It has now been ten days since the earthquake struck Grimhaven.
Miss DeLuna still has not returned.
Worse—
there has been absolutely no ransom demand.
No negotiation attempt.
No message.
Nothing.
Which means the motive likely was never financial in the first place.
That realization alone has been enough to steadily destroy my peace of mind.
The civilians forced into the Dark Citadel during the evacuation also have not reappeared publicly since the earthquake.
At first I assumed they were merely being sheltered underground.
Now…
I am no longer certain.
Maintaining imprisoned civilians in large numbers requires enormous resource expenditure.
Food.
Water.
Guard rotation.
Medical care.
Space.
Unless there is strategic value involved, prolonged containment becomes economically irrational very quickly.
Which leaves only several possibilities.
None of them good.
The rumors circulating around Grimhaven are especially concerning.
According to several paid informants, the League has historical ties to forbidden alchemical practices and necromantic rituals.
Others claim the civilians are being used as labor beneath the citadel.
One particularly unstable man insisted the League feeds souls directly into the underground darkness beneath Grimhaven itself.
Normally I would dismiss all of this immediately.
Unfortunately I recently visited Isla de la Luna.
My standards for impossible things have deteriorated severely.
Six days ago I spent a frankly unreasonable amount of money hiring express couriers to Leviathan Fort.
Fast courier infrastructure across the eastern routes remains astonishingly efficient.
Relay stations allow information and small cargo to move continuously across the main roads without stopping.
Under optimal conditions they can apparently cover nearly eighty kilometers within a single day.
I do not know why I felt the need to explain courier logistics inside this journal.
Perhaps because detailed systems feel emotionally safer than panic.
Spathian has also become increasingly unhelpful.
When I informed him that I intended to request military assistance from the Leviathan Fleet, he stared at me for several seconds before asking why I was “overreacting.”
Overreacting.
To a supernatural criminal organization abducting Miss DeLuna into a fortress city controlled by self-proclaimed apocalypse cultists.
At this point I genuinely suspect prolonged exposure to Isla de la Luna damaged his survival instincts permanently.
When I demanded an alternative solution, he casually informed me that based on “the evidence” he had gathered, we could probably walk directly into the citadel and politely ask for Miss DeLuna back.
Actually no.
Not “back.”
His exact wording was:
“Ask Reine to come outside.”
Outside.
As though she were staying temporarily with eccentric relatives rather than imprisoned by nightmare warlords capable of controlling earthquakes.
I asked what possible evidence could have produced such a catastrophic conclusion.
He refused to elaborate.
Then returned to dismantling spoons.
I no longer understand that man.
Or perhaps stress has finally damaged his judgment entirely.
That possibility honestly feels more comforting.
The intelligence reports arriving from Grimhaven have only worsened matters.
Apparently the League of Eternal Darkness recently gained a new high-ranking member known only as:
The Light Bearer.
Descriptions remain inconsistent.
Most reports describe a small armored girl carrying some form of radiant artifact capable of blinding anyone who stares directly into it.
Several witnesses claim her presence strengthens members of the League physically and emotionally.
Others insist her speeches can alter the emotional state of entire crowds.
One drunk merchant swore her light reveals “the fractures hidden inside human souls.”
I sincerely hope alcohol was involved heavily in that testimony.
Still—
the timing is deeply concerning.
If the League truly possesses another supernatural figure aligned with them, negotiations may become significantly more dangerous than anticipated.
I now understand why Dunskar tolerates Grimhaven’s existence despite its instability.
Military suppression against forces believed capable of influencing weather, earthquakes, emotional states, and mass fear likely carries unacceptable risk.
Three hours ago a courier finally arrived directly from Leviathan Fort.
The response was brief.
Military support is coming.
The Leviathan Fleet’s advance detachment should arrive within approximately three days.
I should feel relieved.
Instead I feel worse.
Because military intervention means this situation has already escalated beyond ordinary negotiation.
Still…
if negotiation remains possible, I will attempt it first.
I must.
But if negotiations fail—
then I am fully prepared to spend whatever remains of my life forcing Miss DeLuna out of that citadel alive.
Preferably alive.
I pray we are not already too late.
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