Rae van Daleon – The Roots of the Storm

by Lea von Löwenstein

Chapter 59: Exposing the Shadows

The march back to camp was tense and quiet, the captured hooded figures trudging ahead of Rae’s team under Marcus’s watchful eye. Krenz walked among them, his defiance replaced with a resigned silence. The weight of his betrayal and the scope of the conspiracy had drained his bravado.

As the group entered the flickering firelight of their camp, the tension only grew. Rae’s team forced the prisoners to sit near the edge of the clearing, securing them with ropes and watching for any signs of resistance. Soren stood sentry, his crossbow trained on the group, while Tyren adjusted his cogitator to alert them of any approaching threats.

“We can’t keep this quiet,” Celestine said, breaking the silence. “The Commissar needs to know everything—now.”

Rae nodded. “Agreed. Tyren, send a message to the Scola. Use the emergency channel. Tell them we’ve uncovered a conspiracy and need immediate reinforcement.”

Tyren hesitated. “If I do that, it’ll alert anyone still in the network. Whoever’s behind this might try to silence us before help arrives.”

“Let them try,” Marcus growled. “We’ll be ready.”

Rae placed a hand on Tyren’s shoulder. “Do it. We need backup.”

The Interrogation

As Tyren worked, Rae turned her attention to the prisoners. She crouched in front of the hooded leader, her blade glinting faintly in the firelight.

“You’ve got one chance to talk,” she said, her voice cold. “Who are you working with? What’s the plan?”

The leader smirked, a faint streak of blood on their lip. “You think you’ve won? This isn’t over. We’re just the beginning.”

Celestine stepped closer, her knives spinning idly in her hands. “That’s a cute line, but it’s not an answer.”

The leader’s smirk faltered, but they remained silent. Rae’s patience wore thin. “Krenz already told us about the attack. If you want any chance of leniency, you’ll tell us the rest.”

For the first time, the leader’s confidence cracked. Their eyes flicked to the other prisoners before settling on Rae. “There’s… a signal. During the final phase of the Field Weeks. That’s when it happens.”

“What happens?” Rae pressed.

The leader hesitated, their voice lowering. “They’re going to sabotage the final war games—turn them into chaos. The goal isn’t to win. It’s to destroy the Scola’s credibility. To show the Imperium that its training grounds are vulnerable.”

Reinforcements Arrive

The sound of distant engines broke the tense silence. Tyren looked up from his cogitator. “They’re here.”

A transport shuttle descended into the clearing, its engines kicking up a whirlwind of dust and leaves. The side door opened, and Commissar Varn stepped out, flanked by a squad of armed instructors. His sharp gaze immediately locked onto Rae and the prisoners.

“Report,” Varn barked.

Rae stood straight, her voice steady. “We uncovered a conspiracy, sir. These novices—and others—are planning an attack during the final phase of the Field Weeks. Their goal is to undermine the Scola.”

Varn’s expression darkened. “Sabotage. Treason.” He turned to the hooded leader, his voice like a blade. “You will tell us everything.”

The leader said nothing, their head bowed in defeat. Varn motioned to the instructors. “Take them back to the Scola. Secure them for interrogation. We’ll find the rest of this rot.”

The prisoners were hauled to their feet and escorted onto the transport. Krenz hesitated before stepping inside, his eyes meeting Rae’s. There was no hatred left in his gaze—only regret.

A Grim Warning

As the transport lifted off, Varn turned back to Rae and her team. “You’ve done well to uncover this,” he said, though his tone carried no warmth. “But this isn’t over. If what they say is true, there are more of them out there. Novices. Staff. Perhaps even external forces.”

“What should we do?” Rae asked.

Varn’s gaze was unrelenting. “You will proceed with the Field Weeks as planned. Draw them out. Force their hand. And when they strike, you will ensure they fail.”

Celestine crossed her arms. “You want us to act as bait.”

Varn’s eyes flicked to her, sharp as a knife. “You are bait, Novice. But you are also hunters. This is your chance to prove yourselves—to show that the Emperor’s faith in you is not misplaced.”

Rae nodded, her resolve firm. “We’ll handle it.”

Varn stepped closer, lowering his voice so only Rae could hear. “Be careful, van Daleon. You’ve done well, but the shadows are deeper than you think. Trust no one.”

Preparing for the Unknown

That night, the team sat around the fire, their expressions grim. The weight of what lay ahead pressed down on them, but none of them spoke of fear. They were past that now.

“We have to assume they’ll come at us hard,” Soren said, loading a fresh bolt into his crossbow. “They know we’re onto them.”

“They’ll come,” Marcus said, his hammer resting across his lap. “And we’ll send them crawling back to the shadows.”

Tyren adjusted his cogitator, his eyes scanning the data. “I’ll keep monitoring the network. If there’s any chatter, I’ll catch it.”

Celestine leaned forward, her knives gleaming in the firelight. “When they come, they won’t find us unprepared.”

Rae looked at each of them, her voice steady. “We’ve been through worse. We’ve faced chaos, betrayal, and death. This is just another fight. And we’ll win.”

“For Talia,” Soren said quietly.

“For Talia,” the others echoed.

As the fire burned low, Rae’s gaze drifted to the forest beyond the camp. The shadows seemed darker now, heavier with unseen threats. But she wasn’t afraid. Whatever came next, they would face it together.

The war games were no longer just a test. They were a battle for the soul of the Scola. And Rae and her team were ready to fight.