Chapter 158 - An archwizard’s arrival
Later that afternoon, Scarlett sat in her office when her bond to the Loci suddenly alerted her to a new presence in front of the estate’s gates. One moment, there had been nothing there, and the next, an elderly gentleman had appeared.
Setting aside the morning’s documents she had been reading, she shifted her attention to the Loci’s senses. In her mind’s eye, she ‘saw’ how the two guards at the gate jumped in surprise when they noticed the man. Fortunately, they quickly seemed to recognize Warley Godwin’s description and relaxed. Scarlett had warned them that something like this might happen today.
She observed for a while longer as one of the guards led the dean of the Elystead Tower inside the estate, then she rose from her chair and left the office behind.
Outside, Empress was once again resting on the hallway windowsill facing the courtyard, enjoying the atmosphere.
Scarlett had been surprised that the cat had decided to stick around for so long today. Every other time Empress had appeared around the mansion, it had only been for a brief duration. But now, the cat almost seemed to have made herself at home.
While having such a powerful presence nearby provided a certain sense of safety, in case something happened, it also made Scarlett somewhat uneasy.
Considering Empress’ connection to The Gentleman, she doubted the cat would do anything too drastic, like tear down a wall or hurt somebody. However, Empress was still largely an unknown to her. The game had always kept the cat’s identity and purpose a mystery, so she couldn’t be sure whether Empress being here was beneficial, detrimental, or inconsequential.
Since The Gentleman often maintained neutrality, Scarlett doubted it was a good idea to attempt leveraging Empress’ presence in her favor against other people. Both the cat and the man would probably be angry with her if she did.
For now, she simply let the cat be as she walked past the window and deeper into the mansion. Soon, she had left the east wing and headed towards where she had instructed the staff to bring Dean Godwin once he arrived. She expected him to be held up a bit in the courtyard when he saw the dragon, but she wasn’t in a rush.
The guest lounge was empty upon her arrival, save for some refreshments that had been prepared beforehand. She moved over to one of the armchairs situated at the center of the room and sat down. To pass the time, she brought out the book she had started reading earlier that day, The Red Witch of Destruction: Catastrophe Incarnate, and resumed reading, making some mental notes in the process.
After twenty or so minutes, there was a knock on the door, and a servant opened it, leading Warley Godwin inside. The servant woman set a look towards Scarlett as if inquiring whether there was anything else to do, but Scarlett signaled with her hand that everything was fine. The servant then exited and closed the door.
“Welcome, Dean Godwin,” Scarlett said, gesturing towards a couch in front of her. “Have a seat.”