelve o'clock, when Arthur was suddenly awakened by a faint vibration. As he opened his eyes, he saw George climbing down quietly from the bunk above. Seeing Arthur's wide, curious eyes, George stifled a laugh and motioned for silence, gesturing for Arthur to get out of bed and follow him downstairs.
Arthur now heard the faint sound of running water coming from the roof. Listening closely, he realized it was indeed a water-like sound. But peeking through the skylight, he saw that tonight's moon was bright and the sky clear—there was no rain. So where was this water sound coming from?
George waved a hand in front of Arthur's face to refocus him, then pointed downward. Arthur listened intently toward the floor below and detected the faintest sounds of footsteps, soft yet distinct. From their many late-night kitchen escapades, Arthur and George knew that Katerina and Lizzy never got up in the middle of the night, and Mrs. Lily always locked her bedroom door. Could it be that Hobick was up at this hour? Arthur thought curiously.
George mouthed his plan to Arthur: they'd sneak downstairs to take a look. Arthur understood immediately, grabbed a piece of scrap paper from his desk, and wedged it into the door crack to stifle any noise, slowly easing the door open before they both slipped outside and shut the door with barely a sound.
The faint footsteps echoed through the dimly lit hall below—a pair of footsteps, slightly uneven in pace and weight. The two crept quietly along the staircase and peered down at the darkened first floor.
In the pale moonlight streaming in through the window, they spotted two figures in the main hall, moving from the kitchen towards the front door. The shorter figure was unmistakably Hobick, while the taller figure was someone unfamiliar. Was it Dodge? No, Dodge was stockier and taller than this man. Could it be a thief? But Hobick was moving along with him—was it possible he was an Enforcer from the authorities, come to check on Hobick's whereabouts?
As they pondered this, the two figures reached the door, and Hobick's voice carried softly in a hushed tone.
"Do you have any news about Dodge?"
"No, only that he returned to Leyue Town, but we never saw him again after that. Odds are, he met with trouble. Only Dodge knows your name, so I can't take you to that item on my own and then bring you back to the Eastern Continent. For now, you'll have to stay with me—I'll take you somewhere safe."
With a faint click, the front door opened, and Hobick and the stranger quietly slipped out, leaving the White House under the cover of night. But they didn't know they hadn't gone unnoticed.
"What now?" George whispered, looking at Arthur with wide eyes. "Two options," he held up two fingers. "We either follow them or…go back to bed."
"Do we even need to ask?" Arthur clapped George on the shoulder, then quickly headed down the stairs. George sighed, shrugging his hands as he muttered, "I actually think going back to bed might be the safer choice," and then reluctantly followed Arthur.
Once they reached the door, Arthur and George exchanged glances, then slipped outside to follow.
...
Outside the western gate of Brighton City, Hobick had to jog to keep up with the mysterious man in the white robe. He glanced back occasionally and whispered to his companion.
"Parish, why did those black-robed men discover our meeting?"
"That's hardly a question. There's an informant within the organization; it's obvious."
"How can you just say that so calmly? As far as I know, you're connected to each of them in some way."
"That doesn't change the fact that one of them betrayed the mages and pledged their loyalty to the Creator."
What? Hobick murmured in disbelief. Though he was a dwarf from the Eastern Continent, in his short time among Parish and the others in the organization, he'd never thought betrayal was possible. But looking at Parish's serious expression and hearing the news about Dodge, he had to admit that a traitor was among them.
As they reached a small, secluded grove along the path, Parish paused and smiled, blocking Hobick's path. "I wonder if our two shadowy followers would care to step forward. If you won't come out willingly, I'll have to bring you out myself." Hobick was about to voice his irritation at Parish's sudden stop when he heard the remark. Quickly, he grabbed Parish's sleeve, peering anxiously around.
"What do we do now? I think we've been spotted." "It's all your fault! I told you not to make any noise…"
The voices were those of two children, familiar voices that put Hobick at ease. He stepped out from behind Parish and called out, "Arthur, George, what are you two doing here?"
Sure enough, Arthur and George emerged from their hiding place. After sneaking out of the White House, they'd followed Parish and Hobick all the way to Brighton's western outskirts. Realizing they'd been spotted, they reluctantly stepped into the open.
"Hobick, that's not fair! You were going to leave without even telling us!" Arthur crossed his arms, feigning reproach, though his eager gaze was fixed on the white-robed man, Parish. From the slip-ups Hobick had made earlier, Arthur had gathered that this man was a water mage. My ancestors were mages, too. Mages who defeated gods! Arthur thought excitedly, sketching an image of his mage ancestor in his mind, based on Parish's appearance.
Hobick winced as George gave him a firm punch to the chest. He cursed quietly in his native tongue, then explained, "I only wanted to keep you two safe. Now that I'm with Parish, Dodge's mission to protect you is over, and you'll be much safer here."
"Well, you're lucky we're being nice about it," George muttered, bumping his fist against Hobick's. They exchanged a series of complex gestures, each trying to look cooler than the other—a series of moves they'd devised in their days hanging out together.
As the two exchanged signals, Arthur stepped up to Parish, his voice hesitant. "Excuse me, are you really a mage?"
Hearing Arthur's question, Parish's eyes narrowed, and he shot Hobick a pointed look, the corners of his mouth lifting in a slight smile. "Did you tell them?" Parish asked, his tone low. "You know what I said I'd do if you spilled this secret."
Hobick went stiff as if electrocuted, his smile turning sour as he looked to Arthur and George for help—none was forthcoming.
"Can I apologize now?" he muttered.
"I think it's too late. It seems our guests tonight aren't limited to these two young gentlemen."
With a strange smile, Parish murmured a few words in a language unfamiliar to both Arthur and George, neither the common language nor the dwarf tongue that Arthur knew. At his words, shadows began to stir as several figures emerged from the direction of Brighton City, all clad in black-and-white-striped uniforms and wielding long-barreled guns, like the ones Arthur had seen on the night patrol. They formed a circle around the four of them, weapons aimed straight at Parish.
"The Tribunal's enforcers…" Parish murmured to Hobick. "If we manage to get out of this, I'll make sure you spend a night trapped in a water sphere." Parish's hands began to dissolve into droplets, trickling to the ground before him.
I knew going back to bed would've been safer, George thought, raising his hands quickly to show he was unarmed.
Hobick gave a bitter smile, "I swear I didn't tell anyone else! Will you believe me?"